Just a couple of days until the Major Announcement!
Until then, here’s another landmark event in the history of Theta Chi:
On February 20, 1965, Zeta Gamma Chapter was installed at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta in the Dominion of Canada, making Theta Chi an International Fraternity.
Don Wismer, a member of Beta Chapter at MIT, transferred to the University of Alberta in 1963. Upon learning that Theta Chi was attempting to form a colony, he enthusiastically contacted and assisted J.C. Byrd, Executive Assistant, with the recruitment of interested Alberta students. When Byrd left campus, a group of 22 men had joined the Colony. After two years of continued growth and influence from Brother Wismer, the names of 39 men appeared on Zeta Gamma’s Charter – and they pledged an additional 16 men that spring.
Present at the Installation was the man that had initially dispatched J.C. Byrd to the campus: Executive Director George Chapman, Omega/Penn State 1920. Chapman was a leader among not only Theta Chi but the entire Fraternity movement. Chapman, a charter member himself at Penn State, served on the Grand Chapter from 1937-1948. He was then appointed Executive Director and led the staff and the Fraternity from the Executive Office in Trenton, NJ until 1968. Under his leadership the Fraternity experienced unprecedented growth. Seventy-Five Chapters were installed during his tenure: Gamma Iota at Connecticut through Zeta Xi at the University of California-Davis as well as three reinstallations at Alpha Eta/North Carolina, Alpha Kappa/West Virginia and Alpha Upsilon/Nebraska. With the installation of Delta Theta at the University of Toledo, Chapman had brought Theta Chi’s Chapter Roll to 100 and all 100 chapters were active. When Chapman retired on December 31, 1967, Theta Chi had 144 active chapters out of 152 installed.
Nearly 50,000 brothers were initiated into Theta Chi Fraternity during his tenure as Executive Director.
Chapman would leave his mark on Theta Chi in other ways as well: He planned and conducted the first School of Fraternity Practices, produced and edited the Manual of Theta Chi Fraternity and created and designed many of our awards, still in use today. He served as President of the College Fraternity Secretaries’ Association (now the Fraternity Executives Association) and was honored by the North-American Interfraternity Conference with the Gold Medal, the highest honor in the Fraternity world.
Chapman also had a hand in selecting his successor as Executive Director: a chapter brother from Penn State, Howard R. Alter, Jr. (1941). Howard had also been present with Chapman at the Zeta Gamma Installation – as National President.
Brother Chapman’s drive, passion, and ingenuity grew the Fraternity and established many practices and traditions that are still used today, decades later. He made Theta Chi an International Fraternity and represented us well in the Interfraternity world. Much credit and respect is due to the original "Mr. Theta Chi", George Chapman.