Tau Zeta During WWII

The other day I was looking at our Tau Zeta archives, reading through old chapter minutes. These chapter minutes, written by a typewriter, date back to some of the earliest times the 1920s, 30s and 40s. While I was skimming from year to year I came across a passage that didn’t include any of the formal information such as when chapter took place, who presided over chapter, and what was discussed during chapter. Instead this was a simple note intended for future members of Tau Zeta to reflect on. The following note reads:

This is the close of the school year of 1942-43. Most of the boys are destined for service in the United State Armed Forces soon after school closes. Since the Army is planning on renting the house for the duration, we have stored all of our furniture in the Chapter room now. We all hope for a speedy close of hostilities, and may the house again be open to the fraternity fellowship, meetings, the old nights of study, and the jolly times that are possible amongst brothers of the Bond. With this I close, hoping the new Gamma has as much fun and inspiration as I have from my duties.

Yours in ZAX,

Clinton C. Sloan

To put things in perspective, by the close of the 1942, 1943 school year, Marines had just captured Guadalcanal from the Japanese in the Pacific and were turning their attention to Rabaul. U.S. military forces would continue to island hop in the Pacific for two more years. In Europe at this time, the axis powers were continuing to spread through the continent and D-day would not occur for another year. 

In essence, America was at the height of the global conflict of World War II.

This passage from the Tau Zeta gamma (secretary) amazes me and quite frankly it’s hard to comprehend. Imagine an entire group of men in a fraternity leaving college, shipped overseas, and uncertain of what the next few months might hold. Imagine a fraternity house being disbanded for a year because of the war efforts (the next passage in the archives was written in the fall of 1945).  During World War II a whole generation of people dedicated their lives to making sure we could have a future void of tyranny.

As Tau Zeta continues to progress we must be fortunate for the chance to be a part of a tight brotherhood. At this moment, we don’t have to fear that an imminent conflict half way around the world will tear us apart from our Tau Zeta experience. We should always be thankful and remember the people who fought for our country and who are still fighting- including Lambda Chi’s.

In ZAX,

Andrew Talevich

Alumni Correspondent.

Tau 1731

Chef Mike Serves Up Meals for Lambda Chi

We are very lucky to have Mike Mastro in our kitchen, constantly cooking us great meals. Mike grew up in Las Vegas and was the son of a casino and restaurant manager. He started working in his father's restaurants when he was only 13 years old. When he turned 18 he began dealing cards but decided that he liked cooking much more so he pursued his career in that. He opened many different restaurants and diners including a sub shop on the Las Vegas strip. Eventually, he moved to Lewiston, Idaho and saw a Craigslist post that stated the men of Lambda Chi were seeking a new chef last year. After a quick interview, we hired Mike and haven't looked back. During a visit to the Lambda Chi house, Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson said that Mike was the best chef on Greek Row. We are so grateful for Mike's services.

In ZAX,

Connor McCormick
Tau 1756

Lambda Chi's Take Advantage of Pullman Winter

While heavy snowfall is often viewed as an obstacle for WSU professors and administrators, the men of Lambda Chi saw it as an opportunity- an opportunity to have fun. Anyone who has ever been a Lambda Chi at WSU, or even a student in Pullman, probably has a few great memories in the snow. After an unexpected heavy snowfall, the men of Lambda Chi’s sledded down observatory hill, built igloos and snowmen, made snow angels, and even engaged in a snowball fight with our neighbor fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Below are some amazing pictures of how the snow transformed the Pullman landscape and how the men of Lambda Chi made the most of it.

Lambda Chi Wraps Up Winter Intramurals

As the month of February came to a close, so did the seasons for intramural basketball and football. Over the past few weeks the athletes of Lambda Chi have battled on the hardwood and the turf to try and clench the elusive intramural championship. 

     Basketball’s A Team, with Brother Justin Alexander taking lead as captain, ran their opponents into the ground and ended the regular season with a perfect 3-0 record. With four of the seven players, including yours truly, playing on high school varsity teams, A Team was a force to be reckoned with. Opening the seasons with a big win against an opponent they lost to in the first semester, A Team looked primed for a winning season, and indeed they did. They entered the playoffs with momentum, but sadly their hopes for a championship were dashed as they were knocked out in the first round of playoffs in a close game on the Smith Gym hardwood.

      Basketball’s B Team had a rough regular season with several losses that were decided in the last few seconds. Under the leadership of Brother Scott Knoben and Brother Marc Gaan, they kept their spirits high and battled hard making sure their opponents never got an easy win. They ended their season with a 0-4 record but kept their passion for the game until the very end. Hearing Brother Zach McKiernan chant “B SQUAD!” on the way to their games was a loud testament to their pride.

      A Team football were titans on the turf as they marched through the regular season with a 3-0 record and handed their first playoff opponents a swift defeat. On Feb. 24 they experienced their first loss and were knocked out of the running for the championship title but not after an intense game out on the snowy Pullman tundra.

     Football’s B Team had a rough regular season entering the playoffs at 0-3, but proved they were sticking around when they won their first playoff game. After a week off, they entered the second round of playoffs but were knocked out and ended their season with an overall 1-4 record.

     As the house moves into the month of March and the spring season, teams for badminton, volleyball, soccer and softball are enthusiastically being formed by the members. Games of football will often be seen being played by Lambda Chi brothers on Friday and Sunday afternoons at Martin Stadium. If you feel the need to come out and throw the old pigskin around come on by. We’ll see you on the field.

In ZAX,

John Jamora

Tau 1768

Councilmen Waldrop and Weller Enjoy Dinner at Lambda Chi

Last week, the men of Lambda Chi hosted Pullman city councilmen Nathan Weller and Barney Waldrop. Weller and Waldrop enjoyed dinner at Tau Zeta then took turns speaking to the house. Both men had very encouraging messages for us. Waldrop shared his thoughts about how it’s important to be dedicated members of society while Weller spoke about the benefits of community service. This presentation came a week after Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson visited Tau Zeta. We plan to continue hosting inspiring leaders at Lambda Chi. We are currently trying to set up a dinner with the Pullman Fire Department.