Omega Mu Housemothers

Omega Mu Housemothers,
1911-1969

 Our fraternal history started with a simple declarative assertion: “Enjoyment, sociability, and the best interests of the brothers through life.” Our fraternal continuity is strong because of these simple ideals. We are the oldest fraternal brotherhood at the university because of these stated principles, and that historic truth distinguishes us from every other fraternity at Maine. That in itself is an unqualified good thing that we are proud of, rightly so. Our fraternal longevity, our life-long fraternal brotherhood, has not been achieved by luck or chance. Rather, it has been achieved through good traditions and good men living together, creating the essence of a healthy fraternal brotherhood that can last through all of life.

In various modified forms, traditions, rites, and events have defined our fraternal culture since our Q.T.V. founding in 1874.  Some traditions and events were more formal and charming, while others were playful and entertaining, but all the traditions were enriching and clearly showed the soul and character of our brotherhood. One of our outstanding traditions, as least to  my way of thinking, understood with careful consideration, is our Omega Mu housemothers. Not often do we think about them, much less talk about them, but is important to remember all of them because they were an essential part of our fraternal success, and for that we are proud of all of them.
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Curiously, viewed from multiple perspectives, a fraternity is an unlikely place where you think about a motherly presence. Because, in the generally free and loose understanding of fraternities, it is mistakenly believed that fraternities do not need an adult presence. Therefore, we do not think about our Omega Mu housemothers very much, if at all. Hence, we do not give them the consideration that they justly deserve. Therefore, our Omega Mu housemothers live in the shadows as being unimportant, irrelevant, unnecessary, and unremarkable within our overall fraternal history. That is the sad, unfortunate truth. However, that is the not the historic truth of our Omega Mu housemothers.

My research on our housemothers, from what I have read so far, is affirming and positive, and I would even say extraordinary. To suggest otherwise would be a lie. There was nothing frivolous about having an adult presence in the house. There was no negative effect on the quality and joy of our fraternal life because of presence of housemothers in our two Phi Gamma Delta homes. Quite the contrary, they were all remarkable, important, and necessary in helping creating the wonderful fraternal life that was experienced by generations of Omega Mu brothers. Each of them brought a human richness and grace to our fraternal history by their simple presence. They were never a burden, nor did they bring any harm to our Omega Mu brotherhood, and we remain linked to all of them, proudly so. They were con-natural, complimentary gift to our Omega Mu brotherhood, and it was a binding gift grounded in warmth, grace, empathy, and friendship for hundreds and hundred of Omega Mu brothers. They helped build our fraternal community in very practical, sane, human ways, and they improved how our Omega Mu brothers lived together through their caring presence with the brothers. Strictly speaking, our housemothers were not an authoritative, managing presence in the Castle, nor were they merely an abstract, plastic, and ornamental presence to make us look good! Far from it.  Absolutely, definitively, and concretely, they were, as I see it, an essential presence in all the right, positive human ways, and the brothers respected their presence, genuinely so. All of their contributions to our brotherhood cannot be counted. Personally, I believe, our brotherhood was more balanced, disciplined, and happiest with the presence of our housemothers. Certainly, it was a memorable and positive tradition!

​Our Omega Mu housemothers were mother figures, mentors, role-models, chaperones, hostesses, as well as good friends, all wrapped up in one. They were equal to all tasks, and they were not a restraining handicap on the joyful quality of life that the brothers lived in the Castle.  Each young man who lived in the Castle was entrusted to the nurturing influence and care of our housemothers, and they did so with graceful integrity. They stuck with us, and they took care of us. Consequently, they positively affected the lives of generations of Omega Mu brothers. It is for this reason that our Omega Mu housemothers are distinguished in our fraternal lineage, and we will always remember each of them for their care and dedication with appreciation and gratitude. Starting with an unknown housemother from 1912-1915 to Mrs Hammons, each Omega Mu housemother, in her own unique way, brought a good and gracious dimension to our Omega Mu brotherhood by their simple presence in the Castle. Some housemothers stayed only a year, while several were devoted had enthusiastic for many years. Although they did not have a specific job description, they provided an essential balancing strength and charm, and in doing so they had a positive effect on our entire fraternal culture. In heart and principle, they embodied a resilient, gentle strength. Specifically, they were never were aloof and removed from the brothers and all of our traditions. They enjoyed interacting with the brothers, and in doing so they taught values by their simple presence in the Castle at meals, at dances and formals, at mud bowls, and at all other fraternal activities. They were sociable, engaging, and wise. They were welcoming and charitable to parents when they came to the Castle to visit their sons, and, in many instances, they would take the parents out for dinner, a play, or a symphony in Bangor. After the advent of tv, brothers would crowd into the housemothers room to watch football or baseball games, and the room would be packed, and the housemother would be in the mix enjoying the liveliness of the time with the brothers! Although there is no evidence to affirm this, I have no doubt that the presence of our Omega Mu housemothers, at times, kept things from running too hot; and I hasten add, destructive! They improved the quality of our Omega Mu fraternal life. There was a definite feeling of contentment and joy with their presence in the Castle. They kept it saner, and that is enough.

In sum, it was a satisfying experience having a housemother in the Castle. Although not a fool-pro0f assertion on my part, the mere presence of our housemothers, I believe, created a small element of dignity and poise within the daily traditions and ritual weave of our Omega Mu brotherhood. They helped foster and sustain our traditions and rituals, and one of the best time-honored traditions was escorting the housemother into the dining hall. As Jack MacBrayne recalls: "The evening meal, Monday through Friday, was an organized affair with the housemother at the head of the table and assigned waiters to serve the meal. The Sunday noon meal was a more formal affair with all the brothers wearing coat-and-tie, as I recall. There was a certain amount of decorum when the housemother was around." Fred Galella recalls: My mom and dad came up to see me in 1968. My dad was a New York cop. Clara, our house mom, took my folks to a play! It was great!" Doing all of this conveyed a sense of fraternal composure, dignity, courtesy, and respect  that is important. 

Consequently, I believe, it can be clearly affirmed that each housemother added to the positive bond ​​of our fraternal brotherhood because of their kind and tempering presence in our brotherhood. Therefore, their story, within our historic Omega Mu story, is a seamless story of excellence and dedication. Their endeavors on our behalf, in generational breadth and depth, in commitment and energy, made a difference for our brotherhood, and we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to all of them. And, certainly, our history would be poorer without them. Yes, we can all look backyard with fraternal pride for our Omega Mu housemothers. And if we are to judge these years in absolute, concrete ways, these years were eminently enjoyable years, and the housemothers were key in helping create that enjoyment. It is not an overstatement to say that our brotherhood, broadly defined, exhibited positive fraternal value and dignity, and the presence of housemothers in the Castle helped create the best version of our Omega Mu fraternal life. 

All of our housemothers affirmed and amplified the truth of two words we always believe in as Phi Gamma Delta Fiji Brothers: perseverance and determination. In Phi Gamma Delta spirit and form, our Omega Mu Housemothers made a lasting contribution to our historic brotherhood because they were the very embodiment of these words, and they deserve our fraternal admiration and appreciation because they embodied these traits. In a very real sense, they kept our Omega Mu brotherhood together because of the enduring moxie of their human grace, and we are grateful for each of them. May we always remember them. Perge. 

1911-1915

1912-1915 Housemother in our first
Phi Gamma Delta Castle.
At this time, I do not know the name of this Omega Mu Housemother.

Mrs. Mary Bradley Ide,
Omega Mu Housemother,
​1937-1938

Mrs. Margaret A. Vickers,
Omega Mu Housemother,
​1938-1942

Mrs. Walker,
Omega Mu Housemother,
1942-1943

Mrs. Hewitt,
Omega Mu Housemother, 
1943-1944

Mrs. Houston,
Omega Mu Housemother,
1947-1948

Mrs. Neill,
Omega Mu Housemother,
1948-1949

Mrs. Maud Butts,
Omega Mu Housemother,
1949-1955

Christmas Party at the Castle for underprivileged children from Orono.

Mrs. Martha Tate,
Omega Mu Housemother,
1955-1964

Mrs. Blaisdell,
Omega Mu Housemother,
1964-1965

Mrs. Cary,
Omega Mu Housemother,
1965-1967

Mrs. Alma Pratt,
Omega Mu Housemother,
1967-1968

Mrs. Clara Hammons,
Omega Mu Housemother,
1968-1969

Our Omega Mu
Housemothers

“What if the space be long and wide,
That parts us from our brother’s side
A soul-joined chain unites our band,
And memory links us hand in hand.”
(Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)

Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
Perge