Chapter News Just Try It! By Robin Kenyon, ΤΒΣ Alpha Mu Chapter, Wichita State University
W
hat do you get when you mix nine Brownie Girl Scouts, a handful of Tau Betas, and some wacky homemade instruments? A ton of fun, that’s what! When the Alpha Mu chapter of Tau Beta Sigma found out about the program to help Girl Scouts earn their music “Try-Its,” we jumped to work sending Former Girl Scout Extraordinaire Melissa Losie to round us up a troop. She contacted one of our Alumni, Julie Foster, and made arrangements to spend an evening with her daughter’s scout troop. You can take my word for it; this is definitely a program for everyone. It’s easy enough to arrange; contact churches and elementary schools in your area to find troops, and let it fly from there! The troop leader can provide the necessary Lisa Richards, left, instructs three Wichita, Kansas, area Brownies in materials to make the instruments, and you provide the proper technique for the garden hose euphonium. the knowledge and fun and even bring your own instruments. It’s only a few hours of your time, but so worth it to the girls. We were known from there on out as “those big girls who played their instruments for us.” We explored soda bottle trombones, bean shakers, glass xylophones, and garden hose horns, enough for a roaring good time. Most importantly, this experience allowed us to further our common goal of promoting women in the music field. Already, these girls had been graced with a strong school background in music. We were impressed with their knowledge of the instruments we brought to play and their anticipation to answer any questions we posed to them. After about ten (or was it twenty?) choruses of Hot Cross Buns—a third grade standard—we left with feelings of pride and accomplishment for our abilities to share a love of music with others.
Zeta Chi Celebrated Twenty-five Years of Service by Alan Pine, ΚΚΨ Zeta Chi Chapter, University of South Carolina
T
his past April 8th, the Zeta Chi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi and the Epsilon Alpha chapter of Tau Beta Sigma hosted our annual alumni banquet as part of our alumni weekend, which also included softball and a cookout for our alumni. However, this year had special meaning to all the brothers of Zeta Chi. We celebrated our twenty-fifth year of service to the bands at The University of South Carolina this year, and twelve of our charter brothers came back to Columbia to help us celebrate the occasion. Our charter brothers came from as far away as St. Augustine, Florida, and from four states to join us. There were alumni in our own area that had been lost, but found with a little work. From the first time I talked to many of them, they jumped at the chance to come back to USC and see their brothers. Many of them hadn’t talked with each other in as much as twenty years, and the enthusiasm they had was evident from the moment they got there. It was great to see brothers from a different time still excited about Kappa Kappa Psi. Each charter brother was presented with a plaque as a token of our gratitude for founding Zeta Chi. As they came up to receive this, each brother took some time to tell everyone what they were doing now, and how their lives have changed over the past twenty-five years. It was a very satisfying feeling to meet the people behind the names, and to learn a little about each of the oldest brothers of the chapter. Nearly four hundred brothers have been initiated into Zeta Chi between the first brothers in 1974 and my line, spring 1999, but it felt like no distance at all talking to them. Our banquet revealed the true bonds that are formed in music, giving me the ability to talk with brothers from previous years, whom I might otherwise have never known, like they were actives in the current chapter. The biggest honor for our chapter came in presenting honorary membership in Zeta Chi to Mr. Tom O’Neal, who was the director of bands at USC between 1973-76, and truly did wonders for the Carolina Band. Mr. O’Neal was an active brother of the Gamma Chi chapter at The University of Southern Mississippi when in college, but was never made an honorary of Zeta Chi, despite his work for the band and his involvement in the founding of our chapter. The weekend turned out to be a great success, thanks to all of the brothers and sisters, and especially the alumni committees of Epsilon Alpha and Zeta Chi. We were also fortunate to receive great support from our alumni. It was great to meet the charter brothers of my chapter and help honor Tom O’Neal, without whom Kappa Kappa Psi might never have been at USC. This was our first banquet in a couple of years, and it was a great starting point for future events. We hope the success we had will carry over into our next banquet or alumni functions next year.
32—The PODIUM, Fall 2000
