trade school vs finishing school

[Erik P Conard]

I certainly did not want to imply that the love of our chapters
has diminished, nor did I intend to badmouth Delta Psi aka
St. A, as they dearly loved in their own way. In fact, the notions
they still have, while strange to some of us rustics...well, lemme
tell you a story....I think it was a Chi Psi chapter at U Minnesota--
they got in a horrible pissing contest over muted colors of the
lights vs drapes in the living room. This was a major issue in this
hundred year old chapter, encumbrance free and quite regal...
Meanwhile, back at the Teke house, the chapter was trying to
scrape up enough bucks to pay a past due grocery bill.
When TNE was legit it is fun to follow them, and I recall a DKE
composite or yearbook picture with one of the guys on the front
row, feet crossed but barefoot on one foot...funny, kinda crazy.
Yes, lifestyles varied and still do. One cannot help but admire
the closeness of the Betas alumni-wise and the unity they have
even with old pledge classes and their reunions.
I ran across an old alum the other day...and said "Duane, do you
recall Tiny Hendrickson, Joe Lutz, Russ Roberts, Dean Allen, and Wilford Riegle?" He said "Yeah, those were the old codgers who
hung around our TKE house when we were pledges." And I said,
"Do you realize...we are older NOW than they were THEN?"
Time marches on, but Fraternity is for life. Cherish it. Erik