Beta Theta Pi - University of Wisconsin

2 BETA THETA PI F raternities are rife with traditions and lore, and some of them have to do with parties. Phi Gams have their Fiji Island Party, Sigma Chi has its Derby Day, but what about the Betas? Well, for decades, the men of Alpha Pi had the legendary Beta Hawaiian Party. Therein lies my tale. In the late 1920s, a young Walter McGuire '33 earned enough money working in a pineapple canning factory on the big island of Hawaii to earn his fare, first by ship and then by train, to Madison for his freshman year at UW. You can replicate that trip today by air in about nine hours. Back then it took a week. Walter was the son of a Honolulu milkman and a school teacher whose Chinese immigrant father had married a native-born Hawaiian. Walter was "discovered" by Wisconsin's legendary track coach Tom Jones at the 1928 Penn Relays in Philadelphia, where McGuire had journeyed with his high school track team. Coach Jones recruited him to UW as a sprinter, a role he would fulfill as a collegian, but not the one he would become famous in. Walter, better known as Mickey, would become an absolute legend of the 1930s Great Depression era in football. Mickey picked up his nickname from a comic strip and starred as halfback and punter from 1930 to 1932. He led UW to a 17-7-3 record during that period. Mickey's senior season was his greatest, starting with the game-saving tackle he made against Marquette to preserve a 7-2 win in the home opener. He finished his stellar senior campaign with three touchdowns against a vaunted Minnesota team. Mickey set the tone against the Golden Gophers by returning the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. His last score capped the 20-13 victory. At the end of that 6-1-1 season in 1932, Mickey was named Wisconsin's MVP after scoring 36 points. If you're wondering if he could even make the team today, he led the conference with a 43-yard punting average, 3.3 yards more than Anthony Lotti averaged for the Badgers last year. After graduation in 1933, Mickey returned to a life of distinction in Hawaii, serving five terms in their then territorial House of Representatives. He also served 30 years as executive director of the Hula Bowl. Several generations passed, but Wisconsin never forgot Mickey McGuire. He was inducted into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2019, he was named No. 27 on the Camp Randall 100, a list of the greatest figures in sports, music, culture, and beyond to grace our stadium during its centennial celebration. Alpha Pi never forgot Mickey either. For decades, we would hold a bacchanalian Hawaiian party every May that featured leis and decorations airlifted directly from Hawaii to 622 Mendota Court by Mickey. Walter F. McGuire was #798, initiated March 22, 1930. He became one of us 90 years ago. He still is today. As luck would have it, I met Mickey in our bar room my sophomore year after the 1969 Homecoming game. He was wearing a suit and came up and enthusiastically greeted me with outstretched hand, saying, "Hi. I'm Mickey McGuire!" My then 19-year-old self responded with, "Hi, I'm Rod Taylor." Truth be told, neither of us had any idea who the other was, except that we were brothers. Later that day, I remember someone's visiting father joyfully telling people, "Oh my God, I just met my boyhood idol here! I shook the hand of Mickey McGuire!" Welcome to the Beta house, I recall thinking. Yours in _kai_, Roderick Taylor, #1448, UW 1972 The Story Behind Beta's Legendary Hawaiian Party Looking Back on the Legacy of Walter "Mickey" McGuire '33 W hen putting together a few words to recognize the contributions Tom "OB" Oberwetter '74 has made to Alpha Pi, I kept coming back to the movie It's a Wonderful Life, the story you are all familiar with of how George Bailey's actions over a lifetime changed the lives for the better of so many people in Bedford Falls. I submit to you that OB's actions over the years had a similar impact on the lives of so many who became members of Alpha Pi. Without the impact of the actions that OB took, Alpha Pi as we know it might not exist today. One alumnus I spoke with had a great reflection on the last 40 years, saying that, just as Ted Kellner '69 was the financial rock that made the Beta house what it is today, Tom was the emotional soul that held everything together. Tom joined Alpha Pi in the early 1970s and served as the corresponding secretary for the 1972-73 academic year and then as president in 1973-74. Those were lean years for Alpha Pi. As president, OB made the unheard-of decision to withhold rent from the Housing Corporation in order to redirect the funds to focus on recruitment and rebuild the chapter with quality new members. The strategy paid off, as Beta had strong new member classes every semester from 1974 to '76 and beyond. By the fall of 1976, the house was full again and was also the leading UW fraternity in academics, intramurals (four Badger Bowls in five years), and of course, social events. OB became the alumni advisor in 1976 and held the position for the next 20 years. He also served on the Beta Building Association board from 1978 until the mid-1990s, the Wilken- Harding Educational Foundation beginning in 1980, and as a district chief for the General Fraternity from 1996 to 2000. When OB took over for Tom Brader '56 as the alumni advisor, times were changing. Housemothers at 622 Mendota Court were a thing of the past and chapter leadership had to take on more responsibility, sometimes with less than desirable outcomes. OB was always available to lend an ear, provide words of wisdom, or sometimes do whatever it took to keep a brother from spending a night at the local Iron Bar Hotel. OB was a leader, a mentor, an advisor, and, most importantly, a friend. The Beta renaissance on the UW campus that we are experiencing right now is the result of the contributions of several dedicated alumni and undergraduates. The contributions in time and treasure never failed to materialize during the darkest hours and time of greatest need. OB provided inspiration for many who went on to become significant and found a way to pay it forward. Yours in _kai_, Jim Egan, #1574, 1979 It's a Wonderful (Beta) Life Giving Thanks to Tom "OB" Oberwetter '74 for His Impact on Alpha Pi

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