February 26 is recognized as Sigma Pi’s Founders’ Day. In honor of my next-door neighbor, a former Grand Sage and charter member of the chapter at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, I offer this snippet about the history of the chapter.
Nu Epsilon Alpha was founded in the fall of 1942 at the Methodist Manor,
605 South Normal Avenue. Its purpose was to “foster a closer brotherhood and
develop more sincere friendships among men of Methodist faith” (Obelisk, 1942).
There were 22 charter members and Louis Gellermann was the faculty sponsor.
As with the other SIU men’s fraternities, the chapter went inactive during
World War II. Throughout the war years, the fraternity kept members in close
contact through regularly published editions of the NEA Newsletter. It was also
known as the Nu-Eps “Tattler” (Odaniell, 1993). The chapter was reactivated in
September 1945. In honor of Henry Hinckley, a NEA who was killed in action,
the chapter awarded for many years a Henry Hinckley Memorial Award. It was
an award chosen by SIU athletes to recognize the most outstanding athlete
(Obelisk, 1946). An African American athlete, Dick Gregory, who was to later
receive popular acclaim as a comedian, received the 1952-53 Henry Hinckley
trophy. (Egyptian, 1953, June 17).
Sigma Pi’s quest to colonize a chapter on the SIU campus is chronicled in a
separate chapter of this paper. The exchange began in the late 1940s with several
letters of inquiry from the national headquarters of Sigma Pi as well as the
chapter at Eastern Illinois University. George T. Garven, a Sigma Pi National
Traveling Secretary, visited the Nu Epsilon Alpha chapter in December 1950 or
early January, 1951. (I. C. Davis, personal communication, January 24, 1951).
On April 27, 1951, Davis spoke with Curt Messner, Sigma Pi’s Province
Archon. His written confirmation of the conversation stated that “SIU would be willing to permit a colony of Sigma Pi fraternity to be established as a student
organization at SIU. It is understood that this colony is to take over the present
local, Nu Epsilon Alpha” (I. C. Davis, personal communication, May 5, 1951).
The group was to remain a Sigma Pi colony until the discriminatory clause was
removed from the Sigma Pi constitution, a deadline being set as September 1,
1955 (I. C. Davis, personal communication, May 5, 1951).
Messner wrote Anson Smith, Nu Epsilon Alpha President, and stated that
Sigma Pi had acted favorably upon the chapter’s request to become a colony of
Sigma Pi (C. Messner, personal communication, May 14, 1951). Sigma Pi’s Grand
President, William A. Smith, and Messner were joined by installation teams
from the University of Illinois and Eastern Illinois State College. Together they
performed the initiation of Nu Epsilon Alpha pledges, actives, and alumni.
An installation banquet was held at the Roberts Hotel on Saturday evening. On
Sunday afternoon, Sigma Sigma Sigma hosted an open house in honor the Sigma
Pi chapter. A week later, on the following Sunday, Pi Kappa Sigma and Delta
Sigma Epsilon had a joint open house at the Delta Sigma Epsilon house in honor
of the new chapter of Sigma Pi (Egyptian, 1951, June 1). Full chapter status was
not obtained until January 15, 1955. Sigma Pi’s quest for University recognition is
chronicled in Chapter VII.
Sigma Pi was founded in 1897 as the Tau Phi Delta Society at Vincennes
University in Vincennes, Indiana. Through a series of unique consequences, the
Alpha Chapter at Vincennes University had the distinction of being the only
chapter of a nationally recognized college fraternity on a junior college campus.
The badge is a Greek cross of gold, bearing a raised oval of blue enamel. An
emerald in its center is between the letters Sigma and Pi (Anson & Marchesani,
1991). J. Robert Odaniell, a member of the Beta Nu chapter, served as Sigma Pi’s
National President.
In 1953, the chapter also had the distinction of being the first fraternity to be
permitted to host an off-campus event. Davis allowed the group to host its
annual Orchid Ball at a hotel in Herrin (I. C. Davis, personal communication,
February 3, 1953). President Morris noted this in his remarks at the Sigma Pi
Founders’ Day Banquet on February 24, 1953. The notes for his speech
mentioned “It was the first frat to use off-campus privileges, having its winter
formal dance in the Gold Room of Lymar Hotel, Herrin. Successfully carried out,
no difficulties at all reported by Dean of Men” (D. W. Morris, personal
communication, February, 1953).
Sigma Pi sponsored an annual winter concert festival. Performers included
Ray Anthony (Obelisk, 1954), the Crew Cuts (Obelisk, 1955), and for two years in
a row, the Four Freshmen (Obelisk, 1956, 1957). The chapter also planned a
holiday party for Mount Vernon Orphanage and in 1958, it placed third
scholastically among all Sigma Pi chapters (Obelisk, 1959).
A quilt square of the Roberts Hotel, done by Judy Moeglin, from a quilt on display at the Carbondale Public Library. Before it was the Roberts Hotel it was the Newell House. Today, the name Newell House is used for the restaurant on the first floor of the building.
From “The History of the Fraternity System at Southern Illinois University 1948-1960,” 1995.
© Fran Becque www.fraternityhistory.com, 2013 All rights reserved.
