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Who was Wilson Heller?
Frequently on Greek chat comments are made referencing Wilson Heller. Younger members may wonder why so often and who he was.
Simply put, Wilson B. Heller was the most unique and controversial person ever involved in the Greek movement. He was a class of 1914 graduate of University of Missouri who moved to California. Heller claimed to have been one of the very first press agents in Hollywood. He was also a self-described "fraternity nut." At some point his avocation became his career.
He incorporated a business called College Survey Bureau and often called himself the "Doctor to the Greeks." He strongly believed that "size begets quality," hated any and all rushing restrictions, was an avowed "right-winger," and was always very vocal on his opinions. He also despised the N.P.C. and N.I.C. because he felt their rules and regulations benefited the strong and hindered the weaker groups. He privately counseled various fraternities and sororities, plus individual chapters, on how to rush and grow larger.
Heller had a newsletter, "Fraternity Insider," which began informally in 1939 but became a regular publication by 1961. It included exactly what the name implied -- "inside" information not normally available for public consumption, with a good dose of gossip. It could be received by anyone for a very nominal fee. Oficially, it was bad-mouthed by every Greek leader, but privately it was eagerly anticipated and hidden under the desk blotter when it arrived.
Sometime during the 1920s he also began informally ranking fraternities and sororities at some schools. By the 1950s he had developed enough connections on each campus that these were available for purchase. As you well know "ranking" develops controversy, or at least the standards you use for determing rank (witness U. S. News Best Colleges). Heller's standard was straight forward: Importance, Prominence & Power. This was often in conflict with Greek leaders and chapters who felt social prestige, exclusiveness or other standards were a better yardstick for judging a social fraternity or sorority. However, even his bitterest enemies had to begrudgingly admit that his gauge was aboout as accurate as anyone's.
To make this even more controversial, in 1956 he began publishing his "Annual Comparison of Fraternities & Sororities." His standard there was gauged on the percentage of each group's chapters that were ranked in the upper half on each campus. Picture a document LISTING EACH AND EVERY NATIONAL FRATERNITY AND SORORITY, RANKED FROM NUMBER ONE TO WHATEVER. A few groups each year were elated but an overwhelming number were very unhappy. Unapologetically, Heller's response was, "If you don't want to be embarrassed, get off youf duff and do something to make your organization better."
He also had available for any group a listing of all their chapters and where they ranked on each campus. It indicated if the group was rising or falling. Several fraternity and sorority executives subscribed to this service (even though they continued to condemn him) because it really was one of the few unbiased ways in which a Greek leader could get a reading on his or her chapters.
Heller was an unabashed fan of groups like Tau Kappa Epsilon and Delta Zeta for their rapid growth and introduction of the Greek system to new institutions. He also secretly had respect for some of the older more conservative groups and understood their philosophy too. Interestingly, I do not believe he was ever active with his own fraternity (Pi Kappa Alpha) as he always seemed to be at odds with whoever was in charge. Plus, he truly was interfraternal.
The last edition of his National Comparison was 1982. By that time he was nearing 90 years old. He died in 1983. His papers are now located at the Student Life and Cultural Archives Program at the University of Illinois.
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