Beta Theta Pi - Oklahoma State University

Think Back. Think Big. Think Beta. 9 THE HERITAGE IN A DONOR WALL A t the beginning of our Beta housing project, one of our 1960s brothers com- mented, "I wonder who built this house for us. But I guess we will never know." The Big Red Island that we have known for so many years was built in 1939 and brothers moved into the house in January 1940 for second semester classes. All we can speculate about are names on our chapter roll in the early days and families who were very much a part of Gamma Lambda from 1923 through 1939. Today, we very appropriately acknowledge those brothers and friends of our fraternity by showing our sincere appreciation for their monetary support, helping make our new house a reality. The donor wall is a very dis- tinct way of saying "thank you" with a last- ing reminder of those who cared, those who had positive experiences, and those who pro- vided us with a facility to house our young brothers on the continuing journey in pursuit of excellence. Further, we can go beyond the "thank you" with other warm feelings that will go forward for many years. Think of the brothers and friends that will have their names on the wall. They say to us, we cared and we helped. The names and pledge classes will be there for their sons, grandchildren, nephews, pledge brothers, and friends showing their support. And hopefully, this will inspire others to help when their turn comes. Young men can look at the wall over the years and say, "that was my dad, mom, granddad, grandmother, uncle, aunt," or another family member or friend. After our new Big Red Island is completed, the Beta Theta Pi Building Corporation will finalize the planning needed to install a gran- ite wall for our Heritage Room. This display will be an integral piece of our heritage. We encourage our brothers and friends of Beta to become a part of the donor wall which will be a Gamma Lambda cornerstone for decades to come. In _kai_, Your Beta Editors of the Big Red Island A Beta Forever Memory It was a chapter effort when John Saunders '21 got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend while his Gamma Lambda brothers serenaded her with "Beta Sweetheart."

• Cover