1905
Beta Spirit “Again, the Beta is distinguishable and distinguished from all other kinds of fraternity men whatsoever, by just a little warmer and stronger, just a little tenderer and more enduring fraternity feeling than any of them can attain to. For it was always so. I do not in the least know how it happened nor why it persisted after it happened, but a long time ago there came into Beta Theta Pi a fraternity spirit that was, and is, and apparently will continue to be unique... The first mark of a Beta will be his Beta spirit.” — Willis O. Robb, Ohio Wesleyan 1879 The banquet speech, “The Beta of the Future”, is still well-known among the brotherhood because it contains the very famous “Beta Spirit” paragraph. It was given in New York on March 24, 1905, 15 years after [Robb’s] original ‘fraternity spirit’ remarks during the 1890 Convention. It can be found in its entirety in Beta Lore, pages 46-49. Left: Pi Chapter at Indiana celebrates its win of the 2013 Little 500 bike race. Right: Forrest Buck, WisconsinOshkosh ’14, finds security on a beach in Rome while studying abroad with two Beta brothers.
Beta Brotherhood | page 76