Theta Tau history

Founder Lewis transferred to the Colorado School of Mines and there made contact with the Square Set Club, which became Gamma Chapter in 1907.

The Southwestern Alumni Association, the fraternity’s first, was established in Douglas Arizona in 1908.

However, the fraternal spirit of the organization slowly disappeared. It all started in 1914 when a group of engineering students at The University of Alabama made the decision to form a fraternal organization known as the Engineer’s Club.

Schrader established a record of service and served as its first Grand Regent until 1919 and then for 35 years as Grand Scribe.

Since our founding in 1922, Mu Chapter has never been inactive.

J. Sidney Marine, H '21, was elected Grand Regent in 1925, the youngest to serve in that position.

Phi Chapter of Theta Tau was founded on April 21, 1928 by a group of mostly electrical engineering students.

Our first house, used very briefly, was located at 321 Vine Street (Current location of Phi Kappa Tau), and was only used for a short period until 1929.

Fred Coffman, L '22, served as Grand Regent during the depression years through 1935.

In 1940, Grand Regent Glass made a nationwide tour visiting nearly every chapter and many alumni associations.

At the 1941 Convention, Theta Tau began a tradition of honoring a student chapter delegate as the convention's "Outstanding Delegate."

When conventions were resumed in 1946, Ralph W. Nusser, Z '28, was elected Grand Regent.

Norman B. Ames, GB '17, the charter member responsible for Gamma Beta Chapter's affiliation with Theta Tau, was elected Grand Regent in 1948.

One of Phi Chapter’s most notable contributions to Purdue has been the introduction of the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, which was founded by our chapter at Purdue and first held as part of the Purdue Engineer’s Ball in 1949.

At its Founders' Golden Anniversary Convention (1954), Theta Tau established the position of Counselor which only he could hold.

Contests were held between Theta Tau and Triangle fraternity on campus until The end of the Engineer’s Ball tradition in 1955.

The position of Regional Director was established by the 1956 Convention.

At the 1958 Convention, Charles W. Britzius, A '33, was elected Grand Regent, the restriction of membership to those who were white was removed, and the Fraternity appropriated funds to support extension efforts.

William E. Franklin, Z '57, then assistant editor, was appointed editor-in-chief of The Gear in 1961, succeeding Howe and Mercer.

At the convention in 1962, William K. Rey, M '45, was elected Grand Regent, and the fraternity established the position of Executive Secretary (now Executive Director) to which Pope was appointed.

In 1963, for the first time, the fraternity had a central office.

Annual alumni gifts, now so important to the fraternity, were first solicited in 1964.

The 1966 Convention elected C. Ramond Hanes, '24, another Sigma charter member, as Grand Regent.

The 1968 Convention elected Doctor Charles E. Wales, '53, an Epsilon Beta charter member, as Grand Regent.

The position of Student Member of the Executive Council was created in 1970.

The last, Vinal, died in 1971.

Doctor George G. Dodd, Z '60, was elected Grand Regent in 1972; and the Delegate-at-Large (immediate Past Grand Regent) was made officially a member of the Executive Council.

The 1976 Convention elected as Grand Regent Stephen J. Barth, LB '67, a charter member of Lambda Beta Chapter, the first second-generation Theta Tau to hold this position.

With the Spring, 1979, issue, The Gear adopted the standard 8-1/2x11-inch page size which has been continued.

A History of Theta Tau, compiled by Past Grand Regent Charles W. Britzius, was published in 1980.

Regional Conferences were replaced by a special Convention in 1981, establishing the pattern of holding national meetings annually in August rather than biennially in the week after Christmas.

In 1982, A. Thomas Brown, M '77, like Brother Barth, a member's son, was elected Grand Regent.

In 1983, some brothers found the original traveling trophy from these contests while cleaning, and decided it would be a goal of the fraternity to bring back the contest.

Mu Chapter initiated its first female members in 1985.

The Theta Tau Alumni Hall of Fame was established in 1986 to honor those members of the Fraternity who have distinguished themselves through the excellence of their contributions to their professions and/or to the fraternity.

The Theta Tau Outstanding Student Member Program was created in 1991 so each chapter could designate an outstanding student member for recognition by the national fraternity.

In 1994, the appointive position of Executive Director was added to the Executive Council.

In 1996, the Executive Council appointed as the Board of Editors, Robert E. Pope, editor-in-chief, and Michael T. Abraham.

He was instrumental in establishing the Theta Tau Educational Foundation in 1998 and served as its first President.

In 1999 the foundation sponsored the fraternity's first Leadership Academy replacing the National Conference.

At the 2000 meeting, many structural changes were made in the constitution and bylaws to more fully integrate the central office into the laws.

In November 2001, the central office moved from the St Louis metropolitan area to Austin, Texas, and the fraternity's archives were moved from a room in the Alpha Chapter House to the central office.

Finally, after a fundraising effort spanning decades, the active chapter and the alumni board raised enough money to demolish our old house, which was succumbing to major structural issues, and build a new house, which was completed in 2003.

In 2004, Theta Tau celebrated its centennial.

In 2007, the Psi Gamma became a colony.

In 2009, Grand Vice Regent Justin G. Wiseman, Xi Beta '95, created Chapter Advisory Teams to provide greater local support for each chapter by utilizing more alumni in support of them.

Since 2010 alone, the fraternity has installed more than twenty chapters, and many additional colonies have been certified.