40th Reunion Address
On January 28, 1968, thirty four young men were initiated as members of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and the Arkansas Eta Gamma Chapter was chartered at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Worthy Grand Chief Stuart Daniels and Father Jack Symonds lead the delegation that performed the initiation.
The next day, the 1968 Tet Offensive was launched in South Viet Nam. Lyndon Johnson was President of the United States, two months later he would announce the cessation of bombing above the 20th parallel and that he would not seek the nomination of his party for an additional term in office. Five days later, Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee and two months after that on June 5th, Robert Kennedy was assassinated in California. College campuses across the country were the site of protests and turmoil. In December Apollo astronauts sent Christmas greetings back to Earth while orbiting the moon.
We are here today to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of our Chapter that was established at the beginning of a year that is so remarkable and unforgettable. Many of us here today know that the roots of our Chapter go back further than 1968. It actually began in 1965 when two young men named Ken Hartsfield and David Vines failed to receive a bid from any Fraternity on campus. They immediately set out to start a new Fraternity. Within weeks they drafted a constitution and by-laws, got the blessing of the administration and recruited a hanadmindbul of members, followed shortly (weeks) by recruiting the first pledge class..Alpha Pledge Class. The members had only been members a few weeks and they were already looking down on pledges. The new group took their name from a combination of Arkansas and Indians and became the Arkadians. They wanted the other Fraternities and ASU campus to know they were here and here to stay. They raised so much cane at campus sporting events, that they won the Spirit Award their first year in existence. They participated in intramural sports, had social events with Sororities and a Spring Formal that got the attention of the whole campus and the administration. Gary Smith from Helena had the audacity to book a black band to play in the ballroom of the newly constructed Carl R. Reng Center for the dance. Dean Moore was there for the entire dance and at one time I could have sworn I saw his toe tapping to the music.
The Arkadians knew that they wanted to bring a prominent national Fraternity to ASU. Tommy Rankin was a local furniture store owner that happened to be a Sigma Chi and he convinced the Arkadians to change their name to Chi Sigma and petition Sigma Chi for a
Charter. It did not occur to the Chi Sigmas to check with Sigma Chi Headquarters to see if they were in an expansion mode..turns out they were not. Eventually a delegation of Chi Sigs visited Sigma Chi headquarters and were told it would be ten years before there was any hope of establishing a chapter at ASU. Ten years, they didn't want to wait ten minutes. They sent out written "feelers" to several prominent national fraternities. ATO headquarters contacted Father Jack Symonds, an Episcopal Priest from Blythville and prominent ATO alum. Father Jack contacted Richard Bishop and the wheels started turning. In retrospect, I find it hard to believe that so much was accomplished in such a short period of time and then I look at pictures of the guys that made it happen and I'm not surprised because they were a group of truly remarkable young men. Forty years later they remain a source of comfort, family, companionship, and fun. We are focusing on the Founder's today but there have been hundreds of young men since, that have kept this Chapter moving forward, forging life-long relationships and enjoying life. We have an outstanding group of young men today that are currently following that tradition that was started 40 plus years ago.
What is the status of the Fraternity today? The Actives are struggling to bring their numbers up and to get their financial feet on the ground. The Alumni are struggling to bring their numbers up and get their financial feet on the ground. Some things never change.
The House Corporation has purchased two houses adjacent to the campus. They can house approximately 8 brothers. The important thing is, we are building equity and quite rapidly I might add because the campus is on our doorstep and growing toward our location. This gives us a bargaining chip with the University because they have included the entire neighborhood into their 10 year master plan for growth. The current appraised value for land adjacent to the campus is $12.50 per square foot and we own 40,000 square foot, you do the math. It is time for the ATO's to have the biggest, nicest Fraternity House on campus. It is going to take a lot of hard work to get this accomplished. I am willing to lead this effort. We are not asking for your money but here are some things you can do to help:
- Recruit members from your hometown and circle of influence.
- Be a member of the Alumni Association and participate as much as possible.
- Be on the Board of Trustees, House Corporation or Alumni Association Board.
- Be a mentor to a member.
- Help keep the houses maintained.
- Keep your name, address, phone number and e-mail address current.
- Partner with the Actives in their new Philanthropy-Mission Outreach of N.E. Ark.
- Contribute to the Scholarship Fund
- Attend a tailgate party or just drop by the house if you in Jonesboro and visit.
Danny Faulk '68
Eta Gamma Founder and Member of the Arkadian Alpha Pledge class