September 2006
Boring day? These hilarious memories will put a smile on your face and take you back to your days as an undergrad. Relive your wild days and share your memories with us at here.
What is the memory that makes you laugh hardest today?
“Sitting on the porch in the high chairs, feet on the railing, enjoying the company of the brothers and watching the world go by.” – Lawrence F. Fisher, ’59
“I remember being a phikia and lining up in the third floor hallway with the entire pledge class in preparation for charging down four flights of stairs into the dining room for a “line up.” This was an occasional punishment for improper behavior on our part if I remember correctly. The routine was that most of the brothers would be gathered downstairs (a few were even a tad inebriated if you can imagine that) – we would line up against the wall dressed in all white (white tennis shoes, socks, Levi’s and T shirt.) They would then hurl loud, insulting verbal abuse at us – telling us how worthless we were, how our pledge class was a bunch of complete screw-ups, asking us typical pledge questions (e.g. “What does brother Adam’s girlfriend like for dessert”) etc – all in fun of course but as a freshman it was hard not to be at least a little nervous and intimidated. Every time an individual was called to step out (and we all hoped it wouldn’t be us) and got an answer wrong he was screamed at and had to hit it for fifty and of course we all hit it for fifty, etc. Well this time things were a little different because somebody got the brilliant idea at the last minute to book it out the fire escape door on the way down. It had to be all of us or none of us and how we got everybody to agree in a matter of minutes I don’t know but I remember clearly hearing all the commotion down in the dining room and all of us screaming as we ran down those stairs – and then the exhilaration as we burst thru that door into the night air and left those guys all to themselves! Of course we paid dearly over the next few weeks but I laugh every time I think about bailing out on that line-up!” – Brian Robert Carrier, ’71
“During my pledgeship “hell week”, I had to sleep in the Cosmo with a dead groundhog all night!” -Max H. Amstutz, ’55
“The funniest memory I have was at sorority party, probably with the Alpha Omega Pi house. After a keg or two, the traditional nude walk would take place. One person in particular was dressed in only a tie and umbrella.” – John Williams, ’74
“I also remember winning a drinking contest downtown Lafayette with a team consisting of Mike Busald, Bill Lowes, Jim Daniels and I believe Ron Perkins and myself. We beat Dave Butz’ team by one pitcher (26-25 pitchers in one hour). The prize was a free keg party that weekend. Of course all the
members of the team swore off drinking after that. A promise I don’t think anyone kept. They did call the swat team from Lafayette toward the end of the competition. Luckily we didn’t know anything about Jagermeister at
that time.” – John Williams, ’74
“Gonzo’s Naked Hole…..A couple of years ago, I brought my wife back for homecoming. I was looking for a beverage of choice (of course we do not have beer in the house anymore), so I went to my old room and knocked on the door. A nice 20-something brother and his girlfriend answered the door and I asked for help in my dilemma, which he readily obliged with two cold ones (probably non-alcoholic, but I can’t remember). As he handed me mine, he looked up at me, a guy twice his age at least, and said, “Aren’t you the naked guy from the golf outing?”, to which his girlfriend replied to my wife….”Makes you proud, huh?”
Well you know what, I am proud that I can still have fun and be myself, albeit my twenty year old self, again at the Phi Delta Golf outing. I hope to see all of you there, and I hope you join me as I again sponsor a hole…Please join in the fun or at least come and remember what it was like to be a Phi Delt at 20 again. It was great!” -Keith “Gonzo” Gordon, ’84
“Anything associated with the water slide – that was a hoot, surprise attack bottle rocket wars with Beta Theta Pi in our front yard, being amazed at how trashed the pit could get during a party and how clean we could get it before the next event, we played lots of intra-mural sports in the early 80’s – the goofing around during those games was always fun, hiding in the open air dorm at the “KAT” house open during a certain week as a pledge, starting every morning morning with the melodious lyrics of “Amy” by the Pure Prairie League eminating from Randy Clark’s room and hanging out with Bob Hofmann, Ralph Ballard, Stu Cummings and Bruce Chiodi in our suite on the East End, 2nd Floor.”-Marc Mannella, ’83
“MY ROOMATE, PHIL TREGO (3 YEARS) INVITED ME HOME ONE WEEK-END TO THE BOOMING METROPOLIS HOOPESTON,ILL.(45M MILES WEST OF PURDUE). WHEN WE ARRIVED HIS DAD SAID I SEE YOU BROUGHT SOME PROTECTION. WHEN IA SKED TREGO WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT HE SAID THAT HE HAD SCREWED UP AND THAT HIS POP WOULD PROBABLY GO EASY ON HIM WITH ME AROUND. I CRACKED UP. FROM THEN ON I WAS KNOWN AS TREGO’S PROTECTION.”-HARRY SCHAEFER, ’64
Describe the best party
“Party after Hell Week followed by Christmas dance 1956, 1957, 1958.” – Lawrence F. Fisher, ’59
“In late spring 1966 we contracted with an unheard-of rock group called the Buckinghams to perform at the “Phi Delt First Nighter” in early September. Over the summer the Buckinghams, who later became “The Chicago Transit Authority” and then just the famous “Chicago,” had a top hit called “Kind of a Drag,” but they were already under contract to us for a meager sum. Upon returning from summer vacation the whole campus heard that the now-famous Buckinghams were appearing in the parking lot of the Phi Lodge, and police estimated the crowd at over 5,000 people. What a party!” – Michael Robert Wilcox, ’69
“The best party I remember was out in some farmer’s field with a keg truck and a portable generator for live music.” – Brian Robert Carrier, ’71
“Chug a lug beer party. I was the champ!’ -Max H. Amstutz, ’55
“In the case of Michael Wilcox story about the ‘Phi Delta First Nighter’ in September 1966, I was the social chairman along with Loui Kreydick who contracted the ‘Buckinghams’ for that party in the parking lot! We also had a second band playing in the dinning room called ‘Brother Paul & the Saviors’. It was a blast! We had every freshman on campus at that party! It was one of the Phi Lodge’s best rush years! Also, Robert Carrier ’71 stated that the best party he remembers was in some farmers field with a Keg Truck! That was the Miami Triad Party in the Spring of ’69 with our buddies from the Beta and Sig Lodges. It was one truck with eight kegs and about 400 partiers which was another highlight of the decadent 60’s!” – Pete Lockhart, ’67
“There a lot of good memories. The parties we had at the house then going out to another party at a brother’s apartment. Hanging out in the living room talking with the brothers, reading newspapers, etc. Playing ping-pong with the brothers down stairs. Our chapter meetings, downstains, was always an event to remember. The dinners were always fun and memorable.”-Lindsay Bruce Ervin, ’68
Describe your favorite/best road trip
“Ohio State football game Columbus 1958.” – Lawrence F. Fisher, ’59
“I remember driving to Ft Lauderdale one year with Dave Vance, Garry Bryant, and Larry Maynard. We stayed at my Grandmother’s house but they had a deal where you could fly to the Bahamas really cheap but you had to have a hotel reservation or return the same day. Well we didn’t have one and planned to return but somehow Brother Bryant ended up bartending for a happy hour party at one of the resorts and supplied us with all the 151 proof rum we could drink. I woke up the next morning in the hotel garden wrapped in bed sheets borrowed from a laundry cart – I had no money, no idea where my friends were and had obviously missed the flight home. Fortunately I ran into them after hitchhiking to the airport. I don’t remember how we managed to get back but it was quite a memorable trip!” – Brian Robert Carrier, ’71
“My favorite road trip of course was the Pledge Walkout trip to Cincinnati and Miami of Ohio. They had some great bars in those cities. Brothers did not seem too happy to see us. Harry Gwinn was our sponsor on the trip.” – John Williams, ’74
What is the one memory you have shared or will share with your children or grandchildren?
“I was there with Neil Armstrong for 4 years.” -Max H. Amstutz, ’55
“One memory I shared with my two sons was of hell week and trying to pick up that olive. I remember that Mike Busald said that on the third attempt you had to eat it. He said that they replaced the olive with a fresh one but I
am not sure. I always wondered if Neil Armstrong had to do that trick when he went through hell week.” – John Williams, ’74
“There were many. I mostly remember the good times with “roomies” Glenn Paul, Mike T., Steve Fix, and John Nelson.”-Mitch Cary, ’68
“I remember sitting in the living room of the fraternity house in the spring of 1970, and Neil Armstrong was there as he had been over in Purdue President Hovede’s office prior to coming to the house. President Hovde was also Phi Delt, but was a University Minnesota Phi. Brother Armstrong visited with us for awhile and answered questions about when he had been a Phi at Purdue. It was a truly historical experience, and I have a autographed picture poster of him standing on the moon. I also in later years had him sign his book on the Apollo missions. This was a highlight of my time at Indiana Theta.”-Dan Keyle, ’70