Andrew Bravo
Employee photographer
Phi Delta Theta’s 55th Anniversary Founding Day was celebrated last weekend in Downtown Mankato, bringing together members of the fraternity, both alumni and current ones.
En route from Florida and California to the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, the reunion began on Friday with a social gathering at Loose Moose and events on Saturday that included a chapter meeting and house tours in the afternoon and a banquet later that night. With over 120 Phis in attendance and up to 200 at dinner and dancing, the Grand Ballroom was filled with Phis returning to their former tamping places. Attendees included special guests, President of Phi Delta Theta Sean Wagner, and President of Minnesota State University, Mankato Richard Davenport, who both discussed the status of the chapter and plans for the future.
Wagner, the president of Phi Delta Theta headquarters in Miami, Ohio, addressed the chapter at the Saturday afternoon meeting, praising the hard work everyone involved put in putting together the weekend’s events and keeping up with the booth focus of the chapter. “We are bigger than ever before,” said Wagner. “But with growth there are challenges, challenges that cannot be ignored.”
Topics covered included the Strategic Plan, also known as Phi Delt 2030. Aiming to be recognized as the premier fraternal leadership in North America, the Fundamentals of the Plan highlight goals in various areas such as growth, retention, and cultivation of the culture for the Members to achieve their own personal size. Davenport also spoke at the banquet later that night about the chapter’s history and plans for a future Greek dispute.
Following the speech, the special awards “Active of the Year” and “Alumni of the Year” were given for exceptional contributions to the chapter. The recipients of these awards, active Tyler Guggisberg and alumni Bill Rose, were recognized in front of all participants. In addition to the awards, several Phis have been honored at the Chapter Grand, where deceased brothers are honored prior to the Chapter. Among the winners was the late Doug Larson, nicknamed “Mr. Phi Delt “for his incredible contributions to improving the Minnesota Beta Chapter, including funding a Whole Man Scholarship for the Chapter and work at Headquarters among myriad other contributions.
With three core values: friendship, healthy learning, and righteousness, Phi Delta Theta was the first on-campus fraternity whose members excelled. The brothers are united by the Loan, the Brotherhood’s supreme government document drawn up at its inception at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where the original chapter was formed. The group is focused on making its members the greatest version of themselves and has a strong presence both on campus and across the country.
Header Photo: Sean Wagner, President of Phi Delta Theta, speaks at the chapter meeting at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Mankato, Minnesota President and Chapters are strong as always. (Andrew Bravo / MSU reporter)
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