Cross & Crescent

Lambda Chi Alpha’s journey on the Susquehanna University campus began with a group of 12 men, half of whom were day-students, on September 9, 1914, when the Bond and Key Club was formed. This made it the oldest fraternity on the campus.

John F. Harkins (1915) was the first president of Bond and Key. Brother Harkins was the Pastor Emeritus of Grace Lutheran Church, former president of Susquehanna University’s Board of Directors and a member of the Board of the National Lutheran Home for Aged in Washington, D.C. The early members were patriotic and loyal to the university.

Lt. Ralph Witmer (1915) and Lt. Ralph Woodruff (1920) both served in the U.S. Army during World War I. Percy Linebaugh (1916) returned to the university after graduation and became part of the music faculty. The chosen occupations for many of those early members were education and the clergy.

The 1920s and 1930s were marked with expanded social activities including party nights with table games and sandwiches, dances, banquets, and ‘smokers’ during rush. In 1924 the house at 309 W. Walnut was expanded and refurbished. During the 43 years of Bond and Key’s existence its membership grew to over 650 members and its members dominated activities and leadership positions on the campus including the ever-expanding intercollegiate sports competition.

Lambda Chi Affiliation

After World War II ended, the university experienced significant growth as did Bond and Key. Subsequently, the members decided that affiliation with a national fraternity would be a correct direction. The Iota-Eta Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha was installed on Saturday, April 27, 1957, by the degree team of the University of Maryland-College Park.

The first chapter president was Donald R. Boyer (1959). The first group of Lambda Chis was diverse and included class presidents, varsity men, members of the Dean’s List, members of the marching band, members of the newspaper and yearbook staffs, president of the Student Council, and Richard Purnell (1958), a Little All-American in football who would later be an assistant coach at Susquehanna for 15 years. This excellence of members continued for the next 40 years.

Throughout the past 90 years, members of Bond and Key and Lambda Chi Alpha have served on the Susquehanna University Board of Trustees. Barry Jackson (1968), principal of Portshire Inc. in Annapolis, Maryland, and Bruce Ficken (1970), attorney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, currently serve in that capacity. Barry had a very positive experience as a Lambda Chi.

“I joined as a second semester freshman. I was from Philadelphia and had been raised in a single parent home. I picked Lambda Chi because they were good guys and I lived in the fraternity house for the next three years. It was a meaningful experience, with the fraternity becoming my family. I participated in all of the activities of the fraternity, which was a sports oriented group of men. It was a wonderful time to be in a fraternity. I had more fun in college than I deserved to have, meeting my wife who was a member of Alpha Delta Pi, and getting an excellent education. School was a great place to learn and grow, maintain friendships, and meet men who would become successful in business. It was a home away from home. One particular thing I remember about Lambda Chi was Greek Sing. One year we reluctantly entered the competition. The brother in charge was a real taskmaster and made us practice every day. The song we sang was ‘Three Blind Mice.’ Unbelievably, we won!”

Kevin John Akner (1985) was the 2000 recipient of the Susquehanna University Young Alumni Award. “I have owned my own construction business since 1985. I loved being a member of Lambda Chi. I joined the fraternity as a freshman and moved into the fraternity house in my sophomore year. The house held 42 men. I was very busy in school, being a varsity wrestler for four years in addition to being the House Manager. I enjoyed working around the fraternity house. I built a wrap-around porch and rebuilt the chapter room which also served as the Ritual room. The membership blossomed to over 100 men due primarily to a president who was very active and totally committed to the chapter’s well being. During my time in the fraternity, the ritualist decided that the Ritual would be completely memorized. This decision raised the spirits within the house and we had 20 brothers on Ritual teams. It was an awesome, fabulous experience. You wouldn’t think young men could understand it, but they did. We were fun guys, but everyone turned serious during Ritual week, because it was sacred. I put some of it into my wedding vows. I will always remember it.”

Nicholas Lopardo Stadium

In 2000 the Nicholas Lopardo (1968) Stadium was dedicated at Susquehanna University. This former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University and former vice chairman of the State Street Corp. and CEO of State Street Global Advisors had a wonderful fraternity experience. “My experience was nothing but positive. I made dear friends. The house was populated with athletes, and many of the football athletes chose to pledge. It turned out to be very special for me since I roomed with a man I met on the first day at summer football camp. His name is Jim Hall (1968), and we remain best friends to this day. I am his son’s godfather and he is my oldest son’s godfather. He and I were also on the baseball team together.”

Having the stadium named for your service and generosity to the University must have been an unforgettable moment. “It is a thrill to walk into the stadium. It is mind boggling to see my name at the top of the stadium. I remember walking off the football field with Coach Briggs in the ‘90s lamenting the lack of grass and thinking to myself this has to change. We now have a stadium of which everyone can be proud. It was my privilege recently to donate a JumboTron scoreboard to the school. I am very committed to this fine University, which provided me with such an outstanding education. I owe so much to my coaches and to the school. My son was showing my grandson, who shares my name, a picture of the stadium. Later my grandson told me that he owns a stadium. The next time we visited the stadium he showed me ‘his’ name on it. The dedication ceremony was such a wonderful moment. I remember my oldest grandson, Kyle, placing his shovel on the ground to move some dirt and then my mother attending the first game in the stadium with me. I have been very blessed in my life and I am thankful to have the opportunity to pay back to this fine school.”

No new memories are being built by the Lambda Chi Alpha chapter at Susquehanna University since it closed in 1993. Perhaps in the future a group of men at Susquehanna, dedicated to true brotherhood and feeling something lacking in their education, will rekindle the flame.