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Apr
16
Betas say goodbye to beloved house
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On Saturday, April 5, over 70 alumni members of Willamette’s chapter of Beta Theta Pi came to say goodbye to the wing of Baxter complex that has housed the fraternity since its founding. For the first time in its 61 year history, Beta Theta Pi will be moving to what is currently Terra North. Among the attendees were members of the first pledge class as well as members of Kappa Gamma Rho, the local fraternity that eventually became a chapter of Beta Theta Pi.
Willamette’s chapter of Beta Theta Pi was founded in 1947 after G. Herbert Smith, President of Willamette University and a member of Beta Theta Pi himself, allowed international fraternities on campus. His influence inspired a young Kappa Gamma Rho member named Mark O. Hatfield to begin a petition for Beta Theta Pi to come to Willamette. On January 4, 1947, the General Fraternity granted the Gamma Sigma chapter its charter, with Mark O. Hatfield becoming the first of five founding members. Afterwards, Hatfield went on to become Oregon Secretary of State, Governor of Oregon, and a United States Senator for 30 years.
“The event itself was a huge success. We’ve had tremendous feedback thus far. We made a lot of members from years past very proud and we can’t wait to continue our success in the new facility that the university has been so generous to invest in,” said Joe Gruber (’09), who took charge of planning the event as the chapter’s Executive Officer of Alumni and Parent Relations. Nearly 140 people total were in attendance, including current members and a dozen university officials.
“This was possibly the largest gathering of Betas at Willamette ever. I’m thrilled about how well everything went,” said Jon Steiner (’63), an alumnus of Willamette and member of Beta. “This house has been through a lot in 61 years. To put on an event such as this honoring our history and our house is a great thing to do for all of our alumni who still love this chapter all these years later. It just goes to show how strong the bonds of brotherhood are made here in Beta.” The event culminated with the presentation of a scholarship award in honor of the chapter’s first advisor, Winser Acton (’47), and a movie of the chapter’s history, made by current member Paul Eldred (’10).
You can watch the film of Gamma Sigma’s history below.