Iowa Celebrates Their House’s 100th Anniversary at Pig Dinner
On April 17-19, Mu Deuteron at Iowa hosted their annual Pig Dinner weekend. This year’s event was extra special as the Chapter celebrated the 100th anniversary of their chapter house. To ensure high graduate turnout and engagement for the weekend, the Chapter set a “100 for 100” goal, which was exceeded with over 100 graduate brothers in attendance, as well as all the undergraduates (pictured above).
The chapter house was consecrated by Luther Brewer (Gettysburg 1883) on February 20, 1926. No one knows how much of his own funds were used to build the $50,000 four-story, Tudor-style house, but Luther and his wife donated furniture, sought alumni contributions, signed the bank note, and bequeathed $2,500 in his will to ease the mortgage debt burden. On a cold February day Luther gave a speech that was later recorded in “Tomas Beta.”
During dinner, Luther’s House Dedication Speech was read by Purple Legionnaire Phil Prybil (Iowa State 1990), and Archon Vice President Matthew Amend (1987) served as the dinner’s Master of Ceremonies. The undergraduates, in consultation with the BCA, nominated four graduate brothers to the Mu Deuteron Hall of Fame’s Mt. Rushmore wing. These four brothers, who have all passed Ad Astra, were selected in recognition of their extraordinary lives, business and civic accolades, and their contributions to Mu Deuteron and the Fraternity-at-large:
- Chan Coulter (1925) was well-known within the Fraternity, having volunteered for over 60 years. He served the Fraternity as Section Leader and his Chapter as Purple Legionnaire and House Corporation Treasurer. In 1978, the Fraternity created an award in Chan’s honor, the Coulter Cup, which is awarded annually to an advisor contributing the most to an undergraduate chapter in a role other than Purple Legionnaire or general officer.
- John Pappajohn (1952) has supported the Fraternity in a variety of ways. He served his Chapter as Purple Legionnaire and Section Leader, he founded the Pappajohn Scholarship Fund through the Educational Foundation, and he was a strong supporter of The Leadership Institute. John also received the Fraternity’s Distinguished Fiji Award (1967) and the Citation for Distinguished & Exceptional Service Award (1994).
- Fred Stines (1949) served the Fraternity as Archon Councilor and Section Leader and on Mu Deuteron’s House Corporation for two decades. Fred also received the Fraternity’s Distinguished Fiji Award (1989), Distinguished Fiji Service Award (1988) and the Coulter Cup (1983).
- Jerrold Wanek (1980) has served the Fraternity as Archon President, Vice President and Secretary, Section Leader, President of the Des Moines Graduate Chapter, and as a member of the Educational Foundation’s Board of Directors. Jerrold also served as Delta Iota at Drake’s Purple Legionnaire and as a member of Delta Iota’s and Mu Deuteron’s BCA and House Corporation. Additionally, he earned 2nd place (1995) and two honorable mentions (1994, 1997) for the Fraternity’s Durrance Award, presented annually to the most outstanding PL.
The Chapter also recognized Jeff Mau (1977) (pictured below, left) as this year’s Cal Ripken Ironman of Pig Dinner. Jeff has served as the House Corporation President for over 20 years, and he and his father, Bob (1953), and brother, Eric (1985), have been champions of the Chapter. Jim Brooke (1984) (pictured below, right) also presented Jeff with a golden pig, signifying the feat of attending 50 of 51 consecutive Pig Dinners.
