1981 - 1990

Scott Loncor '81 (Bond #1058) headed the task of expanding PA Theta's parking area with the construction of a landscaping timber wall on the south side of the chapter house, that was then filled with dirt and topped with gravel.

In 1981, David Thiel '65 takes over the duties of alumni treasurer.

Through the pivotal efforts of Jack Cosgrove '38 and Tice Ryan '39 (Bond #347), the Pennsylvania Theta Educational Foundation was incorporated and requested a ruling from the IRS granting it status as a 501(c)(3) organization, thus being exempt from federal income taxes and permitted to accept tax-deductible contributions from donors. Its purpose was a) to provide scholarships for deserving students pursuant to priorities established by the foundation, and b) to provide financial assistance for housing students who are members of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

Mineral Industries Building, built in 1929-30, was renamed Steidle Building in honor of the retired dean of the College of Mineral Industries, Edward Steidle, PA Theta '11. Along with many others, the ceremony was attended by Dean Steidle's sons, PA Theta Phis Edward Steidle Jr '43 (Bond #411), and Howard Steidle '47 (Bond #422).

Since PA Theta no longer had a live-in cook, the apartment over the kitchen was occupied by undergraduate members. Randal Thompson '83 (Bond #1050) – son of Donald "Duck" Thompson '50 (Bond #507) – and Christopher Cadden '83 (Bond #1074) spent many hours upgrading the apartment's bathroom facilities.

In 1982, Edward R. Hintz, Jr. '59 was named Alumni Fellow of Penn State's Smeal College of Business.

Chapter treasurer, Bruce Stucker '82 (Bond #1089), reported that the semester house bill was now $635 [$1,275 in 2004 dollars] for room and meals plus $70 [$140 in 2004 dollars] social fee.

On H. L. "Pete" Stuart '21 passed away in 1982 at age 83. Pete had served many years as either PA Theta's advisor to the undergraduate chapter or president of the alumni corporation, as well as his terms on the General Council of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, including the office of president from 1958 to 1960.

Known locally as a great competitor, Pete won four golf titles at Centre Hills Country Club and was a long time scholastic and collegiate football and basketball official. He was recently inducted into the West Branch Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, an honor not given to very many game officials. He served on Penn State's athletic advisory board for almost 20 years and was a charter member of the Penn State Quarterback Club, where he would often blow his referee's whistle to bring those early meetings to order.

Following Pete's death, his widow, Jo Haggerty Stuart, offered to return the plaque which had been presented to Pete by the chapter in 1958. The offer was gratefully accepted and the plaque was mounted over the fireplace in the Pete Stuart Room.
[Note: This room was originally known as the parlor, then as the card room, and eventually as the pool room.]

The Bowery Ball became notorious when some faculty members and local animal rights organizations became aware of the relatively new custom of salamander eating – or "mander munching," as it was called. PA Theta had actually introduced consumption of the amphibians in the mid 1960s, when the original theme – a traditional gay-90s costume party with peel-your-own-shrimp – was abandoned. Mander munching had escaped notice for many years until it was more actively and blatantly advertised on T-shirts and other means in the early 1980s and aroused the ire of some outsiders.

The salamanders were obtained from Whipple Dam, located near Penn State's Stone Valley recreational area in Huntingdon County. During Bowery Ball, the basement would be covered with sawdust, and a small pond with a recirculating pump was built in a corner. The pond was filled with water, but contained some ground for the salamanders to crawl on. Unfortunately for the salamanders, they would be devoured, usually live, during the four-day party. Any Penn State student was offered the opportunity to purchase the specially designed Bowery Ball T shirt (used for admittance) just to try this "delicacy."

Trans Species Unlimited (an animal rights group), the SPCA, and many faculty members protested the practice, although the Penn State Sociology department took opportunistic interest and decided to make a short documentary movie film on the event. Newspapers as far away as Missoula Montana carried articles with quotations from PA Theta members about the practice, including one explaining how a guest (a non-member) ate "around 40 or something, but the guy who did that spent the night in the hospital getting his stomach pumped."

In 1983, as a result of all the local protestations and some letters written to Phi Delta Theta General Fraternity, salamanders were banned on the chapter premises. If the devouring of salamanders continued, the chapter was threatened with expulsion of all current members and revocation of its charter. By 1986, the 20-some-year-old tradition of mander munching was dead.

In 1983, Chapter membership had increased to 34.

Jack Cosgrove '38 reported that the Pennsylvania Theta Educational Foundation had received a ruling from the IRS recognizing it as a public foundation, thus guaranteeing its ability to receive tax deductible contributions under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

On November 11, 1983, Ronald L. Forrest was initiated (Bond #1125).

With a membership of 40 in 1984, the PA Theta chapter house had returned to being occupied only by Phis, with no non-members residing or taking meals.

Faced with the fact that the ancient dining room furniture (c. 1930) had finally surrendered to the ravages of old age, John Bishchoff '57 (Bond #609), Chip Engle '57 (Bond #599), and Ron Feigles '58 (Bond #620) spearheaded a successful campaign to raise funds for new tables and chairs.

Kurt Wyckoff '86 (Bond #1091) led the chapter efforts in the building of the notorious PA Theta swimming pool on the north lawn. After some mixed signals from Penn State authorities and the chapter's insurance carrier, the above-ground pool was declared unsafe and was dismantled.

Spring of 1984 brought the return of Bowery Ball as a costume party, which was conducted uneventfully "sans-salamanders." The spring formal dinner-dance, however, did cause some consternation among the brothers when it was discovered that a rented beverage fountain worth $650 [$1,160 in 2004 dollars] had been stolen during the night. Investigation of the incident by Timothy Wilkinson '83 (Bond #1068) led him to a group of visiting Phis from PA Beta (Gettysburg College). After alumni corporation president John Wilson III '58 (Bond #635) contacted the father of one of the more responsible Gettysburg brothers, Tim was permitted to retrieve the fountain and return it to PA Theta.

At this time, many Penn State fraternities were operating with house occupancies far less than 100%, and PA Theta was among them. With occupancy at only 68% of capacity, the house bill – including social dues – remained relatively low at $1,250 [$2,230 in 2004 dollars] per semester. The average Penn State fraternity house bill was $1,211 [$2,160 in 2004 dollars] and the occupancy average was 78%; the highest charge was $1,490 [$2,655 in 2004 dollars] for a house with 89% occupancy.

Major concerns over excessive consumption of alcohol became more frequent and more vocal at many university campuses. At Penn State, the student body was warned that University and/or local authorities might be forced to implement much more stringent controls. PSU President Bryce Jordan formed an Alcohol Task Force to formulate new policies relating to the consumption and dispensing of alcoholic beverages.

The desirable "Cook's Room," now assigned to the chapter president or members with low Bond numbers, was upgraded again with the installation of a wet bar and a loft.

The remainder of the1980s saw a continued rebirth of PA Theta, carried forward by a group of brothers who truly wanted to see it survive; among the most active and enthusiastic of these were Randall Thompson '83 and Christopher Cadden '83. An increased emphasis was put on membership recruiting and public image, and Homecoming activities were participated in regularly, with spectacular floats garnering several awards. Spring Week (previously Greek Week) victories also increased the chapter's exposure and reputation on campus.

Chapter scholarship increased as grade point averages began to routinely exceed the all male average. PA Theta was represented in almost every philanthropy, with medals and trophies as testaments to jobs well done. The chapter brothers even started their own philanthropy, first benefitting the Red Cross Blood Bank – by working with the Penn State Pitt blood challenge – then by raising money for Centre County Special Olympics through a "Bench-Press Challenge."

Brotherhood activities, both inside and outside the chapter, were soon recognized. PA Theta won the first of its Gold Stars in 1985. This Phi Delta Theta Fraternity award recognized the chapter's scholarship, along with its campus and community activities, athletic success, and general fraternity achievements. In 1986, the chapter garnered the Omega Epsilon trophy, awarded to Penn State's outstanding fraternity. IFC sponsored this award which recognized a Penn State fraternity's scholarship, campus, and community activities.

On September 20, 1984, Richard S. Pirrotta was initiated (Bond #1140).

Starting in 1985, the undergraduate brothers proceeded on their own initiative to raise money for the restoration of the portico that had been removed in 1979. The idea for this restoration had been conceived in 1981, and the actual campaign was eventually begun and headed by Pillar Fund chairman Michael J. Ciafone '87 (Bond #1157).

Through a combination of raffles, in-house fund-raising events, chapter member assessments ($10 per semester) and alumni solicitations, the campaign – with John Mannino '89 (Bond #1159) and Chris Zalewski '89 (Bond #1181) as the final chairmen – eventually collected over $15,000 [$25,340 in 2004 dollars], only one-third of which was from alumni contributions. Eventually, each undergraduate brother contributed $40 per semester for an average contribution by them of approximately $100 each. The difference between the amount raised by the chapter and the actual construction cost, $26,423 [$44,644 in 2004 dollars], was covered by the alumni corporation, and the portico was rebuilt in 1988.

Over 100 PA Theta alumni – plus Inez Packer – had made voluntary contributions to the Pillar Fund, and to recognize all those and others a brass plaque was installed under the portico near the front door with the inscription
With highest honor and dignity the PA Theta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta commemorates these pillars on Nov 4, 1989 in recognition of the undying dedication and confidence of all the actives, alumni, and friends of PA Theta who made this dream a reality – All for one, one for all.

On October 25, 1985, Frank Schwab '55 was initiated into Phi Delta Theta, approximately 30 years after pledging PA Theta. This delay had been caused by military service and Frank's subsequent enrollment at the University of Pittsburgh to finish his BS degree. At the time Frank was initiated, his son, Bradley Schwab '84 (Bond #1081), was a member of PA Theta. Thus, Brad had a lower Bond number than Frank, his father (Bond #1158).

In 1987, PA Theta won multiple awards, including Greek Week and Homecoming competitions, and again received Phi Delta Theta Fraternity's Gold Star Award and the IFC Omega Epsilon Award.

In return for a utility easement across PA Theta's front lawn, Penn State agreed to install a new sanitary sewer line from the chapter house to the sewer main on Burrowes Road and also install a separate six-inch water line, which would be dedicated for the use of a fire-suppressant sprinkler system. The need for such a safety feature in an 80-year-old wooden structure was obvious, and it was anticipated that installation of sprinkler systems in all Penn State fraternities would be mandated in the near future.

In 1987, Edward R. Hintz, Jr. '59 was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the University.

PA Theta undergraduate members were interviewed in 1987 by a Centre Daily Times reporter, in preparation for an extensive article featuring kitchen manager Inez Packer. Inez was considered to be a very special part of Phi Delta Theta at Penn State, and it was generally agreed she had held the chapter to high standards through some very critical and troublesome years and also some very good years.

She was considered to be a mother to some, a mentor to others and a disciplinarian to everyone. She was an enticement for rushees and – because of her ability to serve three tasty, square meals each day – was responsible for maintaining near maximum occupancy of the chapter house for many years.
[Note: The Centre Daily Times article, when published, included a 6.25" by 8.5" color photo of Inez holding a full tray of her appetizing meal-of-the-day – including desserts – while she received a kiss on the cheek from a chapter member. The article ran almost 60 column-inches and was headlined, "She's Mom to the Phi Delts."]

Homecoming 1988 included hot tubs on the front lawn and assorted beverages.

In both 1988 and 1989, the chapter's community service activity was a day-long cleanup at Centre Furnace Mansion, the birthplace of Penn State.
[Note: Centre Furnace Mansion is located at the intersection of East College Avenue and Porter Road, next to the present-day Hampton Inn on College Avenue. Built before 1850, the mansion is currently headquarters of the Centre County Historical Society, but was originally the residence of Moses Thompson and several other ironmasters in the village known as Centre Furnace, a a pig-iron producing community established long before either Penn State or the town of State College. The Centre County Historical Society's depiction of the birth of The Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania is:
"In 1851, a small group of gentlemen farmers created the Pennsylvania Agricultural Society with two objectives: to hold a Farm Fair every January in Harrisburg and to establish a school for farmers. A local chapter of the Society had already formed in Centre County with a large membership of prominent area businessmen, including James Irvin and Moses Thompson, then owners of Centre Furnace. Irvin and Thompson offered to donate 200 acres of furnace farm land and to join with Andrew Gregg Curtin, Hugh Nelson McAllister, and other prominent county citizens on a $10,000 note for the school. Despite competition from six other counties, the offer was accepted and Centre County was selected for the location of the new Farmers High School."
Many of the meetings relating to this were held in Centre Furnace Mansion, and Moses Thompson later acted as treasurer of the new school until 1874. Eventually, a total of 400 acres of land was donated, roughly bounded by present-day Atherton Street, Park Avenue, Shortlidge Road, and College Avenue. This land constituted Penn State's inaugural campus and encompassed Fraternity Plot #3, which PA Theta bought on December 15, 1905.

In 1990, David King '93 (Bond #1227), deemed the "Sand Chairman," established the sand volleyball court on the north lawn, the Pollock Road side of the house. This court proved to be extremely popular with the undergraduate members of the chapter.

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