Chapter History

The Phi Lambda Theta Chapter of Chi Phi has a long history at Bucknell. Founded in the centennial year of the Chi Phi Fraternity, the independent Phi Lambda Theta fraternity found its roots. From that point on, our chapter has striven to be the shining star, the house on the hill, at Bucknell. This small book is meant to highlight the key points in that history, and outline where this chapter is going in the future. If history is to repeat itself, our chapter has a long and powerful history in front of it, and we want to make sure our future brothers have the facility and resources they will require. This piece is the second of a series of communications we will send to you over the course of the next months. We are contacting you because we are embarking on our second capital campaign to raise money for the continued success of your fraternity. Thank you for taking the time to read this short biography of our chapter. We hope that it will provide a small glimpse into where we came from.

1924: Our founding

Founded as the Commons Club at Bucknell University in 1924, the PLT Chapter of Chi Phi was modeled on the International Order of Odd Fellows and dedicated to the principles of friendship, love and truth. The original chapter house at the corner of Market and 7th Street is still standing and bears the initials “PLT” on the front sidewalk. Two early members of the fraternity, Clyde Bailey and Lloyd “Biff” Hoffman, continued their commitment after graduation, providing leadership and direction to the fraternity throughout their lifetimes.

At a time when Greek chapters tended to attract young men of means, PLT based its membership on character. It was this egalitarian approach that enabled Jake Lamar Davis to join the brotherhood as the son of a Pennsylvania coal miner. After graduating and becoming a successful physician and businessman, Jake became a major alumni benefactor to thank his fraternity for the confidence and acceptance afforded to him. He helped make the “House on the Hill” a viable dream for future generations.

This early recognition that neither income nor status defined a person’s character helped to shape the future vision and values of the fraternity. These men dared to be different. It was this very human quality that led an older generation of alumni to establish a connection with a group of young men returning from WWII and seeking to create a new social order based on interracial, non-sectarian values.

1946: WWII and chapter rebirth

PLT has had a number of founding groups from its inception in 1924, but none was more important than the group of young men who arrived on campus in 1946, after the end of WWII. Three men, Dick Watson, Clint Marantz, and Tony Martin, sought to find like-minded veterans seeking a new social experience that would be revolutionary for its time. Having just fought with men of disparate backgrounds, they believed that race and religion could not be a factor in choosing a social fraternity. Hazing, a common practice at the time, could not be tolerated.

Discouraged, but undaunted, by the fact that fraternity doors were closed to Jewish and black students, they decided to start a new fraternity that would be open to all young men with no exclusionary clauses of any kind. Older alumni members of PLT learned about these returning veterans and their precedent-setting social and humanitarian vision and immediately realized that the new group was a natural extension of what they had envisioned for PLT. Following many meetings and joint planning efforts, the two groups merged in 1947. Phi Lambda Theta was again a vibrant and groundbreaking chapter on the Bucknell campus. Their message was so unique at this moment in history that the new founding group was featured in Colliers, a major national magazine. The course was set, the idea embraced. PLT had dared to be different, setting a standard for future generations of young men who wanted to make a difference in their lives and the lives of others.

1947: The chapter: 50's, 60's, and 70's

With its humanitarian and egalitarian values established, the chapter became a major academic and social force at Bucknell, even as it continued to operate as a local fraternity on a campus dominated by large “nationals.” Though still not able to realize the dream of having a “House on the Hill,” the chapter experienced strong growth in the 50’s and 60’s. PLT excelled in all phases of campus life: social, academic, athletic, and campus and community service. The chapter consistently achieved the highest GPA among Greek organizations even though engineering and pre-med were predominant majors. PLT regularly won the prestigious Homecoming Parade Float and House Party decoration contests, and serenades, featuring “Phi Lam Sweetheart” and “I Love You Truly,” were a popular part of pinning ceremonies for Phi Lam brothers. The chapter included two quarterbacks, Terry Fetterman ‘58 and Jimmy Stewart ‘57, basketball center Jim Beidelman ‘58, and long distance runner Walt McConnell ‘53, as well as Bucknellian editors and ROTC regimental staff officers. Intramurals were an important measure of success for Greek chapters and PLT produced a number of boxing champions when boxing was the premier sport.

In the late 50’s the chapter took a major step by moving to a new larger facility at the corner of Third and St. Catherine Streets in Lewisburg. The basement was ideal for parties and the large colonnaded front porch became a popular gathering place. It was still not the “House on the Hill” envisioned by Biff Hoffman, but the former mansion was a significant step up.

Like the national chapters on campus, PLT found periodic renewal to be an essential part of fraternal life. Fortunately, when low membership or other difficulties caused the chapter to fail, alumni were able to find young men willing to replicate PLT’s ground-breaking social agenda. What happened in the early 70’s was a good example. Following closure due to low membership and lack of group cohesion, Mel Woodward ’53, Harley Bennett ’74, and fellow alumni recruited 15 new members who immediately sought to rebuild and reenergize the fraternity. New members Bob Stevens and Rich Wobbekind led the effort in the early 70’s even though the chapter’s former home on South 3rd Street had been sold in anticipation of the move to upper campus. The new group reestablished ties with PLT alumni while living in interim housing in the A-wing of Swartz Hall. The “House on the Hill” had become more than a dream, however, as actives and alumni laid plans for a new structure and the fund campaign to make it a reality.

PLT achieved another milestone in the mid 70’s when the chapter admitted women to membership. Many alumni and actives believed this was the last artificial barrier to be overcome. However, this near revolutionary step created more problems than solutions and the “experiment” was terminated four years after it began. New leadership initiated by Chris O’Brien ’80 was able to regain chapter unity by stressing the importance of hard work and discipline while preserving PLT’s humanitarian values and maintaining an active social life.

1974: Realizing the house on the hill

A culmination of many alumni dreams, the House on the Hill has proven to be an enduring investment, securing our future at Bucknell. A dream that was always manifest in the words of Biff Hoffman, an early alumnus who dedicated 50 years of service to PLT, the House on the Hill became a reality in 1974. Walt McConnell ’53, alumni president at the time, helped to spearhead the fundraising campaign, but it was a total organizational effort by actives and alumni that finally built a home commensurate with our vision and storied history at Bucknell.

Newly initiated brothers worked off ladders to paint the exterior trim and then turned to the interior. Paint was donated by Marv Kahan ’61, a painting contractor in New York City. Landscaping was provided and installed by Vic Scott ’54, who owned a landscaping business in New Jersey. The Woodward brothers, Mel, George, Wayland, and Skip, all with strong PLT associations, worked to fabricate the metal stairs and staircase at their father’s shop in Columbus and brought the finished product to Lewisburg where it remains today as our central stairway.

Support for the fund drive, which made the dream a reality, was also remarkable for a small local chapter. Over sixty per cent of PLT alumni contributed to the campaign, an incredible percentage for a Greek chapter. In addition, the alumni board was able to take out a mortgage from Bucknell, which became a supporting partner in our effort to join other fraternities on the hill.

1984: Affiliating with Chi Phi

As a local fraternity, PLT was not bound by restrictive charters found in most national fraternal organizations. However, with the changes occurring in society and on campus, the chapter found it was no longer unique. Its interracial, non-sectarian values and no hazing position were now shared by most fraternities. Also, national fraternities had many advantages local alumni could not replicate: undergraduate programs and services, marketing tools, competition among member chapters, consultant visitations, and national conferences. In 1983, after much reflection and soul-searching, PLT alumni decided to conduct a national search to choose a Greek chapter that would respect its unique heritage and to provide direction and leadership that would ensure long term success. Chi Phi was selected from an initial group of 48 national fraternities which submitted proposals to the PLT alumni review team.

After formalizing the affiliation, PLT became the Phi Lambda Theta Chapter of Chi Phi. The initial group of young men, led by Steve Gyrsting ’84, John Giannetti ’86, Dan D’Arco ’85, and Rick Hess ’86, immediately made its mark with Chi Phi, winning the prestigious Gehring Award three years in succession and preparing the way for twenty years of successful chapters. PLT’s became involved at the national level as active and alumni members of the governing Grand Council, chapter consultants, and national staff. Special Olympics, the “brainchild” of active Frank Duplak ’86, continues to be the chapter’s signature community service event.

2006: Reorganization

However, there would be one last and important moment of renewal for the PLT chapter. Following a period of low membership in 2003, local alumni and national representatives decided to close the chapter and recruit a new cadre of young men. At the same time, freshman Ben Portman had seen the values and behavior of Bucknell fraternities, and their commitment to community service, and found them wanting. Ben expressed his desire to start a fraternity that would focus on scholarship, service, diversity, and personal integrity to the Dean of Greek Life, Chip Mararra, who informed Ben that a chapter espousing those values already existed at Bucknell and was recently closed by the alumni.

Like the fortuitous connection following WWII, Ben met with alumni advisor Tom Deans and together they developed a plan to reconstitute the chapter around the core values of PLT and Chi Phi. The ideas that shaped the PLT chapter were again vital and resilient and, most importantly, still timely on the campus.

Formed in 2004, the new group worked to rebuild the image and message of PLT on campus while at the same time developing a distinct vision that reflected their strong personal values. By emulating the 1985-88 chapters, the brothers won the Gehring Award for outstanding national chapter four years in a row, a remarkable achievement for a newly formed group of young men. Fortunate to have strong and committed leadership, PLT quickly achieved parity with other fraternities at Bucknell.

With this firm foundation, the brotherhood has expanded from a group of 17 to its current 86. Continuing the tradition of previous chapters, PLT has developed a sound management model supported by responsive committee chairmen that ensures broad participation by the brothers in chapter operations. PLT members are engaged in all aspects of campus life and consistently attain a GPA of 3.4 or above, despite having a high number of engineering majors. All brothers work to keep the house clean, as the only alumni-owned fraternity at Bucknell. Diversity of membership remains a high priority, and minorities and foreign students are well represented in the chapter, even though the University struggles to recruit a diverse student body.

With an increase in membership has come an expanded commitment to campus and community. The list of these events is extensive and includes: Special Olympics, a chapter event for over 25 years; Educate a Child, a program to encourage children in the Dominican Republic to stay in school; Kicks for CASA, a kickball tournament which benefits Court Appointed Special Advocates; the Mikey’s Way Foundation; Community Harvest, a soup kitchen set up in nearby Milton; Children of the World to which members donated over 100 articles of clothing; Anchor Splash which raises funds for the blind and visually impaired. Also, since 2004, between 10 and 15 brothers have spent spring break working on Habitat for Humanity projects throughout the south, a new Chapter tradition of which they are justifiably proud.