“Remembrance of Things Past” |
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“The 1950’s were what I would call the insular years. There was very little interaction between classes and religions. So when I ended up at our State University, 120 miles from home as a raw 19 year old protestant boarded out in a dreary group of old World War II barracks behind the football bleachers and having to interact with this strange new world I was, in a word, overwhelmed.
Enter Dave Rand -I can’t even remember now how I met Dave – But he was my entry in to the Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta and new living quarters in Omega MU. Always longing for a brother growing up (I had two sisters) I now had all the brothers I had wished for. One of whom, George Giostra a returned Army Vet from Barre, Vermont became the older brother I had always wished for. George died much too soon and I occasionally have paid his Fiji dues to keep his memory alive.
Of course it being the fifties one had to tolerate certain sometimes-painful experiences called Hell Week, and be called Zobies for a time. Our first clue of things to come was our instruction to have a paddle made for a brother and I dutifully had one made for Dave Rand. It should be noted at this time that Dave lettered in football and baseball and thus knew how to wield wooden instruments that might cause pain. I should have chosen someone else.”
Second Story
1960
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“Sunday dinner at 79 College Avenue in 1960 followed a "well established" order of business. The dinner gong which hung on the dining room wall to the left of the door, was sounded by a white-coated waiter at exactly twelve noon. He then closed the door. At the sound, brothers in coat and tie from all over the house raced to the living room. They formed two lines with a lane from the dining room to the house mother's room at the left of the fireplace. The boys, then, with a lot of pissing and moaning', chose the "hero " to escort Ma Tate down the lane and be her companion for dinner. No doubt she could hear the goings on about the selection process but she never let on. She always came out with a smile and a hearty "Good Morning Fijis". She was a kindly, chubby old girl who put up with a lot of crap from the guys. But, she made it clear that she was happier living with us than her daughter in Orono. As Ma and her host moved down the line with nods and comments back and forth the dining room doors were pushed open. Ma was seated at her place at one end of the center table. The brothers took their places standing at their chairs and benches. And yes, we had places! Changing from ones usual seat or table was certain to generate looks and smart aleck remarks. With Ma seated, the standing Fijis would break into a loud and enthusiastic singing of the Doxology.” The meal was plated in the kitchen and the waiters served the tables (center first, East windows second and the "Pig table" at the West windows last). One of the standard Sunday dinners featured roast pork followed by apple crisp topped with whipped cream....really good eating.”
Third Story
1969
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On the evening of Dec. 1, 1969, lottery draft numbers were drawn to establish the sequence of men to be drafted for the war in Vietnam. Briefly, random birthdays were selected and the sequence in which they were picked established the sequence of draftees. Here’s a quote from Wikipedia that describes some of the process: The days of the year, including February 29, were represented by the numbers 1 through 366 written on slips of paper.The slips were placed in separate plastic capsules that were mixed in a shoebox and then dumped into a deep glass jar. Capsules were drawn from the jar one at a time.
“The first number drawn was 258 (September 14), so all registrants with that birthday were assigned lottery number 1. The second number drawn corresponded to April 24, and so forth. All men of draft age (born 1944 to 1950) who shared a birth date would be called to serve at once.
The drawing of the numbers was televised but we (being typical Omega Mu Fijis) forgot to turn on the TV in the library in time to catch the first 5-10 birthdays drawn. So, a bunch of us were watching the drawing together. If your number was drawn early, you were going to be drafted for sure, so these guys would immediately head down to Pat’s to drown their sorrows. If your number was somewhere in the middle (no-man’s-land) and you didn’t know whether you were going to be drafted or not, you headed down to Pat’s to drown your uncertainty. If your number came up over 200 or so, it was highly unlikely you would be drafted, so you immediately went to Pat’s to celebrate. If you were still sitting in front of the TV as the last few numbers were drawn, you didn’t know whether you were lucky or not. Remember, we had missed the first few birthdays drawn. As the last few numbers were drawn, the guys sitting in front of that TV knew they were either 1) really lucky to be way at the end of the list and not likely to be drafted, or 2) in the first 5-10 numbers drawn and would be the first to go. After the last number was drawn, a few guys were still sitting there. We all had a reason to be at Pat’s that night.”
“The first number drawn was 258 (September 14), so all registrants with that birthday were assigned lottery number 1. The second number drawn corresponded to April 24, and so forth. All men of draft age (born 1944 to 1950) who shared a birth date would be called to serve at once.
The drawing of the numbers was televised but we (being typical Omega Mu Fijis) forgot to turn on the TV in the library in time to catch the first 5-10 birthdays drawn. So, a bunch of us were watching the drawing together. If your number was drawn early, you were going to be drafted for sure, so these guys would immediately head down to Pat’s to drown their sorrows. If your number was somewhere in the middle (no-man’s-land) and you didn’t know whether you were going to be drafted or not, you headed down to Pat’s to drown your uncertainty. If your number came up over 200 or so, it was highly unlikely you would be drafted, so you immediately went to Pat’s to celebrate. If you were still sitting in front of the TV as the last few numbers were drawn, you didn’t know whether you were lucky or not. Remember, we had missed the first few birthdays drawn. As the last few numbers were drawn, the guys sitting in front of that TV knew they were either 1) really lucky to be way at the end of the list and not likely to be drafted, or 2) in the first 5-10 numbers drawn and would be the first to go. After the last number was drawn, a few guys were still sitting there. We all had a reason to be at Pat’s that night.”
Fourth Story
1980
“For those of us who came of age in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Deliverance was an iconic movie. So, it was no surprise that we would give our end of school year canoe trips that name. The trips were typically three to four day affairs on the West Branch of the Union River out by the Airline Road.
On the first trip was Jeff Brinch, Matt Smith, and myself. Matt, or Scud, as we call him, canoed solo in a cut down canoe, while Brinchy and I used my old, keeled, aluminum canoe. Not the best river canoe on the planet!
One of the highlights of this trip, besides the three pound brown trout that Scud landed, was the beginning of a tradition: SPAM Stew. Brinchy’s dad had served overseas in WW II, and it seems, one of the most ubiquitous foods served, was SPAM, which is rumored, stands for “Something Posing As Meat.”
It wasn’t just the stew, it was how it had to be made. Sure, the ingredients were the same as beef stew, with the substitution of SPAM. It was a very thick stew, as we would cook it down over the fire, then, the key was to mash it all together with, at first, a Mountain Nectar bottle, but, on later trips, a Bourbon bottle.
“Another Deliverance trip comes to mind. On this trip, were myself, Scud, Joel “Sluggo” Gardner, and Jeff “Mr. Wizard” Farnsworth. There were a few highlights to this trip. One was waking up covered with 2-3 inches of snow. Since it was before bug season, we had just covered ourselves in a tarp over our sleeping bags. We were expecting just a heavy dew. We got a little more than that. Another highlight, was one morning, Scud and I got up extra early, and went out fishing. We had a glorious morning, and kept a few trout for breakfast. Wizard and Sluggo had slept in, so we got the fire going. They didn’t stir until the bacon was cooking. All of a sudden, we noticed Sluggo’s nose begin to wiggle as the scent of bacon wafted over our campsite. Next, we heard him say, “Wooo, Bacon!” Then, he and Wizard were up and ready to eat!”
On the first trip was Jeff Brinch, Matt Smith, and myself. Matt, or Scud, as we call him, canoed solo in a cut down canoe, while Brinchy and I used my old, keeled, aluminum canoe. Not the best river canoe on the planet!
One of the highlights of this trip, besides the three pound brown trout that Scud landed, was the beginning of a tradition: SPAM Stew. Brinchy’s dad had served overseas in WW II, and it seems, one of the most ubiquitous foods served, was SPAM, which is rumored, stands for “Something Posing As Meat.”
It wasn’t just the stew, it was how it had to be made. Sure, the ingredients were the same as beef stew, with the substitution of SPAM. It was a very thick stew, as we would cook it down over the fire, then, the key was to mash it all together with, at first, a Mountain Nectar bottle, but, on later trips, a Bourbon bottle.
“Another Deliverance trip comes to mind. On this trip, were myself, Scud, Joel “Sluggo” Gardner, and Jeff “Mr. Wizard” Farnsworth. There were a few highlights to this trip. One was waking up covered with 2-3 inches of snow. Since it was before bug season, we had just covered ourselves in a tarp over our sleeping bags. We were expecting just a heavy dew. We got a little more than that. Another highlight, was one morning, Scud and I got up extra early, and went out fishing. We had a glorious morning, and kept a few trout for breakfast. Wizard and Sluggo had slept in, so we got the fire going. They didn’t stir until the bacon was cooking. All of a sudden, we noticed Sluggo’s nose begin to wiggle as the scent of bacon wafted over our campsite. Next, we heard him say, “Wooo, Bacon!” Then, he and Wizard were up and ready to eat!”
Fifth Story
1990
“The night I got pinned I went to the house dressed like I thought a college fraternity guy should be dressed. I wore the basic uniform of my prep school. A blue blazer, a blue buttoned down shirt, a rep tie with green whales on it but instead of the typical khaki pants and boat shoes, I wore green plaid pants and dress shoes with a buckle. The shoes were a hand me down from my brother who told me once that they were a hand me down to him from either Brad Gould or Bob McDougal. I must have looked like I was dressed by Judge Smails from Caddyshack. The pants caught everyone's attention. I had to use the bathroom and I could hear guys talking about my pants. I was thinking "What have I done? This can't be good." Then it was the traditional routine. They got us together downstairs (we were a big class, 17 guys) and then they put us in order alphabetically, had us close our eyes, and took us up to the foyer to begin. The living room was stone quiet with the brothers waiting. The candles were lit, Al Douville was the chapter president and sat behind the table. He takes one look at my pants and starts shaking his head and grinning. I could hear guys commenting about my pants. "Nice ralph attire." and "Where's he going,a mock wedding?" Guys hissed and things got quiet again. Then out of the darkness, someone (Pete Saganski I think) yelled ‘Holy shit, he has shoes like a pilgrim too!’……”
“The imprint of our days…the tales… they whisper yet.”
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Q.T.V.: First at Maine State College
Q.T.V. Pin
We all ask questions about our past, don’t we? It’s human nature to do so. Paul Gaugin posited three basic questions: “Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?” As we approach our 120th anniversary, it is appropriate to reflect on our fraternal travel narrative with these questions in mind, and the fitting place to begin is our fraternal beginning, 1874, when, with great vitality, seven men established Q.T.V., and our impeccable fraternal presence continues to this day.
Q.T.V. Charter
Although we do not know the exact meaning the Latin phrase Q.T.V., I believe that it stems from a Latin phrase that means, “Wherever we go, we go together all (through) the time.” Chain or circle are two synonyms for this phrase. Sound familiar? However, I may be entirely mistaken. But, make no mistake, it is safe to say that we inherited some of their fraternal values and structure that exists today in Omega Mu because we believe in their fraternal creed: “enjoyment, sociability, and the best interests of its members through life”: a cardinal creed for sure! It is an honest creed that is true because it is a creed about caring and responsibility This creed exhibits that they knew, with full historical consciousness, what they were about from the beginning, and it’s a primary, life-affirming idea that we believe in, too, as undergraduate and graduate brothers of Omega Mu. And, what is beyond question about our Q.T.V. past can be summarized by a beautiful statement that William O. Douglass made about the Allagash River and the nature of northern Maine: “Certainly none has their distinctive quality.” We agree. That statement certainly applies to the depth and quality of fraternal spirit and human character that emerged out of the Q.T.V brotherhood. It was clearly distinctive.
 Edwin J. Haskell, 1872 |  Wilbur A. Bumps. 1874 |  Hosea Buck, 1893 |
1875 Baseball Team
1882 Baseball Team
1895 Baseball Team
Q.T.V’s exceptionally inspiring and guiding principles sustained them for twenty-five years with sustaining power and originality. The practical and sensible side of their collective power and energy shaped their fraternal craft and resourcefulness to create a stable, healthy fraternal community. With once-and-for-all purpose and full-measured devotion, they endured multiple moves from the village of Orono to the west side of Munson Road where they built their first home,
Q.T.V. House 1888
and then moving that house across Munson Road in order for Coburn Hall to be built, and then moving to the White Farm that was on present day fraternity row. And so it was, on October 19th-21st, 1899, with notable optimism and pride, Q.T.V. formally became Phi Gamma Delta, creating a unique wholeness. There was no hesitation, dickering, or waffling in becoming the Omega Mu chapter of Phi Gamma Delta, and we were off and running. Our Q.T.V brothers’ laid a firm foundation for an extraordinary phase in our fraternal history, and it remains a great and lasting legacy. They were faithful to their ideal, and here again that ideal remains the sine qua non to every Omega Mu brother to this day.
Phi Gamma Delta Omega Mu Charter
Proudly rooted in our Q.T.V past and fired by a new fraternal vision, the transition required very little readjustment on the part of our Q.T.V brothers; it was a perfectly threaded marriage, and as was clearly stated in Omega Mu, the Q.T. V. brothers were unequivocally impressed with the idea of joining Phi Gamma Delta: “ It was felt that we had brought to Phi Gamma Delta a matchless record of twenty-five years and had at once placed the fraternity in Maine in a position it could not have reached otherwise in double that time. In return we had received far more than we could give-membership in a brotherhood which had already passed its golden jubilee-a fraternity to our hearts the noblest and the best-one whose future we shall work for and watch over, that it may be even brighter than it promises to be.”
1899 Initiation Photo
In answer to Gaugin’s questions: We know from whence we came. We know where we are going. We know who we are. We are proud to be approaching our 120 anniversary as Omega Mu, and the 145 anniversary of Q.T.V’s founding, and that is historical camaraderie that will continue to stretch into the long years ahead at the University of Maine.
Phi Gamma Delta Badges and Pins from a private collection
As Q.T.V moved fraternally forward in 1899 in becoming Omega Mu, it is essential to reiterate that the grounding root of our fraternal aspirations are as high as those of Q.T.V.. What we have continued to achieve since 1899 as a brotherhood can best be summed up in Ivan Turgenev’s statement: “All people live-consciously or unconsciously - on the strength of their principles, their ideals, that is, by virtue of what they regard as truth, beauty, and goodness.” With this in mind, and with deep and lasting affection for our rich Q.T.V heritage, a new chapter commenced in our fraternal history when our Omega Mu brothers moved into a new fraternal home that was designed by Frank E. Kidder, and it would remain our home for twenty-five years. Most importantly, the solid reputation that had been sustained for twenty-five years by our Q.T.V. brothers would remain exemplary with the commencement of Omega Mu, with the same degree of sustaining dynamism, creativity and adaptability through the decades. Our deep ties to the University of Maine have continued continue with many, many brothers proudly playing on many Black Bear teams; while others continue to great and meaningful things within various campus organizations, and we strive to maintain the good “habits of the heart” in keeping our brotherhood and The Castle in good order. A beautiful fraternal travel narrative it has been since 1874 and 1899, and we are ideally positioned to continue for another 120 years, and everything we do now is giving forward to all future Omega Mu Fijis. Proud to be Fiji!
First Phi Gamma Delta House Further Up College Avenue
Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ‘82
Perge!
Chip Chapman, ‘82
Perge!
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