of the Pi Kgppa Alpha Fraternity " Hop On! We Can Carry Up to Fifty Ea sy! " Pride of the Pikes, Sigma Chapter, · Vanderbilt University De lta-Ka ppa , San Diego State College WHY A FIRE ENGINE? by DAVID LIPPITT, rH Chairman, Delta-Kappa Alumni Advisory Board + How many times has your Maybe what your chapter needs is a chapter spent anywhere from , 300 to Fire Engine. 500 on dances, rush parties and enter­ Pi Kappa Alpha is an organization tainment?-Several times a year prob­ of men, but what is it that makes an ably. How long are these functions re­ organization strong? You'll have to membered?- Seldom more than a few agree it is '· top notch personnel with a weeks probably. What makes your resounding esprit de corps." You and chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha stand out I and every IIKA want a strong frater­ from all the other fraternities on nity- of which we can be proud. But campus? how do we attract the top newcomers lO our rank ? How do we build and tence again. It makes the difference be­ Although the yracuse caper wa b) far maintain an esprit de corps? Maybe tween a set and liability. the be t, other shorter trips, such a foot­ we've been u ing the arne bait as all the vVe at Delta-Kappa hope the day comes ba ll game , beach parties, and o on, ha,·e other fraternities on campus. Is IJKA when every chapter of IJKA has its fire provided us with many hours of un­ just another fraternity? engine-when we can have "IIKA Fire equaled enjoyment. Let's change that! Engine Meets" where two, three, four, ' "'hen on the road, our truck is ahray To the children of today who'll be our five or more different chapters can bring greeted with curious stares and looks of rushees and members of tomorrow, col­ their engines and their chapters together. awe by passer -by. It never fails to get lege fraternities mea n little or nothing. vVe believe, today, that Delta-Kappa wave from the children and envious Some of them hear their dads speak of has the fine t operating and best main­ look from other studem . It has al o " their" fraternity or some of them hear tained fire engine of any chapter in Pi been known to bring about nostalgic a certain sweetheart ong, but out ide of Kappa Alpha. memories from the old-timers, reminis­ that coll ege fraternities are nebulous. '"' ant to challenge us? ce nt of their own college days. ___ n KJ\ __ _ How can we get to the kids of today so Without a doubt, the purcha e of our they'll never forget IJKA ? A fire engine fire engine, back in '55, wa by far the is the world's greatest answer. If every Vive La France best investment Gamma- ifu has made. chap ter of IJKA across the country owned Its dividends, both ru hing-w i e and "a fine old, well kept" fire engine, every b y J ames M. H ighet, Jr. and W illiam T ighe pleasure-wise, have more than paid for kid would know us. They'd never forget In 1955, Gamma-Mu Chap­ the original cost. Now that our engine " that fraternity with the big red fire en­ + ter purchased from the Somersworth, i listed among our deceased alumni, " ·e gine. " Here at San Diego State Coll ege New H ampshire Fire Department, a 1923 at Gamma-Mu are looking forward to the the IJKA fire engine delivers Santa Claus, American LaFrance ladder truck. In the day when we can again be the proud officiates at birthday parties of the chil ­ estimation of the brothers, the fire truck owners of another ladder truck. 'Til dren, and goe to political rallies and was well worth the $225.00 spent for its then, on the lips of every man, remains civic parades as well as ca mpus functions. our motto, "young men's marching, purcha e. Its value as such ca n btst be IJKA is being sold to the coming genera­ shown by a detailed account of one of c1_1owder-chewing, and fire-fi ghting so­ tion, its identity is being strengthened. Ciety." our more famous escapades, that of our and we're building an esprit de corps in ___ n KA --- trip to the District Convention on the our present chapter all at the same time. weekend of the twenty- ninth of March, An organizati on needs someone and last. "The Big something to " rally around." That some­ With a roar of the engine and an enor­ one-a top notch leader-withou t ques­ mous cloud of smoke, fourteen brothers tion gives an organization its greatest Red Beast" and pledges of Gamma-Nu were off for strength. Sometimes a physical asset be­ by R ich Thompson the District I Convention at Syracuse comes a rallying point. It too ca n give + Nicknamed "The Big R ed Univer ity. The send-of£ committee was pride of membership and the desire to Beast," Gamma-Eta's fire truck has be­ composed of the remaining brothers of work and play together. A fire engine come a legend on the row at the Univer­ "Pike" and a large delegation of Chi can be that rallying point; it ca n be one sity of Southern Cali fornia. The 1924 Omega's. Facing the four hundred mile of the top means of building a resound­ Seagraves is the third engine owned by drive, Brothers Seerup and Publicover, ing esprit de corps. the chapter. The fir t met its untimely Good operating fire engines that have with one at the helm and the other the end on the return trip from the SC-Stan­ co-pilot, set out to put their driver edu­ retired from service can frequently be ford football game at Palo Alto. The purchased from fire departme nts ca tion courses to good use. second died of a "heart attack" after be­ throughout the country. Prices range Gas and oil were added every hour at ing driven 55 miles per hour on the Pa a­ from · 200 to $700. Our 1924 Seagraves the rate of 10 and 2 gallons re pectively. elena Freeway. at Delta-Kappa was purchased for 350 At 10 :00 a.m. Friday, wi th bells ringing The latest addition tr, the family was from the Seagrave-Hirsch factory agency and trumpets blaring, a staunch group of acquired by Gamma-Eta's Mothers Club in Vernon, California. It was a one traveling "firemen" arrived, and took a and presented to the chapter thi fall. It owner fire errgine having been owned grand tour of the Syracuse campus. After was purcl1ased from the eagraves Com­ and operated by the Los Angeles Fire signing in at Alpha-Chi for the Conven­ pany here in Los Angeles for approxi­ Department until one month before we tion, the group set out to see if the Chi mately $400. At the pre ent time the bought it when it was traded in on a new Omega's at Syracuse were a friendly to­ "Beast" is being rehabilitated under the one. Six alumni from Gamma-Eta Chap­ ward "Pikes" as our neighbors back at direction of Fire Chief Hugh Holbert. ter, University of Southern California, the University of New H ampshire. Upon The donation of a paint job by alumnus who now live in San Diego and one receiving an affirmati ve report, the Chi Bob Yeakle along with a re-chroming of alumnus from Delta-Kappa each donated Omega house was secured and dates were all accessories will transform its weather­ 50.00. The active chapter supplied ap­ gotten by all. beaten exterior into the most beautiful proximately $100 for paint and hours of When the Convention activities per­ engine in the country. t ime to refinish the engine under the di­ mitted, the truck was put to good use On the functional side, the "Beast" rection of the chapter's newly appointed providing the brothers and many Syra­ takes another first prize. Its pumping Fire Marshal Pierre N.ey. The truck was cuse coeds with ample hours of enjoy­ system deli vers water at a rate o( I ,000 not allowed out until the engi ne was ment. The truck provided cold but ade­ ga llons per minute through four nozzles completely restored. With big brass IJKA quate transportation for the Saturday and propels it well over I 00 feet. Need­ letters stretched diagonally across the night dance, giving the high-heeled, be­ les to say, we have yet to lose a water front of the radiator, it is IIKA's greatest gowned coeds something to talk about fi ght! alesman. The first rushing after the for many years to come. The only diffi­ The pleasures ga ined (rom owning a emergence of the fire engine showed our culty encountered over the weekend was fire engine are enormous. ]n rushing, best percentage of bid acceptance in the a polite request from the local gendarmes there is no better ice-breaker; at parties, past four and a half years. to "please stop ringing the bell." After no li ve lier means of transportation. We Just one word of warning. The use, a most enjoyable weekend, a group of heartily recommend that all chapters of i nsurance and maintenance must be tired but satisfied Pikes packed up and Pi Kappa Alpha look into the possibi li ty properly handled. R eread that last sen- headed for home.