Gail Martin ’56
Zeta Tau Alpha
My Greek experience, like that of the other women who pledged in the first classes of 1955, was quite unique. Since there were no social clubs to petition the national organizations for admission, the women’s groups at TCU were literally started from scratch.
Rush Week was run by active members of chapters from other universities and local alumni. When Rush was over, the actives returned to their respective campuses, and we were more or less on our own. 

Since there were no Greek dorms either, the Rush parties were held in rooms in the Student Center and in the lounges of the women’s dorms. Later, our chapter meetings were in rooms in the Student Center that were also used for other functions, so we had no place that we could call our own.

I pledged Zeta Tau Alpha and became the pledge class president, and, therefore, the first chapter president. Fort Worth alumni acted as advisors and big sisters, and in late spring we were initiated and became full-fledged members of the first Zeta chapter on campus.

One of my favorite memories as chapter president was the time I was “invited” to Dean Shelburne’s office for a little chat after some Zetas were caught leaving the campus wearing shorts (or maybe jeans — it’s been a long time) which was a big no-no in those days. Most of the women on campus solved the problem by wearing skirts over the shorts or rolled up jeans. Apparently, these Zetas forgot the skirt. I don’t remember the threatened punishment now, but I will never forget that experience!

I know that we, like the other Greeks, worked hard to get our chapter started and to leave a legacy for the women to follow us. I remember those days as fun, exciting, and lots of hard work!

Jay Langhammer ’66
Delta Tau Delta
In the fall of 1961 when I pledged Delta Tau Delta, I had no idea of the lifelong commitment I would make to my fraternity and the Greek world as a whole. The opportunity to get involved in the Delt chapter (intramurals, rush chairman, vice-president) and in campus activities gave me a chance to mature and improve my people skills.
The friendships formed with Delts such as John Jackson, Kenneth Barr, Jim Lane, Jerry Ray, Luther King, Jim Garner, Travis Vanderpool, Kent Nix and hundreds of others are still in effect today and I take pride in all the things accomplished by my brothers since our college days at TCU.

By the time I graduated and joined the Air Force, I had established a relationship with Delt headquarters through attending conferences, contributing chapter reports to our magazine and submitting a few sports features. In 1967, the Delt magazine editor asked me to write a sports column in each issue. Thirty-eight years later, I am still writing the column and (since the early 1990’s) have also covered Delts in the entertainment world.

The opportunity to write for my own magazine later expanded to writing features for more than 30 other national fraternities and covering Greeks in sports and entertainment for the National Interfraternity Conference website.

Because of my involvement in research and writing on a national level for other fraternities (and a few sororities) over the last three decades, I feel like I’m a part of those groups in a small way and continue to appreciate the role of Greek organizations at TCU and on campuses all over the nation.

Jeff Layne ’91
Lambda Chi Alpha
Looking back on my days as a Lambda Chi at TCU, I confess that many of the specifics have faded from memory. What’s left are more general, but lasting, impressions. 

I remember that we took the business of fraternity seriously. We strived to achieve in academics and athletics, and we set the bar high for both every year.. We worked hard to contribute to our university and our community. Even our “partying” exhibited a level of intensity. (I think it was the main job of our social chairmen to make the fraternity president shudder in horror at least once a month.)

I also remember the easy camaraderie. Some of the best times I had were relaxing on a couch somewhere, talking or listening to football, not doing much of anything. I remember the atmosphere of mutual trust and the ease and comfort that simple activity brought to so many of us.

I remember the challenge of a group of young men, organized around a common set of values, leading themselves and each other toward a common goal. Learning how to lead (and follow) one’s peers is difficult, and the lessons have stuck with me throughout my life.

I also remember criticism — of the Greek system, our fraternity, and our leadership. At the time, I always reacted in a reflexively defensive manner, but much of the criticism stuck with me through the years, and I have learned from it, even if after the fact.

And I remember as a new associate that the seniors seemed so old and wise. Now I look at the fraternity and wonder — who are all these kids? The truth is that 20-year-old men are not kids, and they have the capacity for true wisdom. It is the challenge of fraternity to nurture that wisdom. I am proud to say that at Lambda Chi Alpha, circa 1990, we were up to that challenge.

Allison Fisher Speer ’91
Delta Delta Delta
A co-worker recently asked, “What does it mean to be Greek?” I thought the words would eloquently roll off my tongue, but they stopped midway up my throat.

“Ahhh, let me get back to you,” I replied. 

I knew long before I got to TCU that I would go through Rush. There were four of us from Abilene — four friends since grade school — who all pledged. Whether it was a decision our TCU Greek mothers helped us make or not, I don’t recall. But I’m sure glad we did.
So many good things came from it. I found instant friends. I learned the value of community service. I reaped the rewards of a family of sisters to challenge me and help me grow into a responsible adult.

Of course meeting lots of cute boys and going to parties was certainly a plus. As was living in the sorority house with 50 sisters who shared clothes, food, sob stories and giggles.

That’s what it meant to me then. But here’s what it means to me now.

After more than a decade away from all things TCU and Tri Delta, I signed up, err, was bribed into volunteering as a Rush advisor last year. I reestablished old friendships with sorority sisters and alums who were advisors when I was but a pledge. Although I had long forgotten the rules of Rush, the faces I had not.

During the first Rush party (it’s called Recruitment now), as the explosion of kenetic female conversation buzzed like bumblebees and girls grabbed hands to sing (loudly) about their sisterhood, I stood with the other alumni, my hands cupping my ears and wondered, How in the world was I chosen to be in this sorority?

Then I looked at these gleaming girls and had a mini-revelation: Whether you were in the Tri Delta house, the Zeta house, the Kappa house or even a fraternity house, the same thing was happening. The ideals, standards, songs and bonds that I learned were taught to every TCU Tri Delta before me.

And girls now and in the future will have the same kinds of experiences I had because a key element connects people in the Greek system: The sense of family.

Referring to someone as a fraternity brother or sorority sister evokes validity. To me, it’s like as saying, “She’s my cousin.” Or better yet, “She’s my sister.” There is an inherent connection between people who are members of a Greek association, whether they are strangers or soul mates.

Belonging for a lifetime — that’s what being Greek at TCU means to me.

Ellyn Shields Morgan ’89
Chi Omega
When I remember Greek Life at TCU, I think of a home away from home, new friends from all over the country, a chance to grow personally, to serve others and to develop leadership skills. As a member of Chi Omega, I felt challenged to achieve high personal goals and to represent our group with integrity. 

A special photo on my shelf for almost 17 years reminds me of a favorite time at TCU. I spent the summer of 1988 preparing for Rush Week as Rush Chair for Panhellenic Council. The picture shows the group of PRCs (Panhellenic Rush Counselors) which represented each women’s sorority that participated. I loved being a part of this group. Our teamwork and camaraderie transcended the differences of each individual sorority. We had a blast!
I also remember that for the first time we used a computer program to help with the bidding process. We used an Apple computer with 6-inch floppy disks to record data. We thought we were so advanced! I know many things have changed since then, surely for the better. 

Michelle A. Hillman ’00
Kappa Kappa Gamma
I’m lucky that Greek life was a part of my life. I loved the dorm, a.k.a. sorority house, complete with micro-fridge. We didn’t have to lock our doors in the Kappa house, we could daily raid at least 12 other closets and we even had 20 cats in the parking lot to call our own.

More importantly, an established weekly schedule never failed us. Tuesdays were “32’s Days,” where the Kappas played cards with the SAEs while enjoying our favorite 32-ounce beverage. 

Wednesdays got us over the hump. Our favorite havens included Boomers, where the song “Come on Ride that Train” provided a reason to lower stress and “raise the roof.” Thursday was most anticipated though, providing mixers with the fraternities. My favorite, for obvious reasons, was the Crush Mixer where each girl got to anonymously invite two secret, or not so secret, crushes. 

Weekends were equally stimulating with theme parties such as Sigma Chi Graffiti, SAE Paddy Murphy or Phi Delt Chili Cook-Off. My sisters and I were armed and fabulous with permanent markers, flapper dresses and mysterious ground beef, respectively.
Slow or fast, Greek life put many fond memories and friends in my life, none I would ever give up.

Nancy O’Neall ’71 and Marsha Beck Sparks ’72
Delta Delta Delta
It seems strange to reflect on life at TCU in the late ’60s/early ’70s, when it seems like only yesterday that we were singing “Good Morning Starshine” at Songfest or gathering in the chapter room to learn who in our circle of friends had been “dropped” or “pinned”– the terms used then for “going steady” or “almost engaged.” 

And it couldn’t have been 35 years ago since we had weekday curfews of 10 p.m. and had to lower buckets from second floor windows to haul in hamburgers that our fraternity friends (who had no curfews) procured at the Jack in the Box on Berry St.

Of course the reason we needed food after 10 p.m. was because we were up late studying and had eaten dinner at 4:30, the minute “the Greek” cafeteria in Worth Hills opened for the evening meal. (Hmmm. It seems like of lot of these memories revolve around food.)

There were the social activities — the mixers with fraternities, the formals with other sororities, the good-natured competition of Sigma Chi Derby Day, with its greased log and donut eating contests (separate, not simultaneous, events). There were the countless hours we spent stuffing tissue paper into chicken wire to build Homecoming floats that were actually stationary attractions that resided on the mall south of the student center and didn’t float anywhere.

There were the philanthropic activities — Tri Deltas selling programs at every home football game to raise money for scholarships, enduring with grace the drunken Arkansas fans arriving in Winnebagos, speakers blaring, pig hats waving! We developed special bonds with the kids at Lena Pope Home, taking them to a semi-pro ice hockey game at Will Rogers Coliseum, hosting a Christmas party for them with a fraternity and much more. We often found ourselves involved with the entire Greek community in campus philanthropy events like the blood drive or in other Greek organizations’ philanthropic projects.
And then there were expanded leadership opportunities afforded us by being part of a smaller group within the larger university community. 

The diversity of our experiences and associations provided tangible and immediate benefits while on campus, but also shaped our lives for the future. In the circle of sisterhood we came of age, finding our way within the affirmation and acceptance of true friends — free to be ourselves, yet challenged by academic and social standards to be our best.

We came to understand the value of participating in something larger than ourselves, the importance of teamwork over self, of accountability to ourselves and our community. Living together as a group taught us about sharing, compromise, and negotiation. Our perspectives and horizons were challenged and expanded. We learned what leadership was –and wasn’t. Fun and laughter seasoned everything. 

And, although we didn’t know it then, the friendships sprouting in those halcyon days would grow to bless us beyond measure throughout our lives. Our life tapestry became richly shaded by the love, inspiration, and sustenance of those enduring friendships. Opportunity, challenge, skills, and lifelong friends — we would not be the same without Greek life. We are far richer for it.

Horatio Porter ’91
Alpha Phi Alpha
Like most freshmen that arriving on campus, I was naïve and reticent about the college experience, in particular Greek life. Having heard about fraternities in high school, I was extremely curious. At the time, there were only two African American fraternities on campus. Alpha Phi Alpha and Kappa Alpha Psi both offered the opportunity to further develop, but the service and academic focus led me to seriously consider Alpha Phi Alpha. Additionally, individuals from my local community served as gatekeepers to that organization. While apprehensive about the process, I had some confidence in the guys who were “guarding the door.”

Without a doubt my Greek experience was not only enriching but also necessary for my progression. Raised in a single-parent home with four younger sisters, I didn’t have the opportunity to develop “brotherly” relationships growing up. Of course, I had teammates from my athletic endeavors but those bonds were not always fulfilling. The fraternity allowed me to forge even deeper friendships. Ironically, or better yet coincidentally after more than 15 years of membership, those same guys are my good friends. Thanks to those guys for being brothers then but more important, for being brothers now.

In addition to lifetime friends, I also developed lifetime skills from the Greek experience. The leadership, teambuilding and communicating skills that were honed in college are fundamental assets in my professional toolkit. I credit Alpha Phi Alpha and TCU with my ability to lead and manage people in the workforce and also in Board service. 

As did all members in the Greek system, we partied hard and we stayed up late but our focus was to graduate and be a contributor to the greater community. Thanks to TCU and Alpha Phi Alpha, I am trying to do my part.