The Pine Tree Sig, Rho Rho Chapter, Sigma Chi Fraternity

The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Maine History Documents Special Collections 1952 Fiftieth Anniversary Issue: The Pine Tree Sig, Rho Rho Chapter, Sigma Chi Fraternity Sigma Chi Fraternity, Rho Rho Chapter Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistory Part of the History Commons This Monograph is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Maine History Documents by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Pamp 4884 Sigma Chi has been at Maine for 50 YEARS ’52 Is Our 50th The Year of Years For kind assistance our sincere thanks go to The University of Maine Printing Shop; Miss Jean Dolloff (Richard C., Rho Rho ’27), editor of The Prism; The Maine Campus; Don Tavernor, Alumni Secretary; Howard Keyo, U. of M. publicity direc tor; Paul Marcoux, photographer; and Ralph MacKay, of the Thompson Printers, printers of this magazine. 1902 1952 FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE The RHO RHO CHAPTER - SIGMA CHI FRATERNITY University of Maine Orono, Maine EDITOR - DICK SCHURMAN Staff: Brant Frost Fred Breslin Dick Dow Stan Lavery And many suggestions from the other brothers of Rho Rho THIS BOOK IS FOR OUR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS .. AND IS DEDICATED ... 2 PINE TREE SIG TO “PADDY”. * Because you were a charter member of Rho Rho * Because you were a friend of Gen. Benjamin Piatt Runkle and were instru mental in the establishment of Rho Rho * Because you have been a guiding light to Rho Rho throughout its fifty years of life * Because you were a pro fessor for 43 years here at our University and your courses in Greek, Ancient Civilization, and Art His tory were considered “musts” by students who sought a complete educa tion” * Because you have come out of retirement to become an active lecturer in the Meth odist Church in Orono * Because your extensive literature on Constantine is being considered for use in the Norman Shield and at the Workshop * Because you have received the Order of Constantine from the Grand Chapter of Sigma Chi for your out standing fraternity per formance 0 Because with your inspira tional talks at our banquets and informal gatherings and in all of our other association with you, you have impressed the present actives of Rho Rho as you impressed our brothers . to you, John Homer before us that you are a Huddilston, this special edi fine man, a brilliant tion of The Pine Tree Sig is scholar, and a loyal Sigma Chi gratefully dedicated. PINE TREE SIG 3 JUST ONCE April 19, fortunately falls on a Being that a 50th anniversary week-end, thus the big banquet comes only once (usually at the and dance will be held Saturday end of the first fifty years) it is, of night, April 19. course, fitting that the biggest af The basic outline for the week fair in Rho Rho’s history should be end has been arranged by the com planned for the celebration of this mittee and goes like this: late Fri greatest event. We are fully aware day afternoon (April 18) registra of the common association of su tion will begin at the chapter perlatives with events of consid house. A buffet supper for every erably less importance than this one will be available at the house one; therefore we hope you under and later Friday night there will stand that when we say that this be an informal smoker with all the will be the biggest and the great trimmings. Late Saturday morning est gathering in Rho Rho’s history, registration will continue at the we use these words in the old- house and Saturday afternoon the fashioned way, that is, actually actives will present a pageant-ex and literally the biggest and great travaganza covering fifty years of est. highlights at Rho Rho beginning There are over five hundred with a mock founding. At 5:30 men who were involved in making Saturday evening transportation Rho Rho what it is today. Al will be available (for those who though the charter members will need it) at the house and our atten be guests of honor, this is a cele tion will shift to Lucerne-in-Maine, bration for all of us five hundred a few miles out of Bangor on the plus. The present actives feel hon Bar Harbor road. A banquet with ored that we have the privilege of lobster in the starring role will making the elaborate plans; we start the evening (with a top-notch realize that the privilege falls to bunch of speakers) and a dance us only because we happened to will follow. We feel that a good be here at Rho Rho when the first omen blessed our plans when we fifty years ended. We will wager were successful in reserving Lu that you would like to be right cerne-in-Maine for our banquet back here taking part in the plan and dance. There lies the sur ning; second best, of course, is roundings and elements ideally your suggestions which we will fitting for such an auspicious occa gladly accept. As for attending sion. the celebration itself, please make Sam Bullock and John Neal your plans early so that you can Campbell are being contacted as fit them into your busy schedule. are many, many other notables. (Everybody is busy nowadays.) From the university we hope to Brother Bill Feeney (see page 22) have President Arthur A. Hauck, is chairman of the 50th anniver Dean of Men John Stewart, Direc sary committee which includes tor of Publicity Howard Keyo, and active and alumni elements (Bob Alumni Secretary Don Taverner. Patten, ’48, and Bernie Prescott, We will keep you posted on the ’47, for the alumni; Dick Dow, progress and additions to our plans. Bob Bruns, and Dick Schurman When six Sigma Chi’s get together for the actives). The committee every week with a special objec has been meeting every week since tive in mind, the development is the first of the year and plans are certain to be big (using BIG with shaping up rapidly. its old-fashioned meaning, of The actual anniversary date, course). 4 PINE TREE SIG BACK IN 02 astic account of the installation of Once upon a time (1891 as a Rho Rho, and Thomas Leary as matter of fact) a small group of the first Associate Editor of Rho University of Maine students got Rho covered it from the initiates’ together and formed a club, the point of view. Both articles were Delta Rho by name. The fellows in the Quarterly. In his article used to meet every week in a room General Runkle gave the whole (in a house) in Old Town, eight proceedings a complete coverage. miles from the university. The He listed the twenty-nine charter group was a popular one and soon members who were initiated. In expanded to a larger group and cluded in this list were Percival thus needed a larger room or Mosher (see page 18) and John rooms. As further expansion de Huddilston (see dedication). (There veloped the need for a building are eleven of our charter members became acute. still living.) General Runkle des cribed the first initiation at Rho Within ten years of its founding Rho to some length, and with the Delta Rho club had grown to tongue-in-cheek, we suspect, he such proportions and strength that quoted from a Bangor newspaper’s its members entertained ideas of account of the initiation. We re joining a larger group, perhaps quote it here. even a national fraternity. After months of discussion, the members “A large number of students of Delta Rho petitioned Sigma Chi came to Bangor during the after fraternity and expressed an ardent noon and were registered at the Bangor House on Saturday night. desire to become a chapter of The preliminaries of the initiation Sigma Chi. General Benjamin Piatt were conducted in the square and Runkle was at that time head of the initiates, entwined attired in the military department here at wrappers and female parapherna the university. Being one of the lia of gorgeous design and pattern, seven original founders of Sigma executed walks and quadrilles to Chi fraternity, General Runkle the delight of an army of small took great interest in the develop boys and a liberal contingent of ment and proceedings of the Delta Bangor people who assembled to Rho club when he found that they watch the fun.” were interested in joining Sigma Chi. From Brother Leary’s article to the Quarterly we learn that Rho Early in 1902 the club bought a Rho was the second fraternity house (top photo, next page) which at the University of Maine to own was located across the road from a house and that the new members the Elms (now a girls’ dorm) near just about dominated campus activ the Orono Bridge. ities, everything from football to After much investigation and a the student newspaper, The Cam- sizeable assist from General Runkle ups (we suspect that this was a the Delta Rho club was accepted misprint in Brother Leary’s article by Sigma Chi fraternity on the instead of a variation of the spell 19th of April, 1902 and thus the ing of Campus, the name by which Rho Rho chapter of Sigma Chi the present student newspaper is was born. known). Our best source for what went Rho Rho’s first meeting was held on during these memorable days on April 21, 1902, with the chapter comes from 1902 edition of The not yet moved into the house.

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