Feature
THE MAN WHO CHANGED EVERYTHING
A Look at How It All Went Down, from His Perspective
by The Emerald Staff
W
hen it comes to understanding the history of Sigma Pi Fraternity, it's important to know the improbable journey of Robert George Patterson, a student at the Ohio State University with a passion for America’s first nationally-known populist politician. As detailed in what the Fraternity has published for decades in “The Patterson Episode,” Patterson is single-handedly responsible for influencing the members of Tau Phi Delta, a local fraternity at Vincennes University, to change their name to Sigma Pi Fraternity. It all started in 1896 when, at 11 years of age, Patterson heard William Jennings Bryan make a speech during what turned out to be his first of three unsuccessful presidential campaigns. Thrilled by Bryan’s eloquence, Patterson was convinced he had seen and heard the greatest American of his time. Soon after the 1896 presidential election, Patterson’s father purchased 10
Winter 2022
