June 2021 Newsletter
DELT BIG BASH WEEKEND REVIEW
by Dan Walters '79 Committee Chairman
I would like to thank all who attended our first and hopefully annual Delt Big Bash weekend June 4th to 6th 2021 at Camp Rotary. We had approximately 30 attendees from all over the country. A special thanks to my committee members of Craig Schroer, Randy Allen, John Murphy, Allen Murphy and Marcus Manges.
Camp Rotary opened for business Thursday afternoon for set up and early arrivals. The group gathered on the front porch of the Delt House that afternoon and evening for good conversation and a few cold beverages. Friday morning started with a big country breakfast at Camp Rotary including eggs, bacon, ham, grits, toast, homemade biscuits, bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, orange juice and coffee. Craig Schroer took lead of the kitchen crew of Randy Allen, John Murphy and Dan Walters. This crew did an amazing job.
Allen Murphy organized a GPS treasure hunt. Team Ed Wanamaker and Markus Manges took first place winning the Wally's pub glass. A close second was Mike and Mary Doherty followed by Craig Schroer and Dan Walters.
The group gathered on the front porch of the Delt house for catching up with old friends and making new ones. Our friend Jim Fox provided lunch from Arni's. Happy hour and dinner followed at the New Ross Steak House. The food was outstanding as usual. I would like to thank Rick Batchelder as our point man with the folks as New Ross. We returned to Camp Rotary for the evening around the campfire where we shared stores old and new.
Saturday morning started with a trip to Wallace Indiana to enjoy a great home cooked breakfast at the Highway 341 Cafe (Opera House). The food and service were great. We then headed to campus for the open house from 10am to 2 pm. The buildings were open for touring. The new Football Stadium was open and it is spectacular. For those of you who missed this opportunity come to the Monon Bell Weekend Nov 12th to the 14th 2021. I made a trip to the bookstore for some Wabash gear. Wally's Pub is new in the Sparks Center. I could not leave campus without a visit. I really wanted a Wally's pub glass and a beer to go with it!! I was talking to the manager and she knew Randy Allen and Allen Murphy by name. Great job guys at relationship building.
Back to the front porch of the Delt house for more stories and cold beverages. Happy hour followed at the Backstep Brewing Company from 4-6 pm. We had a new brew 451 released in our honor. We returned to Camp Rotary for a dinner planned by Jim and Deb Evans. The dinner was sponsored by Jim and Deb Evans, Bob Chamness and 603WW. The food was excellent and enjoyed by all. Great job Jim and Deb! Mark Elrod surprised us with 4 kegs of home brewed beer chilled in tubs of ice when we returned to Camp Rotary. Mark is a wealth of information on beer and the home brewing process. I tried them all!! Thanks, Mark, for your generosity. Following diner groups gathered round the campfire, on the front porch of the dining hall and around the kegs of beer. Chuck Candiano provided the finest cigars and spirits to enjoy around the campfire. Thanks to the many others who provided a variety of beverages for all to enjoy.
Sunday morning was cleanup. I would like to thank Greg Fuchs, Mike Doherty, Steve Wakefield, Brad Ballentine, Charley Hutchins, Rob Matthews, Max Simison and son, Allen Murphy, Craig Schroer and John Murphy for help with clean up. The cleanup crew then headed to the Forum restaurant for a farewell breakfast.
I would like to give special thanks for brothers who traveled from great distances to attend. Dick Sword- Jackson Hole, Ed Wanamaker- Cape Cod, Bob Chamness- Oregon, Roger and Rosie Wilson- New Hampshire and Rob Matthews from Arizona. I hope we can make this an annual event. Please give your feedback to me or members of the board if you have suggestions to improve this event. Thanks to all who participated in this great weekend.
Hope to see you all soon!
Dan Walters ‘79
Committee Chairman
PHOTO'S-PHOTO'S-PHOTO'S-PHOTO'S
Do you want to see the photo's taken by various individuals attending the Delt Big Bash? Would you like to download them for your own personal use? Well. thanks to the efforts of Allen Murphy'76 you can now do both! Clink on the following link to view and download the photo's.
A word from the Chapter President
by Isaac Temores
Big Bash Day
Hello, my name is Isaac Temores, and I am the current president of the Beta Psi Chapter of Delta Tau Delta at Wabash. For those of you who don’t know me, I am a simple guy who likes women, beer, cigars, sports, music and food. I really only hate one thing, and that of course is the D*****.
As I’m sure you all know, Big Bash weekend is supposed to be for alumni to come back to the college, to remember their good ol’ glory days. I, along with my brothers Ryan Sacco, K’tren Wilson, and Michael Rojas-Landers, visited the front of the Delt house during Big Bash Day this year and boy did we have a great time. As we walked up to the porch, we were greeted by everyone, from Rob Matthews to Marcus Manges. It was awesome hearing everyone talk about their experiences at Delt and Wabash, such visiting the Beta’s front porch, or having what someone referred to as the “Dish B***h”, who’d go room to room picking up dishes with nothing but an apron on. They gave us a lot of great ideas for this coming fall for sure.
But in all seriousness, the biggest takeaway from meeting all those great men that Saturday afternoon is that Delta Tau Delta is for life. Some of these guys graduated in the late 70s and are still very close. My brothers will not just be there with me consuming adult beverages, but they will be there at my wedding, there to help me find a job, and there as I am being lowered into the ground. It’s great to see the brotherhood will still be very much alive when I get older. It was great meeting you guys, and I hope I get to meet more of you in the fall. If there’s anything I can do, feel free to reach out. Rah Delt.
The Big Bash 2021
by Steve Wakefield'77
In the 44 years since I graduated in “77”, I briefly visited the Delta House on two occasions. So, there were a lot of unknowns for me when I returned for 3 days in June. The House has been remodeled and the Wabash Campus has expanded, but I found the Brothers warmth and interest in each other intact. A great comfort in today’s world. I enjoyed several social gatherings on the Delt House porch, a “steak” at the New Ross Steak House, a tour of the new stadium and the events at Camp Rotary. Well worth making the trek to C’ville. It felt good to reconnect and have interesting conversation. Below is a synopsis of a few of those conversations.
Mike Doherty shared with me about being a double major in music and chemistry and what senior comps were like as the only music major in his class. He told the story about his Glee Club tour of Germany and the “deep” conversation he had with his host family about the war.
Larry Norris just retired and was going to purchase a drum kit. I listened in while Ed Wanamaker and Larry discussed drums and options for Larry’s first purchase. Ed’s band stories were great.
A group of us were sitting on the porch at Camp Rotary when Roger and Susie Wilson pulled up chairs. Roger was soon smiling as everyone in the circle shared how they were intimidated by his presence during our Wabash days. Good conversation followed!
Brad Ballentine showed me a text he had just received from Ralph Dixon. Ralph explained that my council was the reason he stayed at Wabash. I had no idea. Just like when Allen Murphy told me he had no idea his invitation to check out the Delta House was the reason I stayed at Wabash. Often, we are unaware of the impact we have on others.
I enjoyed everything about this event. To sum up the weekend, I felt at home. Hope to see you at the Monon Bell 2021 Delt hospitality tent!
Big Bash Weekend Photo's Update
Do you want to see the photo's taken by various individuals attending the Delt Big Bash? Would you like to download them for your own personal use? Well. thanks to the efforts of Allen Murphy'76 you can now do both! Clink on the following link to view and download the photo's.