From RhoChapter

A Brief History of Rho Chapter

Michael Thompson P1075 VV! ZZ!

Rho Chapter is the third longest continually active chapter of Theta Tau and the oldest non-coed chapter. At NC State we are the 11th national fraternity to be chartered and one of the oldest in continuous operation at the school.

The history of Rho Chapter began with the founding of the local engineering fraternity Alpha Sigma Epsilon. ASE was organized in the Fall of 1917 at what was then called North Carolina State College. ASE only admitted male students or faculty from the Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, and Chemical departments. During the Spring of 1920 the decision was made by unanimous vote to petition a national fraternity, namely Theta Tau. Judson D. Albright Jr. began correspondence with Grand Scribe Schrader and ultimately sent a formal typewritten request to Brother Schrader in Nevada. The request was discussed at the 1921 Convention. Major Fox of Wilmington and Mr. D. B. Frisbie of Atlanta, both members of Theta Tau, were then sent to inspect ASE and NCSU.

In mid March 1923 ASE began composing a Petition to Theta Tau to become a chapter. The petition was amended to add Textile Engineering as an allowed degree. It was endorsed by then President Riddick, Vice President Withers, Dean Cloyd and numerous other department heads and professors before being sent to the Theta Tau National Office. Professor John Harrelson, a faculty member of ASE, endorsed and signed the petition and would later be initiated as a Rho Brother. Professor Carroll L. Mann Sr. also signed and endorsed as a faculty member of ASE. While Mann did not become a Theta Tau, his son Carroll L. Mann Jr, was initiated a few years later.

On January 1st at the 1924 National Convention the petition was accepted and a Charter issued. At the convention current ASE President Winfield “Buck” Morris, a Civil Engineer, was duly initiated as Rho 1. According to the 1992 Chapter Newsletter: “Buck took a train to the Iowa City Theta Tau convention to present a petition for Alpha Sigma Epsilon, the local engineering organization at N.C. State. The national officers initiated him during the convention. On February 16, the national officers initiated the rest of the members of ASE and chartered Rho Chapter." The February initiation was for thirty-one founders. Two more were initiated after the fact; Edward Inscoe in April at Rho, and Judson Albright in May. Brother Albright had moved to New York by that point so his roll page was mailed to Theta Chapter who initiated him as a Rho on our behalf. To this day that page is still visibly creased from the journey.

Rho's Charter contains the names of twenty-one of thirty-four Founders. The reason for the discrepancy is not currently known. The Charter is also dated January 1st; however we celebrate February 16th as our founding date. The rumors say that the time gap was caused by inclement weather, which kept Morris from coming back sooner. When Buck visited in 1990 he mentioned how he was caught off guard and had failed to pack for the northern winter.

Another interesting story from Buck is Rho Chapter’s involvement with the dedication of the Memorial Bell Tower. Buck told us that there was to be a time capsule placed beneath the Bell Tower when it was dedicated. However, the night before the dedication, he and some friends went to the Bell Tower under cover of darkness and buried their own time capsule below the spot where the “official” time capsule was to be placed. Buck said that the next day at the dedication that students were required to attend in formation, he and his buddies exchanged knowing smiles. Recent research indicates the time capsule is probably adjacent to the Masonic cornerstone as Buck, Harrelson, and other ASE were all Master Masons. Perhaps coincidentally the one surviving picture of the Masonic cornerstone ceremony shows a suspicious of spot disturbed earth near the northeast corner. At Rho Chapter’s 1989 Alumni Day Buck said that whenever the “official” time capsule is retrieved to “Keep on digging!”

Information passed on from Buck also tells us about the history of our search for a Chapter House. According to Buck the first Chapter House was on Woodburn Lane but was lost due to the number of Brothers taken in draft for WWII. After that we shared a house near Maiden Lane (possibly 4 Ferndell) with PKA around 1947. It appears there was no official house after that until we moved into 2707 Vanderbilt Avenue in the early 1980s. From 1986 to 1992 we occupied 4 Maiden Lane for the first time, and it was during that period Rho's first corporation, called Hammer Housing, was created. In 1992 Rho Chapter moved to 4200 Western Boulevard, which by all accounts was a big step down. In 1997 we returned for the second time to 4 Maiden Lane where the chapter resided until 2010. The successor to Hammer Housing called Rho of Theta Tau was started in this period and exists till this day. Currently Rho Chapter is again searching for a new Chapter House.

In 2006 we uncovered another momentous event in the history of Rho Chapter. According to the NCSU Alumni Magazine the school's Alma Mater was composed by two ROTC cadets. They attended a camp and were dismayed by the fact that the other universities had their own songs while NCSU did not. Three years later Bonnie Frank Norris Jr. wrote the music and Alvin Fountain wrote the lyrics. Brother Norris in turn is Rho 29, one of our founders.

For over 85 years, Brothers from Rho Chapter have graduated from North Carolina State University and gone on to excel and prosper in the Engineering Field. Buildings at NCSU bear the names of distinguished Rho Chapter Alumni such as Harrelson. Harrelson was a highly regarded veteran and held numerous positions at NCSU and ultimately becoming the first Chancellor in 1934. Carroll L. Mann Sr. has had two buildings named after him, and was instrumental in the construction of the Memorial Bell Tower.

Members of Rho have also made substantial donations to both NCSU and Theta Tau. Chief among these is the contribution of Alumni Hall of Fame laureate William "Jack" Goodrum. Brother Goodrum is the most generous contributor, having left 30% of his estate to the national fraternity and at least $500,000 to NCSU. We also count among our ranks six Theta Tau Hall of Fame Laureates. These include former Grand Regent Lee Haas and NCSU's highly decorated first four star General "Mad Max" Thurman. There are CEOs, Presidents, Chancellors, Inventors, Professors and many other professions which all share a common thread: the bond and brotherhood of Theta Tau, but more importantly the bond of a Rho Brother.

In 1999 Rho Chapter celebrated its 75th Anniversary, during which Alumni and Students gathered at the Chapter House on Maiden Lane to celebrate the success and many years of prosperity. In 2004 we gathered again to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of our Chapter and the 100th of the Fraternity.

Each year the alumni and students also gather for a wide variety of events such as tailgating and the semester trips to the beach and mountains. To help further the opportunity for alumni and student interaction Brother Thompson founded The Hammer of Rho Alumni Club at the 2010 Beach Trip. The club operates under the auspices of the National Alumni Club and is a spiritual successor to the Banner Elk Alumni Club which served Rho in the 1980's.

We are also proud to have established our Rho Chapter Alumni Database, which includes the most current listing for all our Alumni. This information is updated when the Gear is published along with information that is submitted to us directly or from Nationals. If you feel that your information is not up to date with Nationals or have information to pass on about other Brothers please contact us.

Additionally, to help preserve our past we continue the Archive CD project started in 2000. The CD contains Rho Chapter composites, pictures, and documents all the way back to our beginnings as ASE. You can help us build our library of Rho information by sending us copies or scans of items you saved from your time at NC State.

For more information or to obtain a copy of the CD please see me later this evening. Thank you.

A speech given at the Theta Tau Centennial Celebration at Rho Chapter on 10/16/2004.
Includes subsequent edits in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010.

A short form was presented at James B Green Lodge on 10/27/2009 as part of the "Finish the Bell Tower" project.

Bibliography

• "A History of Theta Tau Fraternity", Charles W. Britzius, 1980.
• The Rho’d To Success, Rho Chapter, 1992.
• “A Petition to Theta Tau Fraternity from Alpha Sigma Epsilon”, ASE, 1923.
• Rho Chapter Website, 2000-2001. [1][2]
• Conversation between Winfield Morris and Tyler Cox, Email from Tyler Cox, 2001.
• Conversation between Winfield Morris and Lee Haas, Email from Lee Haas, 2004.
• NC State Alumni Magazine, Winter 2006.
• Chapter House and Housing Corporation History
• Little Sisters History