Pi Kappa Alpha - Missouri State University

THE ZETA CHI PIKELINE 2 MORE THAN $6,000 AND COUNTING! Help Us Reach Our $24,000 Goal W e are deeply grateful to the 35 donors listed below for committing $6,000 to the campaign. These brothers recognize the importance of ensuring the future of Zeta Chi and have demonstrated a sense of gratitude for their personal experience. Commitments are still needed from the rest of our alumni to achieve our goal and complete this major project. If an effort has been made in recording your gift, or your name has been mistakenly omitted, we sincerely apologize. Please advise our campaign coordinator at (785) 856-9583. Phi Phi Club ($1,000 and Above) Garnet & Gold Club ($500 to $999) Craig Niederstadt '74 Mike Pearson '75 1969 Club ($250 to $499) Mac Humphries '71 Jeff Sheets '75 Jim Wilson '81 Bruce Brown '85 Jeff Counts '90 Troy Duncan '90 Bron Launsby '91 Distinguished Alumni Club ($100 to $249) James Holt '69 Bruce Sassman '69 Mike Cully '71 Joe Callahan '72 Barry Johnson '72 Steve Janson '73 Michael Shank '73 Dave Stewart '73 Jay Nicholson '75 Kirk Perkins '75 Kevin Green '76 Kenny Rahmeyer '76 Don Ross '80 Tim Nichols '81 Jim Roebuck '81 Robert Horner '83 Lonnie Branson '85 Scott Harmon '87 James Moyer '85 Todd Branson '90 Pat McFadden '90 Mike Romanoksi '90 Tom Inman '92 Greg Schneider '95 Tyler Jones '12 Young Alumni Club* ($50 to $99) Zach Dumas '12 W hile visiting a variety of Pi Kappa Alpha chapters, George McGowin Humphries III '71 and his pledge class stumbled across a unique Pike tradition. Along with a normal chapter house tour or conversation about chapter operations, each chapter, without fail, proudly displayed their individual firetrucks. "I took note how these chapters used their firetrucks to promote Pike tradition and values," he said. "My pledge class wanted to find the same pride and joy for Zeta Chi." With this in mind, Mac organized the first firetruck search committee in the summer of 1971 to find a firetruck special to only Zeta Chi. The committee consisted of Mac, Curt Boggs '71, Jack Ellis '71, and Bob Stevens Feigenbaum '69. After searching across seven states and touring multiple Pike chapter houses, the search committee became disheartened. However, luck struck a week before 1971 Homecoming in Strafford, Missouri, thanks to a tip from the local fire department. The search committee then traveled to a small farm to find their pride and joy. Despite being surrounded by tall weeds, the Zeta Chi search committee knew they had found their own piece of Pike tradition. When word came back to the chapter that the search committee was successful, all mechanically inclined brothers banded together to get the firetruck up and running. The truck was then driven to its new home at 800 S. National. "When we entered the firetruck in the Homecoming parade, most of the chapter climbed aboard," Mac fondly recalls. "It almost made it through the entire parade before it broke down." In the early 2000s, the pride and joy of Zeta Chi disappeared. When the new Zeta Chi Alumni Association began, Mac's first priority was to enlist the help of his brothers to locate the truck. Once again, the search committee became disheartened at the loss of their firetruck until a lead suggested they contact Jason Hannum '98. Luck struck a second time and both Jim Roebuck '81 and Jay Nicholson '75 confirmed the firetruck had been stored safely in Jason's father's barn in Sparta, Missouri. The firetruck traveled to Jeff Layman's '88 garage until it could be restored. "We reached out to our Zeta Chi Alumni Association membership asking for help to raise funds and restore our beloved piece of Pike history." Stoking a Proud Legacy George McGowin Humphries III '71 Notes Origins of Zeta Chi Firetruck Tradition "The firetruck reminds chapter members that this is a direct reflection of Pi Kappa Alpha men because it represents pride, hard work, and the good times shared by many." Continued on page 3 Jim Roebuck '81 and Jay Nicholson '75 rescue the firetruck for the second time in ZX history.

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