The Red Polo Debut

By 1994, the bar was raised (or forever lowered, depending on your perspective) for composite imagery.  No longer content with just plaid jackets, Brothers began to think outside the box about what ridiculous things they could portray inside their little box: Tom Whitehead and Jay Mark introduced two variations on 'the point'; Joe Italiano displayed his mansweater; Rich Muneke brought props; and Kevin Morrow took things to a whole new plane.

Herenow, my top 10 of 1994:


10. The Old Man


9. Dwayne Wayne glasses and a name that sounds like the title of a Skinemax movie.


8. Grunge meets The Fonz.  Aayyyyy...


7. Jean jacket and no shirt: think of the chafing.


6. Back when terrorists were still just innocent fun.


5. Sometimes nicknames don't need an explanation.

4. Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman. Damn glad to meet you.


3. No, he's not wearing a sweater.  And yes, that's his real name.


2. Best Use of Melon


1. Leopard print sheets + come-hither look = Irresistible

Damn Glad to Have You

A glimpse at the paddle signature, circa 1994, courtesy Joe Rinaldi '97. This simple piece of paper witnessed many of the indignities that befall most sheets designated for such assignment: discoloration; stains; burn marks; scotch tape holding the whole thing together. According to Joe, the big hole at the bottom is the result of Mike Relyea dipping it in beer and drinking it. Proud to be a Kappa Sigma Pledge.

The best part of any good paddle is the cryptic prefix that brothers provide along with their signature. Like that unpronounceable symbol that Prince used as his name around the same time, these prefixes were a means of asserting individuality, while making absolutely zero sense to the rest of the world. A sampling:

• "12" F3"
• "1025"
• "5-8-77"
• "46-10"
• "LAX"
  
• "NAKED"
• "Stress"
• "No F*cking Clowns"
  

I wonder if anyone still remembers what these prefixes mean. Or, who knows, maybe some guys still use them today. Would banks even accept a check that said "No F*cking Clowns" at the bottom?

The Final Summer

10 years ago this week, the last brothers to live in the lodge moved out. It marked the end of a long-standing tradition of rent-free accommodations for those with summer jobs in Richmond. The next summer, fraternity row would be under construction, as the old Lambda Chi, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Sigma Chi lodges were torn down to make way for an expanded Robins Center parking lot. The summer after that, our own lodge would undergo a renovation that would forever limit it's ability to house (the kitchen & shower were both displaced).

For that last summer, three brothers called the backrooms home: Christian Shwarzkopf' '99 and yours truly in the Brothers' Room; and Tommy Hayes '00 in the Little Sisters room. For May term, six additional brothers somehow found a place to sleep inside. The beds & dressers were rented; every other bit of furniture was taken from whatever the brotherhood had chosen to store up there for the summer. That meant futons and crate furniture galore. The decor was dorm room chic. If memory serves, that's Miss February 1998 alongside my bed:

A summer at the lodge entailed unbearable humidity, a shower that actually made you feel dirtier, and a fantastic venue for weekend beer pong. With no cable, televised entertainments were limited. But there was always something going on at the Row. One guy living at Sigma Chi asked if he could use our shower once a week (what did he do the other 6 days?) and another guy living at Fiji taught me the two chords necessary to play Every Rose Has Its Thorn on the guitar (thank you, Russ).

From Brother Hayes:

Lots of memories from that summer. The 3 day power outage. The attempt to watch the 100 greatest movies of all-time. The futility of keeping the lodge clean, even after ponying up however much cash for the pre-move-in professional scrubbing. Drunken stumbling back and forth to the pool house. Your eviction of Joe Manning's junk onto the front sidewalk. . Trying to string a line of blankets from the ceiling so that the cool air generated by that measly window A/C unit in the brothers room not only stayed in the back of the lodge but also flowed over to the sister's room. Schwa cooking strange concoctions of mushrooms and onions. Random brothers from the 1970's stopping by looking for drinking buddies.

Outside of evicting Brother Everlasts' belongings in a fit of anger, it was a fantastic way to spend the summer. Any of our predecessors have their own memories of living at the lodge?

Innocence Lost

In 1993, Bill Clinton took the Oval Office, Jurassic Park topped the box office, and Vinny Lim donned a wig. An eyewitness account from Allan Young '93:

The movement to "wacky" photos [began that year]. We tried to work out a compromise since the brotherhood was split. I remember offering the solution to take two photos so we could have a serious and crazy composite. However, it was going to cost another ten bucks so we decided to buy a case of the beast instead.

This first attempt at composite humor is akin to the pilot episode of the best sitcoms: not quite as funny as the later years, but lays the groundwork for what's to come.

And so, I submit the following 7 for The Best of 1993:


7. Matt Drudge, the college years


6. Bandannas never had it so good.


5. The jacket's great. But WTF is eating his shoulder?


4. A lesser jacket. But the edge goes to the popped collar.


3. Dead Serious Gaze + Pipe = Pure Comedy


2. The timeless classic: beer goggles.


1. The Beginning of the End

The Nineties Gap

By most measures, last year's Homecoming was a great success for Beta Beta alumni. Nearly 70 brothers returned to campus for an alumni happy hour, a fantastic tailgate, a Spider victory over Villanova, and a dinner reception overlooking Westhampton Lake. However, in one respect, 2007 was also a complete failure.

The above chart shows paid attendees for last year's Homecoming, according to their year of initiation (we don't have accurate years of graduation for everyone). A quick look shows that fellowship is strong among the brothers from the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. Every pledge class from 1960 to 1984 (except '62 and '67) had at least one representative in attendance last year.

This chart also reveals a dramatic drop-off in attendance beyond 1984. For lack of a better term, this is what I call "The Nineties Gap". I don't think this gap is the result of apathy. From what I know about the chapter of 15-20 years ago, these were some of our strongest years on campus. I also don't think it 's a matter of being too young or too busy with our job or families. From what I've seen on Facebook just the last few days, there are plenty of guys in their 30s and early 40s looking to reconnect with each other.

To help close this gap, I'm looking for anyone post-1984 that can help recruit other brothers back to campus for this year's Homecoming. Someone that can organize a golf foursome with their pledge brothers. Or convince a few former roommates to make the trip back to Richmond to smell that lodge smell once again. Drop me an email at mark.railsback@gmail.com if you're interested in helping recruit.

Before Wigs & Nipples

Take a good look at the picture above. To the best of my knowledge, it represents the last "serious" Beta Beta composite picture ever taken. Look hard. You won't see a single fake name or costume or prop anywhere. Each one of these portraits would make a mother proud.

My biggest question is why so many green jackets? Was this a nod to the Kappa Sigma colors? Or did all of these guys just win the Masters? And how come no one is dressed like Arsenio or Color Me Badd? I would expect lots of oversized jackets in garish colors. Or at least some massive Luke Perry sideburns.

Occasionally, I'll dig into the archives of the Foundation (aka the box in my attic) to survey composites of brothers past. If anyone out there has composites (especially earlier than this one), send them my way so we can all enjoy the laugh.

Doctor John

Brother John Wells '98 is our blogger on the scene in London. While he earns a living in IT and web development, his free time is spent playing with light sabers, mobile clubbing, or twittering.

A post of John's from this past April:

I’m coming up on 3 years of living in London. I have two friends from Richmond that are living in Zurich for the next two years, and another friend from college who’s been in Singapore for well over a year now.

This morning my mom wrote me an email, saying:

“I totally get why you would want to stay in London (or Zurich?). I don’t have to like it, but I sure do understand. This is the new global community… my parents ate American food and stayed home. My generation learned to like authentic ethnic food and visited foreign countries. Our kids’ generation is LIVING in foreign countries.”

It’s an undeniable trend that, if you think about it, sure is happening fast. At least with things like Skype and the internet in your pocket, it’s becoming increasingly easier (and affordable) to keep in touch within this global community.

Still, nothing can replace proximity, or more importantly a hug. Just a few years ago when I was still in Richmond, my mom gave me a book titled Urban Tribes: Are Friends the New Family?, and it spoke to me on such a fundamental level: my Richmond friends really had become my extended family. Since then we’ve all jumped ship and spread our wings out into the world, and while it’s a wonderful adventure for each of us, we’re still missing each other dearly.

Whether or not you agree with Mama Wells, the fact is that since this blog went live 8 days ago, it's been visited by brothers from as far away as Argentina, Chile, Jordan, Bermuda and the UK.
Global community indeed.

And the next time someone sees John, please give him that hug.