Alumni Association of the Michigan Alpha Chapter of Phi Delta Theta

Circa Mid-1930s Pictures of Chapter House Found

Son of 1936 Michigan Alpha President Donates Historic Photos to Alumni Association

 

[December 16, 2009]  While recently going through a collection of his father's old photos, the son, Bob Young, of Michigan Alpha's President,  Robert C. Young '36, during the 1935-36 school year came across pictures of the Phi Delta Theta chapter house believed to have been taken during the  mid-1930s.

While it would have been easy for Bob to just keep these photos in his family's archive forever, he decided to find out if the photos were meaningful to the owners of the fraternity house.  Bob's research on the Internet enabled him to find the Alumni Association's web site and e-mail address which he used to provide us with copies of the photos.

As it turns out, Young's photos of the exterior and interior of the house have provided us with the best visual record we have of the structure from this era.

In the course of discussing the discovery of these photos, the Alumni Association learned from Bob about his father's noteworthy career in journalism.   After graduating from Michigan, Young went on to a distinguished 46 year career with the Chicago Tribune.

He was present for, or reported about, many historic events.  Young became a Tribune White House correspondent and was in the presidential motorcade in Dallas on that fateful November day in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

During his career, Young covered Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy,  Johnson and Nixon before retiring as the editor of the Tribune's Washington Bureau in 1977.

Young spent his retirement years with his wife living at Leisure World in California before passing away in 2000 at the age of 85.

Thanks to the thoughtfulness of his son, the Alumni Association now knows more about the early history of our grand old chapter house as well as Young who achieved great distinction in his professional career.  This find is a tremendous addition to the Alumni Association's Heritage Project.

The Alumni Association is very grateful to Robert C. Young for keeping these photos in his archive for decades.  In coelo quies est, Brother Young.

Homecoming 2009

Alums See North Porch Dedicated, Michigan Alpha Honored

  

[Posted December 15, 2009]  Every Homecoming is a special time when alums visit the chapter house to remember past glories and renew friendship, but the 2009 event was particularly memorable. 

As usual, prior to the mid-afternoon kickoff, alums parked for free on the lawn and enjoyed meeting their fellow alumni and active brothers at Michigan Alpha's Homecoming Open House.  The actives had the chapter house in top shape and put out breakfast foods with coffee to welcome returning alums as well as their guests.

In addition, this year's gathering featured the dedication of a major house renovation and the presentation of a community award.

Thanks to a very generous group of 1950s era alumni headed by John Buck ‘54, the Alumni Association was able to rebuild the North Porch during the summer and officially dedicate it as reopened on Homecoming morning. 

John stepped up and gained the support of Dick Young ‘51, Doug Roby ‘56, Bob Leland ‘58 and Bernie Rinella ‘58.  The five alums donated a total of $12,750 to for the project.  On behalf of his fellow donors, John cut the ribbon on the door to dedicate the North Porch during a short ceremony attended by alums and active chapter members.

The other highlight of the morning was the Ann Arbor Campus Community Coalition presenting Michigan Alpha with the "Unsung Heroes" award.  The commendation recognized Michigan Alpha's leadership in the U of M Greek System for maintaining an alcohol-free chapter house.

Alumni attendees included John Buck '54, Pat Hayden '66, JT (Tom) Buck '77, Frank Bock '78, Nat Love '81, Dan Recinella '81, Jeff Post '82, Greg Karmazin '87, Derek Smith '91, Paul Wezner '06, Ronnie Brant '08, Matt Schiefer '08 among others who briefly dropped in to say hello.

The Alumni Association is considering ideas for expanding homecoming festivities next year.  Homecoming 2010 will be held on October 16 when the Wolverines take on the Iowa Hawkeyes.
 

Got Historic Photos and Old Sword & Shield Newsletters?

Alumni Association Preserving Our Heritage, But We Need Your Help!

One of the qualities that sets Phi Delta Theta apart from other fraternities on the U of M campus is our rich heritage of accomplishments by individual members and the fraternity as a whole. 

Michigan Alpha boasts a history within the U of M Greek System that includes famous Michigan athletes, campus leaders and many noteworthy achievements.

 Of course, many of Michigan Alpha's alums have gone on to make significant contributions to their professions and society.  They have upheld the ideals of the fraternity and added distinction to U of M.

The Alumni Association is dedicated to preserving our history and ensuring that the new generations of active Phis understand that they are carrying on a long tradition of excellence to hopefully even better days in the future. 

We established the Heritage Project to improve the displays in the Trophy Room and other areas of the chapter house while enhancing the Alumni Association's web site.  But, we need your help for this initiative to be successful! 

The Alumni Association is seeking to obtain copies of photos that depict fraternity life as well as individual members who distinguished themselves during their collegiate career or as alums. 

We are interested in getting photos that tell the story of everyday activities as well as major events such as Mud Bowl, intramural sports championships, philanthropic endeavors, Greek Week competition, etc...

In addition, the Alumni Association would like to acquire copies of old issues of the Sword & Shield newsletter that was first published in 1930.  The Sword & Shield provides perhaps the best written record of our history, but unfortunately we have few issues in our archive before the early 1970s.

We will gladly pay for, or reimburse, the cost of reproduction and mailing of materials that help us to build our archive.

If you have old photos or Sword & Shields that you're willing to allow us to copy, please contact Alumni Association Secretary Greg Karmazin '87 by e-mail at gkarm@aol.com or phone at (313) 510-1188. 

North Porch Restoration Moving Forward
1950s Era Alums' Generosity Makes Project Possible

By Alumi Association President JT (Tom) Buck '77

[Posted July 2, 2009]  A very generous group of 1950s era alumni headed by John Buck ‘54 have made a wonderful gift to the chapter.  Five alums donated a total of $12,750 to enable the Alumni Association to reconstruct the old north porch of the chapter house.

John stepped up and gained the support of Dick Young ‘51, Doug Roby ‘56, Bob Leland ‘58 and Bernie Rinella ‘58.  

Without the generous donations of these brothers, the north porch restoration project would have languished on our improvements "wish list" for many years to come given the many immediate needs for our limited funds.

In 2001, the north porch roof over the kitchen was repaired and improved.  A shortage of funds kept us from being able to reconstruct the railings at that time.  The north porch has been off limits to the chapter for eight years.

While restoring the north porch was considered a high priority, during recent years the Alumni Association has been confronted by immediate critical needs to repair restrooms, the kitchen, serious water leaks in the dining room and foyer, carpet and painting throughout the house.  As a result, we were not making progress toward finishing the north porch project.

Because of the donations of our very own "fab five," construction of an attractive wooden railing consistent with the historic architectural design of the front porch is now under way.  The north porch will be open for use in the fall.

On behalf of the Alumni Association, I wish to express our deepest gratitude for your commitment to helping us transmit our 106 year old chapter house to the next generation of Phis in excellent shape.  Thank you John, Dick, Doug, Bob and Bernie! 

You are models for all of us in choosing a project which contributes to making us proud of our chapter house.  We plan to have a reception in the fall to show off the fully restored north porch and a plaque commemorating this outstanding gift.

Finally, I would also like to thank all alums listed on the last page of the Sword & Shield who made donations to the 2008-2009 Annual Fund.  Your generous donations are the Alumni Association's main source of funding to provide communication services and perform essential maintenance on our historic chapter house.

Alumni Updates for Fall 2008

Have an update to share?  Submit it to the Alumni Association by updating your membership information in our online membership directory or e-mail it to the Secretary of the Alumni Association at gkarm@aol.com.

During the fall of 2008, we received updates from the following eleven alums:

Herald Hughes Jr. '50
Bruce Dutcher '50
John Jenks '53
William Michaels '54
Douglas Roby, Jr. '56
Richard Staelin '61
Patrick O'Neil '65
John G. Neville '70
Nathaniel J. Love '81
Jeffrey Post '82
Michael Citren '83

In order to read their updates, please view Michigan Alpha's online membership directory by CLICKING HERE.