loveable fraters
 

I am presently in very poor health and have not the moxie to dwell on this long, but I do want to plant the seed.
TKE has meant a lot to me and I want to keep some of these names alive as long as possible. All have entered the Chapter Eternal. I reckon one must be over 65 or so to comment much on
them, and our numbers are shrinking fast. So, gentle reader, if
you will...did you know these...and your assessments:
Harrold Pierce "Tex" Flint...an Alpha Teke, the first bean counter,
Grand Grammateus which later became Executive Secretary, ran
the Fraternity out of his house in Lombard, IL. Tex was jokingly
called a seducer of housemothers (I don't think he was) but was
a man, like all fraternties had, who gave his all, his life, to the organization. Not handsome, kinda like an old shoe, a carpenter by trade, he was a very gracious man. Never had much more than a dime, sometimes questioned as a good parent, spouse.
But he took a shine to mentoring....I will quit there. Many, in
Ohio, especially, may have some memories of Tex. I was very close to him, as a beginning fielder at 21, and correspondent 'til
his death. Those who know me...I could go on and on.
Richard Russell "Dick" Hall. Raised in Hatch, NM, initiated at AO
chapter, New Mexico State. Entered service at the tail end of the
war, went on to Southern Cal and helped, with Ned Serrio and
George Woolery, et al., form TKE there...Beta Sigma chapter. He
was extremely active in campus politics, was the Ass't Dean of
Men at UCLA, helped struggling Zeta Psi chapter there...along with Joe E Brown, Zete, actor/comedian. Went on road for TKE,
became Executive Sec'y when TKE moved to KC from Champaign.
Dick was a large man, about 6-4. Extremely perceptive, and it was Dick and Jim Logan who made TKE #1, without question. His
parties were many and long and fun. He was a loving man and
booze cut him down...some of you guys perhaps knew Dick and
in spite of some of his peccadillos, loved him...as I did.
James Clifford Logan....not loveable at all. Had the most brilliant
mind I have ever known. Fun to tease from a distance. He was a
very demanding man, produce or flunk. His stories are legion. If
you had a Logan one, share it, please.
Jim Kane...the "Oklahoma underwear salesman" was a real sight, not masculine at all. Good sense of irony and humor, and
a fantastic memory. Ohio State fraters have many Kane stories,
and likely some guys under forty remember him. He was a very
caring man. Diabetic, when he was forced to retire, TJ Schmitz saw to it Jim had insurance, and carried Jim on TKE's roster 'til
we lost him. I shall always revere Schmitz for this. Share some
tales with us about Jim, huh?
Pete Leland, a dashing, handsome man, hail-fellow-well met,
gave a lot to TKE. Headed up Leland Publishers of St Paul, he
published FRATERNITY MONTH, a competitor to Banta's Greek Exchange. Pete never was wealthy; wife Wilma Smith was the
National President of AOPi. Pete was always broke come Conclave time but had so many friends he was always afforded
a place. He loved to be the genial host at the bar, and so long
as you could buy, he could stay. Tell us about Pete.
Bill Quallich, the 6th grade teacher struck down with a horrible
illness which finally took him. Ohio Tekes knew him well; he was
a charter member of Delta Epsilon, that great chapter then known as Fenn, now Cleveland State. I hauled him around a lot
of OHIO and I knew many a night Bill sat up all night talking to the various fraters about varied problems. A loving man. At the
Great Plains Leadership school in Springfield, MO, Feb 1966, we brought him from Cleveland.
by the way--he was the Grand Dollar then, he termed the
name, and was a smash, loved by all.
I am sure you have some Quallich tales. He was a tall, shy, man
with a heart of gold. I am glad to have known him.
There are many other great Tekes; these are only a few who I had a chance to know....I am tired now....your turn. YITB. Erik

God you're old.

The office moved from KC to Indy, leaving Logan and Hall behind, while I was an undergrad. I may have shook hands with Logan once, but have no memories. He was not ever mentioned around me while I was on the staff.

Tex hit our chapter once, on chapter meeting night, and I thought he would have a stroke as he ranted and raved. I attended his funeral.

Woolery and Quallich are very different and very similar - both true Tekes and great workers for TKE. I think Quallich originated the theme for the Toronto Conclave - "Drink Canada Dry." I imagine he visited as many chapters as any volunteer during his days, and easily made friends everywhere. Both liked to drink and enjoy friends.

His running buddy on the GC was George Kolintzas, another nice guy and lousy politician. I wonder if he's still around?

Woolery was rewarded for his hard work with a GC spot, but he wasn't a politician. I think he had too much fun with the undergrads, and this didn't make the other GCers happy.

I rode around Minneapolis-St. Paul with Leland and Wilma one evening (after their divorce), and her contempt was obvious. She was driving, and eventually pulled up to a bus stop and told him "you can catch a bus home."

Sorry to hear you're health is a problem - when you're gone maybe Tom will tell the truth about you.

you kinda missed the boat....
 

You, unfortunately, came on the tail end of what I would call the
"halcyon" days of TKE. I cannot imagine riding around in the same car with Pete & Wilma. I will pass no judgement on either,
simply state that they grew apart.
Tex did, in the last years, carry on at an interminable rate, and he
was often asked to cut it short. Too bad, for there were good times, too. He was treated rather badly by HQ in the end.
I was a grad student at Illinois '63-65, and did little with HQ after
that time. From '60-63 I did help train field men, Bill Muse being
one of them. After moving to Indy, TKE went thru a lot of field men, many fired for misbehavior, some cost us charters, like at
Baker....About a hundred or so came and went...so far as I know
none are active now. It is hardly a bright time in TKE history, the
early Indy years...more braggadocio than anything else. And the
unceremonious departures of Kane, Woolery, Georgeff, Kollintzas,
Bishop, Aspinwall, Moe, and others...were distasteful...a shame.
Kollintzas, the originator of the TKE Survey commission, which was buttressed by Logan, Hall, Georgeff, Woolery, Young, and
PiKA Wilson Heller, was a Loyola Teke who has been gone a
good many years. He was not in favor at the end, but why I know not, there were a lot of comings and goings for the next twenty years, and literally hundreds of angry alumni, with a GC
totally oblivious. This festered for many years and we are still at
odds...trying to ameliorate...the schism.
My point in this posting, though, is not to air the dirty laundry, and
I could say a lot more...but to memorialize those who gave a lot
of their care and time to our Fraternity.

Remind me, please
 

Who's Bishop? Where was he from?

Chuck Bishop
 

Chuck Bishop, aka Charles C Bishop, was a first cousin to Frank
Bishop Scott, both Beta Tekes. Chuck befriended Beta Sigma
chapter and was active in the S. CA Interfraternity Alumni Ass'n.
He was a much loved man, forced out for political reasons. I
nominated him for GC at the '59 Conclave. A nice man, long gone.

Frater, Jim Logan and Helga were quite a pair. I enjoyed dinner with them at the Lake Quivera Country Club while living in KC. We started the evening in their home amidst all of the trinkets and souveniers they had amassed on their many travels. I also visited Frater Logans office in downtown KC. He was always on me to re colonize at UMKC? Not sure what the deal was.

As for Jim Kane, he was king of the pink light bulbs and mirrors at Rush functions. The pink light bulbs make everyone appear tan and the mirrors just doubled the number of people attending your rush function.
They were both great men. I enjoyed knowing both of them. That was really nice to hear about TJ keeping his insurance on board even after he left the staff. How Fraternal!

YITB,
DN Teke

delta nu--NW Mo
 

of all the chapters I have ever visited in my near 50 years as a
member of Tau Kappa Epsilon, my favorite was
Delta Nu...Northwest Missouri, Maryville.
I got back there as often as I could when a fielder. I also know it
was Jim Logan's favorite. Gotta great story about Logan and the
DN chapter, have told it widely.
I also loved Fenn, now Cleveland State, Delta Epsilon
and Beta Rho, Akron...and Stevens Point, and Whitman
and, of course, Delta Mu, Pittsburg State--hope I live long enough
to see it back and on top again!
We all have memories...these are a few. What have been your
favorite chapters?

Some favorites of mine were visits to:
Delta Psi-North Dakota State,
(NDState had a hot tub on the TKE House Patio),
Nebraska Wesleyan,
Alpha Lambda, the perenial TKE Power House,
Illinois State (re-colonization),
Iowa was a great one for a while.
Not sure why Iowa closed down.
TJ and I did a rush event there as he was a key note speaker for Mary Peterson, the Greek Advisor.
Lambda at the Univ of WI, was a neat campus, the chapter however was strugling at the time.
Traveling to the upper peninnsilua of Michigan was a treat as well.

YITB,
DN Teke

The good ones
 

While I was an undergrad, I had a summer job driving a moving van, and I stayed in a lot of chapter houses during the summer.

The first stop was Fenn (Cleveland St.) and they had their hard core "hell week" during the first week of summer vacation - the weekend I stayed there. I guess I was surprised that the home chapter of a Grand Officer (Quallich) was so tough during pledging. I saw my first olive race there. Great award-winning chapter at the time.

Drexel was another great stop, and they were finishing up a full-scale bar in the basement. Some quaint Philly brewery delivered wooden kegs, which had cooling coils inside the keg, and they had the whole system. Great award-winning chapter at the time.

Another memorable one was Epsilon at Iowa State, just after the house had been built with the Kaser's money. Ate dinner with Spike K. Great award-winning chapter at the time.

Also remember driving all over Milwaukee that summer, looking for the Marquette Chapter listed in The Teke magazine directory. There was no chapter - apparently the editor/staff got Northern Michigan U in Marquette, Michigan, confused.

Later went to a Prov. Conclave in Marquette in the middle of the winter. Plane couldn't get us to within 100 miles, so we rented a car and drove - with snow on the roadsides higher than the car.

blunders
 

Sigma Mu chapter was installed on my 54th birthday, and we were kicked off that same weekend. Why...it was hushed up,
and we have never been able to go back.
Another blunder was Spring Hill in Philadelphia, installation was
set at the same time the college announced its closing. The charter was quickly granted to Temple, a colony at the time. No
record exists...just a kitty litter job.
Finally, Tarkio, in MO, an affiliate for years as the school was on
the verge of closing. About year after chartering, the college did
close. Despite our warnings, the HQ and GC shoved this one thru,
and have been mum ever since.
There are more....
But, Hoosier, you were right...there was a Marquette...briefly.

Some amazing stuff
 

Some amazing stuff is coming out here - I had no idea.

tau kap frat
 

Hoosier, there were a lot of things not passed on to the rank and
file within our beloved Fraternity...
We did not amass a couple of hundred dead chapters by being
smart, or by trying to utilize a few alums outside of the Indy circle.
There are many instances where we were quick enough to stay
embarrassing situations...or avoid them.
Hall and Logan were masters of amelioration.
But, then, everybody has some dirty laundry.
HOWEVER, after a while you will discern why some of us have been so sour so long. This all did not happen overnight.
Efforts are being made to recapture the glory days...or to even get back on even keel. There are very few who know how to dig
us out, and the sharpshooters are still quite dull.
We still have not learned that a Fraternity can't be run from HQ, and I now do not think I will ever see it turn around in my lifetime.