Phi Kappa Theta - Iowa State University

PAGE 5 FKQ FKQ Eric Schatz '78 and Brian Biegger '78 stand behind the current chapter house sign by the front porch. A rending of the new sign planned for the northeast corner. Donations to the Men of Character Fund will help pay for the installation of the new sign and landscaping in addition to making gifts to Special Olympics Iowa and the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. S i g n s o f I o wa X i T here is a plan to place a new sign on the northeast corner of the property near the intersection of Lincoln Way and Beach. Recently a Stand in the Gap special solicitation was started to remember Eric Schatz '78, Duane Biegger '81 (alumnus initiate), and Tom Hobson '78. Some of the money raised here would go towards the new sign. While working on this project, I began to wonder about the history of "signage" in front of the house. Initial research indicates that there have been three versions going back to at least the 1950s. The initial sign, which is still there, is simply the three Greek letters on the peak of the front porch. It is not known when these were put in place exactly, but the letters Phi and Kappa are visible in a photo from the ISC Bomb published in 1951. The same letters are visible on a sign underneath the porch to the east side of the door as well. The men readily adapted to the merger as the letters under the porch sign are seen as Phi Kappa Theta in the Bomb of 1962. The second sign was a vertical version, located where the house sidewalk intersects with the city's sidewalk, and had three distinct sections. This first was the Greek letters, the second was the word "WELCOME" and the third was "TO ISU." It is worth noting that this final section was interchangeable to mark a campus event such as "HOMECOMING," "GREEK WEEK," etc. This was constructed in the 1974-76 timeframe. The third sign is the horizontal version, still in place nearer to the front porch, and simply states "phi kappa theta." Rocco Pigneri '78 was an active living in the house in 1977 when the chapter decided to build a new concrete sign. His father owned Pigneri Construction Company and donated the form materials and the use of needed tools. All of the labor was provided by PKT brothers. This included hand digging below the frost line and pouring the footings as an initial step. Once the vertical portion of the sign was formed and poured a brick capping was added as was the lettering—all at a cost of $300. Rocco Pigneri provided engineering expertise, assisted by Eric Schatz '78 and others, and built a sign that has stood proudly for nearly 50 years. An additional sign which is no longer there was built in front of the apartments at 117 Beach. It was the Greek letters in a "stair step" design constructed of railroad ties placed vertically in the ground and built as a work week project in August 1983. Rick Ball '87, along with a small group of brothers, headed up this project. This is a very brief, and certainly incomplete, history of signs at the chapter house. We particularly need more info about the Greek letters on the peak of the front porch as well the sign underneath the porch. Also, does anyone from the 1974-76 timeframe know who designed and built the vertical version welcoming visitors to ISU? If anyone has any additional background knowledge of these three signs, please contact me at biegger.brianj@yahoo.com or Kirk Thomas '76 at kirk.thomas0642@gmail.com. Fraternally, Brian Biegger '78

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