Ohio Zeta, First of Three New Groups, Installed Sept. Tis es death on the Bowling Coen State University campus, Saturday, Sopt. 30, 1950, ‘the northwestern Ohio eollege town ob- served no funeral servieos, read no obit- uary notices, showed no signs of sadness. ‘There was nothing but jubilation, The deceased was a three-year-old local fraternity, Beta Sigma, ‘Talking over its proud position on campus is Ohio Zeta Chapter of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. Fifty-six undergraduate and alumni mem- bers of Beta Sigma accepted the golden shield of Phi Kappa Psi during the after- noon-long initiation ceremonies, thus be- coming the fifty-fourth chapter of Phi Psi on the nation’s campuses. Actually, the local fraternity began pass- ing from the Bowling Green fraternity seene the evening bofore, September 29th, when Phi Psi officers, members of Ohio and neighboring chapters and Beta Sigma lads enjoyed a smoker not far from tho center of town. At noon on Saturday, the installation began. Forming the installation team were President Harlan B. Selby, W. Va. Alpha 18; Vieo President Lawrence H, Whiting, IIL, Beta '09; Treasurer James C, Addison, Towa Alpha "12; Secretary C. 1, Williams, Il, Delta, '06; Assistant Secretary Ralph D. Daniel, Ariz, Alpha °47; Daniel Fort Flowers, ‘Tenn. Delta °$9, representing the Findlay A.A.; Archon Robert B, Lazzell, W. Va. Alpha '42; Robert J. Riley Jr., W. Va. Alpha ’47;'Ashel G. Bryan, Ohio Alpha. 40, chapter advisor ; and Past’Presi- dent Howard L. Hamilton, Ohio Delta '21, It was with a great deal of pride and Joy that the new initiates displayed their 1) Beta Sigma in spring of 1950; 2) Norm Mini 30th at Bowling Green By JIM SPONSELLER ‘50 badges for the first time that evening. Especially happy were William Fischer, James Jacobs Jr, Tom Evans and Wil- liam Buek, They were among the seven charter members of Beta Sigma who set out in the spring of 1947 to eventually establish a prominent national fraternity to suceced the local organization which they were founding. Joining the Frater- nity also were four members of the first pledge class of the local, Richard Cor- coran, Jim Clinger, Dick Fleming, and Jim Sponseller, Following the formal initiation, a ban- quet in the University’s Commons dining hall was held, with chapter advisor Ashel Bryan, Ohio Alpha ’40, serving as sym- posiareh. Dr, Frank J. Prout, president of the University, and a member of Phi Delta Theta, was a guest and warmly wel- comed the Fraternity to the Bowling Green campus. Present also was Dr. Ralph B, Harshman, dean of Business Administra- tion, a member of Alpha Tau Omega, who aided Beta Sigma achieve its goal. As one of the speakers of the evening, President Harlan Selby outlined the eur- rent philosophy of Phi Psi formed at the 1946 GAC which is carrying the Frater- nity steadily forward with a policy of conservative expansion. He outlined the duties which a member of Phi Psi must fulfill and the obligations he must meet. Past President Howard L. Hamilton also spoke to the assembled Phi Psis. ‘This is the culmination of a dream come true,” he said, ‘‘and the highest point during my term as president of Phi Kappa Psi was when at the Old Point Comfort confer- ence, a motion was made and unanimously , Bill Buck, Hob Brown, and Bob Pettegrew at Old Point Comfort; 5) Minich, Lazzell, Williams, Selby, Whiting, Addison, and Daniel; 4) Bryan, Minich, Dr. Prout, Dr, Harshman, Selby, Hamilton, and Murphy; 5) Minich with Charter presented by Selby. January, 1951 Page 99approved to grant a charter to Beta Sigma at Bowling Green,’’ General Lawrence Whiting when called upon shared some of his vast knowledge of fraternity history. He reviewed the early days of the fraternity system, and eoneluded by weleoming the fifty-six new Phi Psis as part of the group of perhaps 30,000 living Phi Psis, ‘The chapter charter was formally pre- sented to Ohio Zeta’s first GP, Norman Minich by President Selby. Other pre- sentations included the Constitution and By-Laws by Archon Robert I, Lazzell, to William Fischer, VGP; the Ritual by Howard L, Hamilton to Virgil Murphy, chapter P.; the seal by Robert M. Beal, president of West Virginia Alpha to Dale Quellhorst, BG; and the minute book by John Buehholtz, president of Ohio Beta, to Robert: Brown. A formal dance at the Faleon’s Nest, the Bowling Green student union, followed the banquet, bringing the memorable day to an end, ‘A buffet luncheon was served dy Ohio Zeta and its gracious house mother, Mrs, Ruth Crawford, at the Phi Psi house Sunday noon, followed by an open house at 3 o'clock P.M. Guests from the University and town visited the new chapter and many gifts were recived from Phi Psi chapters over the nation as well as fraternities and sororities on campus. Ohio Zeta's first set of officers follows: Norman E. Minich, GP; William Fischer, VGP; Virgil Murphy, P; Robert Ruddy, AG; Dalo Quellhorst, BG; Wallace Leo, SG; Charles Meeker, Hod; Hugh Smith, Hi; Charles Sherman, Phu, Beta Sigma Founded in ‘47 e was Nor by chance that Beta Sigma, local fraternity, seleeted Phi Kanpa Pai as the national it, wished to petition, ‘The name of Beta Sigma fraternity on the Bowling Green campus dates back to February 12, 1947, when five freshmen and two sophomores met to affix their names on @ petition asking permission of the university to become the tenth men’s fraternity on campus. Dr. Frank J. Prout approved the petition on February 13th Page 100 and the charter was accepted by the Inter- fraternity Couneil, and the loeal’s consti- tution was approved on February 18th. Two weeks after its official establish ment, Beta Sigma took possession of its first trophy and initial campus honor of dubious value when its pledgemaster won the allecampus pie cating contest. Two months later, the seven members voealized their way to second position in the Inter- fraternity May Sing. In May of 1947, the first smoker was held from which six pledges wore selected to form the first pledge class. Since then, seven pledge classes have been formed, ranging from two in the second class to fifteen membors in the last. It had always ben the objective of the members to form a good local frater- nity for the purpose of petitioning an outstanding national fraternity. Over the first two-year period, no na- tional fraternities were formally consid- ered for petitioning. Many meetings were spent on reports of members who delved into the history and reputation of leading nationals. The small group gradually grew as the semesters passed. Meetings wore held in numerous locations, including the office of the president of the University. ‘The University turned over a large room ‘on the second floor of the student union to the fraternity one semester, from which the group finally moved into a remodeled warehouse called Ivy Hall. While spend ing a year-and-a-half in Ivy Hall in 1948 and 1949, the organization prospered in many ways. This is the place, where in the spring of 1949, the Brothers decided to petition Phi Kappa Psi, ‘Through the aid of the University Steer- ing Committee, 2 group of faculty mem- bers appointed by the President to aid and direct fraternal affairs, Beta Sigma was host to Phi Psi President Howard L. Hamilton and Secretary C. F. Dab Wil- liams who outlined the process of obtain- ing a Phi Kappa Psi charter. In May, 1949, Beta Sigma submitted an appliea- tion to petition the national and then waited ‘Throughout the 1949-50 school year, the The SHIELD of Phi Kappa Psthopes of the Brothers rose and fell on mumerous oceasions as reports of the prog- ress of the application were received. However, plans tor continuing the better- mont of the loeal fraternity wont on, in- cluding the announcement in the fall of 1949 that the local fraternity would be furnished a new four-story brick house on cumpus which wowld comfortably necom. modate the ontire chapter and which would include a lounge, dining room, chapter xoom, housemother’s saite as well as rooms for two, four or six men. On February 6, 1960, Beta Sigma moved into its new home, provided by the Uni- versity a8 long as the loeal ar its subse- quent national would he recognized as a fraternity at Bowling Groen, Mrs. Porter a. Crawford, a Bowling Geen resident, was acquired by the fraternity as house mother and is continuing her duties this year in making the house « home. University is on the March STABLISHING a fraternity at Bowling Green is not an easy undertaking, Pres- ont mules stute that an organization must be established as a club at least two years before they may apply for admission on campus ay a fraternity, The Steering Committee, looking ahead to safeguard the present fraternities, has stated that no more fratomnities will be established at, the University under the present cnrollracat outlook, ‘Today, there are 17 fraternities on the cempns, 13 of them nationals, in- cluding Alpha Sigma Phi, Alpha Tan Omega, Delin Tan Delta, Delta Upsiton, Kappa Sigma, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Kappa ‘Tau, Pi Kappa Aipha, Sigma Alpha Epsi- lon, Sigma Chi, Sigma Nu, and Theta Chi, in addition 'to Phi Kappa Psi, ‘Thore are twelve sororities, with all but three of them nationals, ineluding Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Phi, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delia: Gamma, Gamma Phi Bela, Kappa Delta, and Phi Mu. Bowling Green State University is still a youngater by academic yardstick meas- urements, ‘The General Assembly of Ohio authorized the college in 1910, and in January, 1981 1912, a Board of Trustees cleeted Dr. Homer B. Williams as president. In Sep- tember 1915, one year after the school's opening, classes were being held in the Normal School buildings. The school grew out of its infaney by 1829 when the Gen- gral Assembly changed the name of the institation to Bowling Green Stute College and authorized the establishment of a College of Liberal Arts, By 1985, the College of Business Administration and a graduate school granting Master’s degrees wore established, thereby changing” Uke name of the college to Bowling Green Stuie University. Dr. Prout was selected by the trustees as the third president of the university in 1988 succeeding Dr. RB, KE, Offenhaner who was killed in an automobile accident after boing in office only one year. ‘The poliey of the administration towards fraternities has always been a source of ‘amnzoment to fraternity men of other colleges. Dr, Prout, an enthusiastic fra- ternily man, is responsible for shaping ‘this policy, a policy in which he states, “Tt has been my experience that wo can use these organizations in helping to solve a number of eampus problems, At the same time they add a grent deal to tho contentment and good living atmosphere of the students who ave their mombers.”* Under the present administration, twenty fraternity and sorority houses have been provided hy the University. Other build- ing projects include a new science build- ing, fine arts building, spoceh building, men’s and women’s dorms and a proposed $750,000 student union. Outside of the usual university aeademie structures, Bow- Ting Green also boasts of Bricker Tield, a university-owned airport; a_ nine-hole golf course; and a cerebral palsy canter completed recently. ‘The city of Bowling Greon is the homo of 9,000 people., It is located twenty miles south of Teledo and ia a substantial busi- ness city in the conter of a prosperous agrieultural area which boasts some of the most fertile land in the country. ‘The Uni- versity ig situated on 240 acres located in the eastern part of the city. Pago 101