History of the founding

On April 11, 1966, the founders (at that time, a group of Sophomores and Freshmen) submitted a petition to the Rose Board of Managers, asking permission to form a Colony of Triangle Fraternity. Since a new fraternity had not been established on campus for nearly 40 years, a Faculty Committee on Fraternities, Honoraries, and Societies was established, to formulate the Institute's policy and regulations on the establishment of a fraternity, under the direction of Prof. Alfred R. Schmidt.

The following appeared in the "Institute Inklings," the Rose Poly Student Newspaper.

"What are the chances of a new fraternity on campus? Several students of Rose feel that the four existing fraternities on campus are inadequate and have petitioned for another fraternity.

"Several national fraternities have petitioned for the start of a colony but apparently the biggest support from the students has been for Triangle. Triangle is not a Greek letter fraternity but is primarily concerned with architects, engineers, and scientists. Triangle will be a social fraternity but their national is not as strong as existing fraternities on campus, for their chapters number only around twenty-five.

"Skip Beard, president of the Interfraternity Council, stated that the council was definitely not against a new fraternity on campus since Rose is a growing school and must take the future into consideration. The administration is also apparently looking toward the future and considers a new fraternity as a benefit to the school.

"However, the biggest problem comes from the large housing problem that exists in Terre Haute. The administration is now working with the council to find adequate housing for the four existing fraternities who all seem to be having their problems with housing. The administration wants to give the four exiting fraternities a firm footing in adequate housing before looking for housing facilities for a fifth fraternity.

"Both the administration and the council can see the benefits of a fifth fraternity on campus but the possibilities of such an organization on campus in the near future are remote."

On November 17, 1966, members of the proposed Triangle Colony met with the Rose Interfraternity Council. A meeting which could best be described as openly hostile. At the conclusion of the meeting, the IFC voted unanimously to reject the group's request to become the fifth fraternity at Rose.

On November 22, 1966, the Faculty Committee on Fraternities, Honoraries, and Societies acted (finally!) on the Triangle group's April 11 petition, and, ignoring the IFC's position, allowed Triangle to establish a Colony at Rose, making it the fifth Rose fraternity.

What's a "Colony"? It's essentially a probationary Chapter... a period for the organizers to prove to both the national fraternity and the school that they're qualified to become a fully-chartered Chapter. Colonies do about everything a Chapter does, but cannot conduct initiations. Colony members are pledges to the national organization. The Faculty Committee imposed a minimum two-year requirement before the Colony could become a Chapter.

The afternoon of November 22, ATOs were astonished to see Jim Mathews in their house already sporting a Triangle sweatshirt. Freshmen living in Speed (and anyone who parked in the Speed lot) were mystified by the sudden appearance of what was some kind of fraternity pin light (the Triangle Purdue Chapter's) glowing proudly in Tom Snow's room on the south end of BSB.

Later that day, eleven of the new Colony members left for Chicago, where the Triangle National Convention was being held over the Thanksgiving weekend.

On November 25, 1966, at the Triangle National Convention at the Sherman House in Chicago, 11 men from Rose took the pledge oath and received Colony Pins: juniors Bob Casey, Randy Drew, Al Hoskin, John Mercer, Mike Nicksic, Heinz Ropers, Gar Vana, Ricki Vick and Russ Zimmerman, and sophomores Jim Mathews and Greg Michael.

The Triangle Colony celebrated its first Founders' Day with a banquet, featuring Triangle Executive Director Herb Scobie minn35 as speaker, held in the Hulman Union private dining room. The first Outstanding Teacher Award was presented to Dr. Oran Knudsen of the Chemistry Department. The Colony's first Honorary Member, Dr. John A. Logan, and the first Associate Members, Prof. Kenneth R. Carr and Dr. Charles C. Rogers, were given the pledge oath. As it turns out, Honorary Members aren't supposed to take the pledge oath, but that, and other procedural matters, including how to celebrate Founders' Day, was then-contained in the Triangle Ritual document, which, of course, none of the Colony members had seen.

A semi-formal dance followed in the Union main dining room, with the theme, "As We Look Ahead." The center of attraction was a seven-foot tall rotating hourglass, with the pledges contributing hand-painted Coat of Arms plaques as favors.

The first (ever) Rose “Greek Day” was held on May 6, 1967, with a tricycle relay, water balloon throw, pie eating relay, egg toss, canoe race, and concluded with the Inter-Fraternity Songfest. The Colony performed the “Triangle Love Song” and “We Ain’t Got Dames”.

In response to Rose’s two-year probationary period before the Colony could be installed as a Chapter, the Triangle National Council voted to allow Triangle Members-at-large — key Colony members initiated by an existing Chapter of Triangle — so that these members would be aware of the precepts upon which Triangle is based (and all the procedural stuff then in the Ritual). The first (ever) Triangle Members-at-large were initiated by the Purdue Chapter on May 7, 1967: juniors Steve Ahlbrand, Karl Beeson, Bob Casey, Randy Drew, Al Hoskin, John Mercer, Mike Nicksic, Tom Snow, Gar Vana, and Ricki Vick; and sophomores Skip Douglas, Mike Jackson, and Rusty Patterson.

As far as we know, all but Gar Vana and Skip Douglas are still with us.

Members of the First Pledge Class were initiated into the Colony. The pledges couldn't be initiated as Brothers, so Karl Beeson and Mike Jackson (both recently initiated as Triangle Members-at-Large) authored a "Colony Ritual", first used to initiate Skip Brackbill, Dave Brown, Denny Colvin, Don Grant, Steve Hartpence, Dale Kluesing, Toby Kraft, and Dave Szczepanek on May 21, in the Old Student Center. At a banquet later that evening, Prof. Schmidt was the guest speaker.

To our Pledge Brothers still living, Larry Flowers, Don Grant, Steve Hartpence, Dale Kluesing, Toby Kraft, Leigh Lundin, and Dave Szczepanek, we salute you on this anniversary. To Skip Brackbill and Dave Brown, may you rest in peace.

For the purpose of owning and operating a fraternity house, the Rose Polytechnic Institute Chapter of Triangle, Inc., was incorporated as a non-profit organization under the laws of the state of Indiana on May 26, 1967.

The first Annual Meeting of the Rose Polytechnic Institute Chapter of Triangle, Inc., was held November 4, 1967. Since the fraternity had no alumni, several "synthetic alumni" who lived in the area were elected to the Alumni Organization: Al Campbell os20, Donald Horack wis47, Charles Lovell lou45, Elias Sabbagh pur assoc, Harold Sabbagh pur58, Arthur Thorsell ill20, and Bert Westover pur10. (Note that later, Triangle National changed the year designation from graduation year to initiation year, because, ahem, not everyone graduated when they were supposed to.) Benjamin Elliott nat hon and Rose class of 1910 was later added to the list.

Elected to the Board of Directors were: Harold Sabbagh, president; Bert Westover, vice president; Donald Horack, secretary-treasurer, Al Campbell and Elias Sabbagh, alumni members; senior Steve Ahlbrand and junior Skip Douglas, active members. Based on the lack of adequate housing in Terre Haute and Rose's desire to develop a Fraternity Row adjacent to the campus, a resolution was passed declaring the intention to build a new fraternity house on the Institute-owned property. In order to enhance rush prospects, it was decided to immediately hire an architect to produce a drawing of the proposed Triangle House, to be displayed at rush parties.

On November 12, 1967, six more members of the Rose Tech Colony were initiated by the Ohio State Chapter as Triangle Members-at-large: seniors Mel Bartlett, Rodger Casey, Tom Compton, Steve Flannigan, Harold Schroer, and Russ Zimmerman.

This would leave, from the Class of 1968, only Heinz Ropers, who would be initiated at Chapter Installation, and Chuck Smith, who would be initiated as an Alumni a couple of years later.

The Rose Tech Chapter of Triangle was installed.