Delta Tau Delta - University of Kansas

Eleven Eleven Report Gamma Tau Chapter of Delta Tau Delta university of kansas n Spring 2014 I t has been another exciting year at Gamma Tau. After a busy summer renovating the rec room, we enjoyed a football season with tailgates that were enjoyed by all. Basketball came and went, sadly, a little too early, and we welcomed many visitors and Gamma Tau alumni back to the Shelter. After initiating 20 new members in November, I am happy to report that the Shelter is at capacity and financially healthy. Most of us will never forget our times as undergraduate Brothers at Delta Tau Delta. Sure, pledgeship was not always easy or fun, but it served a purpose. We worked hard, we pushed ourselves beyond our comfort zone, and we became men. Most importantly we developed a bond with all our Brothers and learned to live—to the best of our ability—according to the ideals and standards by which our Fraternity was founded. We grew up in the Shelter and it was our home. With that in mind, we must admit that our home is no longer competitive when compared to other Greek houses at KU. The Shelter has become constrained and outdated and is in need of repairs and maintenance. The house corporation is prioritizing what needs to be done to keep the men safe and comfortable. The goal of the house corporation is to provide the best learning, living, and leading environment that we can for the members of Gamma Tau. Safety is our number one priority and is at the top of our list when allocating funds and projects each year. As much of this is still in the planning phase, we ask for your patience and support. We want to make sure this is done correctly. We encourage all members of Gamma Tau to get involved with Delta Tau Delta. There are many opportunities to volunteer with the chapter and its members, and we welcome you to become part of it. We have become the alumni the Fraternity is so dependent on. So what do we need? We need alumni volunteers to help locate lost Brothers and we need them to host dinners or reunions at their homes or clubs, rekindling the Fraternity spirit so that when the time comes, we know who we can count on. If you would like to be a volunteer for your area or have any other questions, please contact me. I can assure you that the active members are an impressive group and their conduct and standing on campus will make you proud to wear the Delta Tau Delta letters again. Your Fraternity needs your help. Are you ready? Fraternally, Doug Fiscella '87 President, House Corporation (913) 908-8032 / dougfiscella@gmail.com AlumnI EnCouRAGED To GET InvolvED wITh GAmmA TAu Chuck hitchcock '59 Cherishes Delt Friendships (Continued on page 6) Chuck with his wife, Jenny, and granddaughter, Amber, at her high school graduation. m y close friend, Howard "Howie" Ellfeldt '59, and I graduated from Wentworth Military Academy in 1955 and vowed to each other we would go through rush together and pledge together so we could be Fraternity Brothers. That summer of '55 we attended several rush parties, many of which were hosted by the Delts. We both liked those we met, so by the time we entered rush in the fall each had sort of made up our minds which fraternity we preferred. As I recall, rush at that point was almost a formality for us, and our decision to pledge Delta Tau Delta was a good one and one that we never regretted. Our pledge class was a great bunch of good guys with many differing backgrounds, but we soon became a very close bunch of good friends. During my freshman year, one of my pledge Brothers, Joel Tormoen '58, introduced me to a young lady who would ultimately be my wife, and today we have been married nearly 58 years. Jennifer and I have three children, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. There are many special memories connected with my time in the Shelter, but one that many of us in the pledge class reflect on was the time we decided to take over the TV room following dinner. We found Al Oerter '58 there by himself and announced our intentions to take over the TV room. Al, without saying a thing, began to systematically pick us up one at a time and threw each of us out of the room. We quickly realized that we were no match for him and retreated as he calmly sat back down to continue watching his show. After graduating from KU in 1960 with a BA degree I went to work for a local Kansas City insurance agency where I spent some 30 years. In those days Jenny and I, along with some of the other Brothers, would gather on home game football days to have lunch at the Shelter, walk down the hill to the stadium, gather back at the Shelter following the game, and usually decide on dinner somewhere in the Lawrence area. It was something we enjoyed and looked forward to each football season. The quality of the football was not very good, but the fellowship was superb and lasting.

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