Cross & Crescent

The story of our Lambda-Zeta Zeta is primarily a story of brotherly love. It began with the establishment of a local fraternity, Lambda Xi Delta, on the Union University campus in 1961. Jerry Thompson (1964), No. 1 on the chapter rolls, had discussed the possibility of a new fraternity on several occasions with Floyd Guthrie, a Lambda Chi transfer student from Memphis State. On May 15, 1961, at a meeting attended by Thompson, Guthrie, Odis Haggard, Jimmy Jones, David Melvin, John Earl Wells, Roland Fowler, Jimmy Douglass, and Ronnie Hawkins, Lambda Xi Delta was born.

The new local fraternity was courted by several national organizations. Lambda Chi Alpha entered the picture with meetings over the summer with several Lambda Chis and then in September, George Spasyk (Michigan 1949), then service secretary for the International Headquarters, visited with the members of Lambda Xi Delta and officials of Union University, including the university president, Dr. Warren F. Jones, a Lambda Chi from Georgetown College, Kentucky. In October, the brothers of Lambda Xi Delta voted unanimously to affiliate with Lambda Chi Alpha.

Successful Early Beginnings

The early and mid-60s saw great successes for Lambda Chi on the Union campus. They celebrated victories in homecoming display, won two of the four class president elections, and in the freshman class, won the election of all four of the male offices.

Lambda Chi also established the annual May Day, the sponsorship of track and field contests. Outstanding scholarship was rewarded with the receipt of the Lambda Chi Alpha Academic Achievement Award in 1967 and 1969. There was a great diversity of interests with brothers involved in pre-med, religion, business, mathematics, music and the arts, and varsity athletics.

Order of Merit Recipient Gary Williams (1971) remembers those early days: “Lambda Chi wanted something the other two fraternities didn’t offer. We were a very diverse chapter, but the brothers had two or three things in common; character, leadership ability, and quality of background above the standard. In addition, they had moral values, faith-based values if you will, that bound them together. Their values were enhanced and made stronger by being a part of Lambda Chi Alpha. Back then they established the tradition of selflessness, thinking of their brothers first.”

Challenges of 1970s & ’80s

The ‘70s found the chapter in a trough of mediocrity, similar to the situation on many of our nation’s campuses, as they tried to handle the criticism and unrest caused by the Vietnam War and politics in general.

By the early ‘80s, the chapter was facing a serious challenge as membership plunged to eight brothers. Order of Merit Recipeient Tim Tucker (1984) was in the chapter at that time: “In 1982 there were only eight members left in the chapter but they became determined to rebuild it. By the time I left in 1984 membership was up to 30, with two or three brothers giving it everything they had in terms of time to recruit the men we thought were the very best on the campus. I returned to the campus in 1987 and by then the average size of the chapter reached 70 to 75 brothers. Our members didn’t fit a mold then and still don’t. We are very diverse, extending from professionals to preachers. Many of the past High Alphas have gone on to accomplish great things.”

Today’s Chapter: Built to Succeed

Peter Boedeker is the current chapter president (High Alpha): “Today we have 24 associate members and a total membership of 68. Our brothers are involved in so many campus activities with seven serving as Focus Leaders, nine involved in Young Alums, two participating on varsity teams, three members of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature, two in ROTC, four in Young Life, two are Presidential Scholars, many are Provost Scholars, and Scott McSwain was selected as Mr. Union. We have regained our emphasis on academic excellence with a chapter cumulative GPA of 3.2 and have received Lambda Chi Alpha’s Academic Achievement Award eight times in the past 20 years.”

In my research of the history of our chapters, I always try to gain an understanding of how continuous success of our outstanding chapters is achieved.

Peter continues: “‘We are who we are’ probably best describes Lambda Chi Alpha at Union. People notice that. We are ‘real’ at all times. We are totally committed to one another and the community in general. We are involved in the North-American Food Drive, the Relay for Life, and we work with physically challenged children, teaching them to ride horses.”

Williams adds, “Tim Tucker has been the chapter’s High Pi for over 20 years and I don’t know how he does it. Tim best exemplifies what Lambda Chi Alpha is at Union. Lambda Chi has meant unequaled acceptance and love and friendship and faithfulness that has a very unique bond, a bond that extends beyond generations which makes it so unique.”

Tucker adds a poignant footnote: “Parents say Lambda Chi Alpha at Union has changed their sons. They speak about the difference it made when all of the brothers rallied around them in time of crisis. Probably the best example of this occurred when two of the brothers lost their fathers. Upon learning of the tragedy, many of the brothers, who had been in South Carolina, drove through the night to attend the wake and viewing, and to be with their brothers in time of need. The brothers set their standards a little higher than everyone else. Each set of officers sets a strategic plan and sets its own goals. It is great to watch them grow and to reach their own potential. They sell ‘real’ to incoming students and they are ‘real’ all of the time. We make sure that new members get what they thought they were going to get. The brotherhood of these men is what parents marvel at. They have told me how much they appreciate that the brothers are respectful, adult-like, always helping one another and genuinely caring for one another. For us it is a lifetime experience, college to death.”

In the past 19 years, the chapter at Union University has been awarded the Grand High Alpha Award for overall chapter excellence representing superior operations and fraternal spirit on six occasions.