Phi Delta Theta - DePauw University

The DePauw Phi 2 B y mid-spring of 1960, I had accepted admission to DePauw and a Phi Delt invitation to pledge in the fall. During that period, I visited six different fraternities, spending full weekends at three of them. The Phi Delt experiences are, of course, the most memorable. Brothers like Recruitment Chairman and future Chapter President Larry Rink '62; his roommate, Al Winslow '62; and my future pledge father, Tom Lafon '61, made indelible impressions that easily come to mind nearly six decades later—as did meeting housemother Dorothy Brown and our longtime cook, Mafanwy Hayes. The Phi Delts arranged visits with multiple notable coaches and faculty, including Director of Admissions Dr. John Wittich. John was one of those people who meets you and really "locks in." He remembered what sports I played, what Fraternity I pledged, and what major I was considering—even my family and girlfriend by name. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that John Wittich was largely responsible for the affirmative admission decision of over half the students on campus during his tenure; he was truly amazing! Our Phikeia class had 26 members. About half of us had pledged the prior spring, so we were fully involved in the selection of our pledge brothers. I was fortunate in being elected president of our pledge class, giving me my first DePauw leadership opportunity. Beyond pledging, studying, athletics (football and baseball for me), and our social The Choices That Guide Us How Phi Delta and DePauw Shaped Steve Tegarden '64 lives, our freshman year also included a weekend walkout—secretly meeting up and leaving campus from a Friday afternoon through Sunday evening—a great bonding experience. (Brothers from that era will also remember "protecting" the front lawn boulder in an attempt to keep other fraternities from vandalizing it!) Decades later, I believe we had had among the highest percentage of alumni return for our 25th, 40th, and 50th reunions. Junior year, I served as recruitment chairman and led the effort to select the Phi Delt class of 1967. I also continued with some interesting jobs in the Chapter House and on campus. I helped Hayes prepare and serve breakfast each morning, waited tables for lunch and dinner at the Tri Delta house, and worked on the reserve desk in the library. I was elected Chapter president for our senior year, completed student teaching in Brazil, Indiana, and began my search for a teaching position for the fall of 1964. Following graduation, I pursued graduate studies and a career in public education. After three summers in Bloomington, I earned a master's degree in American history from Indiana University. While teaching U.S. history and English in the Indianapolis area, I also coached football, wrestling, and baseball. Barb Kornos (Pi Beta Phi at DePauw) and I were married in 1965 and moved into our first house in Indy. Following four years of teaching and earning my master's, I decided to pursue a Ph.D. in education administration. I enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Purdue and became principal of Knightstown junior/ senior high school beginning in fall 1969. (Anyone who has seen the movie Hoosiers is familiar with Knightstown because the fictional Hickory High School was in a Knightstown school where you can still visit the historic Hickory gymnasium.) During the two-and-a-half years I served as principal in Knightstown, I completed my dissertation and earned my Ph.D. As a family, we adopted our first child, Timothy, at 10 days old. In the fall of 1972, I was invited to apply for a position with the National Association of Secondary School Principals in Washington, D.C. We accepted the offer and relocated to Reston, Virginia. During the four-and-a-half years we spent in Reston, we added 18-month-old Ty from Vietnam to our family. Our next stop was Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where I was a high school principal; we welcomed our daughter, Tanya, in October 1975. After eight years in Columbia, Maryland, I spent eight years in Glastonbury, Connecticut, as superintendent of schools. We made our final school move in 1993, coming back to the Indy area to serve as superintendent in Carmel, Indiana, which is now known as one of the best school systems nationwide with multiple awards and honors. I retired (kind of) in 2000. Our first post-retirement endeavor was the creation and management of Nestle Inn Bed and Breakfast in downtown Indianapolis. Having the BnB enabled us to host the 40th reunion eve reception of the Phi Delt class of 1964. We retired again in 2011, sold the inn, and moved into our current home—just a few blocks away in the historic Chatham Arch neighborhood in downtown Indy. That home hosted the 50th reunion-eve reception for the Phi Delts. During our time as innkeepers, I kept up with public education as a consultant. I also served several months as interim superintendent for three school districts. The last several years have been spent enjoying "real" retirement, including our great downtown neighborhood, two exceptional granddaughters, and volunteering for several organizations we believe to be improving the quality of life in Indy. Steve and his wife, Barb, on vacation in South Carolina. A mini reunion held at the lake house of Carm and Bill Ellis '64 in Minnesota, sometime between the group's 40th and 50th class reunions in Greencastle. From left: Clarke Hayes '64, Craig Misselhorn '64, Bill, Steve Tegarden '64, and Joe Walsmith '64. (Not pictured: fives wives, including three DePauw alumnae: Virginia Hayes, Barb Tegarden, and Sue Walsmith.)

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