The following recollection of the history of Epsilon Beta from the efforts to recharter beginning in 1977 to the Spring of 1982 was written by Edward Rochester '80. He wrote it in his role as PR Chair in 1982.
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ALPHA TAU OMEGA HISTORY
From Goal to Goal
From one goal accomplished to another has been the track record of Epsilon Beta since the Fall of 1977. This was the first time since the loss of the charter in 1972 that interested parties came together on the University of Arizona campus to initiate plans for recolonization, and ultimately reinstallation. Bill Havranick, an Epsilon Beta alumnus and who had been Worthy Master at the time of dissolution, wanted to get Epsilon Beta started up again. He proceeded to get in touch with David Tick, an ATO alumnus from Illinois State University and sophmore transfer student to the University of Arizona. Bill and Dave made their goal known to Mark Thorsby who was the National Headquarters Expansion Director. Mark came to Tucson and spoke to Kent Rollins, Director of Student Affairs, and the Inter-Fraternity Council. Bill Havranick, at this time, put an ad in the Arizona Wildcat setting a date for an organizational meeting for all those interested in starting up a new fraternal chapter; the ad's pitch was "make it what you want it." The meeting was in the spring of 1978 and seven interested students showed up: Dave Tick, Dave Gallagher, Cory Scott, A.L. Slocum, Kevin Brianstad, Brian Seery, and John Riley. In the Spring of 1978 these few persons actively petitioned National for official recolonization.
The first rush occurred in the Fall of 1978. At this time official colony status had not been granted:
Officers:
Worthy Master - Dave Gallagher [initiate from Southern Methodist]
Worthy Chaplain - Dave Tick
Worthy Keeper of Exchequer - Cory Scott
Rush was rather successful with 11 men pledging [although there was never actually a pledgeship]. Alumni were very supportive and gave pool parties and cook-outs at their homes.
Fall 1978 pledges: Dave Damm, Pete Wentis, Steve Deniz, Alan Culp, Chris Garverick, Kent Mustari, Kurt Johnson, Mark Ziegler, Jim Roux, Dave Montgomery, and Frank Conchan.
These new "pledges", along with the other members, were considered to be all equal members in an interest group. It was this semester that the "re-born" house won Greek Week. Finally, in December of 1978, they officially became a colony. Mark Thorsby returned to carry out the ceremony. Also, Clarence Mojeski joined the "group" in the middle of the semester.
The Spring of 1979 brought the successful completion of another important goal. On Saturday, March 10, 1979 the Epsilon Beta chapter of Alpha Tau Omega was reactivated on the University of Arizona campus. Patrick I. Brown, Worthy Grand Chief, Mark Thorsby, and the Ritual Counselor came to Tucson for the ceremony. A group of ATO's from USC came to play the role of initiators for the reactivation and for the installation of officers. Bob Richardson, a social affiliate from Missouri, was specially initiated at the same time; he would later become chapter advisor and ATO Province Chief.
Officers:
Worthy Master - Dave Gallagher
Worthy Chaplain - Dave Tick
Worthy Keeper of Exechequer - Cory Scott
Worthy Keeper of Annals - Dave Damm
Worthy Scribe - Kurt Johnson
By the Fall of 1979 new officers had been elected, and a pledge class of 15 men was obtained during rush, with 13 of them being initiated on January 21, 1980.
Fall 1979 Officers:
Worthy Master - Pete Wentis
Worthy Chaplain - Dave Damm
Worthy Keeper of Exechequer - Clarence Mojeski
Worthy Keeper of Annals - Mike Merrimac
Worthy Scribe - Mark Loranger
Worthy Sentinel - Chris Garverick
Worthy Usher - Steve Deniz
Rush Chair - Dave Tick
Pledge Trainers - Dave Tick and Dave Gallagher
Social Chairman - Kent Mustari
Intramural Chairman - Mark Ziegler
Alumni Relations Officer - Dave Tick
Fall 1979 Pledge Class: Bill McMahon (president), Lee Cox (vice president), Pat O'Connor, Kevin Bond, Steve Harpst, John Glover, Mike Holberg, John Terman, Kevin Grant, Edward Rochester, Marty Ruikka, Greg Shrader, Greg McGoffin, Steve Bailey, Craig Meyer (never initiated).
At this time, in the Fall of 1979, the newly installed Epsilon Beta chapter was situated in a group of five small houses located at 424 North Cherry Avenue, directly across 6th Street from the UofA football stadium. The five houses were rented to the chapter by an Epsilon Beta alumnus, Andy Romo, a resident of Tucson. Chapter advisor, Bob Richardson, proved to be of invaluable help in this stage of early growth.
The Spring of 1980 turned out to be an extremely significant and memorable semester. Mike Duddy, a transfer student, initiated, with the help of the chapter, a Little Sister program which has continued to thrive. A big brother/little brother program was also started in order to strengthen ties with the Little Sister organization. Two social functions which have become traditions also began in the Spring of 1980. First, the "Bushwhacker" is the Epsilon Beta Spring Formal that is held in the western atmosphere of Old Tucson. The second annual spring party is the Maltese Lei. This party has an Hawaiian theme and was organized with the direct input of the little sisters. This spring semester also brought the 50th Anniversary of Founder's Day and five more pledges. The Founder's Day Banquet was attended by all the members of the chapter with dates, Patrick I. Brown, chapter advisor Bob Richardson, and several alumni. It was a great party and a great success. Despite the number of goals already reached, there were more still to come.
Spring 1980 Plege Class: Walt Moore, Vince Marra, Bill Lowe, Ray Mungo, Mark Villanueva (never initiated).
In April of 1980 new officers were elected for the following year:
Worthy Master - Lee Cox
Worthy Chaplain - Pat O'Connor
Worthy Keeper of Exechequer - Marty Ruikka
Worthy Keeper of Annals - Greg Shrader
Worthy Scribe - Kevin Grant
Worthy Sentinel - John Terman
Worthy Usher - Steve Deniz
Rush Chair - Dave Gallagher
Pledge Trainers - Bill McMahon and Greg McGoffin
Social Chairman - Steve Harpst
Intramural Chairman - Walt Moore
Public Relations Officer - Edward Rochester
IFC Representative - Edward Rochester
Social Service Chair - Dave Tick
Alumni Relations Officer - Dave Tick
Little Sister Chair - Marty Ruikka
Fall 1980 Pledge Class: Rob Hollis, Bob Heinze, Andy Ferguson, Alan Shanken, Tom Murphy, George Grant, John Gareeb, and the following who were never initiated: Pat Nichols, Glenn Boltz, Mike Petrie, and Jeff Meline.
The Fall semester of 1980 marked a growing brotherhood, and active participation in intramural sports and greek events such as Greek Week. The transition to a new rather inexperienced group of officers was rapid and smooth. University of Arizona Homecoming was celebrated at Epsilon Beta on November 11, 1980. The turnout was very good, and entertainment was provided by a 5-piece Dixie jazz band. Chapter advisor, Bob Richardson, worked hard with the chapter to make the day a success. In August of 1980 the National Congress was held in Louisville, Kentucky, and Bob Richardson was elected to be the Province Chief of Province XII, while remaining as Epsilon Beta's chapter advisor. Bob received his degree in journalism from U. of Missouri-Columbia, in 1969. He was, and still is, the Managing Editor of KVOA-TV in Tuscon, and is anchorman for the 5, 6 and 10:00 p.m. news on station KVOA-TV. He was very instrumental in the redevelopment and rechartering of the Epsilon Beta chapter and has served as its chapter advisor since 1978.
Little did anyone know but the Spring of 1981 would become a major turning point for the men of Epsilon Beta. On January 26, 1981 Andrew Ferguson, a recent initiate took over the office of WKE after Marty Ruikka resigned due to personal reasons. Andy held that office up to April 19, 1982 for a total of 448 days. Founder's Day was held at the Santa Rita Hotel in Tucson and was important because of the increased interest of Epsilon Beta alumni. At this time Dave Tick initiated a new Alumni Association for Epsilon Beta. Presently, (as of Spring '82), the Alumni Association consists of Dave Tick-President, Clarence Mojeski-Vice President and Treasurer, and Dave Gallagher-Secretary. All three of these men are recent alumni and reside in Tucson. In addition, 4 men pledged in the Spring of 1981.
Spring 1981 Pledge Class: Steve McCullough, Tom Kleinschmidt, Andrew Evans, Brad Kost (never initiated).
Throughout the spring and summer of 1981 the completion of another goal was being patiently worked on, a goal that many considered to be years in the future -- the acquisition of a real chapter house. Because of certain reason the Alpha Omnicron Pi sorority had to give up their house on 1731 E. 2nd St. Thanks to the invaluable help of Bob Richardson, Director of Student Affairs at the UofA Kent Rollins, and other alumni in the Tucson area negotiations were made, and by August '81 success was achieved. After years without even a chapter or a house Epsilon Beta had one of the most beautiful buildings on the University of Arizona Greek community. A Housing Corporation was formed and officers included: Jim Eager-President, Ham Borland Vice President, Clarence Mojeski-Treasurer, Dave Gallagher-Secretary, Dwight Eller-Legal Advisor, and Tom Duck and Bob Ruikka-board members. Credit must be given to all those people for their help and interest. The new house would not have been obtained without them.
In April of 1981 new officers were elected for the following academic year:
Worthy Master - Pat O'Connor (had to step down - Bill McMahon took over as Worthy Master)
Worthy Chaplain - George Grant (had to step down - Greg Shrader took over as Worthy Chaplain)
Worthy Keeper of Exechequer - Andy Ferguson
Worthy Keeper of Annals - Vice Marra (had to step down - Edward Rochester took over as WKA)
Worthy Scribe - Bob Heinze
Worthy Sentinel - Tom Murphy
Worthy Usher - Pat O'Connor
Rush Chair - Steve Harpst
Pledge Trainer - Ted Youmans (Dave Damm did it in Spring 1982)
Social Chairman - Alan Shanken
Intramural Chairman - Rob Hollis
Public Relations Officer - Edward Rochester
IFC Representative - Edward Rochester (Nick Pappas took over Spring '82)
Alumni Relations Officer - Steve McCullough
Little Sister Chairman - John Glover
Scholarship Chairman - Rob Hollis
Fall 1981 Pledge Class: Chris Anderson, Jim Blair, Steve Brenden, Nick Pappas, Paul Brophy, Mike DeVault, Jim Hollis, Shane Parrish, Tom Schwiebert, Ken Zimet, Mike Traficanti, Jeff Smith, Mark Rex, Bill Pfiel, Dave Poling, Mike DaSilva, and the following who were never initiated: John Fryermuth, Bret Boguski, Tenor Steele, Glen Purvis, Doug Allred, Jim Thill, Jay Robinson, John Oaks, Doug Stotts.
Patrick O'Conner, Worthy Master elect, had to relinquish his position in August of 1981. Bill McMahon who had been runner-up for Worthy Master in April decided to take over from Pat. That decision not only benefited Bill, but it proceeded to have a marked effect on the continued growth and success of Epsilon Beta. Bill McMahon was an outstanding Worthy Master in the transition period, and will remain a certain kind of role model for future officers. The new house on 2nd St. provided new obstacles and achievements for the men of Epsilon Beta. A kitchen manager was required and Walt Moore volunteered for the first semester. Jeff Smith and Jim Hollis would take overe at midyear. Steve Bailey volunteered for the huge task for house manager and did a good job at it. Members of the house were involved in campus wide activities which included IFC, ASUA, Primus, Chain Gang, and Spring Fling. A scholarship committee was organized by Rob Hollis to ensure positive academic achievement. The chapter won $500.00 as 6th place in the Miller beer recycling contest. The Winter Formal was held in December at the Westward Look Resort. It was one of many fun social functions. In addition, the pledge class staged a "walkout" to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and there were four pinnings and two engagements. Taken as a whole the Fall of 1981 was a great success, especially due to the fact that one more goal had been reached.
The Spring of 1982 was noted for its large pledge class and for the extremely successful social functions. Also, participation in campus organizations and the Little Sister program remained strong. The traditional "Bushwhacker" at Old Tucson drew a good crowd and a good time was had by all. Founder's Day was held on April 24, with festivities at the house and at Smuggler's Inn restaurant; Col. John MacGregor and numerous alumni attended the celebration. The traditional "Maltese Lei" culminated the social calendar on May 1, 1982.
Spring 1982 Pledge Class: Brian Ahearn, Jim Bakakos, Ed Balli, Mark Brown, Cass Colbourne, John Durkin, Evan Eble, Robin Ferry, Pay Hayman, Marc Herman, Doug Iler, MIke Kelly, Greg Kinnear (president), Al Lama, John Norton, Alex Ortiz, Ken Riley, Konrad Rillos, Mike Roper.
In April of 1982 new officvers were elected for the following academic year.
Fall 1982 Chapter Officers:
Worthy Master - Bill Bortko
Worthy Chaplain - Steve Brenden
Worthy Keeper of Exchequer - Rob Hollis
Worthy Keeper of Annals - Pat O'Connor
Worthy Scribe - Mark Jones (transfer from Vanderbilt)
Worthy Sentinel - Jim Hollis
Worthy Usher - John Glover
Rush Chair - Paul Brophy
Pledge Chairman - Mike Traficanti
Social Chairman - Nick Pappas
IFC Representative - Nick Pappas
Intramural Chairman - Ken Zimet
Public Relations Officer - Howie Ferguson (transfer from Wyoming)
Scholarship Chairman - Chris Anderson
Little Sister Chairman - Steve Bailey
Social Service Chairman - Jim Blair
House Manager - Tom Schweibert
Kitchen Manager - Andrew Evans
Alumni Relations Officer - Bill McMahon
Respectfully Submitted,
Edward F. Rochester
Worthy Keeper of Annals/Public Relations Officer
April 21, 1982