This blog is for members of AKΛ Aϴ (the Fraternity of Alpha Kappa Lambda, Alpha Theta Chapter) at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, regardless of year of graduation. This is where we list the individual years (1963–present).
I remember coming home after my first semester at the university & telling my parents I wanted to quit school. They made a deal with me & told me to stick it out for the year, if I felt the same way when I came home for the Summer I could quit. I pledged in February 1968 & was initiated in May 1968. When I got home for the Summer my parents asked me if I was going back to school in the fall, I told them I was going back. It was during that Summer that my Dad came home from the post office with AfterThoughts, our chapter's newsletter in his hands. On the front there was a sketch of a house & inside was a housing contract for 101 Summit Avenue, a new & wonderful era was about to begin for Alpha Theta Chapter!
I remember pledging, it was a blast, there were 29 active members, 26 pledges, we lost one guy & the other 25 were initiated. I remember hell week, we had to get up at 6am for calisthenics & then run down to lower campus & sing to our sweetheart, Mary Bakke. I also remember having to carry my purple brick with a goldfish around my neck during hell week. I remember my pledge trip to Ohio State with Bernie Brekke, Joe Ferrara, Roger Bong, myself, & I'm sure there was one more guy but can't remember right now. We went in Joe Ferrara's Greenbriar, it was great because he had a mattress in the back so two guys could sleep while the other guys drove & provided navigation??
After finding out that we had acquired the house at 101 Summit ave, I spent a long weekend at the house during the summer with other brothers cleaning and painting to get the house ready for the start of the fall semester and all the guys moving in to our first "frat house." Brother Frank Hoffmann was there (he seemed to be in charge or thought he was!) and we tackled painting the large dining room. I was painting the ceiling (I HATE painting ceilings!!!) and apparently was looking up with my mouth open when a large glob of white paint dripped right into my open mouth!! Taught me to keep my mouth shut, at least when I am painting ceilings!
That would be me & Mark Vanderheiden, some reward! We were told by the actives we would be rewarded if you kept your goldfish alive, just goes to show you can never trust an active. Mark went first, I figured if he could do it, I could sure swallow my goldfish
During pledge trip to Northeast Missouri State, we got to see some real hazing. They made the pledges stand next to one another with their arms outstretched, while yelling and screaming at them. Then, they put molasses in their arm pits and made them stand at attention. We luckily were in the house glad to be away from it!
What kind of obscure car did Frank Hoffman drive at the brick heist, that just happened to be duplicated by another car (unbelievable, for sure) that resulted in us getting caught?
This one is for Neil Browning, our first House Steward. There was a salesman who worked for Peters Meats. He was a popular guy, the meat guy in a house with 34 guys, all hungry, his name was Mack Bolden. I always wondered what happened to him, he was a great guy. While working at the polls for voting in 2012, guess who winds up sitting next to me, you got it Mack! First time I'd seen him in over 40 years & he still is a great guy!
Someone who was involved (i.e. actually in on the heist) who knows the real story about "The Great Brick Heist" needs to record it here on the blog. Otherwise, only the "guilty" will ever know the "real story."
As was the custom, the pledges were taken out into the "boonies" on the evening before they left for their pledge trip to another chapter. Don't remember who was in the car with me, but Art Schilts was one of the pledges to be dumped out of the car at a location unknown to the pledges. Art was advised repeatedly "not" to go in a certain direction which led to miles and miles of nothing except trees and virtually no houses. He apparently took our advise and started walking the other way. By the time we got back to Eau Claire, we found that Art had somehow hitched a ride with a milk truck driver who was on his way back to Eau Claire. How he did it, we never found out, but Art actually got back to Eau Claire before we did!! Resourceful pledge!!
During my time at Eau Claire in the fraternity, I hung out more at Mooney's too, although we frequented other places as well. I remember going into the Old Home on Water St. occasionally with some of the brothers to B.S. a bit with the old timers. That was before the college kids really started to go there too. The Oar House was popular as well.
I always remember going to Mooney's for those fabulous Mooney burgers, slathered with real butter. I can still imagine how they tasted!!! When Bill Mooney would casually walk up to your booth or table and "suggest" that it would be a good idea to leave by the back door, we (those who were not yet 21 years old) never hesitated to listen to his "request." About 5 minutes later (you could almost set your watch by the timing), a couple of Eau Claire's finest would saunter in the front door, check a few I.D.'s, B.S. with Bill for a few minutes and then leave. If we hadn't already left to go to another place or back to the dorm or the house, we'd be sitting in our car down the street waiting, only to return to Mooney's! Usually, Saturday afternoon's were pretty quiet times there, so there usually weren't any spot checks by the men in blue. Mooney's was a nice place to go to have a few beers and meet with fraternity brothers and other friends. It was also a hangout for a lot of vets coming back from service in the Army and Vietnam.
I remember coming home after my first semester at the university & telling my parents I wanted to quit school. They made a deal with me & told me to stick it out for the year, if I felt the same way when I came home for the Summer I could quit. I pledged in February 1968 & was initiated in May 1968. When I got home for the Summer my parents asked me if I was going back to school in the fall, I told them I was going back. It was during that Summer that my Dad came home from the post office with AfterThoughts, our chapter's newsletter in his hands. On the front there was a sketch of a house & inside was a housing contract for 101 Summit Avenue, a new & wonderful era was about to begin for Alpha Theta Chapter!
ReplyDeleteI remember pledging, it was a blast, there were 29 active members, 26 pledges, we lost one guy & the other 25 were initiated. I remember hell week, we had to get up at 6am for calisthenics & then run down to lower campus & sing to our sweetheart, Mary Bakke. I also remember having to carry my purple brick with a goldfish around my neck during hell week. I remember my pledge trip to Ohio State with Bernie Brekke, Joe Ferrara, Roger Bong, myself, & I'm sure there was one more guy but can't remember right now. We went in Joe Ferrara's Greenbriar, it was great because he had a mattress in the back so two guys could sleep while the other guys drove & provided navigation??
ReplyDeleteAfter finding out that we had acquired the house at 101 Summit ave, I spent a long weekend at the house during the summer with other brothers cleaning and painting to get the house ready for the start of the fall semester and all the guys moving in to our first "frat house." Brother Frank Hoffmann was there (he seemed to be in charge or thought he was!) and we tackled painting the large dining room. I was painting the ceiling (I HATE painting ceilings!!!) and apparently was looking up with my mouth open when a large glob of white paint dripped right into my open mouth!! Taught me to keep my mouth shut, at least when I am painting ceilings!
ReplyDeleteWhich 2 pledges ate their gold fish in lieu of burying it at the goldfish burial?
ReplyDeleteThat would be me & Mark Vanderheiden, some reward! We were told by the actives we would be rewarded if you kept your goldfish alive, just goes to show you can never trust an active. Mark went first, I figured if he could do it, I could sure swallow my goldfish
DeleteDuring pledge trip to Northeast Missouri State, we got to see some real hazing. They made the pledges stand next to one another with their arms outstretched, while yelling and screaming at them. Then, they put molasses in their arm pits and made them stand at attention. We luckily were in the house glad to be away from it!
ReplyDeleteNon-sports question of the day: How much did each brick cost at the time of the "great brick theft"? (Answer will be revealed at Reunion!).
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of obscure car did Frank Hoffman drive at the brick heist, that just happened to be duplicated by another car (unbelievable, for sure) that resulted in us getting caught?
ReplyDeleteThis one is for Neil Browning, our first House Steward. There was a salesman who worked for Peters Meats. He was a popular guy, the meat guy in a house with 34 guys, all hungry, his name was Mack Bolden. I always wondered what happened to him, he was a great guy. While working at the polls for voting in 2012, guess who winds up sitting next to me, you got it Mack! First time I'd seen him in over 40 years & he still is a great guy!
ReplyDeleteSomeone who was involved (i.e. actually in on the heist) who knows the real story about "The Great Brick Heist" needs to record it here on the blog. Otherwise, only the "guilty" will ever know the "real story."
ReplyDeleteAs was the custom, the pledges were taken out into the "boonies" on the evening before they left for their pledge trip to another chapter. Don't remember who was in the car with me, but Art Schilts was one of the pledges to be dumped out of the car at a location unknown to the pledges. Art was advised repeatedly "not" to go in a certain direction which led to miles and miles of nothing except trees and virtually no houses. He apparently took our advise and started walking the other way. By the time we got back to Eau Claire, we found that Art had somehow hitched a ride with a milk truck driver who was on his way back to Eau Claire. How he did it, we never found out, but Art actually got back to Eau Claire before we did!! Resourceful pledge!!
ReplyDeleteDuring my time at Eau Claire in the fraternity, I hung out more at Mooney's too, although we frequented other places as well. I remember going into the Old Home on Water St. occasionally with some of the brothers to B.S. a bit with the old timers. That was before the college kids really started to go there too. The Oar House was popular as well.
ReplyDeleteI always remember going to Mooney's for those fabulous Mooney burgers, slathered with real butter. I can still imagine how they tasted!!! When Bill Mooney would casually walk up to your booth or table and "suggest" that it would be a good idea to leave by the back door, we (those who were not yet 21 years old) never hesitated to listen to his "request." About 5 minutes later (you could almost set your watch by the timing), a couple of Eau Claire's finest would saunter in the front door, check a few I.D.'s, B.S. with Bill for a few minutes and then leave. If we hadn't already left to go to another place or back to the dorm or the house, we'd be sitting in our car down the street waiting, only to return to Mooney's! Usually, Saturday afternoon's were pretty quiet times there, so there usually weren't any spot checks by the men in blue. Mooney's was a nice place to go to have a few beers and meet with fraternity brothers and other friends. It was also a hangout for a lot of vets coming back from service in the Army and Vietnam.
Don #85