Kappa Kappa of

Frances DeSimone Becque, Ph.D. April 26, 2004

Information courtesy of University of Archives and the Society for the Preservation of Greek Housing

This history was produced as part of the Society for the Preservation of Greek Housing’s Greek Chapter History Project. The Society was founded in 1988, with the goal of preserving the historic buildings that embody the history of the nation’s largest Greek system, and educating the public about the historical significance of fraternities and sororities on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. Dues paid by member fraternity and sorority chapters and donations from chapter alumni fund the Society’s work. In keeping with their mission, the Society began the Greek Chapter History Project in May 2000 in conjunction with the University of Illinois Archives. The GCHP aims for nothing less than producing a complete historical record of fraternities and sororities on the University of Illinois campus by employing a graduate assistant to research and write histories of campus chapters. Making the work possible are the extensive collections of the University of Illinois Archives, especially its Student Life and Culture Archival Program. Supported by an endowment from the Stewart S. Howe Foundation, the heart of the SLC Archives is the Stewart S. Howe collection, the world’s largest collection of material related to fraternities and sororities.

© 2004 The Society for the Preservation of Greek Housing and the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. All rights reserved. The University of Illinois was to become home to one of America’s largest and best fraternity systems, yet the history of Sigma Chi’s Kappa Kappa Chapter indicates that a different climate existed in the early years of the University. Kappa Kappa was founded in 1881, and its first decade was fraught with anti-fraternity sentiments and bitter disappointments. The tenacity of the chapter members and the loyalty they felt for the

Fraternity, in the face of these anti-fraternity sentiments, make Kappa Kappa’s story very different from those of the fraternities whose chapters at the University of Illinois were founded a decade later.

Sigma Chi Fraternity was founded on June 28, 1855 at in Oxford,

Ohio. Six of its seven founders had been members of the Kappa Chapter of Delta Kappa

Epsilon. A dispute arose over the election of poet of the Erodelphian Literary Society.

The Dekes refused to endorse one of their own for the position. The chapter was divided over the this refusal to cast ballots for their fraternity brother. Six men, Thomas Cowan

Bell, James Parks Caldwell, Daniel William Cooper, Benjamin Piatt Runkle, Franklin

Howard Scobey, and Isaac M. Jordan withdrew their membership in Delta Kappa

Epsilon. Joined by William Lewis Lockwood, they started their own society and called it

Sigma Phi. Unbeknownst to the seven men, there was an eastern society with the same name. On June 28, 1855, the badges were worn in public for the first time. A new constitution and ritual were prepared in 1856 and the name of the fraternity was changed to Sigma Chi.1

The University of Illinois was founded as the Illinois Industrial University in

February of 1867. Five years later the Beta Upsilon Chapter of was chartered. Apparently there were some problems and the chapter was short-lived.

1 Moreover, the chapter’s brief existence may have propelled the Illinois Industrial

University faculty toward a strict anti-fraternity policy.2

With the selection of Dr. Selim H. Peabody as Regent in 1880, it was assumed that

Peabody, a fraternity man, would be more liberal in the policy toward fraternities. There were three groups of students who were ready to seek charters from the national fraternities of , and Sigma Chi.3 The leader of the group seeking a Sigma Chi charter went to the Inter-State Oratorical Association meeting at

Oberlin, in May 1880.4 There he met Walter S. Montgomery of Sigma Chi’s Chi

Chapter at . It was through Montgomery and other members of the Chi

Chapter that a petition from the University of Illinois students was presented to Sigma

Chi on November 8, 1880. Four seniors, two juniors, and two sophomores signed the petition. The petitioners wanted to keep the action under wraps until the charter was secured, but a letter was sent from the national organization to Peabody. Peabody’s report of the petitioners was so satisfactory that the vote to grant the men a charter was in the affirmative.5 A charter was granted soon after the Sigma Chi Grand Chapter meeting.

A problem surfaced causing difficult consequences for the petitioners. It was a school tradition for the senior class to plant a tree. However, the goal of some of the underclassmen was to try to do harm to the tree. The senior class planted a tree on the northwest corner of campus near where the old University Hall once stood. The underclassmen, including three of the Sigma Chi petitioners, tarred and feathered the tree and hung the empty tar bucket on the tree. One of the underclassmen involved told on

1 Anson & Marchesani, 1991. 2 The Sigma Chi, December 1885, 5(2), p. 82. 3 Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1896, 15(3), pp. 245-8. 4 Pritchard, no date, p. 1. 5 The Sigma Chi, December 1885, 5(2), p. 82.

2 the others and was forced to make an apology to the senior class. In retaliation, the underclassmen chopped down the tree. The seniors planted another one and that tree was cut down too. In all, eight trees were planted and chopped down. The “Tree Imbroglio” became very bitter and the Sigma Chi petitioners divided into two separate camps - the seniors and the undergraduates. Sigma Chi sent Oscar H. Montgomery, another member of Chi Chapter, to investigate the situation. He left Champaign with little but conflicting statements. His recommendation, however, was that the charter be granted to the underclassmen. The Chi Chapter was authorized to install the new chapter, but due to the difficulty of travel between the two campuses, the job was given to the men of the year- old Chapter at .6

The original four underclass petitioners Henry L. McCune,7 John G. Wadsworth,

Arthur M. Bridge, and Edward H. Swazey, were joined by David Eichberg, Clarence E.

Brady and Richard E. Dorsey. These seven are considered the charter members of Kappa

Kappa. The initiation was conducted by Horace King, Andrew Reynolds, William Lamb, and William Loomis of the Delta Chi Chapter. The installation took place in the early morning hours of May 31, 1881; the preceding night and the first two hours of the day were devoted to banqueting and to the entertaining of the chapter’s first sweethearts.8

On September 13, 1881, Peabody told the Board of Trustees about the Sigma Chi chapter. The Trustees, instead of taking a stance, left the matter to the faculty. The faculty knew of the case of Thomas P. Hawley, a member of Sigma Chi, who sought

6 The Sigma Chi catalogue and history 1890, pp. 454-5. 7 Henry Long McCune (1862-1943) graduated in 1883 and earned a law degree from Columbia University. He was a member of the City Bar for 52 years and served as a Circuit Court Judge and City Councilman. After he retired from the bench in 1909, he returned to the practice of law. His brother Myron Quillon McCune, from the class of 1886, was likely the chapter’s first legacy. In 1913, McCune’s son Joe, was initiated into the chapter. The elder McCune was the last surviving charter member of Kappa Kappa (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, April-May 1943, 62(2), p. 117; The Illinois Sig, April 1936).

3 admission to and was denied based on his fraternity membership. The decision of Indiana’s lower courts was in favor of Purdue. Shortly thereafter, the Illinois

Industrial University’s Regent made the announcement that all applicants must sign a pledge stating: “I hereby promise, that while I shall be a student at the Illinois Industrial

University, I will not be connected with any college , as a member or otherwise.”9

Peabody was helped in his persecution of the fraternity men by Board of Trustees member Emory Cobb. To strengthen its numbers, Kappa Kappa initiated several freshmen and sophomores, and the men were intent to do all they could to keep the chapter alive.10

In the fall of 1881, the chapter rented a chapter hall on the third floor at 41 Main

Street in Champaign.11 The chapter hosted a “grand masquerade hop, the most select affaire of the season,” and raised funds to furnish the chapter’s hall.12 In January 1882, in the face of the University’s anti-fraternity stance, the men gave up the chapter hall. The furniture, reminders of a few precious happy days as a chapter, was purchased by the members. The funds were used for a final banquet on January 9, 1882 and the rest was given to charity.13

On March 14, 1882, the pro-fraternity students petitioned for the allowance of fraternities, perhaps as upperclass societies as was the custom at some eastern schools; the request was denied.14 While Peabody, a fraternity man himself, was considered an

8 The Sigma Chi, December 1885, 5(2), p. 82. 9 The Sigma Chi, December 1885, 5(2), p. 83. 10 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1896, 15(3), pp. 245-8. 11 The Illinois Sig, October 1921. 12 The Sigma Chi, 1881-1882, 1(1), p. 166. 13 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1896, 15(3), pp. 245-8; Kelley, 1913, p. 39. 14 Kelley, 1913.

4 anti-fraternity figure, chapter founder McCune related an incident about what he called

“the sub-rosa days”15 that shows minor support of McCune’s activities in the early days of the chapter. McCune was elected delegate to the Sigma Chi 1882 Grand Chapter in

Chicago:

I wanted to go to the meeting but was afraid to apply to President Peabody for

permission to leave for a week of the University’s activities. I finally decided that I

would go to him boldly and ask if he would permit me to go. Dr. Peabody was a

pretty good fellow and he gave me the necessary permission to go but said for me to

keep my name out of the papers. During the first meeting of the Grand Chapter

Walter L. Fisher, who was presiding, asked me to conduct the meeting for the day

in question. I was very much embarrassed because I was afraid my name would get

in the Chicago papers and Dr. Peabody would think that I hadn’t played squarely

with him. So I talked it over with Fisher and told him I was not willing to

preside….I have always remembered Peabody with some pleasure on account of his

action in this matter.16

Several members were added to the roster in the fall of 1883, despite the chapter’s sub-rosa status. Initiation took place on Thanksgiving eve and it was followed by “a big spread.”17 The University chapel was the scene of a meeting hosted by one of the literary societies and the Kappa Kappas were represented in the literary and musical programs. A life-size statue entitled “Excelsior” by sculptor and alumnus Lorado Taft was unveiled.

The men boasted that it was through the influence of the chapter that the sculpture was obtained. Chapter alumni, as small a group as it was, were present and McCune

15 Sub-rosa fraternity chapters operate without college or university approval. 16 Sigma Chi Quarterly, April-May 1943, 62(2), p. 118.

5 delivered the Alumni Address. The Kappa Kappas hoped that the meeting reflected

“much credit upon our chapter.”18 Chapter correspondent Fred Rugg19 stated “We have reason to believe that our universal conduct has been such that we have gained the respect of both Trustees and faculty; and all that is now needed is some external force to break the ice of a mistaken prejudice.”20 It seemed, however, that the chapter’s efforts to showcase the positive aspects of fraternity life fell on deaf ears.

The front page of the April 1884 issue of The Sigma Chi asked the question, “What shall be done for Kappa Kappa?” The chapter’s letter in the same issued described the chapter’s resolve “Kappa Kappa shall never die.”21 The chapter asked Sigma Chis living in Illinois for their assistance, and urged them to discuss the situation with State Senators and Representatives. The chapter correspondent spoke of the support of John

M. Hamilton and Speaker Lorin C. Collins, Jr., both members of the Fraternity.22 The

Hawley case was decided favorably in Indiana’s Supreme Court giving the Delta Delta

Chapter at Purdue University the right to exist on that campus. Cobb, the President of the

Board of Trustees, had resigned, but Peabody was still a formidable opponent. The hopes that the chapter had for a quick resolution did not come to fruition and the state legislature was no help in ending the chapter’s troubles.23

17 The Sigma Chi, December 1883, 3(2), p. 116. 18 The Sigma Chi, April 1884, 3(4), p. 249. 19 Frederick Daniel Rugg (1862-1932) first studied liquid air as an avocation, but it soon became his career. He lectured to civic clubs, social organizations, high schools and colleges and universities and he spent two seasons performing his experiments on the vaudeville circuit. Rugg was one of the local alumni who showed life-long devotion to the chapter. He was also the first Kappa Kappa member whose son became a member of the chapter (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, November-December 1928, 47(5), p. 515). 20 The Sigma Chi, April 1884, 3(4), p. 249. 21 The Sigma Chi, April 1884, 3(4), p. 199-201. 22 Ibid. 23 Ibid.

6 Kappa Kappa began the 1884-85 year with six members and added two more.24

According to an account written by Charles Kiler, the sub-rosa chapter men carried on under such names as “Bivalves” and the “Ten Tautological Tatogs.” Kiler added, that while the chapter was operating sub-rosa, “the boys met under a board walk where it was elevated as a bridge over the boneyard on University Avenue between Second and Third

Streets.”25 Eichberg told of initiating Rugg at his boarding house and someone else at a downtown hotel.26 Sigma Chi was the lone fraternity on the campus, trying to be proud and upstanding, yet inconspicuous. Despite the chapter’s sub-rosa existence, its resolve was still strong and again the chapter compared its situation to Delta Delta’s, “like our

Purdue brothers we will never give up.”27 By the semester’s end, however, the chapter’s frustration was apparent, “What can a chapter tell whose sole history for three years is summed up in one word, OPPRESSION! We need encouragement, and much of it, for we labor under fearful odds….In the ban against fraternities, is our greatest obstacle.”28

The great event of the 1885 commencement week was the official announcement of the change in the university’s name from the Illinois Industrial University to the

University of Illinois. The five seniors who graduated felt the burden left to the six undergraduates:

For the last month or so we…have been longing with fear and trembling for June

10th to come, the day which would break our fetters and set us free from those anti-

Greek tyrants, lest we should be apprehended at the last moment and be summarily

dismissed; but the gods befriended us and now we can breathe freely, as with gay

24 The Sigma Chi, October 1884, 4(1), p. 50. 25 The Illinois Sig, June 1939, p. 6. 26 The Illinois Sig, October 1921. 27 The Sigma Chi, June 1884, 3(5), p. 321. 28 The Sigma Chi, February 1885, 4(3), p. 180.

7 hearts we hasten to join the ever increasing army of alumni Sigs; but there still

lingers a shade of sadness away deep down in the bottom of our hearts for our

unfortunate brothers who are left behind to the tender mercies of our enemies.29

The chapter went inactive during the 1885-86 year. The history of the chapter was chronicled in the Fraternity’s magazine:

The existence of Kappa Kappa, though brief, will not be forgotten at

Champaign….The fraternity is better and stronger to-day for the life and work of

Kappa Kappa; and thus the chapter ends - a chapter sad, and yet fraught with

memories of strong attachments, of meeting of kindred souls, of the clasping of

hands whose touch is still warm, though gone forever.30

According to William “Dad” Heath31 the local alumni met once every year, on

Thanksgiving evening, “and those still remaining at the university, met and mourned and feasted, and so kept alive a little spark of hope.”32 A Sigma Chi catalogue published in

1890 lists 40 men initiated between 1881 and 1890.33

Peabody resigned on June 10, 1891. Dr. Thomas Jonathan Burrill’s appointment as

Peabody’s replacement signaled a new era for student life at the University of Illinois. In

September 1891, the Board passed the following resolution: “Resolved, That the pledge

29 The Sigma Chi, June 1885, 4(5), p. 309. 30 The Sigma Chi, December 1885, 5(2), p. 84. 31 William Ames Heath (1862-1940) was initiated in 1883. Heath was one of the nation’s leading bankers who began his banking career as a messenger with the Champaign National Bank. He worked his way up to cashier and then became an Illinois State Bank Examiner. In 1904 he became vice president of the Hibernian Banking Association of Chicago and five years later was named president of the Live Stock Exchange Bank. He remained there until 1917 when he was named Chairman and Federal Reserve Agent of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, in which capacity he continued until his retirement in 1930. He was one of the founders of the Illinois Banking Association. Heath served the chapter his entire life and “Dad” was the name given to him by Kappa Kappa members. He was elected Sigma Chi’s Grand Quaestor at the 40th Grand Chapter. Heath was the father of two Kappa Kappa sons. A large group of chapter alumni attended Heath’s funeral at Champaign. Four of the pallbearers, Charles A. Kiler, George M Mattis, Charles F. Hough and James G. Thomas were Kappa Kappa Sigs (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, September-October 1931, 50(4), pp. 482-3; The Illinois Sig, October 1940, p. 3). 32 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1896, 15(3), pp. 248-9. 33 The Sigma Chi catalogue and history 1890.

8 hitherto required for candidates for entry to the University in regard to college fraternities be omitted, and that the subject of these fraternities be referred to the committee on rules.”34

The anti-fraternity laws were rescinded in early December 1891.35 Heath and other local alumni anticipated the situation and requested that the Sigma Chi Grand Council send a representative to examine the situation and make a recommendation on reviving the chapter. James Todd of Chi Chapter at Hanover College visited and reported favorably.36

The Kappa Kappa Chapter of Sigma Chi was re-established on Tuesday, December

22, 1891. Sigma Chis from the chapters at Illinois Wesleyan University, Purdue

University, and Northwestern University and several alumni from the old Kappa Kappa

Chapter joined in the festivities. The guests arrived in the early afternoon and toured the campus. Supper was served at the Columbian Hotel. Initiation took place at eight in the evening at the Knights of Pythias Hall. Heath and Rugg conducted the ceremony and were assisted by the Sigs from the three visiting chapters. By 11 p.m. the initiation was over, and the Sigma Chis went back to the Columbian Hotel, where a banquet took place.37 Sixteen men -Charles W. Cross, Albert W. Merrifield, Charles A. Kiler, Royal

Wright, Robert H. Forbes, Franklin G. Carnahan, John B. Morgan, Charles A. Gunn,

Christian J. Toerring, Albert Locke, Edward Barrett, James W. Cook, Charles Wilder,

William I. Roysden, Charles A. Elder, and George Frederickson - all of at least

34 Kelley, 1913, p. 20. 35 Carlson, 1990. 36 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1892, 11(2), pp. 91-3. 37 Ibid.

9 sophomore status, were initiated. Kiler was elected Consul and the chapter members were “hard at work making arrangements for a chapter house.”38

The installation of the Alpha Gamma Chapter of on December 8,

1891 seems to have sparked a rivalry between the two groups.39 The Sigma Chis reported that in an early 1892 Kappa Sigma fraternity magazine the Kappa Sigs:

were very caustic in reference to Sigma Chi as the only other frat here, and claimed

to have all the best men in school. Now at that time there were but fifteen men in

their chapter. Since then they have taken in several more, presumably not so good

as the first batch containing all the best men in school. We claim to have twenty-

two of the best men in the university, and base our claim on substantial records, not

on wind.

The Kappa Sigs boasted about their chapter’s athletic ability, a claim that seemed to rattle the Kappa Kappa correspondent, “At the recent meet of the Western Inter-

Collegiate Association here, the University of Illinois won first place; twenty-six of our points won by Sigma Chi and three by Kappa Sigs. Further, seven of the twelve base- ball team members are Sigs.”40

Eight Kappa Kappas graduated in 1892. The commencement also marked the quarter-centennial of the University. Many of the Sigma Chi alumni returned “and a more fraternal reunion you never saw.”41 According to Kiler, the chapter rented two rooms on the third floor over Schweizer and Woody’s clothing store in Champaign as its meeting place. Heath and Kiler picked out the furniture.42 The following year the

38 Ibid; The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1896, 15(3), pp. 245-8. 39 Kelley, 1913. 40 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, July 1892, 11(4), p. 277. 41 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, July 1892, 11(4), p. 278. 42 March 11, 1931 letter from Charles A. Kiler; The Illinois Sig, June 1939, p. 6.

10 chapter had “hopes that before the winter has long progressed we will have removed from our present up-town quarters into a spacious and desirable though not a new house, which we trust to hold the title to.”43

The growth of intercollegiate athletics gave Sigma Chi members the opportunity to further fraternal ties. In the spring of 1893, the chapter reported meeting Brother

Huffner, a member of the Wabash College baseball team.44 During that summer, the men of Kappa Kappa were provided another opportunity to interact with fellow Sigma Chis.

The Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the backdrop for the Fraternity’s Grand

Chapter meeting, and “The memories connected with the ride on the whaleback, the banquet at the White Horse Inn, and that trip down Midway (not forgetting the many other events of convention week) will long remain green in our memory.” Alumnus

Kiler ran the University Hotel that was headquarters for the Grand Chapter.45 The 10 chapter members who attended could also be proud of the University of Illinois’ exhibit, said to be one of the finest displays there.46

On October 12, 1893, the chapter hosted a waltz party in honor of its three new members. The chapter felt that the chapter rooms were not adequate for entertaining.

“For this reason and the impossibility of at present getting into a house,” the chapter planned to move into nearby quarters consisting of a suite of seven rooms.47

43 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1892, 12(1), p. 75. 44 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1893, 12(3), p. 245. 45 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1893, 13(1), p. 60. In 1948, Kiler wrote “I wondered as I went with me to this year’s Grand Chapter if there would be anyone left of those who had stayed at my hotel in 1893. Wonder of wonders, there are five men (at the 1948 Grand Chapter) who attended the 1893 convention and who had stayed at the University Hotel” The Magazine of Sigma Chi, September-October 1948, 67(2), p. 71. 46 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1893, 12(3), p. 245; The Sigma Chi Quarterly, July 1895, 14(4), p. 357. 47 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1893, 13(1), p. 60.

11 The brothers and sons of Sigma Chis were often invited to membership. Kiler’s brother William was pledged in 1893.48 The Illinois men’s fraternity system was growing and by the end of the 1893-94 year there were four other men’s groups on campus -

Kappa Sigma, , and Delta Tau Delta.49 At the start of the 1894-95 academic year there was great promise for the chapter. Future Grand Consul

Herbert “Bert” Arms, in a letter to the Fraternity’s magazine, wrote “A house is among the possibilities and certainly we all appreciate the fact that we must have one. We are enthusiastic on the subject and read the article in the May QUARTERLY with a great deal of interest.”50

The chapter’s hall was entirely renovated over the holidays. A hardwood floor was installed and new wallpaper, rugs, chandeliers and furniture were added. The chapter numbered 21 and there were a dozen resident alumni.51 During the spring of 1895, the initiation of two men was held in the woods and ravines bordering Crystal Lake.52

According to Arms, who would be the chapter’s delegate to the 1895 convention, the sentiment of the chapter was “Get to the Sig convention if you have to borrow money and walk.”53 Keeping Kappa Kappa’s alumni connected to the fraternity was a chapter goal and thus the first annual reunion banquet took place at the Columbian Hotel on June 7,

1895. Thirty-five collegians and alumni attended the first of what was hoped to be an annual June reunion “when the young members can meet the alumni and learn from them that the loyalty to Sigma Chi never dies.”54

48 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1894, 13(2), pp. 163-5. 49 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1894, 13(3). 50 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, July 1894, 13(4), p. 382. 51 Resident alumni were sometimes referred to as “fratres in urbe.” 52 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1895, 14(3), p. 254. 53 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1895, 14(3), p. 255; The Sigma Chi Quarterly, July 1895, 14(4), p. 357. 54 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, July 1895, 14(4), p. 357.

12 Sigma Chi members continued to be involved in University activities and athletic teams. In 1895, it was noted that since the chapter’s reappearance, there were no less than two Kappa Kappa men on any of the teams.55 Arms served as editor of the first edition of the Illio class annual yearbook and it was Arms who chose its name.56 The chapter also provided its members with a social outlet. On January 16, 1896, a mandolin waltz party was hosted by alumnus Robert D. Burnham and his wife. A series of

Saturday afternoon “informals” was begun, and the chapter had “one ‘swell’ party, a coon hunt and several ‘house warmings’ and ‘smokers.’”57

At the start of the 1896-97 academic year a chapter member lamented, “There seems to be only one thing that is just beyond our reach, and it is that most coveted and most wished for object, to-wit: a chapter house.” A dozen chapter members were rooming together in a house “but that only heightens the desire for a house of our own.”58

Hope sprung eternal and at the start of the following year, it was stated that “In a few months we expect to be quartered in our new rooms, fitted especially for our purpose, in a new building shortly to be erected.”59 In May, 1898, it was reported that the chapter purchased a billiard table and expected to enter new quarters at the start of the 1898-99 year.60 In the spring of 1899, it was noted that the Phi Delta Theta chapter had moved into a house but that Sigma Chi had “done nothing toward this movement.”61

Although the chapter was lacking a house, music was an important part of chapter life. Chapter members formed a Sigma Chi orchestra consisting of a cornet, clarinet,

55 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, July 1895, 14(4), p. 303. 56 Kelley, 1913. 57 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1896, 15(2); The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1896, 16(1), p. 50. 58 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1896, 16(1), p. 50. 59 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1897, 17(1), p. 65. 60 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1898, 17(3), p. 249. 61 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1899, 18(2), p. 149.

13 violin and piano. It was “about as fine as they make ‘em…the boys are all ‘willin’ souls’ and furnish us all the music we can wish.”62 A few years later, the chapter’s song

“Glorious Sigma Chi” was set to orchestra music, and the chapter was using it as a waltz at its dances.63

Despite years of talking about a chapter house, it was not until the fall of 1899 that the chapter moved from its hall to a house. Although it was a rental house the chapter considered the home at 410 East John Street as its own. When it came time to move from the chapter hall to the house “All the local ‘Sigs’ formed an impressive procession marching from the old chapter hall, carrying with them the sacred bones of Constantine to the new house, where a most happy house-warming was given.”64 During the spring semester, the chapter numbered19 including six local men who lived at home, and 10 who lived in the chapter house.65 At the end of the year, the chapter house experiment was considered a success and the chapter leased it again for the 1900-01 year.

The new century was accompanied by growth and seemingly limitless possibilities for the University of Illinois fraternity system. By the start of 1900 there were eight men’s fraternities. The fraternities had an average membership of 20 and all had moved into houses although Kappa Sigma still had its old hall.66 , Pi Beta

Phi, and Alpha provided women the opportunity for sisterhood. Fraternity life at the University of Illinois continued to be “active and full of

62 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1899, 18(3), p. 250. 63 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, September 1906, 25(4), p. 385. 64 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1899, 19 (1), p. 52. 65 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, March 1900, 19(2), p. 141. 66 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, December 1900, 20(1), p. 45.

14 rivalry” and there was talk of the Board of Trustees interest in the establishment of a fraternity quadrangle.67

On December 19, 1901, a fire at the chapter house awakened the chapter members at 3:30 in the morning. It was discovered that one of the hot air pipes feeding from the furnace had carried a spark and started a fire. The fire department answered the call within 15 minutes. In the meantime, the chapter members removed furniture, personal items and the chapter archives while the fire was traveling under the floor and in the walls. The chapter was aided in its efforts by the men of Phi Gamma Delta, Sigma Delta

(soon to become Beta Theta Pi) and Delta Tau Delta. Professor Arnold Tompkins, the owner of the house, was in . The fire caused more than $1,000 damage to the house and more than $800 in water and smoke damage to its contents. The piano was carried out of the house into the frigid winter air and a newspaper report recounted that “a young frater sat down…and gleefully rattled off the air, ‘A Hot Time in the Old Town

Tonight.’”68

On January 10, 1902, four fraternities, , Phi Gamma Delta, Sigma

Delta (Beta Theta Pi), and Sigma Chi, formed the Illinois Club, in hopes of fostering fraternity relations.”69 Also in 1902, the chapter took on home ownership as a primary chapter goal.70

The chapter’s big social event was the “Annual” with a house party following it.

The correspondent noted that “the party we gave this year, being the 12th anniversary, we think is the best Kappa Kappa has ever given.” On the evening following the party, Mrs.

67 The Sigma Chi Quarterly June 1901, 20(3), p. 236. 68 Champaign Daily Gazette, December 19, 1901. 69 Kelley, 1913, p. 51. 70 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1904, 23(3), p. 290.

15 John R. Trevett71 hosted a juvenile party for the men and their guests.72 There were strict rules for social events, and in at least one instance, Kappa Kappa was reprimanded for breaking the rules. On May 30, 1903, the chapter was censured by the faculty for holding a dance on a forbidden night.73

Until 1903, no fraternity on the Illinois campus owned its own home. At a meeting in the spring of 1903, the issue was rehashed yet again and the members had high hopes of returning in the fall to a house owned by Sigma Chis.74 By January 1904, the chapter accumulated $1,000 towards its goal of home ownership. The house at 410 East John

Street was purchased for $7,000 from Dr. and Mrs. Tompkins on January 25, 1904.75

Two blocks from campus, the lot had 132 feet on John Street and extended 194 feet along

Fifth Street. The title to the property was held by the Kappa Kappa Building Company, a non-profit corporation, incorporated in Illinois on January 1, 1904. Burnham served as president and Kiler served as treasurer of the Building Company.76 There was a stable on the lot and it was sold in September 1905 for $250.77

The chapter started the custom of a formal annual banquet combining initiation and an alumni reunion. In the fall of 1904, 53 Sigma Chis attended the first banquet.78 A year later the Illinois-Michigan football game provided an opportunity to continue the

71 Helen Lennington Trevett (1856-1938) was a lifelong resident of the university community. In 1875 she married Captain John R. Trevett (1854-1926), a member of the University’s Board of Trustees. They hosted many Sigma Chis in their brick home on Elm Street. A patroness of the chapter, she was “Gram” Trevett to the Sigma Chis. Although her son was a Kappa Sigma, her son-in-law and grandson were Kappa Kappas. After her death, a Sigma Chi stated, “There will never be another Gram Trevett, but it is a comfort to the Kappa Kappas Sigs that her character and personality were such that a lasting impression was blazoned on the hearts of hundreds of boys who wear, as did Gram, the White Cross of Sigma Chi” (The Illinois Sig, March 1939, p. 5). 72 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, September 1903, 22(4), p. 380. 73 Kelley, 1913, p. 52. 74 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, June 1903, 22(3), p. 270. 75 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1914, 34(1), pp. 46-9. 76 Ibid. 77 Ibid. 78 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1904, 24(1).

16 tradition. Thirty Kappa Kappa alumni attended the banquet and were joined by four other alumni including Past Grand Consul Howard Ferris and Fielding H. Yost, the

University of Michigan football coach. At the Hotel Beardsley, nine courses were served on a table in the shape of a Sigma Chi cross. Grand Tribune79 Arms served as toastmaster. Table decorations were pink carnations, the chapter’s flower.80 A third annual banquet took place on November 10, 1906 after the Illinois-Wisconsin game.81

After much discussion it was decided to build a new chapter house on the property at 410 East John Street.82 The active chapter kept up its payment to the House Fund and with the help of alumni, the debt was reduced to $700 and there were pledges from alumni totaling more than $5,000.83

During the summer of 1908, the old house was sold for $1,500 and moved off the lot. The funds from the sale enabled the chapter to pay off the property.84 At the annual banquet on November 7, 1908, after the Illinois-Iowa game, alumnus George L. Rapp85 submitted preliminary plans for a new chapter house.86 With but a few modifications the plans were approved. Burnham loaned the holding corporation $10,000 and bids were sought. One contractor’s bid was $5,000 less that the architect’s estimates, and a contract

79 The Grand Tribune is the Fraternity’s spiritual leader and fellowship advisor (Carlson, 1990). 80 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1905, 25(1), pp. 17-8. 81 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1907, 26(2), p. 118. 82 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1907, 27(1), p. 64. 83 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1909, 28(2), p. 191. 84 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1914, 34(1), pp. 46-9. 85 George L. Rapp along with his brother, C.W., formed Rapp and Rapp and became renown for the theaters they designed - notably the Paramount in New York’s Times Square, the Chicago Theatre and the Tivoli in the same city, and St. Louis’ Ambassador Theatre. Rapp’s Kappa Kappa nephew, Daniel Harmon Brush, Jr., was also involved in the firm as later was Kappa Kappa Mason Rapp, who designed the Fisher Theater in . Mason Rapp served as architect for the Sigma Chi quarters in Evanston and the early 1960s rebuilding and remodeling of the Kappa Kappa house (The Magazine of Sigma Chi Quarterly, 1926 pp. 270-83; The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Summer 1962, 81(2), pp. 12-3). 86 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1908, 28(1), p. 53.

17 was signed. The contract called for the completion of the house by the start of the 1909 academic year.87

The chapter spent the 1908-09 academic year in a rented house and it was hoped that the new house would get underway in the spring.88 There were 25 men in the chapter and they adopted some customs to facilitate brotherhood, “Each evening after dinner we sing a few college and fraternity songs, while on Sunday in addition to the songs, we have George Moor, the local Baptist minister conduct a class for us in Bible study.”89

The builders used stock building materials and $20,000 was spent on the house and an additional $5,000 on extras and furnishings.90 All hopes were that the house would be ready for occupancy at the start of the 1909 academic year.91 It wasn’t ready and the chapter had to scramble for a month until the men moved into the house on October 9.

The formal dedication took place on October 30, 1909, in conjunction with the initiation of 13 pledges and the sixth annual alumni banquet.92 Among the 75 alumni present were four who had had major roles in making the house a reality - Heath, Burnham, Rapp, and

Kiler, who spearheaded the fund raising efforts. In appreciation, the chapter gave Kiler a diamond-studded gold watch.93

The long-awaited chapter house was built facing east. It was early Elizabethan in style and it had several gables as well as a long brick terrace on its front. In the center of the house, a long hall, with a fireplace, connected the large living room on the south with the dining room on the north. There was a fireplace in the library. The card room was to

87 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1914, 34(1), pp. 46-9. 88 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1908, 28(1), p. 70. 89 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1909, 28(2), p. 211. 90 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1914, 34(1), pp. 46-9. 91 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1909, 28(3), p. 336; The Magazine of Sigma Chi, September 1909, 28(4), p. 475. 92 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1909, 29(1), p. 7.

18 the right of the vestibule. It was the only spot in the house where card playing was permitted. The old oak table, on which cards were played, had carved on its top the name of every Kappa Kappa since 1891.94 The kitchen, connecting with all the closets and pantries, rounded out the main floor. The second floor contained a guestroom, shower baths, and 16 study rooms, each accommodating two men. On the top floor were shower baths, four study rooms and two dormitories - one heated and the other a “Klondike” cold dorm. The basement contained the chapter hall, laundry, trunk room and servants’ quarters. The entire house had both gas and electricity, and hot water heating.95

In order to increase the chapter’s library, Arms donated 23 issues of The Sigma Chi

Quarterly. Grand Consul George Ade96 promised the chapter a complete set of his works. During 1909’s Christmas vacation Sigma Chi Burr McIntosh97 appeared in

Champaign, in the “Gentleman from .” The actives who were in town, along with local alumni, hosted a dinner for McIntosh at the chapter house.98

Ade’s farm, Hazeldon, in Brook, Indiana, was the site of many Sigma Chi activities.

On Sunday, October 8, 1910, he invited the Delta Delta and Kappa Kappa members to a picnic. The Purdue men were able to bring their female friends, but the Kappa Kappa men could not due to “unfavorable railroad connections.” Ade rectified the situation by inviting local young women. There were games and contests between the chapters. The

93 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1914, 34(1), pp. 46-9. 94 At the 1915 alumni reunion, charter member Edward Swazey carved his name on the card room table. It was his first visit since graduation (The Bunkem, October 16, 1916). 95 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1914, 34(1), pp. 46-9. 96 George Ade, a member of the Delta Delta Chapter of Sigma Chi, graduated from Purdue University in 1887. He was a prolific writer and acclaimed author who often collaborated with his Sigma Chi classmate, cartoonist John T. McCutcheon. When Ade died in 1944, it was Kiler, one of Ade’s closest friends, who read the Fraternity’s White Rose Ceremony at the gravesite. All the Sigma Chis wore white roses in their lapels and placed them on the casket at the conclusion of the service (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, October- November 1944, 63(5), p. 118). 97 Burr McIntosh was an alumnus of the Phi Chapter at Lafayette College. He was a stage and screen actor in the early days of the film industry. One of his last film roles was as the Professor in the 1933 screen production of “The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi.”

19 Kappa Kappa men won a stationery box that was placed on the bookcase in the chapter’s library.99

The University of Illinois was the site of the nation’s first Homecoming celebration.

Illinois Sigs were among the 4,000 alumni who returned to campus on October 15, 1910.

It was such a success that it became an annual event and provided a model for similar celebrations across the country.100 Chapter loyalty was also apparent. That fall, Dan

Rugg, son of Fred Rugg, was the first son of a Kappa Kappa to be initiated into his father’s chapter. The Ruggs were the first of many father-son Illinois Sigs.101

As the number of fraternity chapters on the Illinois campus increased, inter- fraternity activities and sports competitions became a mainstay of chapter life. During the 1910-11 year, the 17 national fraternities had their annual Pan-Hellenic smoker and a

Bible study class was revived under the direction of Dean Thomas Arkle Clark.102 The chapter hosted the first formal dance and house party in its new home on March 31 and

April 1, 1911.103

The chapter’s thirtieth anniversary was celebrated at the annual banquet on

November 25, 1911 after the Homecoming Illinois-Minnesota game.104 The highlight of the spring social calendar was the annual dance and house party on April 26 and 27,

1912. New shrubs were planted and a tennis court, a gift from Heath, was installed.105

The chapter seemed to be on top of the world, “With a large majority of the chapter

98 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1910, 29(2), p. 188. 99 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1910, 29(2), p. 37. 100 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1910, 30(1), pp. 77-8. 101 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February-March 1924, 43(2). 102 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1911, 30(2) pp. 197-8. 103 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1911, 30(3), p. 297. 104 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1911, 31(1), p. 85. 105 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1912, 31(3), p. 415; The Illinois Sig, April 1936, p. 3.

20 returning and the house, lawn and tennis court in the best of condition, we expect to clean up on this fall’s rush.”106

A damper was put on the chapter’s enthusiasm when, in the fall of 1912, the university ruled that pledges could not be initiated until the second semester.107 Among the visitors to campus that fall were two charter members, McCune and Dorsey.108 In the spring, one of the chapter’s best athletes, Jake Stahl,109 was a guest when the world champion Boston Red Sox visited for a three-game series with the University’s team.

The chapter was also proud of its latest athletic award, the Interfraternity Council bowling trophy, a large silver ball mounted on a pedestal.110

During the fall of 1913, a new dance craze, the tango, created a battle between the faculty and the students. The Illinois Sigs felt fortunate that their two social events, a house dance, and the Junior Prom house party took place before the new dance was

106 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, September 1912, 31(4), p. 531. 107 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1912, 32(1). 108 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, January 1913, 32(2). 109 Garland (“Jake”) Stahl (1880-1922) was the captain of the 1902 Illini football team as well as a baseball star. In the spring of 1903 at home game with Michigan, Stahl hit a game-winning homer “so hard and so high that it struck amid the upper limbs of a tree almost down to the football field.” The soft maple tree became known as the “Jake Stahl Tree” until the late 1940s when it was cut down because of advanced decay. After graduation in 1903, Stahl joined the Boston Red Sox playing first base. Later he was transferred to Washington, Chicago, New York and then back to Washington as playing manager. He went back to the Red Sox as manager. His team won the 1912 . In 1906, he married Jennie Mahan, a classmate and a member of the Delta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta. In the off-season he worked with the Washington Park National Bank in Chicago, of which his wife’s father was founder and president. Later he became the bank’s president but his health failed and the family moved to the West Coast in an unsuccessful effort to regain his health. At his interment in Chicago in 1922, the chapter placed on his grave a large white cross of Sigma Chi roses. The alumni at Kappa Kappa’s homecoming on October 21, 1922 drank a silent toast to his memory. That evening Kiler told of the origin of the nickname “Jake,” “Garland Stahl came over from Elkhart (Illinois), and he was as green a country boy as they make ‘em. In his freshman year he joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and as he played the cornet, he was immediately made a member of the house orchestra. One night a special feature at the house was to be an orchestra program, but when the time came to begin, Stahl was nowhere to be found. The fellows searched the house and finally found him hiding away on the second floor. They dragged him down and asked him what the trouble was. ‘Aw, I ain’t got no lip,’ said Stahl, and he started to walk away, when Jack Allen, 1902, one of the musicians, stopped him with, ‘Come on, ya darn old hay jake, and play anyway.’ Stahl played, but from that time on everyone who had heard the affair called him ‘Jake’ until it just grew into his name.” Stahl was a loyal Kappa Kappa alumnus, donating generously to the building fund and giving the chapter a Victrola (The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1922, 42(1), p. 62; The Magazine of Sigma Chi, July- August 1948, p. 9). 110 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1913, 32(3), p. 450.

21 banned.111 Clean up day in the spring of 1914 was spent working on the tennis court, driveway and lawn.112 The chapter house provided a place for the men to dine together.

During the 1915-16 year, chapter member “Dobby” Robinson served as the house manager “and outside of the inevitable dish of prunes and the ‘milk or dry toast’ breakfast which he gives us we can register no complaints.” Clay Brown was the cook and, it was said that the Illinois Sigs knew “that where Clay presides there is food for the wandering brother.”113

The upkeep of the chapter house was a constant endeavor. During the summer of

1915, the bathroom was redecorated with an imitation tile wallpaper and “little jobs of plumbing and carpentry, and a thorough cleaning up of the house, have removed any signs of ‘dilapidation’ which may have appeared.”114 Heavy green floor-length draperies were hung on the downstairs doors, and the living room had two new large, soft rugs.

There was a house furnishing fund and, with the help of an additional donation, a large

“Sleepy Hollow” chair was purchased. The women who attended the Junior House Party gave the chapter a piano bench and music cabinet.115

Pledging involved pledge duties and, as was the custom of the day, the pledges were hazed. A picture of the 1917 pledge class had as its caption, “Hell Week.” In a picture taken before initiation, the pledges were wearing dark knee length pants, white shirts and socks. The socks had the letters, “Sigma” on one sock, and “Chi” on the other.

The shirts had the skull and crossbones as well as the letters.116 Ben C. Fisher in his 1981

111 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1914, 33(2), p. 206. 112 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1914, 33(3), p. 351. 113 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1916, 35(2), p. 232. 114 The Kappa Kappa News of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, April 1916. 115 Ibid. 116 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, July-August 1946, p. 128.

22 Centennial speech noted that his father, Ben S. Fisher, “always said the only reason he got pledged was to keep the house spotlessly clean. Pledge labor was and is cheap.”

World War I left a noticeable mark on the campus. According to the chapter correspondent, the fraternities at Illinois were hard hit but Kappa Kappa was more fortunate than others. Several Illinois fraternities were “bunking” together in order to maintain a house. The correspondent asked, “Can you imagine anything more ridiculous than two fraternities rushing in the same house? Well it was done in more than one instance at Illinois this year.”117 The two Kappa Kappa members serving as house managers were “eager to show the visiting brothers that the Sig meals have not been

Hooverized.”118 Sigma Chis in the aviation school at Rantoul visited the chapter and sometimes enjoyed a “regular” meal. One of those in the Aviation Corps, Brother Ernst of the Illinois Wesleyan chapter, allowed the chapter use his automobile for rushing purposes.

The chapter house had been taken over by the Student’s Army Training Corps

(S.A.T.C.) and was returned to the chapter on January 1, 1919. After the turnover, a new coat of paint was applied to all the walls, the floors were polished and new rugs and curtains gave the place a fresh look. The study-rooms were given new wallpaper and the new guestroom was furnished. A Schmer grand piano was purchased and the tennis court had a new foundation.119 Sigma Chi was, the chapter correspondent boasted, “the first chapter at Illinois to greet its alumni with a chapter of pre-war strength.”120

117 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1917, 37(1), p. 107. 118 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1917, 37(1), p. 108. 119 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1919, 38(3), p. 424. 120 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1919, 38(2), p. 243.

23 With World War I over, the campus was returning to normal and the social side of fraternity life flourished. The second Sig Smoker of the year was held for transfers and alumni on February 29, 1920 and a patroness tea took place a few weeks later on March

14. The chapter had exchange dinners with , Beta Theta Pi, and Delta Tau Delta.121 The bowling team won the divisional championship and the chapter hosted several tournaments on its tennis court. 122 Kappa Kappa ranked first in scholarship among the national social fraternities.123

The University enacted a regulation that in order to be initiated, a freshman must have passed with satisfactory grade 11 hours of work. Sigma Chi members from other chapters were attending the University and the chapter entertained them at a series of smokers.124 The Illinois Club gave several exchange dinners and one dance to promote friendships among the four chapters. Dad’s Day was celebrated for the first time on

November 20, 1920. The Illinois-Ohio game was part of the festivities. Kappa Kappa was a major force in the movement to make Dad’s Day an all-university affair. The weekend had been such a success that the mothers wanted a similar party.125 Alumnus

David H. Carnahan was the dean of foreign students and he asked the chapter to entertain foreign students on December 20, 1920. The chapter correspondent told of his surprise at this novel activity “which we all thought would be considerably boresome but which turned out to be a very enjoyable affair.”126

The theme of the May 6, 1921 spring party was “A Wild Night in Greenwich

Village.” Alumnus Vaughn Flannery, a designer working in Chicago, supervised the

121 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1920, 39(3), p. 284. 122 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, September 1920, 39(4), pp. 456-7. 123 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1920, 40(1), p. 113. 124 Ibid. 125 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, February 1921, 40(2), p. 303.

24 party’s decorations. The correspondent rationalized the party’s expense by noting “We give only one dance a semester; consequently we can afford to have a worthwhile party.”127 The party must have been a success for the next spring the chapter planned to decorate the house like an Italian garden to make the May 12, 1922 party bigger and better than the previous one.128

On the third annual Dad’s Day, 15 dads attended a session after the Saturday night banquet. The chapter’s organization was explained to them and the Sig Dad’s

Association had a meeting. The Illinois Club was still an “especially successful way of getting the freshmen of the four largest fraternities acquainted.”129 The name of the chapter’s newsletter was changed to The Illinois Sig130 and it was sent to alumni to continue to keep them current on chapter’s activities. The new Memorial Stadium, with a price tag of $2,500,000, was funded by contributions. The Kappa Kappa chapter pledged

$1,000 in addition to the large individual pledges, for a memorial column in honor of its three war heroes - Leonard Hoskins, 1917, William Wheeler, 1915, and Frederick Hadra,

1886.131

Edward E. Barrett, one of the 16 men who reestablished the chapter in 1891, was elected President of the University of Illinois Alumni Association in 1922 and again the following year.132 The chapter house required constant upkeep. During the early 1920s, changes were made to the plumbing and heating system, a new slate roof was put on and

126 Ibid. 127 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1921, 40(3). 128 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1922, 41(3). 129 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November 1921, 41(1), p. 137. 130 The Bunkem and The Kappa Kappa News of the Sigma Chi Fraternity were names the newsletters used before it took on the title The Illinois Sig. 131 Frederick “Fritz” Hadra is not included in the Sigma Chi catalog and history 1890, but Kiler, in an account of the chapter’s founding, specifically noted that Hadra was part of the chapter. 132 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, September 1922, 41(4), p. 722.

25 a $3,500 bathroom, a gift of the alumni, was installed.133 In addition, a landscape architect completed extensive work on the property.134

Sigma Chi attendance at the 1925 Homecoming shattered all records. The chapter’s kitchen served more than 350 lunches before the Illinois-Michigan game. The chapter entertained nearly all of the Theta Theta Chapter’s collegians. Sigma Chi visitors again included Ade and Yost.135 The banquet featured Grand Historian Joseph C. Nate136 who delivered the principal address.

Under the direction of chapter alumnus and Peoria architect Robert J. Hotchkiss, the chapter house had $27,500 in improvements done during the summer of 1926. The first floor and study rooms were refurbished with new furniture and rugs. Two bathrooms were added. The highlight of the improvements was a new $8,000 Memorial Chapter

Room. The Committee on Memorial Chapter Room, appointed after the 1925

Homecoming banquet, consisted of Chairman Chester W. Cleveland,137 Callistus J.

Ennis, Charles A. Kiler, Ben Duvall,138 and William C. Wilkinson.139 On Sunday, March

6, 1927, the Memorial Chapter Room was dedicated. There were delegates from 10

133 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, September 1921, 40(4), p. 692; The Sigma Chi Quarterly, September 1922, 41(4); The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November-December 1924, 44(1), p. 92. 134 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, May 1923, 42(3). 135 The Sigma Chi Quarterly, December 1925, 44(5), p. 547. 136 Nate was a member of and adviser to the Alpha Iota Chapter at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. It was noted that “Dr. Nate was proud of this close relationship of the two chapters and he seemed always to have the same ardent and enthusiastic interest in the welfare of our chapter that he had in his own” (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, November-December 1933 52(5)). 137 Chester W. Cleveland, a 1920 initiate, was an influential figure in Sigma Chi circles. He was Editor of The Magazine of Sigma Chi for more than 25 years and he also served as Grand Historian. Cleveland was the force behind the Significant Sig Award, the Magazine-Life Membership Endowment Fund, and he took great pride in furthering the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi in its many forms - the song, the movies, and the chapter sweethearts. Cleveland fell from grace when it was discovered that he was getting kickbacks from Fraternity business. He was expelled from membership in the 1950s. His two sons, one of whose godfather was former Grand Consul Lloyd G. Balfour, were Sigma Chis. (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, September-October 1948, 67(4); Carlson, 1990). 138 Ben Duvall served as Consul during the early 1920s. After his term of office, he presented a diamond badge to be worn by Consuls during their terms. He also instigated the Kappa Kappa placement program in 1947. The program was adopted by the General Fraternity in 1949 (The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November- December 1924, 44(1), p. 92). 139 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, September 1926, 45(4), p. 570.

26 chapters, national officers and more than 30 alumni present. Ten freshmen were initiated prior to the dedication. Harold G. Baker, the youngest District Attorney in the nation, presided as Consul and it was “a most impressive ceremony. The lodge room with its complete regalia, paraphernalia and electrical effects made a great additional imprint on the minds of both initiated and alumni.”140 Cleveland presented to Consul

Foster W. Lamb the original key to Kappa Kappa’s first chapter hall. The key was obtained from Charles T. Wilder, one of the 16 men initiated in 1891. Many of the items in the room were given as memorial gifts. Ade presented the Ade Memorial, the

Annotator’s altar, in memory of his nephew John O. Ade.141 Robert D. Burnham II presented the Burnham Memorial, in memory of his father who financed the chapter house. The Stahl Memorial, in memory of Kappa Kappa’s famed athlete, “Jake” Stahl, was given by his wife. The Wolk Memorial, in memory of Wade Franklin Wolk, was presented by members of his pledge class. The Wheeler Memorial was presented by Mr. and Mrs. William Wheeler in memory of their son William Wheeler who was killed in

World War I. The Pillsbury Memorial in memory of Arthur L. Pillsbury, was presented by his wife.142 The Hoskins Memorial, a specially designed candelabra, was presented in memory of Leonard Hoskins,143 “Illinois’ greatest war hero.”144

The Kappa Kappa charter, dated December 22, 1891, and signed by Walter L.

Fisher, as Grand Consul and John T. McCutcheon as Grand Annotator, had a place of

140 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, March 1927, 46(2), p. 155. 141 John O. “Jack” Ade, was initiated with the class of 1914. He died of influenza on October 11, 1918 (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, October-November 1944, 61(4), p. 140). 142 Arthur L. Pillsbury (1869-1925) was killed in a traffic accident on his way home from the Homecoming football game on October 25, 1925. He was an architect and played on the first Illini football team. His father, William Low Pillsbury, was the University’s first registrar, serving from 1893 to 1910 (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, January 1926, 45(1), p. 108; Kelley, 1913, p. 4). 143 Army Lieutenant Leonard Cunningham Hoskins was killed when he entered a shell swept area in search of wounded comrades in the action near La Chappelle, France (The Sigma Chi Quarterly, November, 1918, pp. 72-3).

27 honor on the wall. The basement room was truly a memorial to Kappa Kappa brothers.

On the west wall were two large bronze plates with the names of the 148 Illinois brothers who fought in World War I. There were individual plates for Hoskins and Wheeler, both of whom perished.145 Other furniture and the smaller items such as the Holy Bible, gavel, transparencies of the badge, and seal and light fixtures served as memorials to Kappa

Kappa members. Cleveland designed the officers’ chairs, altars and pedestals and the items were made by Otto Ihling, Theta Theta, of the Ihling Brothers Everard Company.

A large replica of the pledge pin and silk flags of the United States, , and Sigma

Chi completed the decor. The 44 seats in the circle were sold at $25 each to alumni, and their names on gold plates were affixed to the chairs. Pledges, rushees and university women could not enter and smoking in the room was not permitted in the room.146

At the dedication, Duvall spoke on “Traditions.” Duvall had conducted a drive for a new skeleton to replace the one that disappeared during the house’s remodeling. His letter brought in contributions and many “stirring accounts of earlier skeletons and the

‘inside’ secrets concerning them.”147 The attendees, with Heath at the organ, sang “A Sig

I Am.”

The 1926 Homecoming festivities included the crowning of a Hobo Queen. When

University administrators decided that no female student should have that title, the men took the initiative. Illinois Sig Robert J. Hotchkiss, Jr. was the winner as “Miss Frances

Wilson, Queen of Hobos.”148 At the annual Homecoming reunion in October 1927, a

144 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, March 1927, 46(2), p. 155. 145 Other sources cited Frederick Hadra as a Kappa Kappa war hero. It appears that Hadra was a member during the chapter’s sub-rosa period and his name did not go on the official chapter roll. 146 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, March 1927, 46(2), pp. 151-8. This article contains many pictures of the room and the memorials. 147 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, March 1927, 46(2), p. 155. 148 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, January 1927, 46(1).

28 tribute was paid to Heath for his dedication to Kappa Kappa. A portrait of Heath, the gift of more than 150 alumni, was presented to the chapter. It was painted by Baroness Violet

Wenner and it was unveiled by Heath’s two sons, William and Nathaniel, both of whom shared the Kappa Kappa bond. The portrait was hung in the living room.149 The chapter was also honored that one of its own members, “Bert” Arms was elected as Sigma Chi’s twenty-fourth Grand Consul, serving for the 1927-29 term.

The 1930s were a time of transition for the chapter. The decade began with the chapter’s fifthieth anniversary on May 23, 1931. McCune, one of the four living charter members, served as toastmaster.150 On December 1, 1932, John A. Ramsey, from the

Beta Lambda Chapter at Duke University, an Assistant in Romance Languages and a doctoral student, accepted a position as the chapter’s tutorial advisor.151

The Miami Triad formal dinner dance, sponsored by the three fraternities founded at Miami University - Sigma Chi, Phi Delta Theta, and Beta Theta Phi - took place on

March 10, 1933. Kappa Kappa Hall Macklin’s orchestra furnished the music.152 On

November 22, 1933, the chapter had a high ranking Sigma Chi in its midst when Lloyd

G. Balfour153 visited the chapter during his wife’s initiation into .154

It the spring of 1934 it was noted that the chapter was to be the first fraternity on campus to employ a housemother. Hiring a housemother had been a long debated question. Although there were a few nay votes, the housemother system was adopted.

149 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, November-December 1928, 47(5), pp. 542-3. 150 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, November-December 1931, 51(5), p. 627. 151 The Illinois Sig, April 1933, p. 12. 152 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, March-April 1933, 52(2), p. 184. 153 Balfour served Sigma Chi in many capacities including as Grand Consul from 1937-39 and as Chairman of the National Interfraternity Conference. Balfour owned a company specializing in fraternity jewelry and related items. His first wife, Ruth DeHass Balfour, was an initiate of Pi Beta Phi’s Indiana Gamma chapter at . Her death was the impetus for his donation of the Balfour Cup to Pi Beta Phi. It remains the award given to Pi Beta Phi’s top chapter. He remarried and his second wife, Mildred McCann Balfour, was initiated as an alumna into the Illinois Zeta Chapter of Pi Beta Phi on November 22, 1933.

29 The men seemed “certain of the predicted improvement in general appearance and welfare of the Chapter. The brothers feel that this is a definite step toward a better organized, more efficient and improved active chapter.”155

The University felt the nation’s economic depression. Lessened enrollments combined with stressed financial situations, made keen the quest for new fraternity members.156 The concerns of decreasing pledge numbers may have been for naught as the chapter pledged 23 men in the fall of 1934, making it one of the largest pledge classes in the chapter’s history.157 The main event at Homecoming October 13, 1934, was the unveiling of a portrait of Kiler, the first Consul of the revived chapter.158

Athletes were prime pledge material and in 1934 the chapter boasted that it had more “I” letterman than any other fraternity.159 Eddie Gryboski made the All-Star Sig football team in the guard position. He was also named captain of the team and was presented with a ten-karat miniature football made by Balfour’s company.160 Throughout the next several decades, Illinois Sigs were honored on the All-Star Sig football and basketball teams. A few years later Wib Henry became the University’s first nine-letter man in 17 years.161

There may have been a problem with the manner in which maintenance and improvements were made to the chapter house. At the 1935 December meeting of the

Housing Corporation, Elmer Roberts was appointed to approve furniture and equipment purchases. In February 1936, Frigidaire equipment was installed in the kitchen and it was

154 The Illinois Sig, December 1933, p. 2. 155 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, March-April 1934, 53(2), p. 80. 156 The Illinois Sig, April 1933, p. 12. 157 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, November-December 1934, 53(5), p. 121. 158 Ibid. 159 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, November-December 1934, 53(5), p. 124. 160 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, January-February 1935, 54(1).

30 hoped that the purchase would bring “greater efficiency and economy in the operation of the commissary.”162 A few years earlier, an automatic furnace stoker was installed to improve the heating of the house. In 1936, Irving L. Peterson, a landscape architect, was hired to improve the grounds. The tennis court was no longer needed, and was plowed up and seeded. Peterson’s plans included planting shrubs along the concrete wall at the end of the property and landscaping the terrace between the driveway and the tennis court.

The 51 trees on the property were tended to, dead shrubs were replaced and the lawn re- seeded.163 During the summer of 1937, the living room and library were replastered, repainted and refurbished. A smaller, more attractive fireplace replaced the one on the west end of the living room. The study rooms floors were sanded and refinished. New lamps and ashtrays were purchased. 164

The men’s fraternities adopted referential rushing with the rushee designating his preference for the first date of pledging. Sigma Chi faired well and the chapter had one of the largest lists of preferentials of any of the fraternities with 250 men visiting the chapter during the six-day rushing period in 1937. A year earlier, Herb Kastien had devised a system to help the chapter keep track of the visitors. He designed a master card system and mimeographed lists of rushees for every chapter member showing who attended each session.165 In the spring of 1938, the chapter supplied alumni with a postcard for rushing recommendations. The alumni were explained the urgency of the request for names of potential Sigma Chis. There were more than 50 fraternities and they were each making dates with high school students who planned to be Illini freshmen in

161 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, April 1937, 37(2), pp. 104-5 162 The Illinois Sig, March 1936, p. 7. 163 The Illinois Sig, April 1936, p. 3 164 The Illinois Sig, October 1937, p. 1. 165 The Illinois Sig, October 1937, p. 3.

31 the fall. The dates were set up as early as possible. The rushee could pick the chapter where he wanted his first pledging date. Since he could be pledged then and there, it was important that Sigma Chi meet the best candidates as early as possible, because “with the number of dates that we have with a prospect severely curtailed, it is up to us to know about the best prospects from your town.”166

The fathers who visited during Dad’s Day in the fall of 1937 saw the Illini play the

University of Chicago’s team. More than 20 Sigma Chi mothers met at the Urbana-

Lincoln Hotel and adopted by-laws for the Mothers’ Club while the 30 dads held their meeting at the chapter house. “Gram” Trevett was named the Mothers’ Club’s honorary president.167 The mothers also met during the Mother’s Day weekend and the club purchased items for the house.

More than 40 alumni braved wintry weather to celebrate the fifty-seventh anniversary of Kappa Kappa’s founding on April 9, 1938 with a banquet at the Inman

Hotel.168 The highlight of the celebration was the burning of the mortgage on the $65,000 chapter house. Heath held the burning mortgage as Kiler assisted. The chapter was presented with a picture taken in the fall of 1881 and it was noted that two of the charter members, McCune and Eichberg, were still alive.169

The chapter received a Sigma Chi honor when Phillip D. Simon won the 1937-38

Balfour International Award. The award was based on scholarship, personality, fraternity service and student activity. Simon was presented the award at the regular weekly

166 The Illinois Sig, May 1938, p. 1. 167 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, December 1937, 56(5), p. 21. 168 The Illinois Sig, May 1938. 169 The Illinois Sig, April 1938; The Magazine of Sigma Chi, April 1938, 57(2), p. 52.

32 luncheon of the Chicago Alumni Chapter on September 23, 1938. A chapter member said of Simon:

As a freshman Phil plunged right into fraternity work, for he saw that there was

work to be done. The chapter was at that time at the low ebb of the inevitable bad

year - good year cycle. Freshmen were still being paddled; there was a lot of

drinking going on; scholarship was low. But when Phil gave the Charge at his first

meeting down in the chapter room after his initiation, (he had been the freshman

chosen for this honor), every member there that night saw in his eye a light that was

to lead the chapter out of its darkness. They knew he would see to it that the ideals

of Sigma Chi would be lived, not just talked about…At the end of his sophomore

year he was elected Magister…he put into effect his own ideas of Magistership.

These ideas were absolutely of his conception; he had thought them out during the

summer. They astounded everyone. I was a sophomore at that time, fresh from the

‘rule of the paddle’ pledgeship which had always been used at Kappa Kappa. I can

remember the adverse criticism which was thrown at Phil when he announced at the

first chapter of the year that the days of the paddle were over. The seniors fully

expected the new class to be running the house in two weeks. But this was not the

case. Instead the new class functioned as no class had ever done. Phil’s words took

the place of a paddle and inspired in the new pledges hitherto unknown realization

of the ideals of Sigma Chi. And what is more, this realization became imprinted in

the hearts of the Active Chapter as well.170

Due to lack of room in the chapter house, only 12 out of town men were pledged to live in the house in the fall of 1938. In addition, five town men who did not need to live

33 in the house were pledged. Kappa Kappa alumni were also active in University and

Fraternity circles. Charles Wham was reelected as President of the Illinois Alumni

Association.171 Ben S. Fisher, Grand Trustee, was elected to the Office of the Chairman of the Board of Grand Trustees, and Charles F. Hough was reappointed the Chairman of the Executive Council.172

In the late 1930s, the chapter newsletter, The Illinois Sig, was in contention for the

Cleveland Chapter Publication Award and had been a runner up several times. In 1940 the coveted award was finally won. The Illinois Sig would win the award a number of times over the next decades.173

The chapter continued to attract top athletes. Bill Hapac was chosen as captain of the basketball team after having completed the best two-year modern scoring record in

Illini history. He scored 338 points, including 223 in Big 10 games. Tommy Riggs was the 1940 Illini Football Team’s Captain.174

In 1939, the preferential system was dropped in favor of open bidding, but the fraternities again adopted the preferential system for the 1940 rush. The chapter continued to seek alumni help in locating potential members because the rushee could choose the house where he wanted to be entertained at the “all important first pledging date.”175

170 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, November 1938, 57(5). 171 The Illinois Sig, October 1938, p. 3. 172 The Illinois Sig, December 1938. 173 The award was renamed the Chapter Publication Award after Chester Cleveland’s fall from grace. In 1952, it was renamed the Charles Ross Memorial Award (The Illinois Sig, March 1939, p. 5). 174 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, April 1939, 58(2), pp. 78-9; The Magazine of Sigma Chi, December 1939, 58(5), p. 72. The cover of the December 1940 issue of The Magazine of Sigma Chi shows the captains of the Rose Bowl teams - Ed Dempsey, of Southern California, and Tommy Riggs, of Illinois. Both Dempsey and Riggs were Sigma Chis. Riggs was named to the All-Sig team for two years (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, February 1941). 175 The Illinois Sig, June 1940, p. 1.

34 New University dormitories were to be completed in 1941 and the chapter members were concerned about what it might mean for the chapter. “The fraternity” said a member, “cannot do too much to fortify its future position on the Illini campus.”176 The

University also compiled a set of standards for fraternity houses. In the summer of 1941, the University stated that the chapter had too many men living in the house. The chapter was given the choice to either restrict the size of the chapter or use two houses. The

Kappa Kappa Corporation agreed to purchase the house and property next to 410, “but two years’ experience with the plan proved to us that it was not satisfactory in that the men living there became a separate group. Their common grievance, living in the

‘annex’ seemed to hold them together.” Thought was given to building a new house or an addition to the current one, but instead the house was remodeled. The sleeping capacity was increased by four. Willard Walker, Sigma Chi’s Grand Annotator, was an architect and “worked miracles” in remodeling the house.177

The Pledge Dance in the fall of 1941 featured the music of Brother Bob Barnes’ orchestra. A “hard-time party and radio dance” took place before Thanksgiving recess.178

It may have been a harbinger of the hard times that were to follow the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The chapter tried to carry on as usual. The chapter scholarship ranking was above average and the chapter boasted that Bill Hocking had been honored by the Bronze Tablet, reserved for the upper one percent of students.179

The chapter won the 1941-42 Daniel William Cooper Scholastic Award and on campus the chapter was first in scholarship and eighth in intramurals.180

176 The Illinois Sig, March 1940. 177 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, December 1941, 60(5), pp. 100-1. 178 Ibid. 179 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, April 1942, 61(2), p. 92. 180 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, December 1942, 61(5), p. 91.

35 By the fall of 1942, three members had joined the Armed Forces and at least three seniors would be leaving in February for the Army but, “barring unforeseen events,

Kappa Kappa will come though the war in good shape.”181 A report in early 1943 told a different story, “Our chapter, like all the rest, has given many men to the armed forces, but, even with a 58 percent loss, we are maintaining our high position on the campus.”182

A fire on the night of Saturday, March 13, 1943, caused $3,000 in damages. The fire began when everyone was asleep, and was confined to one room. However, there was smoke and water damage to the rugs and curtains and the room’s three occupants had most of their clothing destroyed.183 Chapter member Thomas Dwight “Dike” Eddleman set a new record at the Daily News track meet in Chicago and an alumnus, Lloyd Oleson, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. The chapter also mourned the loss of

McCune, Kappa Kappa’s last surviving charter member.184 The Fraternity’s 1943 Grand

Chapter meeting was cancelled. Ben S. Fisher had been elected the Fraternity’s thirty- second Grand Consul and instead of being installed at the Grand Chapter meeting, he was inducted at a special luncheon of the Chicago Alumni Chapter on August 24, 1943.185

The chapter house was taken over by the Army in the fall of 1943 and “it was so sudden that all the boys had to scatter around and find their own living quarters.” A chapter room was set up in the old annex at 408 East John Street and chapter meetings were held every two weeks with an average attendance of 12. The chapter was considering pledging legacies but “any pledging other than this would be merely a show, as there is no place available for training.” Alumni, the correspondent added, were to

181 Ibid. 182 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, April-May 1943, 62(2), pp. 116-7. 183 Ibid. 184 Ibid. 185 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, July-August 1943, 62(3).

36 “rest assured that Kappa Kappa will do all in its power to keep going during these trying times.”186 By the spring of 1944, the chapter had a new wartime headquarters at 707

South Wright Street in Champaign. The use of the room helped the chapter have a successful pledge program.187

In the spring of 1945, the chapter was making steady progress getting back to its pre-war strength. The chapter had 31 active chapter members - 15 civilians and 16 V-

12s.188 The spring pledge class consisted of 14 men. The chapter’s commissary opened and the chapter’s cook, Mrs. Allen, was rehired.189 The chapter was also proud of its war heroes. Captain Oleson, who was with the first troops shipped overseas, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and Purple Heart with Oak Leaf

Clusters, visited the chapter.190 Major General Rapp Brush,191 and his 40th Division helped recapture the Philippines and win the Pacific War.192 Sadly, several Kappa Kappa men were killed during their service in the Armed Forces.

As Ben S. Fisher finished his Grand Consul term, Charles F. Hough193 was installed as Grand Consul for the 1945-47 term. They remain the only Grand Consuls who were initiated in the same chapter and served consecutive terms.194 The cover of the January-

186 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, December 1943, 62(5), p. 108 187 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, April-May 1944, 63(2), pp. 101-2. 188 The Kappa Kappa members who participated in the Navy V-12 program gathered for their 50th reunion in October, 1993 (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Winter 1993-94, 112(3), p. 39). 189 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, April-May, 1945, 64(2), pp. 121-2. 190 Ibid. 191 Brush was a member of the class of 1913. His brother Daniel H. Brush Jr., was a member of the class of 1906. The Brushs’ uncle was George L. Rapp, a member of the class of 1899, and the architect who designed the chapter house in 1908. Rapp Brush’s son Rapp Brush, Jr., was a member of the Sigma Chi chapter. 192 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, July-August 1945, 64(3), p. 145. 193 Hough was the chapter’s delegate to the 1921 Grand Chapter and attended every one after that one. He was the first recipient of the chapter’s Kiler Award, an award given to an outstanding alumnus. Hough was both a Significant Sig and a Constantine Sig (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Winter 1969, 88(1)). 194 Their paths had crossed years before when during Hough’s senior year at Champaign High School, Fisher served as his basketball coach (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, January-February 1946, 65(1), pp. 21- 5).

37 February 1946 issue of The Magazine of Sigma Chi shows Fisher placing on Hough the original badge of Founder Daniel William Cooper.

Ten men were pledged during the summer of 1945, and another 12 were pledged on

October 5 after formal rush. The chapter correspondent asked the Kappa Kappas who were planning to return to the University to contact the chapter as soon as possible and to include information about intended return date, semesters to be completed, marital status, and undergraduate or graduate status.195 With a record breaking student body of 18,500 at the University in the fall of 1945, accommodations were hard to find. The chapter had

60 men, including 24 returning from service for their first semester since the end of the war. Two houses adjacent to “410” were used in order to accommodate these men and the Sigma Chis from other chapters who were studying on campus.196 As an incentive to strive for high scholastic standards, Kiler gave a jeweled badge to be handed down to the senior with the highest-grade average for the preceding three years. Chapter Adviser

Bill Rice promised a steak dinner to the class with the highest average at the end of the semester.197

With the war over, the mood on campus changed considerably. Alumni returned for a joyous Homecoming celebration and the attendance at Dad’s Day set a new record.

Five of the players on the 1945 Big Nine championship football team, Bill Heiss, Dwight

Eddleman, Vern Seiliger and pledge brothers Perry Moss and Russ Steger, were members of the chapter.198 Kappa Kappa had “I” men on every major sports team for the 1946-47 year.199 Moss and Steger had a hand in the 1947 Rose Bowl 45-14 victory over UCLA.200

195 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, January-February 1946, 65(1), p. 114-5. 196 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, November-December 1946, 65(5). 197 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, January-February 1946, 65(1), pp. 81-2. 198 Ibid. 199 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, May-June 1947, 66(3), pp. 81-2.

38 Homecoming 1947’s game with Michigan brought back more than 150 Kappa Kappa alumni and friends. Also part of the Homecoming weekend were the Homecoming decorations, designed by Jack Blackman and constructed by Don White and Bill Moore.

The chapter, paired with Pi Beta Phi, had one of the hit acts of the Stunt Show,

“Seacopation.”201 Robert Bischoff made his debut as Chief Illiniwek at the Illinois-Army game on October 11, 1947 at Yankee Stadium. Bischoff was ninth in a long line of Boy

Scouts who donned the Chief’s headdress.

The chapter also acquired another portrait of an influential Kappa Kappa. Eleven

Kappa Kappas, all college friends of former Grand Consul Arms, presented an oil portrait of him to the chapter in December 1947. The portrait was painted by F. R. Harper and was a duplicate of the likeness given to the Fraternity in 1935.202 The portrait of Arms joined the one of chapter founder McCune whose widow gave the oil portrait to the chapter a few years earlier.

By the end of the 1947-48 year, the overcrowding was easing and the chapter no longer needed the three houses it was using. The rental house at 406 East John Street was the first to be let go. In addition to “410” the Corporation owned the house at 408 East

John Street, likely making it the “only chapter in the Fraternity - probably in the entire

Greek letter world - owning two mortgage free homes.”203 During the summer of 1948,

Ben Chatburn Fisher was awarded the Balfour International Award. Fisher, the son of

Past Grand Consul Ben S. Fisher, was the most honored graduate of the class of 1948.

His chapter honors included winning the Chester W. Cleveland Award given annually to

200 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, January-February 1947, 66(1). 201 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, November-December 1947, 66(5), pp. 125-6. 202 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, March-April 1948, 67(2). 203 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, May-June 1948, 67(3), p. 23.

39 the outstanding senior and the Kiler Award. A Phi , his name was inscribed on the Bronze Tablet, and he was twice the Class President.204

Rush Week 1948 culminated in 18 men being pledged. The chapter was proud of its members’ achievements. Wally Roth, a junior, was a contestant on Horace Heidt’s

November 14, 1948 show on the NBC network. Three Kappa Kappas, one more than any other fraternity, were chosen for Ma-Wan-Da, the senior activity honorary.205 On the weekend of March 5, 1949 alumni attended initiation and five Kappa Kappas were awarded the coveted Constantine Sig medal for service to the Fraternity - Hough,

Cleveland, Kiler and the Rev. George Caleb Moor.206 Ben S. Fisher was unable to attend, but his son read his acceptance letter.207

Eddleman was welcomed back from Europe where he scored in the 1948 Paris

Olympic high jump and won a number of first places in post-Olympic track meets. He was captain of the Fighting Illini basketball team, and led the team to victory over Yale in the Eastern NCAA conference. The team won its game with the University of Oregon and took third in the national playoffs.208 Until Eddleman came to Champaign from

Centralia, the record for Illini letterman had been nine block “I”s. Eddleman won 11 letters, many awards, and is considered Illinois’ greatest athlete.209

The Illinois Sig won the 1948-49 Chester W. Cleveland Award, making it the first chapter publication to win the award six times.210 During the Homecoming 1949 festivities the chapter’s decorations won the first place award. The chapter’s scholarship

204 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, September-October 1948, 67(4). 205 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, November-December 1948, 67(5), pp. 131-2. 206 George Caleb Moor, 1901, was the Pastor of the Madison Avenue Baptist Church in New York City (Nate, 1930). He was likely the minister who conducted the Bible Study classes the chapter referred to in 1909. 207 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, April-May 1949, 68(2), pp. 118-20. 208 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, April-May 1949, 68(2), p. 199.

40 was also high during the fall of 1949, ranking the chapter sixth out of the 56 men’s fraternities.211

Eddleman had won the student-voted University’s Athlete of the Year Award twice and the honor again fell to a Kappa Kappa member when, during the 1949-50 year, Ruck

Steger took the all-campus title and the $100 watch that accompanied it.212

On January 7, 1951, in an effort to promote better relationships within the

Fraternity, Kappa Kappa invited the Alpha Iota Chapter at Illinois Wesleyan University for a visit. Athletic contests followed a Sunday buffet.213 A second Alpha Iota-Kappa

Kappa Field Day took place in Bloomington on December 9, 1951. By winning two of the three athletic contests Kappa Kappa retained possession of the “skin.”214

The Illini Sig won the Chapter Publication Award in 1949-50 and 1950-51 giving the chapter its second string of four consecutive victories and its eighth victory in the 21 years in which the award was given.215

Five members of the chapter, Chuck Studley,216 Stan Wallace, Herb Neathery, Joe

Cole, Paul Luhrsen, were on the 1952 Big 10 championship football team. The Illini went on to triumph over Stanford 40-7 in the Rose Bowl.217 Luhrsen stated “For ‘The

Class of ‘54’ the 1952 Rose Bowl is one of those events that they will never forget….Every brother can crisply remember exactly where they were and who they were with on January 1, 1952.”218 Due to the winning margin, Luhrsen, a member of the team,

209 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, July-August 1949, 68(3), pp. 9-11. 210 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, February-March 1950, 69(1), p. 63. 211 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, May 1950, 69(2), p. 102. 212 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, August 1950, 69(3). 213 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, May 1951, 70(2). 214 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, May 1952, 71(2), p. 120. 215 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, October 1951, 70(4), p. 80-1. 216 Studley also made first string on the All-Sig team. 217 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, May 1952, 71(2), p. 119. 218 Luhrsen, 1995, p. 34.

41 said that all 44 members of the travelling team saw playing time.219 The chapter’s Stunt

Show collaborations made the finals in 1952 and 1953 and, in 1954, the chapter, teamed with Kappa Alpha Theta, took first place.220 Kappa Kappa’s academic ranking was also high. There were six Sigma Chis among the 100 Top Seniors .221

The Kappa Kappa Chapter and Sigma Chi Fraternity suffered a huge loss in

September 1954 when Ben S. Fisher died. At the time of his death, he was planning the

Fraternity’s Centennial celebration.222 Honor, too, came to the chapter when B. (Byron)

Kenneth West won the 1955 International Balfour Award and Harv Schmidt toured the

Soviet Union with the United States Basketball Team.223

The expanded and renovated chapter house was dedicated on October 1, 1960. The festivities included lunch at the chapter house, the Illinois-West Virginia football game, a cocktail party at the Champaign Moose Lodge, and a banquet at the Moose Club that was followed by a dance at the Champaign Country Club. Alumnus Harold M.

Boeschenstein,224 president of Owens-Corning Fiberglas was the keynote speaker. Also in attendance was Mason G. Rapp, the designer of the new “410” and the consulting architect for the Sigma Chi Memorial Headquarters in Evanston. The University’s new football coach, Pete Elliott, was an alumnus of the Theta Theta Chapter, and he, too, attended the open house. The four-story $253,000 addition was designed by Rapp and

219 Ibid. 220 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, May 1953, 72(2); The Magazine of Sigma Chi, May 1954, 73(2), p. 112. 221 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, May 1954, 73(2), p. 112; The Magazine of Sigma Chi, May 1955, 74(2), p. 115. 222 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, December 1954, 73(5), pp. 22-4. 223 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, May 1956, 75(3), pp. 41-3; The Magazine of Sigma Chi, June 1958, 77(3), p. 17. 224 Harold M. “Beck” Boeschenstein was hired in 1921 by Kappa Kappa brother William E. Levis to join the Levis family firm, Illinois Glass Company of Alton. Boeschenstein served as Vice President and General Manager of the firm and then became President of the Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation. During World War II, he also served as acting director of the War Production Board’s Forest Products Bureau. Although he retired from Owens-Corning in 1967, he was a Director of the company until just

42 Rapp, the same firm that designed the original house. Included in the design were 10 new three-man and four new two-man study rooms, thus increasing the housing capacity to 79 men. The new dining room seated 95 people. A stainless steel kitchen, new heating plant, and entire house electrical rewiring were part of the project as were a new dormitory and ladies powder room. The main floor was entirely refurbished. A two-year fund-raising effort provided the money for the improvements.225

During the 1960-61 year, chilly weather threatened to cancel the Sweetheart

Weekend picnic, and a barn was quickly rented to save the weekend. The outgoing and incoming Vice Presidents of the junior men’s honorary Sachem, Jim Brady226 and Milt

McClure, respectively, were members of the chapter.227

While campaigning for the Presidency in the fall of 1961, John F. Kennedy spoke on the quad. Sigma Chi’s Little Sisters became a part of chapter life and by the end of the decade the Little Sisters would become an accepted part of fraternity life until a concerted effort was put forth to disband these organizations.228

October 27, 1962 was Henri Stegemeier Day. The Illinois Sigs surprised him with a testimonial program and luncheon to mark his twentieth year as chapter advisor.

Stegemeier, a German professor, was a 1932 initiate of the Rho Chapter at Butler

University. He was summoned to the house on Saturday morning in order to meet with

before his death in 1971 (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, April-May 1944, 63(2), pp. 25-7; The Magazine of Sigma Chi, May-June 1933, 53(2), p. 381; www.owenscorning.com). 225 Champaign Urbana Courier, Sept 28, 1960. 226 James “Jim” Brady also served as Chapter Consul. In January 1981, Brady was appointed Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and White House Press Secretary. On March 30, 1981, he was seriously wounded in the assassination attempt on President Reagan’s life. 227 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, September 1961, 80(3), p. 62. 228 The National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), the umbrella organization of the 26 women’s fraternities, issued a resolution in 1967 that looked with disfavor upon membership in the Little Sister organizations. Resolutions in 1972, 1983 and 1988 reaffirmed the previous resolutions. It is NPC’s belief that these auxiliaries threaten the single-sex nature of men’s and women’s fraternities. The North American Interfraternity Conference adopted a resolution against Little Sister organizations at the 1987 House of Delegates.

43 the Kappa Kappa Corporation President Merrill. E. “Boz” Prichard. While the two were meeting, Stegemeier’s friends and family gathered along with chapter members and alumni in the renovated dining room. Stegemeier was a hands-on advisor who had missed few chapter meeting night dinners and had served as a strong force in rushing, as a chaperone and a counselor to the Illinois Sigs. His portrait was presented to the chapter and the Kappa Kappa Corporation presented him with an engraved watch.229

In the early 1960s, the chapter was the recipient of the Order of the Scroll and $250 in library awards for the chapter’s outstanding scholastic achievements. There were five

Sigs among the Top 100 seniors. The spring semester also found the chapter members receiving scholarships totaling $4,400 from the Kappa Kappa Corporation. Proportional amounts were received by those men whose first and/or second semester averages for the

1961-62 academic year were above the all men’s average. In the annual Illinois Bike

Race, the chapter won three of the five trophies and finished third in the over-all competition, first in the speed lap and first in the ‘Miss Handlebars’ contest due to the efforts of Leroy Gust. Mother’s Day Weekend was attended by 40 Sig moms. They were invited to a dinner party with the Kappa Alpha Theta moms. Afterwards, the sons initiated the Sig moms in a very moving ceremony and it was followed by a serenade.230

Sigma Chi, along with three other fraternities, opened the University of Illinois social season in September 1965 with the first dance of the year. In the spring, the Sigs brought the Kingsmen to campus for a dance attended by 3,000 University students. Jane

Heggie, one of a long line of Sigma Chi Sweethearts, was crowned on May 21, 1966.231

229 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Summer 1963, 82(2), p. 30. Stegemeier died in 2001. His son Henri shared the Sigma Chi bond as a member of Kappa Kappa Chapter. 230 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Summer 1963, 82(2), p. 30. 231 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Summer 1966, 85(3), p. 46.

44 At the 1966 Homecoming banquet, chapter adviser William H. Rice, Assistant to the President of the University of Illinois, was named winner of the Charles A. Kiler

Memorial Award. Previous winners of the Kiler Award were Past Grand Consul Hough,

Grand Trustee William T. Cameron and former Kappa Kappa Corporation President

Prichard. Rice was presented with the Kiler watch, the beautiful gold timepiece Kiler often displayed at the chapter house.232 In 1978, the watch was presented to the Sigma

Chi Foundation Headquarters Museum in Evanston. The watch has a Sigma Chi crest on it and is likely the watch that was presented to him in gratitude for his fund-raising efforts in making the chapter house a reality.233

Philanthropic endeavors became a focus of chapter life. During the 1965-66 year,

Kappa Kappa raised $325.10 for the Pediatrics War at Burnham Hospital. The money was used to purchase new equipment in the children’s ward and to entertain the patients at a hall party.234

In 1967, the chapter’s newsletter, The Illinois Sig, won the Charles G. Ross

Memorial Award for the fourteenth time. The chapter won the award in 1938, 1939,

1940, 1941, 1942, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1959, 1960,

1961.235 The chapter would go on to win the award in 1967, 1973, 1979-80, 1980-81, and

1997.

Fire and its aftermath seemed to set the tone for the early 1970s. In May 1970, an electrical malfunction on the second floor started a fire. The firemen left after extinguishing the flames, but were summoned back when fire broke out in the ceiling

232 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Fall 1966, 85(4). 233 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Winter 1978, 98(1), p. 32. 234 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Winter 1966, 85(1), p. 45. 235 The Illinois Sig, November 1967, 57(1).

45 beams. The fire caused $70,000 in damages. There was major damage to the roof and nearly half of the older portion of the brick and wood structure had fire, smoke and water damage. Luckily, none of the 59 chapter members were injured.236

The second fire did much more damage than the earlier one. A Pledge Walkout was scheduled for Thursday October 18, 1973, according to Mark Anderson, Sigma Chi’s current Executive Director, who was a pledge at the time and whose room was one of the rooms destroyed in the fire. At 5:20 p.m., a fire was discovered, and an alarm was called in to the Champaign Fire Department. The quickly spreading fire was caused by an electrical overload in an outlet of a second floor room. In the few minutes it took the firemen to respond, the fire took hold. Flames in a corner portion of the house escaped through an open window and spread to the third floor and roof. The 35 city firemen and two University support companies worked on the blaze for 90 minutes. Although the

1960 addition escaped the actual fire, most of the roof on the old portion of the house was burned away. There was significant smoke and water damage and the water was as high as four inches deep on the first and second floors.

The chapter house at 52 East Armory Street was vacant and the

University’s Housing Division furnished some beds and mattresses and moved 56 of the members into the house. Four members moved to an apartment, and the other 12 were permitted to live in the Kappa Kappa house basement as it suffered no damage.237 No one was injured, but with the exception of the basement, the chapter was not able to use the house for the remainder of the academic year.

236 Carlson, 1990, p. 463; Chicago Tribune, May 21, 1970. 237 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Winter 1973, 92(4), p. 13.

46 The 1973 fire must have seemed like a déjà vu experience for the Kappa Kappa

Corporation. Julian “Jud” Collins238 was President of the Corporation when the 1970 fire occurred. His third term as President was about to expire in November of 1973, but “he took personal charge, negotiated a very good insurance settlement, and served as construction superintendent.”239 A fund-raising drive led by Max Hopper and Ben Duvall augmented the insurance settlement. The repairs called for no major structural alterations but interior changes were planned. They included new paneling, carpeting and tiling on the first floor along with new living and dining room furniture. A basement washroom was enlarged and there was a full modernization of all electrical, plumbing and heating facilities.240 Collins was awarded the Fraternity’s first William T. Bringham House

Corporation Officer award for his exemplary efforts.

On May 1-3, 1981, the chapter celebrated its Centennial. The event’s Co-chairmen,

John Wunderlich and Dave Prichard, spent two years planning the weekend. More than

300 alumni attended the festivities; the oldest was Wilbur Carter from the class of 1919.

The alumni, active chapter members and guests numbered almost 700. The festivities began with a cocktail reception on Friday night. The Illinois Governor, James R.

Thompson, declared May 2 as Kappa Kappa of Sigma Chi Day. The Ritual

Exemplification was attended by 100 alumni. Saturday’s activities included an outdoor lunch at the chapter house as well as playing a round of golf or a game of tennis. There were house and campus tours and class reunions. The Centennial Banquet took place at

238 On June 1, 1951 Collins was rescued by two Sigma Chis when his Marine Corsair (F4U) plane crashed at Chicago’s Meigs Field. The fire was put out by the two Sigs who had been in the control room. They dragged the unconscious Collins to safety. When the two Sigs stopped by the Kappa Kappa house 12 hours later, they learned that the person they helped to rescue was a Sigma Chi, too (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, August 1951, 70(3) p. 153). 239 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Spring 1975, 94(1), pp. 20-1. 240 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Spring 1974, 93(1), p. 37.

47 the Ramada Inn in Champaign. Sweethearts received a white rose with a blue and gold ribbon at the pre-banquet cocktail party. There were old scrapbooks and memorabilia to spark memories and conversations. The invocation was given by long-time chapter advisor Stegemeier. “Boz” Prichard241 served as toastmaster and a Centennial Chorus supplied entertainment. A highlight of the night was to be the awarding of the Significant

Sig medal to five Kappa Kappas. One of these was to go to James Brady, Kappa Kappa’s former Consul, who was serving in President Reagan’s administration. Those plans were thwarted when Brady was severely injured in the attempted assassination of President

Reagan. Although the Bradys were unable to attend the festivities, the Significant Sig medal was awarded to him via a special telephone hookup from the banquet hall to

Brady’s hospital room. James B. Wham, a Kappa Kappa from Brady’s hometown of

Centralia, delivered a tribute to Brady. Ben C. Fisher, the 1948 International Balfour

Award winner, gave the keynote address. Stanley Ikenberry, the President of the

University of Illinois, delivered a toast. Glenn “Duke” Biard was the eleventh Kappa

Kappa member inducted into the Order of Constantine. As the youngest and oldest Sigs present cut a cake, the chapter members and alumni sang “A Sig I Am.”242

When the legal drinking age became 21, alcohol use and abuse in the fraternity system came to the forefront. In the fall of 1982, the use of alcohol was prohibited during formal fall rush and during spring rush weekends. During the spring informal rush, the chapter rented a local racquetball and athletic club for an evening.243 While alcohol was prohibited during recruitment activities, “beer nights” with beer companies

241 Pritchard was the former Editor of The Magazine of Sigma Chi. He was hired in 1948 as the first fulltime Assistant Editor under Cleveland, and took over when Cleveland resigned from the position. He also served as Executive Director of the Fraternity, Editor of The Illinois Sig, and President of the Kappa Kappa Corporation. 242 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Fall 1981, 100(3), p. 56.

48 or bars donating a percentage of sales to the sponsoring organization to be used for charitable contributions was part of the campus culture. The chapter’s philanthropic endeavors included tutoring Washington Elementary School students, coaching basketball at the Y.M.C.A., and sponsoring with the women of a Red

Cross Blood Drive.244

Formal Spring Rush in 1984 was an opportunity for high school seniors who were accepted at the University, as well as men who were already enrolled, to visit the fraternities. During the first stage on Friday night and Saturday morning the rushees could visit 13 chapters of their choice for 30 minutes each. The second stage took place on Saturday evening. The rushees visited six chapters for 40 minutes each. The rushee could visit three chapters for Sunday’s third stage. After this last stage, the chapters are allowed to offer bids. Alcohol was not permitted at any stage. The Kappa Kappas were proud that 356 rushees, more than visited any other chapter, chose to meet the chapter. A similar, smaller rush took place in the fall.245 A Greek reunion weekend took place on

July 6-8, 1984. The chapter hosted a barbecue party for the Little Sisters on the new patio.246

During the 1984-85 year, the chapter revived the Miami Triad party. According to the chapter correspondent, the chapter hadn’t had a Miami Triad for about 20 years. In addition to the three fraternities founded at Miami University, five sororities were invited.

Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets provided entertainment, elegant food was served and five limousines provided rides to the ladies. The chapter’s new acquisition was a VCR

243 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Summer 1983, 102(2). 244 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Fall 1983, 102(3); The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Summer 1984, 103(2). 245 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Winter 1984, 103(4), p. 49. 246 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Fall 1984, 103(3).

49 for the TV Room. There were also new dining room tables. Nearly every member was on an intramural football team and the chapter was considered an IM (intramural) football powerhouse. The chapter fielded one “A” team and five “B” teams, more than any other chapter.247

The Mothers Club sponsored an auction of handcrafted items and used the funds to help the chapter. A new computer system was one of the club’s gifts as was the renovation of the ladies’ restrooms. A few years earlier, the club helped pay for a new patio in the rear of the house.248 Derby Days took place September 9-13, 1985. The events consisted of contests, parties and a banquet. The funds that were raised through local businesses, t-shirt sales and tickets to the Queen’s Banquet were donated to the

Burnham Hospital crisis nursery and the Wallace Village for Children.249

Dr. Henri Stegemeier, a chapter advisor for more than 40 years, was honored again when chapter alumni funded the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award. It is a fraternity- wide, cash award citation presented annually by the Sigma Chi Foundation honoring the most outstanding faculty advisor. It is based upon length of service and extent of involvement in the chapter. The recipient need not be a Sigma Chi. The announcement came at an April 5, 1987 luncheon banquet and was a complete surprise to Stegemeier.250

More than 100 years after Kappa Kappa was founded, singing was still a part of chapter life. The tradition was that a week before an exchange with a sorority, the chapter visited the sorority house at dinnertime to “serve them champagne and sing them

247 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Fall 1985, 104(3), p. 73. 248 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Winter 1985, 104(4), p. 47; The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Winter 1986, 105(4). 249 The Wallace Village for Children became the Fraternity’s first suggested service project in 1967. Today it is known as the Cleo Wallace Center. Located near Denver, , it is a residential psychiatric treatment center for children and adolescents (The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Spring 1986, 105(1); Carlson, 1990).

50 ‘The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi.’” The chapter joined the women of Kappa Kappa

Gamma in entertaining the residents of three nursing homes. The highlight of the evening was a request by the widow of a Sigma Chi to sing her the same song.251 The chapter’s football team was still a powerhouse, winning three major tournaments and a berth at the National Collegiate Flag Football Tourney in New Orleans.

Derby Days was a part of fall activities. The money raised during Derby Days was usually donated to two charities. One was the Wallace Center; in the late 1980s the second recipient of funds was the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

From November 1988 to March 1989 the chapter contributed $6,300 to the Wallace

Center.252

The Inter-Fraternity’s Council alcohol policy was one of B.Y.O.B. for those of legal age. Every chapter member was required to watch for violations, as consequences of violating the policy could result in a fine or social probation. Kegs or drink dispensers were prohibited. All alcohol at the events was to have been brought by the purchaser.

Alcohol could not be purchased with chapter funds, nor could it be distributed to attendees. The amount in the social budget was the same as it had previously been, the funds that had been earmarked for alcohol were used for barn dances, canoe trips, and a trip to Disney World for a lucky couple at the end of the chapter’s “Florida party.” The

Inter Fraternity Council also eliminated formal rush, making informal summer rush parties a valuable rush tool. The television room was refurbished, and the house had new windows and a parquet tile floor in the dining room.253

250 The Illinois Sig, June 2001; The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Summer 1987, 106(2), p. 49. 251 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Spring 1987, 106(1), p. 65. 252 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Spring 1989, 108(1); The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Summer 1987, 106(2). 253 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Winter 1990, 109(4), p. 34.

51 The Mother’s Club may have been inactive for several years in the 1980s, as it was reconstituted after the 1988 Mom’s Weekend. The club’s goal was to “add a mother’s touch to their sons’ college experience.” The group had an auction each spring. The

Mother’s Club paid for a piano repair, purchased computer equipment, gave scholarships to the most improved students, and supplied healthy exam week snacks.254

Famed Kappa Kappa athlete Dike Eddleman was honored in Illinois on May 17,

1995 with the day being declared “Dike Eddleman Day.” An award winning Olympic high jumper, Eddleman earned 11 letters in basketball, track, and football.255

The chapter had spent 90 years in the same chapter house and times had changed.

The Kappa Kappa Corporation had some issues to consider. In a letter dated July 23,

1993, “Boz” Prichard, chairman of the Corporation, discussed the chapter house problem with the alumni. Renovation and reconstruction was advocated over building a new home. Two separate engineering studies showed that the basic structure was sound.

Reconstruction would also allow the house to remain open during the school year. Issues to resolve included the outdated dormitory-sleeping configuration. It was no longer required by the university, as it once had been, and it was highly unpopular with the college students of the 1990s. Many fraternities had shifted towards a catered meal service rather than an on-site cook. There was also a decline in freshmen pledging and the trend was toward upperclassmen seeking apartment living. It must have seemed as if prayers had been answered when a 1.1 million-dollar bequest from the estate of Jeanne and Edwin C. Fisher was given to the Corporation.

254 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Spring 1995, 114(1), p. 9. 255 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Fall 1995, 114(3), p. 100.

52 Thirty-three members, only a quarter of the chapter members, spent the 1995-96 year in the former house at 311 East Armory Street. The other three- quarters of the chapter were on their own for housing while the house was renovated.256

On Saturday October 5, 1996 the modernized and reconstructed house named for the

Fishers was rededicated. Rodney A. Reid, Beta Omicron, designed the 2 million-dollar renovation. There was a suite for the Balfour Fellow, as well as comfortable lounging areas, and special accommodations for seniors. Other features included three stained glass windows in the library - as well as state of the art computer capabilities and security measures. Before his death, Fisher asked that a sizable front porch, like the one that had been there until the late 1960s, be added to the house. The dining room, study rooms, and dormitories were completely refurbished. The Memorial Chapter room was restored to its rich character and to meet local safety requirements an additional exit was added.

Jesse R. “Bob” Stone funded the Consul’s suite as well as the library windows. 257

As the century came to a close, the fraternity system at the University of Illinois, like its counterparts across the country, was still tackling with alcohol issues. The

B.Y.O.B. system used hand stamps and tickets to distribute alcohol brought by those of legal drinking age. No alcohol was to be purchased with chapter or “pooled funds.” In the fall of 1997, the chapter was cited for failing to properly serve alcohol at a chapter event. Consequently, the chapter received a social suspension from both the University and Fraternity.

256 Pritchard, no date. 257 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Winter 1996-1997, 115(4), p. 35.

53 From April 17 to May 3, 1998, alumnus Scott Altman went where no Kappa Kappa had gone before - outer space! He was the pilot of the space shuttle Columbia.258 Altman is a veteran of two other space flights and he has spent more than 38 days in space.

On November 18, 1998, Ed King, Delta Rho, educational advisor for Sigma Chi

Foundation, spoke to the chapter and it was one of the highlights of the fall semester.

Derby Days consisted of events such as the blood drive, the lip-sync competition, Rent-a-

Sig and a volleyball tournament. More than $5,000 was raised for the Children’s Miracle

Network, an alliance of 165 hospitals. It became one of Sigma Chi’s projects in 1992.259

Kappa Kappa was one of seven chapters participating in the Stone Mentor Program.

Funded by chapter alumnus Stone, the program attempted to change behavioral attitudes through alcohol education and heightened scholastic expectations. It also placed “the expectation upon the mentor to work with the chapter to find deeper more meaningful solutions to enhance the character and decision making skills of our undergraduate members.”260 Chapter member Tim Swindle spearheaded the idea of making an alcohol awareness video to be distributed around the country. After speaking with Sergeant Scott

Friedlein of the Champaign Police Department about the video the chapter chose to use

$7,000 of the Stone Mentor funds to help the Champaign Police Department fund the project.261

258 The Illinois Sig, June 1998, 95(1). 259 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, February 1999, 118(1), p. 2. 260 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Fall 2001, 120(3), p. 77. 261 The Illinois Sig, June 2001, p. 7.

54 In the early 2000s, the chapter, working with the Sigma Chi Foundation’s director of education, reemphasized a focus on academics. To work towards this goal, a renovated $23,000 computer lab was added to the house.262

In April 2002, a portion of Fourth Street between Kirby Avenue and Peabody Drive was designated as “Honorary Dike Eddleman Way.” Eddleman also had been honored in

1993 when the male and female athletes of the year awards were renamed in his honor.

On April 13, 2003, at 410 East John Street, a 40-foot flagpole, flying a large

American flag, was dedicated. The project was funded primarily from gifts from the classes of 1946-52 and friends and family of Michael Miller. The flagpole was dedicated to “All Kappa Kappa Sigs who have and will serve in the United States military forces” and “In memory of Michael Miller ’61.”

As the Kappa Kappa Chapter of Sigma Chi approaches its 125 anniversary, more than 2,275 men have been initated into the bonds of its brotherhood. The chapter has won the J. Dwight Peterson Significant Chapter Award 14 times and innumerable alumni have given generously of their time, talents and resources to the chapter and the

Fraternity.

262 The Magazine of Sigma Chi, Winter 2001-2002, 120(4), p. 54.

55 Bibliography

Anson, J., & Marchesani, R. F., Jr. (Eds.). (1991). Baird’s manual of American college fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird’s Manual Foundation.

Carlson, D. R. (1990). The history of Sigma Chi Fraternity 1955-1980. Evanston,

IL: Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Champaign Daily Gazette

Champaign Urbana Courier

Kelley, J. H. (Ed.). (1913). The alumni record of the University of Illinois. Urbana-

Champaign, IL: The University of Illinois.

Luhrsen, P. H. (1995). The class of 1954, Kappa Kappa Chapter of Sigma Chi.

Atlanta, GA: Luhrsen’s Vanity Publishing.

Nate, J. C. (1930). The history of Sigma Chi, Volume 3. Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Pritchard, D. A. (No date). A brief history of the Kappa Kappa Chapter.

The Bunkem

The Illinois Sig

The Kappa Kappa News of the Sigma Chi Fraternity

The Magazine of Sigma Chi

The Sigma Chi

The Sigma Chi Quarterly

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