SPRING 2021
THE
AUBURN PHI
Official Newsletter of the Alabama Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Auburn University
CHAPTER ADVISORY BOARD UPDATE PRESIDENT’S LETTER
T
he Alabama Beta Chapter at Auburn University has a long and storied past. The original chapter, founded in January 1879, was composed of nine members. J.A. Crawford 8, from Rockford, Alabama, became the chapter’s first president. The brothers tried living in the same boarding houses and held meetings in rooms above downtown buildings. In 1907, Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters sent the chapter their Bond book. The last surviving founder, John Wolfe Lindley, signed, numbered the book at no. 34, and dated the book, March 30, 1907. He passed away in December of that year. In May of 1911, the chapter acquired its first house at the northwest corner of Gay Street and Thach Avenue. The chapter lived in this house until 1929, then moved into the newly built house at 215 South College Street. This grand house was home to many Phis until a fire destroyed it in 1965. The chapter rebuilt the house in the same location. It opened later that year and added the dorm sections in 1970. When Auburn built the Conference center in 1987, the chapter moved across campus to 1848 Lem Morrison Drive. The “new” house is now thirty-three years old and home to the present chapter. During World War II, over 125 Auburn Phis served. One of the better-known Phis was Maj. Gen. Wilton B. Persons
REFER A PHI!
Know any young men who would be great Phis? Refer them to Recruitment Chairman Philip Rehm: par0026@auburn.edu. Then, send them to our Greatest U recruitment campaign: futurephidelt.org.
373. Writing about Persons, US Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Marshall stated, “There are few men in the army whom I consider irreplaceable, and Persons is one of them.” The “Fighting Feagins,” Sam 730, John 464, Joel 408, and Arthur Feagin 525, all served. Cpl. Eugene “Sledgehammer” Sledge, USMC, Ret. 890, fought in Peleliu and Okinawa’s horrific battles and wrote the book With the Old Breed. The book was a significant source for the Emmy award-winning mini-series, The Pacific. Sgt. Malcolm “Buck” Marsh Jr. 884 was a rifleman in Company A, 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, 3rd Armored Division. He joined his unit during the brutal Battle of the Bulge, volunteered to be first scout, and was part of the vanguard that took Cologne, Germany, in March 1945. His unit captured Paderborn, Germany, on April 1, 1945, to effectively close the Ruhr pocket. Buck is still going strong at age ninety-seven and recently wrote a book about his experiences, Reflections of a World War II Infantry Man. I highly recommended both Eugene’s and Buck’s books. Many thanks to Pepper Stanford, wife of alumnus Will Stanford 1760, and mother to undergraduate Clark Stanford 2396, for starting the Alabama Beta Parents Club. She has provided a jolt of energy to the whole organization. In addition to making suggestions for interior improvements to the house, the parents club is raising funds for the new enclosed mailbox kiosk out front. The
ust as the world around us continues to change in different ways, Alabama Beta continues to work towards a stronger chapter in many vital ways. Our new chapter advisor, Dwight Bassett 1644, has been such a resource to go to for the executive committee. He has shown what a true brother is by volunteering his valuable time to attend our weekly executive committee meetings and chapter meetings. The chapter has many focuses this semester, but one of the most significant issues we have focused on is mental health. We continue to encourage members to be open about mental health. Every member of our executive committee has gone through a series of trainings such as Suicide Prevention, Sexual Assault Awareness, and Mental Health Awareness training. Members of our chapter have all worked together to remove the negative stigma around discussing mental health. Another considerable focus we have had is community service. This semester, many of our brothers traveled to Dothan, Alabama, to help out a family impacted by ALS. The family lives on a 40-acre property, and our brothers landscaped for the day to clean up the property. The whole trip was very impactful, and we intend on visiting again and making a donation to the family as well.
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