On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered and the Civil War was over. The next day, April 10, 1865, the Rho Chapter of Sigma Chi at Butler University was established. Sigma Chi and Butler University were both 10 years old at that point. Rho Chapter recently celebrated 150 years of continued existence. It is the oldest continuously chartered fraternity chapter at Butler.
Brandon Darnay ’90 produced the video detailing the history of the chapter. It’s at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE7N066tMMk. Darnay did a fabulous job! Many of the photos, records and memorabilia were given to Dan Brown by Howard Caldwell, the retired news anchorman. He and his father, Howard Caldwell, Sr., Class of 1914, shared the Sigma Chi bond. The younger Caldwell is a Significant Sig, one of Sigma Chi’s highest individual honors.
Aftermath of the explosion at the Sigma Chi house in November 1955. Amazingly, no lives were lost. (Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Star)
On November 19, 1955, a gas explosion caused by a faulty water heater destroyed the five-year-old $155,000 house. All but one wall were leveled. The 1956 Butler yearbook tells this story:
One of the worst tragedies in Butler’s history took place at approximately 2:30 a.m. on November 19, 1955. Butler’s Sigma Chi chapter house blew up as the result of a faulty water heater. One of the miracles of the incident was that no one was seriously hurt. Hoagy Elliott was buried under piles of rubble for nearly an hour while other boys were thrown out of windows and fell through floors; but the end result was just a few cuts and bruises. The Phi Delts and Sammies came to the immediate rescue of the Sigs by setting up temporary living quarters and serving hot coffee to firemen and onlookers. Fortunately very few men were in the house when it exploded. The Sigs and Phi Delts had obtained extended hours for their dates for the Shield and Cross Dance which they jointly sponsored that night. Hours were extended until 2:30 so many of the boys had not returned by the time of the blast. The Sigs were unable to salvage their belongings for nearly a week after the explosion because the remaining walls of the house threatened to cave in at any time. The whole campus pitched in to help the boys while arrangements were made for them to move into the vacant rooms on the third floor of the men’s dorm. In true Sigma Chi spirit the chapter has continued to have chapter functions. The Sig moto “In Hoc Signo Vinces” (In this sign we conquer) has been especially fitting for Rho chapter.
Happy 150th Rho Chapter of Sigma Chi. May your next 150 years be just as glorious!
© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2015. All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/
