THE BETA HOUSE
36 THE BETA THETA PI
the beta house a look inside kentucky by Justin Warren, SMU ’10 Photography by George Paxton and Mark Cornelison, Eastern Kentucky ’90
Bridge Builders Just beyond a pair of handsome bronze dragons and six stately pillars, a familiar poem hangs outside the entry door of the brand new Beta house at the University of Kentucky. Miss Will Allen Dromgoole’s “The Bridge Builder” is well known to brothers far and wide, but its message of selflessness and sacrifice for future generations rings particularly true here in Lexington.
Beta Theta Pi’s first attempt to establish an outpost at the Bluegrass State’s flagship institution was, in many ways, a success. With help from their designated “sponsoring chapter” – Delta Xi at Eastern Kentucky – Epsilon Omicron progressed at UK for several years beginning in 1987. But, without long-term housing options, and lacking a large, mature alumni base to draw upon for leadership and support, the chapter member-