Gamma Phi Centennial Planning
One hundred years of excellence—past achievements and future promise! That’s what we’ll be celebrating on October 20, 2007, on the OU campus in Norman, when we gather to commemorate the Centennial of Gamma Phi Chapter of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity.
Hundreds of you already have indicated your interest in participating in this special occasion. In fact, so many are planning to attend that we have moved our venue for the dinner/dance from the Memorial Student Union to the recently-renovated McCasland Fieldhouse to accommodate our participants. By popular demand, rather than a formal sit-down banquet, we will provide libations and buffet-style dining for you and your guests. Richard Taylor, recently engaged by OU as the Chair of the Weitzenhoffer Department of Musical Theatre, will serve as master of ceremonies for our gala event; and Ron James has arranged musical entertainment. We have invited OU President David Boren to greet us. Judge Ralph Thompson will present our keynote address.
A few pledge classes already are rallying in make lodging reservations in Norman and Oklahoma City for their groups. With the event fast approaching, please make your own individual group plans sooner instead of later. See the Class Gatherings page for more information.
Several of our brothers have written reflective and provocative accounts of their respective “eras” of Gamma Phi’s history. Others have undertaken this project. These individual “era” histories will be compiled and preserved for posterity as a prominent and permanent feature of our Chapter’s institutional history to be enjoyed by our Chapter’s members and our families as long as Gamma Phi lives on at our University. Chapter Archivist Hank Ryan has been assembling and posting these histories together with other Chapter archival materials such as composite chapter and pledge class photos, yearbook entries, old newsletters, etc. in the online archives at our website. For your “era” to be included in this compilation, you need to get started now on this project or sadly there will be no account of your time at OU. Please check out the Era Histories page to determine if anyone has undertaken this initiative on behalf of your own “era.” If not, it may be up to you.
For periodic updates on Centennial planning and preparation, please be sure to consult our Chapter’s website. You will find that the website now includes a recently-updated directory of all Chapter members. Also, be watching for Centennial news and announcements in future issues of Wooglin on Chautauqua. If you have any experience or expertise in producing events of this magnitude and can share some of your time and talent, please contact either Harbour Whitaker or Steve Barghols to help make our Centennial gala all that it can and should be. We can use all the help you might provide.
Thanks for your interest in our Centennial and for your lifetime devotion to Gamma Phi Chapter.
Respectfully; and in –kai—
Harbour Whitaker
580/658-3717
Steve Barghols
405/235-5567