Theta Chi - Bradley University

MANIFESTO THE NEWSLETTER FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF GAMMA UPSILON CHAPTER OF THETA CHI FRATERNIT Y AT BRADLEY UNIVERSIT Y - SPRING 2019 C H A P T E R : t h e t a c h i b u . c o m | A L U M N I : g a m m a u p s i l o n . o r g Looking Forward to the 70th by Looking Back at the 50th By: Ken Lombard '99 It's hard to believe that it's been 20 years already. Back then I was a "seasoned" undergraduate; president of the fraternity. The year was 1999, and before we could get into the swing of worrying about the impending doom of Y2K (Fake News!), we had a pretty big shindig to host—the 50th anniversary of the Gamma Upsilon Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity! There were banners made (and eventually stolen…then eventually recovered). The other actives and I manned the Bradley University phone banks to run through the entire roster of living alumni and encouraged them to make the trip down. We had the chapter house sparkling clean* and ready for alumni and their families. Our alumni came out in full force—'50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s—all decades were represented. As an active, it was truly an amazing experience. Talking to so many generations of Theta Chis and hearing their stories. It revealed to me that the house personality may have changed many times in those 50 years, but the common string of Theta Chi brotherhood was strong no matter the decade. Talking to a brother from the '50s was as easy as talking to a recent alumnus. The main event of the weekend was a well-attended banquet that featured dignitaries from both Bradley University and Theta Chi International. Many awards were given out to some very deserving brothers, all capped off with brothers Willis Hunziker '53 and Tom McClintick '52 receiving their "Theta Chi For Life" awards. Willis and Tom have always been, and were certainly at that time, two bedrocks for the Gamma Upsilon Chapter. It was an honor to be present as they received those honors. One of the more humorous points of the evening (aside from the magical appearance and then disappearance of Robert "Cool Breeze" Taylor '90), happened during an off-campus party after the formal dinner. The house was packed wall-to-wall with Theta Chi alumni and those actives of legal drinking age.* Apparently, we were a bit too raucous in our brotherhood, and the Peoria Police arrived at the doorstep. The officer stepped in and one of his questions was if everyone there was of legal drinking age. I couldn't help but smile and sort of laugh (on the inside, of course) as I scanned the crowd and saw people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and probably one or two in their 50s. The officer quickly realized the same thing. We agreed to quiet down, and peace was restored once again. Brothers of various generations were all seamlessly socializing as if we had all gone to school together. All in all, it was a fantastic event and I'm sure many of you reading this have your own great memories of that weekend. So, why bring up an event from 20 years ago? Well, because I now find myself as one of the alumni organizing the 70th anniversary. Twenty years later and the Gamma Upsilon Chapter of Theta Chi is still very much alive and kicking with a great group of guys at the helm. I am now that alumnus in his 40s who will be regaling the current undergrads with all of the stories of my time as an undergraduate, as well as all the other stories that were passed down to me by other alumni. Another reason to bring up that event is to ask: when was the last time you visited the chapter house? Was it that weekend in April of 1999? Before even then? Ten years ago? Five years ago? However long it has been for you, the 70th anniversary is as good a reason as any to make the answer to that question "this year." There is an entire agenda of events planned for you. It starts on Friday night with drinks and appetizers at W.E. Sullivans and pool/darts/bags at Landmark. Saturday will feature breakfast, the alumni corporation meeting, the annual Golden Guard luncheon, house and campus tours, and a reception at the Hayden- Clark Alumni Center. The night will be capped off with our Silver Legion dinner followed by a whiskey tasting and cigar event at the chapter house. Sunday we'll get together for some breakfast before everyone hits the road. More information, including how to RSVP online, is available in this issue of the Manifesto, as well as on Facebook. I hope that all those who are able will join us April 26-28 for our 70th anniversary celebration weekend. If you haven't already, please RSVP online at www.bradley.edu/alumni/thetachi70 or by phone at 1 (800) 952-8258 and take advantage of the pay-ahead option. If you have any questions or requests, please feel free to contact the board. I look forward to seeing you all. Theta Chi For Life *By undergraduate standards.

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