On June 4, 1895, Alpha Chi Rho was founded at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Its founders include a father and son, likely the only father-son founders of any North-American Interfraternity Conference fraternity. The founders of Alpha Chi Rho are the Reverend Paul Ziegler, his son Carl Ziegler, William H. Rouse, Herbert T. Sherriff, and William A.D. Eardeley.
Fred Waring became a member of the Alpha Chi Rho chapter at Pennsylvania State University in 1918. Waring studied architectural engineering but he came from a family blessed with musical talents. He appeared on stage for the first time at age five and he served as the leader of the local Boy Scout Fife and Drum Corp. In high school, he, his brother, Tom, and friends Freddie Buck and Poley McClintock formed the Waring-McClintock Snap Orchestra. They played at local dances. The name was changed to Waring’s Banjo Orchestra and it was often featured at fraternity parties.
In 1922, during his senior year, the band, which now had ten people in it, was known as Waring’s Pennsylvanians. He stopped playing the banjo in the performances and concentrated on being the bandleader and booking the performances. He left school before graduation, with the blessing of PSU’s Dean of Men, to concentrate on his love of music.
The band made the trek from State College to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in March 1922. Waring and his Pennsylvanians were on the bill at the University of Michigan’s annual J-Hop. Althought they did not headline the dance, they were well received and were invited to perform on a Detroit radio station, in the days when radio stations had live musical performances. They quickly became a part of the midwest Vaudeville circuit. About a year later, they made their way to the west coast. They signed with Victor Records and for nine years were among the label’s best selling performers. In 1932, the band quit recording preferring to perform solely on radio and in person. Waring added singers to his ensemble. At some point, the group went back to making records.
In 1936, Frederick J. Osius met Waring after a radio performance, and discussed with him the idea he had for an emulsifying machine which Orius had patented in 1933. The idea intrigued Waring and he agreed to help develop and promote it. Waring’s engineering skills came into play and through study of Osius’ protoype, Waring helped refine it. The Waring Mixer, as it was fist known, became the Waring Blendor (yes, with an “o”) and finally the Waring Blender. According to the Waring Archives at PSU:
The members of the Pennsylvanians who played the role of collective guinea pigs for Fred’s concoctions, referred to the newly named Waring Blendor as the “thing.” It traveled with them in its own converted wardrobe trunk filled with lemon squeezer, can opener, cutting utensils, glasses, ice, strainers and measurers. It was accompanied by another trunk containing canned goods ranging from sauerkraut to mangoes.
Fred not only involved the Pennsylvanians in tasting his creations but in promoting them as well. Musicians would demonstrate the device in Macy’s, Gimbel’s or Bloomingdale’s, and tell everybody how wonderful it would be to make fresh vegetable and fruit drinks. Singer, actor and bandleader Rudy Valle also became a big promoter of the Blendor. Once Fred showed Rudy how fast and easy it was to make a frozen daiquiri with the Blendor, he became the device’s best salesmen – trying to sell it to every bartender in the United States!
On June 10, 1939, the National Interfraternity Conference’s education division coordinated its first interfraternity broadcast, which aired on the National Broadcast Company. The speakers included: Sigma Nu Dr. Harry W. Chase, New York University’s Chancellor; Delta Kappa Epsilon George M. Morris, Chairman of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates; and Delta Sigma Pi Philip A. Benson, American Banker Association’s President. Waring, as a fraternity man, and his musicians performed on the show.
The Fred Waring Show aired on television from 1948-54. In 1947, Waring began teaching those who could teach vocal performing to others. The Fred Waring Choral Workshop helped spread choral singing throughout the country. In 1977, the Alpha Chi Rho Educational Foundation presented Waring with $1,000 to be used for scholarships to the workshop. Waring led the workshops until his death in 1984.
P.S. This from Noraleen Young, Kappa Alpha Theta’s Archivist: Fred Waring’s daughter Dixie is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. A quick search found that she led her Beta Phi/Penn State chapter to several trophies in the 1950s in the Interfraternity-Panhellenic Council sing on that campus. After graduation she joined his group.
Photos courtesy of the PSU Waring Archives
© 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/
