^XS' yVKV/Tdt CHI CHAPTER OF PHI GAMMA DELTA AT UNION COLLEGE SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK FALL 1986 vMbLKs/ PRESIDENT'S REPORT With a successful Homecoming Weekend under our belts, 1 am proud to report that Fall Term '86 at Chi Chapter has been both stable and prosperous for the brotherhood. Despite the loss of last year's strong senior class, the brotherhood has been able to "stabilize" this fall, enabling us to maintain the tradition of excellence here at Chi. Just to touch on a few of the major issues that have presented themselves recently: the social atmosphere here at Union has changed drastically this Fall, as the Administration has become much more strict in enforcing their social policies. This action is in part due to Faculty pressure on the Administration to "get tough" with ALL fraternities, especially since the College just recently evicted the Delta Upsilon Fraternity from campus. Dean Massa even A new "FIJI Island Committee" has been formed to insure that all goes smoothly at this year's islander, and hopefully to make it the best in Chi history. Hopefully, the Graduates have also noticed the.- increased--^fojtj of our Graduaie Relations Committee. I ui proud.,, ^rbport that Chi won its first award in years at"x this year's Ekklesia, the "John Templeton J McCarty Award" for Administrative profic^iy^ ^cwl^ch accurately reflects the outstanding eriort put fortTTihlill areas oTlhe "chapter last year. At this point, it looks as if Chi's tradition ot excellence is destined to continue for at least a few more years, as this Fall's rush has gone quite well and a strong pledge class looks Hopefully, the Graduates who have b^e" back recently have noticed the outstanding efforts of, as well as the enthusiastic to Chapter; we want to show you how N - and we also hke to see that FIJI for "ot for college days alone," questioned me as to the degree of support Chi would receive from our Graduates and from the International Headquaters in looking for a house off campus! Roger Likewise '87 ^h^Pter President As a direct result of the hyper-litigious society we all unfortunately live in, insurance costs have sharply risen lately. Consequently, the' College has required that all fraternities obtain at least $1 million worth of insurance coverage, as well as co-naming Union in the policy ^ or, not be alloweiiJ-H--Lf'nrTuture to hosf-any^cial functicuisXTTu (jamma Delta InternatioiiaTSi^s provki^ all chapters with a 5-year policy wort aboiG $10 million including special coverage officm FinanciaTr77-€TH~Cliapi£x..jiist-paid- off about 75% of our monolithic $4100 debt to Union College due to past damages. Hopefully, the efforts of newly elected Chi Association Treasurer Steve Wall will be rewarded, and Chi will eventually see some reimbursement. The house has been looking especially good lately with a new living room carpet, some new furniture, and a new stove. New paneling for the dining room will also be installed this term. As a result of a larger class of initiates last Spring, Chi has also gained two more rooms on the third floor. BRO. WALL BRINGS THE "TRUCK'FOR A VISIT \r\n1987 BASKETBALL MARATHON aUSH A SUCCESS This year at Chi Chapter we have been ^iven a challenge. In accordance with a new school policy, this Fall's rush must be completely dry. We at Chi have accepted this challenge and taken it by the horns. The season negan with a convocation in Old Chapel at which former Ideld Secretary Buddy Cote spoke to all freshman interested in joining Fraternities about the Fraternity System in general, and dry rush in particular. Following Brother Cote's oration, the freshmen were allowed to circulate around the room to find out *idf. a little more ab«Hit each house on_QaiiU2us. The Phi Gam table was filled Oof-fcH/s with brochures from Headquarters, as w own rush brochure. The night prove beneficial as we were the only house to remain more than a half hour after every one else had FEB. 27 - 28 TO BENEF/T left .solely for the purpose of talking to rushees. A two week informal rush period followed with the traditional burgers-n-brew, Monday MtSSlNG CHILDREN/ COMMUNITY ALERT NETWORK Night Footbalhand the usual mealtime activities. All were very successful, as were the weekly West Beach football games, taking the place of the away varsity games. Ne.xt came a two week formal drv rush period during which every house wns requu'ed to have at leasC^onj^otally dry functid^i. Searching for an innovaTrve""td^a^~we-4»po usTn the race track at Saratv^ga. Both brotlrer^and rushees attended what was a very successful but not very profitable evening. Homecoming weekend marked the end of formal rush, and we have returned to informal rush for the duration. As time winds down, we are looking good. The quality and quantity of rushees is high and, hopefully, this winter we will have a large number of quality pledges. We only hope that your support and recommendations will continue so that Chi can continue to maintain such high standards as in the past. HOUSE IMPROVEMENTS CONTINUE V _ ^7 year has started off with some positive house improvements. The most ^ noticable one is tlie new carpeting in the living room, a great improvement over the old red one so fondly remembered by all. (Graduate Brother Steve Wall came through yet again on his prize beer pong table with the design and addition of real gutters to keep spdled beer off of the precious carpet. The school also will shortly be giving us some new furniture that we have been expecting for .some time now. Overall, the living room is looking much better. The kitchen is also looking up, as the addition of a brand new stove supplied by the school is both safer and easier to cook with. Many of the other improvemants are not as Fraternally, noticable. Every year as we return to LInion, the resident brothers come up with new ways to Ricky Marcus Rush Chairman decorate their suites. This year room 224 has become a beach side bungalow with a full wall mural that depicts a hawaiian sunset on one side. Perge! 322 is now a livable space, which is change from the infamous "storage room", we have also aquired two new rooms on the third floor, a suite (321) and a single (32(J) Our overall goal of getting rid of the dorm look is rapidly CHI TAMA coming about. PUBLISHED THREE TIMES YEARLY BY THE BROTHERS OF THE CHI CHAPTER OF PHI GAMMA DELTA. UNION COLLEGE. SCHENECTADY As for future plans, the head table in the dining room is currently undergoing a facelift, so that once again Graduate Brothers Feldstein and Squires can do Cannible Isle togther. We are in the middle of buying paneling for the dining room, and Brother Katz will soon be painting two NEW YORK 12308. murals, one of the badge and the other of the crest, in the hallways. Surely, upon your return to your chapter, you will like the improved look =>RESIDENT ORRESPONDING SEC EDITOR ROGER LIKEWISE '87 of the house. PAUL MALATESTA '87 PAT LARKIN '88 Lraternally, Jim OToughlin Hvuise Sl Cjrounds Chairman \r\nMY YEAR AT E'NION COLLEGE IN 1913 In the autumn of 1913 when I was just out of High School 1 went to Union and a few days afterwards I was living in the Phi Gam fraternity house and living a new life. What I may have learned in college classes 1 don't remember, but I do know that the association with members of the "Phi Gams" had an effect far beyond any college learning, as there I was, as a freshman, told what I had to do to help others, and to learn ways of living not part of my life as an only child, and to feel my responsibility to do things to help others. My ability to learn in the field of mathematics was nil and I stayed in college that one year, but the fraternity disciplines made a new man out of me. THE 'OLD DORM'IN ACT/ON Nelson Coon '1 7 FIJI ISLAND Dear Chris, The picture of the room with beds on the reverse of the address page in the spring issue of the Chi Tama is certainly the old dormitory in the old Phi Gamma Delta House. In the old house, no one slept in the room he shared downstairs, but rather in a very crowded room with thirty or so beds in it, as pictured. The room was cold, as you can guess, and of course it was a terrible fire trap, with only one iron ladder going down three floors to the ground. It was, in my recollection, used far more for late and drunken entrances than for any exits, and as for fires, we lucked out. The inadequate fire protection may have left a subliminal feeling in me that, forty some years later, prompted me to support the action taken by the trustees to require adequate fire protection in the privately owned fraternity houses. The picture was taken looking toward the door of the bathroom and shower which were to the right immediately after leaving the dorm MAY 11 - 16 1987 door. The house was built when my father, H. Garnet Davis '07, was a student and member of Phi Gamma Delta. He worked very closely with David Grant and Charles Steinmetz, and the fire-protection inadequacies can probably be blamed on three engineers trying to design a house. Your requested news: I am about to retire from St. Albans School after 44 years as a teacher and administrator there. I am still a member of the Union Board of Trustees and I'm publishing a book called "The Ordered Web" on September 30, 1986, which contains several chapters about Union and Union Personalities in the 19 30 - 1940 period. I trust the Union Bookstore will handle it. John C. Davis '37 GRADS PONDER LIFE AMONG OTHER THINGS \r\nlu This year's Homecoming was filled with surprises and laughs. The first and most obvious surpri.se was the mere fact that there would be a bachelor party for Graduate Brother Bilsback. The thought that he would ever be able to settle down with a wife and hopefully, someday even tiecv kids was a shock to even the most jaded amon^ fwS? us. Congratulations to "Bilbo" and good luck! ' The weekend started off like any big weekend does, as a few grads popped in on Thursday evening to get a gpodL^ed^d start off on the right foot. Late nighispmig^''Ws the order of the evening. Friday rolleo^dWaid, and the preparations began... renting equipment, preparing food, even taking the hinges off of the front doors. The first graduates began arriving at about 6:00 p.m. and the party just got bigger from there. By 9:00, when the party for Bilbo got underway, there were more than 25 grads laughing and retelling old stories, and in some cases, creating new ones in the process. The entertainment for the evening was first rate, with several graduates and undergrads playing for a less than receptive audience. All in all, the night went very well, and only a few regretted the night's actions. The following morning began with the fall meeting of the Chi Association. All reports were very positive, with many improvements noted, and a few others recommended. Steve Wall '84 was elected the new Association Treasurer, and will be in contact with all of the graduates very soon. With the business part of the weekend out of the way, it was soon time for the football game. Hot rum and cider was the rule, but Graduate Brothers McCormick and Hutchins had their own ideas, and invented a new kind of cough syrup. Not that it mattered much, though. Union, as usual, easily defeated R.P.I, and the brotherhood retired to the house for the cocktail party. The house cook, Brian, and his wife had worked many long hours preparing a meal everyone would not soon forget, and all of the work paid off, as many grads stated that they did not eat as well at home. The all campus party went very well, too, as graduates from other houses stopped by and visited with old friends. Everyone present seemed to have a very enjoyable weekend, and encouraged all others to make every effort to attend the next function. The undergrads feel the same way, and we would love to see you before then, as well. We hope to see many more grads in attendance for Pig Dinner and FIJI Island. Make an effort. It will be worth it. LUCKY GROOM BRIAN 'B/LB&CBILSBACK Reprinted from Chi Tama December, 1947... It has plagued me many times that I have never really questioned myself as to the true meaning of fraternity. First of all, 1 must know the meaning of the word, "Fraternity". Winston's Dictionary defines it as "brotherly relationship; a body of men bonded together by common interest, as men of the same profession or class; a secret society as of college men". But let us go deeper than that. The Encyclopedia Britannica defines the phrase "Fraternities, College" as "a class of students societies peculiar to the college and universities of the United States and Canada, with certain common characteristics, and mostly named from two or three letters of the, Greek Alphabet". True, the dicUo'naly^nd encyclopedia can define words, but( they-dannot define emotions, and the meaning o"f~fraternity for me is tied up in several strong emotions. The members of a fraternity should have an emotion of common interest. I am not talking about a common interest in bridge, or beer drinking, or girls, but an interest in his brothers, in how they are making out in their courses; an interest in the running of the fraternity house, not just the organization itself, but in the prestige of the house and its members; and an interest of friendship and companionship with one's brother. They should also have an emotion of common purpose. That purpose should be directed toward producing concord among the brothers; toward building friendship and understanding; and toward strengthening the already great prestige of the fraternity. And lastly, the emotion of sincerity is necessary. Fraternally, Unless the brothers are sincere in their interest Pat Larkin and purpose, harmony of action is impossible. It is my belief that these three emotions can PIG DINNER WEEKEND APRIL 17 - 19. 1987 A//1/7/r YOUR CALENDARS NOW!! be developed where they are not already present. Certainly among a college group all are intelligent enough to recognize past shortcomings, and to understand that the real meaning of fraternity is found in the three emotions I have enumerated: Common Interest, Common Purpose, and Common Sincerity. -Editor (John C. Stuckey, Jr. '49) \r\nr> NgIsOH Coon 17 has written 12 books on horticnltlire, as well as writing a weekly ?1;| column for the local newspaper. See the article Brother Coon wrote for Chi Tama in this issue. "Coonie" can be contacted at Hines Point Vineyard Haven, MA 02568. DdVid L. Msrtin ! ] Is nr~ 1W : ;l s Mki 57 has retired from DuPont alter 2 3 years and will hopefully be starting a new career in insumnce sales. Dave M.so reports that his brothers Goorge and Bill are doing well with the Stanley W'orks in New Britain, Ct. He can be contacted at 87 Aspen Ledges Rd. Ridgefield, Ct. 06 877. A.J. Bsksr 58 is an engineering professor at the Univ. of Tennessee. He will be celebrating 2 5 years of marriage with his wife Mary Hlleii this year, and has 4 chdclren ages 14 7 JciTY reports that he visited BIN Eckerliiie '58 and his wife Betty in Sunnyvale, C.\. and says that Bill is a "big manager" with GTE there. Brother Bakers address: 2 32 1 CTaig Phi Gamiiia Delta WF "OLD HOUSE'/NHER GLORY Cove Knoxville, TN 3'"4 1 0. K©n. LaBarge 69 is cunentlv waiting for child number two, and therefore hunting for larger quarters. He and his wife Cyndi have a daughter, Erin. Ken is working as a VP in Corporate Services for Kidder, Peabody & Co. and can be reached at 155 No. Harbor Dr. /5'150S Chicago, IE 6Gb01. Ed Calamal 73 recently moved from Lexington to Acton, Mass, and is expecting his third child this summer. Ed is a Project Director K^r Senigeq Tljeraputics and reports that DaV© B©nkO 73 is living near .Akron, Ohio and expecting his second child. You can contact Ed at 21 Silver Hill Rd. Acton, Mass. 01 720. Micha©! A. Garon© '75 wiii be opening a private practice in gastroenterology soon. His wife was pregnant with their first child and was due in October when he contacted us. Mike can be reached at 8317 Millbranch Place Fairfax, VA 22031. Jo©l R. Buckb©rg '76 is mamed with one child, .loshua, age 2. Brother Buckberg is an A.ssistant Secretary and Assistant Corporate Counsel for Days Inns of Ameiaca, Inc, and his address is 4091 Primrose Lane Norcross GA 3009 2. Mitch©! Blair '79 is married to l lizabeth Scott Blair and has a 17 month old daughter, Eliza. He is currently an attorney with Calfee, Halter and Gnswold, and is living at 195 N. Mam St. Chagrin Falls, OH 44022 Chris Lacy "85 reports that he is self-employed and "living my lifelong dream of surfing in Hawaii", as well as running a pliotograpy business. "Race" is also writing a texli'jook on edible wild plants. His address: 40 Ehu Rd. Makawao, Maui, HI *^67118, GRADUATE RELATIONS IMPROVING As we kick off our second year of the new graduate relations committee, several projects have been outlined to help draw the undergraduate brothers closer to our grads. Eirst and foremost is the assembly of hopefully the finest Pig Dinner in Chi Chapter history. We have set the date well in advance for April 17-19 in hopes that many graduates can plan ahead for this weekend. Keep your eyes on your mailboxes for correspondence from those of us here at Union or your fellow graduates. Other projects that are underway include the mailing of initiation anniversary cards to the graduates celebrating memorable (i.e 10, 2 5 and 50 year) anniversaries of one of the most important days in their collegiate lives. We undergrads also hope to assemble, for the first time, a complete Chi Chapter Graduate Directory in the hopes of helping the graduates stay in closer touch with one another. After its initial publication, addenda can be made through our Chi Tama. We hope for great success in these projects and would greatly appreciate any help any graduate may be able to give us. Since undergraduate / graduate relations are .so vital to the success of the Chapter, we hope we can improve our communications and bring back the feeling that Phi Gamma Delta is not for colleoe days alone Tony DeMartino Graduate Relations Committtee \r\nCONTRIBUTORS TO HELP PAY THE HOUSE DEBT Harold L. Saxton '2 4 John A. Tiedeman '26 Francis C. Bradt '29 Louis D. Howard '31 Edward G. Reville '31 James W. Wiley '31 Ray Girvin '33 John P. Shanley '40 Jim Tracy '45 Malcolm G, Thomas '5 1 Frank B. Walker '5 1 Philip D. Farnum '56 Michael F. Champ '64 John C. Robbins, III '71 Bill Kuchta '72 Al T. Britten '74 Frank C. O'Connor, III '77 GHADS JAM Matthew Hicks '80 Davbid Scherbarth '80 Mike Castellano '8 3 T HOMECOMING THE fiUTCTNITV OF Non Profit Og. PHIGAMMADELTA IJ.S POSTAGE PAID CHI OF PHI GAMMA oarA PM Gimmt Delta Houm PERMIT NO.202 SCHENECTAOY. NY SdwiiMtady, New Vodi 12306 EDITOR'S NOTE As tall term draws to a close, and my year as Chi Tama editor comes to an end, I am very pleased to sa\ that we are beginning to see a good number of graduates once again showing an interest in the happenings of their house. lack ot capital is due in large part to the fact that we have paid over S3,000 of a debt to the school that the current undergraduate brotherhood is largely not responsible for. The niajonty of the expenses listed on the bill date as long time at which graduates from as far back as the 1960's stopped by after the game. Many tar back as the 16 79/80 school year. This spending has left the house on a "shoe string" budget for at least the rest of this term, if not stories and legends about the "old house" were passed on and relived, much to the pleasure of for the year. The time for improvement and interest in the everyone present. The response to the plea by newly-elected Chi Association Treasurer Steve house has arrived. PLEASE help us to do what we can to make OUR chapter a place we will all This year's Homecoming was the first in a "Catch the Keg" Wall '84 has so far been great - be increasingly proud of as the years go by. but more is needed badly. Several plans and ideas are waiting to be implemented in the areas of house improvements, social, kitchen facilities and most of all graduate relations. The plans we have in this area are truly impressive, but are only worth the paper they're written on if we do not have the funds to put them into action. This Thanks. Fraternally, Pat Larkin Editor Pergel \r\nFIJI ALUMNI QUESTIONNAIRE NAME: GRAD. YR: NICKNAME: PHONE:(_l PRESENT — OCCUPATIONAL ADDRESS: _ STATUS: FAMILY BUSINESS STATUS: ADDRESS: WHAT'S NEW WITH YOU? NEWS FROM OTHER ALUMNI: WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO BE THE. GRAD. CONTACT FOR YOUR CLASS YEAR? WILL YOU BE ATTENDING: ?IG DINNER APSIL 17-1» _ BASKETBALL MARATHON FEB. 27 - 28 \r\nCHI OF PHI GAMMA DELTA BOX 2509 UNION COLLEGE SCHENECTADY, NY 12308