You said last time that you had more to say about your college.
Right. About Bucknell and about my fraternity.
Which one?
Tau Kappa Epsilon. TKE. Beta Mu chapter. I lived there during the summer session and my junior and senior years.
What’s with this summer session?
The word was that Bucknell was thinking of going to a five-year engineering curriculum, but they backed off and instead added a summer session between the sophomore and junior years. My roommate was George B, and here he is painting the front porch.
George was the handy-man type. He took care of maintenance around the house.
How about you?
I was elected Sergeant-at-Arms. In charge of the equipment for our meetings. Setting up. Keeping order. That kind of thing.
In our room George and I had our own makeshift pantry.
And so, with a hotplate, we could begin a meal with a soup course.
George and I had one activity in common. Bucknell had a vocal group called the Mixed Chorus. Four-part harmony: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. And George talked me into joining along with him.
Here’s a photo taken from our yearbook.
We sang bass. Don’t ask me to point out where we are, but we would be with the men in the black robes. Women are in white. During the holiday season we sang Handel’s Messiah. That’s the one with the “Hallelujah” chorus.
I’ve heard that.
It’s pretty popular around Christmastime. We sang it in our senior year. We did it once for the college people and then again for residents of the Lewisburg area.
I also got involved in sports. Not varsity. Intramural. Between fraternities. One of them was bowling.
That’s not me. I was taking the picture.
Another was softball. I did some pitching and played some outfield. I was also captain of the team one year.
Do you have any photos from that?
No. Again, I couldn’t be in the picture while I was playing. So I faked it a little. In a lot near the house I had someone photograph me while I pretended to pitch and catch a fly ball. So here they are. Don’t laugh.
Not bad. And I’m not laughing.
Thank you. There’s just one more aspect of sports I’d like to show you. The intramural competition in various sports was among the 13 fraternities. To oversee the competition in various ways there was an Intramural Athletic Council consisting of one representative from each fraternity. I was the rep for TKE. Here’s a photo of one of our meetings.
Once again, I’m not in the picture because I was taking it. I was on the Council for two years and was its treasurer for one year.
What did the council do?
We made the rules and such. And we helped out any way we could. And even at competitions between colleges. For instance, at a wrestling match between Bucknell and another college — I forget which — I assisted the referee and scorekeeper.
Of course, there was more to college than dorm life and singing and sports. There was also a social life. Such as our Senior Prom. Entertainment was by Tex Beneke and his band. He took over Glenn Miller’s band after Miller died during the war.
But here’s where I kick myself. Beneke brought with him singer Rosemary Clooney. So why did I take two photos of Tex and none of Rosemary?. Dumb me. She was just starting out back then, but she became quite famous in later years.
Like to borrow my time machine and go back?
Yeah, I wish.
Hey. I want to say a little about my fraternity and then graduation.
Okay.
When a Bucknell student pledges to join TKE, he serves a year as a pledge until he learns what there is to know and is installed as an active member. And each pledge chooses one active to mentor him along the way. One pledge, John M., picked me. A paddle, appropriately decorated, is symbolic of that relationship. Here’s a photo of the two of us.
Just one more thing. Here’s a photo of our chapter members in my senior year. I’m at the upper left. John is missing from the photo, but he signed it in the space below the word, “Bucknell.”
x
Well, my time at Bucknell came to a close with my graduation on June 9, 1952. And, just to prove I didn’t make it all up, here’s a photo of me and my diploma, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering.
Congratulations. And thanks for the tour.