Over a year ago, an idea was proposed to bring the Brothers of The Delta Phi back to Union's campus for a weekend. As Les Trachtman '77 was starting to plan a mini-reunion of his Delta Phi brethren and their friends from their 70's era, John Seebold '86 found the medallion that had hung over the front porch on the Delta Phi House at Union while rummaging around in his attic. Since safety and structural issues led to the deconstruction of The Delta Phi House at 1241 Lenox Avenue in the late 90's, the crest of the third fraternity founded at Union College had been in John's care. After finding the pendant, he approached the College with the idea that "the medallion that was affixed to the front of the House be mounted and placed in a visible spot close to the site where the House once stood."
Les, in coordination with John, suggested the "the commemoration of the unveiling of the medallion be held at the site during ReUnion" and "we would very much enjoy seeing a strong turnout from not only the designated reunion classes but also from the brotherhood as a whole."
In January of this year, a letter was sent to all Brothers from John and Les asking for their support in helping to erect this monument. The response was truly fantastic! By the end of February, not four weeks later, the goal of $5000 had been met and exceeded. Gifts continued to come in and the response to the reception was growing rapidly.
With the funds raised and the plans for the monument finalized, the past three weeks have seen the construction of the five ton monument complete with the 80 pound medallion on top and a dedication plaque memorializing The Delta Phi and the House at the highest point on Union's campus.
As ReUnion approaches, The Delta Phi reception and dedication is going to be exactly what John and Les had hoped for, a gathering of Delta brothers and friends to remember the House, but more importantly their time at Union and the friendships which were created there.
The Delta Phi Blog (set up by Les Trachtman '77):
http://deltaphi2007.blogspot.com
Official Delta Phi ReUnion website:
http://www.union.edu/Alumni/Events/Reunion/myAffinityReunion.php?a=deltaphi
