Beta Theta Pi - MIT

2 "I n 1958, I visited MIT's fraternity rush week. A lot of beer and hot dogs! No fraternities fit me until the Beta House," Dr. James Draper '62 recalled. "The leaders, Bill Widnall '59 and Tony Aldrich '60, were charismatic. Beta's moderate size, warmth, musical talent, lively discussions, and camaraderie drew me in. It was a good choice for me, and they always took care of me." As a freshman, James had a choice between two years of physical education or one year of a varsity sport, so he chose to join the rowing team, which he remained a part of for all four years, enjoying time with his teammate, Steve Aldrich '64. James was on similar schedules with the competitive and hard-working Dave Koch '62, a star athlete and basketball team captain who led MIT to its best winning streak and held many records. They shared a 4-by-3 foot desk, where James learned how to study. "There we worked into the small hours over MIT's freshman physics, calculus, and chemistry 'notes.' Each night ended with our firing questions at each other … bang, bang, bang! It worked. 'Aceing' organic chemistry, the Dragon Smaug of MIT freshman courses, was our great success." For the next four years, James and David shared rooms all over the house. On one of their Friday night excursions, James met Jana, to whom he's been married for 62 years. James also shared rooms with Dave's brother, Bill Koch '62. "We ventured by sail and canoe on some strange adventures. Our last great shared adventure was Billy's successful 1992 America's Cup Defense." James' Beta memories continue. "The house ran with two indispensable men. Booker Stanfield, whom we were all honored to know, nobly served as Beta Major Domo for decades. Meanwhile, in the kitchen below, Woody cooked dinners that he sent up the dumbwaiter to Booker. Between reheated dinners after crew and waiting at the kitchen window to shoot rats, Woody and I talked. One day he turned to me, brandishing his cleaver, and asked, 'Do you think the Dow would ever break 700?' I was no help." James appreciated Beta Upsilon's diversity and was proud of the Chapter's academics, with Beta house average grades often being on the dean's list. "He enjoyed leading several fall and winter trips with Steve Aldrich and Bud Boring '64 to the White Mountains in New Hampshire and to Mt. Katahdin in Maine." After graduating, James did not remain as involved with MIT until Jim Cunningham '57 passed away. "At his Texas funeral, we Beta Brothers, led by Charlie Koch '57, Jim's old roommate, committed to a memorial. But what kind? With cash in hand, I dived into MIT's financial aid world. When told there was no endowed scholarship for undergraduate women at MIT, I declared, 'Well, you have one now!' Today, the scholarship, led by MIT EE/CS graduates Ruby Li and Greer Swiston, has supported over 130 women in eight disciplines. Donate now!" (Read more about these scholarships on page 1.) Having not rowed for 60 years, in spring 2024 James walked into Community Rowing Inc. "As I approached the front desk, a voice behind me asked, 'How old are you?' (What a line!) '84.' She replied, "Great, show up tomorrow for our eight-person shell." In October, James stroked CMI's 'octogenarian' shell at the Head of the Charles, coxed by Bill Becklean, a 1956 Olympic gold medalist. "As exciting as that is, my grandson, Nick Hoerle, rowed for Bates in the same Head of the Charles!" James has written several essays on issues that interest him. "One essay looks at the crucial strategic shift in America's ocean war with Japan. Initially, war in the Pacific was dominated by unstoppable dive bombers. The result was a naval stand-off of 'hit and run' operations: Japan's Pearl Harbor and America's Tokyo Raids. Japan's defeat in the Battle of Midway was a 'hit and stay' operation gone wrong. Its failure showed the futility of naval operations under dive bomber attack. Midway, a great victory for the U.S. Navy, did not make it possible for the Navy to 'roll up' Japan's defensive island chains. Effective ship-borne anti-aircraft fire was needed to defend vital Navy ships. The MIT Instrumentation Lab invented and demonstrated the Mk 14, an affordable, user-friendly gunsight. The Navy, with the new Mk 14, first successfully defended its ships against onslaughts of Japanese dive bombers in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands four months after Midway. The crucial strategic 'tipping point' battle in Pacific, Santa Cruz, initiated the Navy's strategic shift to the 'hit and stay' operations that opened the Japanese Empire to conquest." You can connect with James at draperj088@gmail.com. From Learning How to Study to Rowing at the Head of the Charles STORIES FROM DR. JAMES DRAPER The "Mouse House" cabin and its architects and builders: Jana and James. B eta leadership is developing a long-term strategy to ensure the enduring success of Beta Upsilon Chapter. This plan will focus on optimizing the use of the Main House and Annex to support our vision. Alumni who are interested in contributing to this conversation are encouraged to reach out at brierec@alum.mit.edu. Alumni Insights N E E D E D

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