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This web site was compiled in order that, for those included herein, it may serve as a means to promote enduring fellowship among the brothers of the Theta Mu Chapter of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.
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After 40 years, it’s fitting that to understand where we are today in terms of the Theta Mu Chapter of Kappa Sigma, we reflect back on our beginnings. It took a few men to form a bond, a bond between brothers. That this bond could serve to benefit those involved as well as their institution of higher learning was its vision. These beginnings could not be forged with just any group of men, but a group comprised of diversity yet connected; a group whose members are not all scholars yet capable and willing to contribute; not a group of just the privileged, yet those from many backgrounds. So it was the goal of the local, Delta Chi Delta, to unite young men for their mutual benefit and to promote service to their school. But there was one….one individual who encouraged this union at NSC. It was almost as though that individual had insight as to what Kappa Sigma’s beginnings were comprised of in Bologna, Italy in 1400. And, in a fitting way, the young man who had this vision, also epitomized the Creed of our great fraternity. In 1400, Bologna had Manual Chrysalores; in 1869 the University of Virginia had William Grigsby McCormick; and in 1966, 566 years after Kappa Sigma’s inception, tiny NSC had Dan Walsh.
Therefore, we would be remiss if, at this time in our lives, we did not take the opportunity to say “Thank you, Dr. Dan”. Thank you for your vision, your determination to see that vision through, your example, your leadership, but most of all, thank you for bringing the legacy of Kappa Sigma to us all! |
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A Brief History of Theta Mu Chapter of Kappa Sigma
In 1964 Dan Walsh was the combination RA/house mother in Rebel Hall, a notorious frame dormitory across the street from Bienville dining hall. Rebel Hall was old and small. It would be torn down a few years later. The building had two wings with maybe 20 rooms on each wing, two beds per room and gang showers on each end. A common lounge with essentially no furniture and one black and white TV was in the center. Favorite activities that some unknown persons enjoyed were kicking the metal trashcan over the transom in the lounge and peeing on the radiators in the showers. That last activity really got everyone’s attention. The dorm had a well-deserved reputation for being a home for outlaws. Dan was a few years older than most of the freshmen in Rebel Hall and had attended LSU and believed strongly that fraternity life was important and that NSC was sorely lacking in strong fraternities. He was determined to form a local with the intention of gaining a major national fraternity. Personally, Dan recruited all of the charter members with an eye for diversity; he wanted scholars, athletes, student politicians and leaders of all stripes. The major criterion was a belief in the value of brotherhood and helping each other. From the beginning the group formed the kind of bond that can only come from being the outsiders looking in. By the time this original group graduated (and they all did) the successful achievement of Dan’s early vision was assured; Kappa Sigma was the best fraternity on campus and remained so.
Delta Chi Delta was the name chosen for the local fraternity and the group of 14 members met most often in Bullard Hall, always wearing a coat and tie to meetings. Mike Armstrong remembers not having a jacket so Dan always loaned him one—a practice of mooching that he says set the pattern for the rest of his fraternity days. Every date Mike had was as the second half of a double date with Larry Deville, Dick Concilio, Dale Thibodeaux, Bruce Mercer… He remembers his entire sophomore year he wore one of Bruce’s fine Creighton shirts every day as they roomed together in Bossier Hall when it was a beautiful brand new building. Richard Broussard and Mike also roomed together in Bossier Hall and even shared the same birthday!
By March 1966 the local had petitioned and been accepted as a colony of Kappa Sigma and 19 of us were initiated by brothers from Centenary College with the Worthy Grand Master of Ceremonies, Horton Early, in attendance. It was an incredible day. Those intervening months had gone by in a blur of work to show that the colony was worthy of Kappa Sigma, which the members of the local identified as one of the strongest national fraternities with a great presence in Louisiana. The group visited chapters at Centenary, La Tech, and McNeese, and Dan, Richard Broussard, and Randy Redd went to California on a fraternity visit in support of the quest. Of this trip, Brother Walsh recalls that the trip was not all work and that Brothers Redd and Broussard may have made a trip or two to the Mexican border as they over-nighted in El Paso. Dan of course says he stayed with the car in the USA.
The nineteen young men who were initiated as the charter members of Theta Mu chapter of Kappa Sigma were, in order: Dan Walsh, R. J. Ardoin, Mike Armstrong, Gary D. Foster, Ralph Bickford, Bill Burris, Richard Broussard, Johnny Landrum, Larry DeVille, Larry Fuglaar, John Sills, Karl White, Will Marston, Scotty Maxwell, Bill Nolan, Sherman Fruge, Bob Lee, Deacon Lewis, and David Lovell, but many great brothers were soon added to this group.
The intramural teams soon became the strongest on campus; David Faraldo, R. J. Ardoin, Gary Foster and others started winning student government office; and many of the starting members of the football team soon were part of Kappa Sigma—and in those days this was one of the best small college teams in the country: Deacon Lewis at quarterback and as baseball pitcher; Dick Concilio, Randy Tate, Ronnie Whatley, Mace Morris, Shelley Dickey, Ronnie Bagley, Danny Bogue… what a group!
Every football game was a Kappa Sigma celebration—and in those days everyone wore coats and ties to games as well. Gary Foster, DeWayne Wicks and Larry Rivers were cheerleaders and Bill Nolan was the Demon. What a party! The chapter bet skins with the other chapters at Louisiana Tech, McNeese, and USL on football games and celebrated with parties after each one. The chapters’grades were also the best on campus.
Not everything, however, was as it should be. Hazing was prevalent in fraternities then and this practice was adopted with the first pledge class even though the charter members had not, of course, been hazed by anyone. One can’t help but wish that this tradition had not been continued, but it was the nature of the time. With hindsight it is hard to see how hazing adds anything of value to the fraternity. In this regard Theta Mu was no better or worse than others; it was what it was.
The sense of brotherhood that grew amongst this group was incredible. They literally did everything together, from building floats and homecoming displays to football games on chartered buses, State Fair to monthly parties of all kinds and themes: luaus with roast pigs and crawfish, formals, anything with the Monks (a great band from LSU; two of the members were Kappa Sigmas from Gamma), incredible barbeques at the Thibodeaux’. They dated the prettiest girls and some (Sherman, Bill Burris, Dan, Lester, Bogue, etc.) married them and are still with them, 40 years later (as of this writing)! They went to war, many of them; they started successful careers and raised wonderful families. No doubt their success was a result of what they learned and shared as brothers of Theta Mu. |
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Theta-Mu Ol’ Farts |
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Northwestern State University |
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Natchitoches, Louisiana |
