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A Century of Brotherhood • Moments in Acacia History • More Moments in Acacia History

...and the Short of It

Friend to Philadelphia
After a 40-year effort, Acacian George W. Nietze (a Pennsylvania alum) finally convinced the government to dedicate the United States Independence National Park in Philadelphia on January 3, 1951. Nietze assured that many important historical landmarks in Philadelphia, including Independence Hall, would remain safely out of the hands of encroaching modern-day developers and retain their historical significance.

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Human Service for Homecoming
The October 12, 1951 edition of Life magazine featured an article about fraternity men in Kansas who decided that — instead of spending hundreds of dollars and a lot of time decorating their houses for Homecoming — they would assist the victims of a recent flood. Six hundred men showed up, including a full force of Kansas Acacians, to help in the relief effort.

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Run a Mile in His Shoes
In the Spring 1952 Triad, Kansas reported that a new pledge, Wes Santee, had won the Glen Cunningham Mile at the Big Seven Indoor Track Meet on March 1, 1952. Over the course of his college career, Santee became well-known not only amongst Acacians but throughout the nation. Santee had a world record-breaking career at Kansas, and also took part in a worldwide event to break the four-minute mile. Although was not the person to break that barrier, he still earned recognition for his fraternity, his college and his country, a great feat for any Acacian.

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The Truth Is Out There
Dr. Lloyd V. Berkner was a great Acacian and a world-renowned physicist. He was responsible for the creation of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) — a comprehensive series of global geophysical activities spanning the period of July 1957 to December 1958. The IGY was timed to coincide with the high point of the 11-year cycle of sunspot activity, and contained correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, photographs, and other records documenting the programs and activities of the U.S. National Committee for the IGY. The collection covers the years 1953-1962, and spans approximately 152 linear feet.

Berkner also worked to launch the United State's first satellite with Project Vanguard in the 1960s. He received a NASA public service award, as well as the Acacia Award of Merit.

However, there is something else Dr. Berkner may be known for, if only among conspiracy theorists. According to allegedly Top Secret documents, Dr. Berkner was one of the members of the Majestic Twelve (MJ-12) — a group of top scientists under Presidents Truman and Eisenhower who studied extraterrestrial technology. The "documentation" that started the MJ-12 theory was subsequently proven to be a false; however, despite this fact, many people believe that this secret group did indeed exist.

Dr. Berkner died in 1967. Strangely, every other purported member of MJ-12 was also dead by the time the briefing was made public.

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A True Trojan Artifact
On October 29, 1952, the University of Southern California (USC) received a 400 lb stone as a gift from the Republic of Turkey from the what is considered to be the Temple of Apollo in the ancient city of Troy.

USC would not have received this historic artifact if it wasn't for the hard work of USC Chapter Founding Father William D. James, who worked with the Turkish Embassy, the Turkish Information Office and the American Embassy in Turkey to get the stone to the university. Today the famous "Troy Stone" resides in front of Taper Hall at USC, linking modern USC traditions with that of the ancient Trojans.

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Golden Anniversary
Acacia's 50th Anniversary, held at Michigan (the fraternity's birthplace), was a treat for all involved. This monumental event in Acacia history was a veritable Who's Who in Acacia. Founders George A. Malcolm and Charles A. Sink were the two most notable participants, but plenty of past national presidents and officers, as well as contemporary well-respected Acacians, were also on hand to celebrate the Golden Anniversary.

This once-in-a-lifetime occasion included the presentation of Founders Rings, an original creation, to the five living founders; the presentation of Acacia's first Awards of Merit; and the unveiling of William S. Dye, Jr.'s book, Acacia Fraternity: The First Half Century.

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Give...
In the Spring of 1956, the first scholarships offered by the National Fraternity were awarded.

...and Take
In the Summer of 1956, pledge dues were adopted by the 29th Biennial Conclave in Oklahoma.

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Gimme Shelter
Starting in the late 1950s and pretty much sustaining itself until the 1980s recession, Acacia's housing growth spurt affected every chapter at some point in time. Whether it was a small project, such as painting, re-tiling or buying better equipment; completing a $200,000 addition; or building an entirely new house from the ground up, many chapters took part in this movement.

On a national level, Acacia, supplemented by the increasing worth of the Triad Life Subscription Fund, was able to help many chapters in their efforts. Between 1956 and 1961, fully 50 percent of Acacia chapters built new homes, had a major addition or acquired better housing. In 1960, Acacia housing was worth an estimated $4 million.

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Competitive Eating
In the fall of 1956, Rensselaer Brother Harvey Moyses competed in an all-fraternity challenge at a local restaurant to eat the most hamburgers. In one hour, Moyses consumed 21 burgers while the closest competitor ate only 19. To show how far society has come, the current record holder for eating hamburgers is Ms. Sonya Thomas, who downed a whopping 25 burgers in just 12 minutes!

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The Malcolm
The Founders Achievement Award originated at the 29th Biennial Conclave in 1956. The first chapter to win the coveted prize was Oklahoma State in 1958. The award is more commonly referred to as the Malcolm Award after Founder George Malcolm.

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Origin of the Acacia Fraternity Foundation
Acacia's first non-profit, tax exempt educational corporation was formed in Austin, TX in 1955. The group, the Acacia Educational Foundation of Texas, Inc., did not just benefit Acacians, but Masons as well.

On October 29, 1966 the Acacia Educational Foundation, Inc. (AEF) was formed. This was a purely Acacia foundation and served to provide scholarships and support as the Texas group had — but on a much larger scale. In its first year of existence, the foundation's assets increased by 40 percent. Through many alumni drives and continuing undergraduate support, the foundation continued to thrive.

During the term of National President W. Martin Wingren it was discovered that the AEF funds had been embezzled. Acting quickly and decisively, the Acacia Fraternity Foundation (AFF) was formed. Through the help of many loyal Acacia brothers, the AFF overcame the difficulties of this dark time and today operates and continues to support Acacians nationwide.

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Pretty Sneaky
The tradition of pledge walkouts — or "sneaks" — began sometime in the mid-to-late 1940s, after the reorganization following WWII. Early "sneaks" seemed to have been to areas close by — usually a big city. It wasn't until the late 1950s that going to other Acacia chapters became the better option.

Characteristic of pledge walkouts from the beginning were the all-important pranks, hi-jinks and shenanigans done unto the active chapter by pledges. One favorite was the hiding or stealing of silverware, clothes and/or pillows, which were usually given to local sororities so that the Acacia men would have to sing to get the items back. Occasionally pledges would tell the cook to take a few days off and then proceed to take all the food with them — in the actives' cars no less!

Some events warrant special mention for their sheer audacity, including:

• Sticking a hose in the basement window — total time before actives found the hose and turned off the faucet: 45 minutes
  
• Leaving all the windows open and turning off the heat on a beautiful -15 °F winter morning
  
• Inviting a sorority over for an early-morning breakfast, and then leaving before telling the actives

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Memorial Bench
At the 25th Anniversary of Acacia's founding, the University of Michigan broke long-standing precedent and granted permission to erect a memorial bench on the campus just behind the president's residence.

The Acacia Memorial Bench featured a plaque with the names of the Founders and other pertinent information. In the early days, pledge duties often included shining the plaque and cleaning the area around the limestone bench. In an attempt to help the pledges along, a chemistry major used an acid wash to quickly clean the plaque. Unfortunately, the acid permanently discolored the stone.

In 1954, a new bronze tablet was added to the bench, commemorating Acacia's 50th Anniversary and four more empty slots were added for the 75th, 100th, 125th, and 150th Anniversaries. Sadly, the eventual closing of the Michigan Chapter meant the tablets were never installed.

The bench still sits on the University of Michigan campus near a sidewalk southwest of Hatcher Library South.

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Gimme a Hi-Fi
High fidelity isn't just a movie featuring John Cusack and Jack Black. Back in 1958, hi-fi was California's new $400 system that "realistically reproduced everything from fire sirens to the Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra." It was also the first hi-fi set reported by any Acacia chapter.

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Did Hef Attend?
According the Colorado State University update in the summer of 1958 Triad, the chapter's Spring Formal theme, Playboy Goes Acacia, was going to be sponsored by Playboy magazine.

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Acacia at the Bat
From the years 1922 to 1984, Calvin Griffith (a George Washington Acacian) lived, ate and slept baseball. As soon as he was old enough, he was a bat-boy for the Washington Senators — he would later come to own the team, which ultimately became the Minnesota Twins.

To his fans, he was an astute businessman — to his detractors, he was a penny-pincher. Regardless of how he was viewed, the fact remains that Griffith took the newly-formed Twins to the World Series in 1965.

Later in his career he lost many of his fans by making a series of questionable trades. Yet, one thing Griffith definitely got right was his prediction about the future of baseball — he saw the end of small market teams in an era of free trades and ever-increasing salaries.

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Crew Legend
A Founder Father of the Washington Chapter of Acacia, Hiram Conibear had never rowed a stroke in his life when he was hired as crew chief at Washington. Yet what he lacked in experience he made up for in ingenuity.

In his first year, Conibear borrowed a lab skeleton and a rowing seat. Utilizing an old broom handle for an oar, he set out to meticulously study each bone position as the skeleton "rowed." In another test — in which he used his hand as an oar and a bicycle wheel as the water — Conibear found that, unless the oar struck the water at a speed equal to or greater than the water's speed, there was a moment of unwanted drag.

This discovery led to "Conibear's Stroke." This short racing stroke was the reason that Washington, in 1913, became the first western crew to appear in the elite Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta in Poughkeepsie. In fact, Washington led the event until a broken foot strap hindered crew member Elmer Leader. They ended up in third place, but returned to Washington as heroes.

Today, on the Washington campus, you can visit the Hiram Conibear Shellhouse, built in 1949 to honor this crew legend. Wait a few years and you can marvel at the $18 million renovation that will culminate in the state-of-the-art Conibear Shellhouse and Student-Athlete Life Center.

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Numbers Game
Over 300 people attended both the 30th and 31st Conclaves. However, the largest reported number of attendees at an Acacia Conclave was 357 at the 60th Anniversary Conclave held in Memphis, TN in 1964.

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Alcohol Issue
At the 1956 Conclave in Oklahoma, it was decided that Acacia's alcohol policy should be governed by the rules and/or practices of the institution in which a chapter exists. Despite some apprehension, Executive Secretary Roy C. Clark reported at the 1958 Conclave that Acacia had encountered "no problems whatsoever, large or small." In 1984, at the 43rd Biennial Conclave, Acacia took steps to curb alcohol abuse by making alcohol awareness programs a required part of chapter programming.

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Cram Session
Acacia has always been at the forefront of campus fads. So what do you do when you want to fit a fraternity into a Volkswagen? You just call up 31 of your closest brothers and start cramming! That's just what the Ohio Chapter did in the summer of 1959, for what was (at the time) a record-setting "cram session."

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A Gift for All Track-and-Fielders
Major John L. Griffith (an Illinois Acacian) was described as a "foresighted young athletic director" by the Autumn 1959 Triad. That's probably putting it lightly. When Griffith was at Drake University in 1910, he longed for a place where his Drake Bulldogs, as well as nearby colleges and high schools, could compete in Track and Field.

He worked diligently, and in the middle of a cold, snowy day, 82 athletes (watched by 100 shivering fans) participated in the first Drake Relays. From this auspicious beginning grew one of the nation's biggest Track and Field events. Over the years, the event has featured record-breaking athletes, including Acacian Wes Santee, Jim Ryun and Michael Johnson.

Today, the Drake Relays feature 6,000 athletes and nearly 40,000 spectators. And at37 consecutive sellouts and counting, the event has come a long way since its humble beginings in 1910. Griffith himself would go on to become a commissioner for the Western Conference and a prime mover in the formation of the NCAA.

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The Last Hurdle
After much time-consuming legislative debate, starting back in the early 1950s, the 1968 Conclave removed the last membership requirement in Acacia's Constitution.

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The First Order of Pythagoras
The first Order of Pythagoras awards — all 63 of them — were handed out at the 32nd Biennial Conclave in 1962 in Austin, TX.

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Fraternity Father, City Father
In 1961, just months after his death, founder George Malcolm was honored by the city of Baguio in the Philippines (a city he chartered in 1909) with the Malcolm Square Memorial. Although a 1990 earthquake took its toll on the city, Malcolm Square survived, and Baguio still celebrates September 1 as its chartering holiday, although it is no longer referred to as "Malcolm's Day."

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Acacia and Civil Rights
As with all major issues during the turbulent 1960s, the civil rights movement found its way onto college campuses. Fraternities were targeted as discriminatory because individual chapters could of course choose who and who not to rush. Acacia was targeted as well, even though our fraternity had no restrictive clause in its constitution and had pledged and initiated African American men as early as 1962.

At three colleges in particular — the University of Wisconsin, the University of Michigan and the University of California — fraternities were either told to change the way they selected members (often against their national policies) or face refusal of admission to the university. Although college officials were attempting to ensure that no fraternities were racially biased, the effect was to deny the organizations' right to freedom of association. Acacia argued that a fraternity should be able to choose its members based on its own ideals, not those of the college — especially given the fact that Acacia's pledging standards have never used race as a consideration.

Acacia, along with other groups, pled its case before Congressional committees in Washington, D.C., resulting in an amendment to the Civil Rights Bill which states that:

"...nothing in this or any other Acts shall be construed as authorizing the Commission, its Advisory Committees or any person under its supervision or control to inquire into or investigate any membership practices or internal operations of any fraternal organizations, any college or university fraternity or sorority, any private club or any religious organization."

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Can You Say "Party?!"
In 1964, California State College at Long Beach hosted the largest party in the school's history when it invited 1,100 friends over for the night. Entertainment was provided by legendary surf guitarist Dick Dale, whose tune "Miserlou" would later become the title song for the film Pulp Fiction.

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Good Things Come in Threes
The December 1964 Triad reported the appearance of the first third-generation Acacia Legacy — John Henderson Dye, grandson of Past National President William S. Dye, Jr. and son of William S. Dye III. The newest "Brother Dye" was initiated into the Penn State Chapter, where his grandfather had been a Founding Father.

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Rocket Man
In 2010, NASA plans to replace the Hubble Telescope with the James Webb Telescope, a technologically superior model named after an Acacian. As the second administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the 1960s, Acacian James Webb was largely responsible for the Apollo space program. It was Webb's ability to deal with a variety of political liaisons that kept the NASA program alive, especially after the assassination of President Kennedy.

It was also Webb who took the full assault of the media and investigators after the Apollo 1 tragedy on January 27, 1967 — in which Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee were all killed when an electrical fire broke out in the cockpit and the men were unable to open the hatch of the spacecraft. Webb, though himself a target, managed to keep NASA's image clean in the eyes of the American public.

Webb retired from NASA in October 1968, just as the Apollo program was nearing completion. Although he was no longer administrator during the famed lunar landing, without his vision that "one giant leap" might well have taken a lot longer to achieve.

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Bang the Drum, Part IV
In May 1966, the first letter from Vietnam was published in The Triad. Lieutenant Jerry D. McKenney, an Arkansas Acacian, wrote, "...the entire country is beautiful. It is a shame that war must tear apart a county such as this."

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Right Up His Alley
Bill Elmore — the Venerable Dean of the Luther A. Smith Chapter — set a world record for bowling in 1966, by playing 1,082 consecutive games over a 72-hour period. He bowled for 60 straight hours, took a three-hour nap and then finished setting the record.

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A Fitting Tribute
The Nebraska Chapter spearheaded the creation of the Roy C. Clark Outstanding Acacian Award, which was adopted at the 1966 Conclave held in New Orleans. This distinguished award is presented annually to the one undergraduate who most nearly exemplifies the outstanding attributes of Brother Clark — Perseverance, Integrity, Foresight, Loyalty, Devotion, Wisdom and Leadership. The first recipient, in 1967, was Brother Richard F. Allen of the Rensselaer Chapter.

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Honored in The Big Easy
The 1966 Conclave in New Orleans was the first occurance of the following individual chapter awards:

• Ritual Exemplification
• Financial Efficiency
• Alumni Relations
• Pledge Education
• Membership Growth
• Campus Leadership
• Chapter-National Relations
• Chapter-University Relations

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Wabbit Season
Secret societies — love 'em or hate 'em — have been around Acacia since the very beginning. The "Yellow Dogs" go back to the earliest days, and many Acacians who have attended a New Orleans Conclave can claim a place in "ROCA." Yet only one society can claim to have a former Playboy Playmate as a member.

Before the uprising against "little sister" programs, women's auxiliary groups were a big part of many fraternities. Acacia was no different. The order of "White Wabbits" started in 1965 at the Wyoming Chapter, and had its own pledging, initiation and ritual (which the chapter shared with any other chapters that requested them). In 1967, the White Wabbits initiated one Miss Astrid Schultz, a September 1964 Playboy Playmate.

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A Chance Meeting at War
The October 1967 Triad featured an article about the Viet Nam War rescue of Captain Edwin R. Maxson (an Arkansas Acacian). Unbeknownst to him at the time, Maxson's rescuer was a fellow Acacian from the Kansas Chapter, Major Burley O. Vandergriff II. Both soldiers had previously received the Distinguished Flying Cross. After his rescue Maxson received the Purple Heart.

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Alumni Involvement
At the 1968 Conclave in Kansas City, Marvin W. Logan of the Iowa Chapter was named Acacia's first Alumni Director.

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First HQ Building
On September 13, 1969, the official dedication and cornerstone ceremony was held for Acacia's first National Headquarters in Boulder, CO.

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Club 65
In 1969, Alumni Director Marvin W. Logan launched the first big alumni donation drive, called Club 65. Past President George E. Frazer donated $10,000 with the stipulation that an additional $25,000 had to be raised by the Acacia Educational Foundation. Logan asked for donations of $65, a nod to Acacia's 65th Anniversary, and anyone who donated that amount or more would be memorialized on a plaque.

It was hoped that the money raised would help fund the archives for the new headquarters. By September 1969, the time of the dedication of the headquarters, the drive was halfway to its goal. A final push was made, and by the August 1970 Conclave in Estes Park, CO the archive section was funded through Club 65 donations and those of Brother Frazer, making the fraternity's first big fund drive an unqualified success for the fraternity.

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Coed, Schmoed
The Acacia chapter at UCLA made headlines nationwide in the early 1970s with its coed living arrangements. Contrary to many reports, the UCLA Chapter did not have the approval of the National Council. In fact, the Council was very much against it. In an official statement made on February 3, 1970 they wrote:

"Recent reports imply that female students living in the fraternity's chapter house at UCLA were 'new brothers.' Such is not and cannot be the case. The girls living in the chapter house have not nor will be pledged or initiated into the fraternity."

A resolution passed during the March 1970 Council meeting gave clear indication that UCLA had initiated a proposal for coeducational living with intent to pledge and initiate females into Acacia in violation of the fraternity's Constitution. The Council stated that at the next Conclave, held later in the year at Estes Park, CO an amendment prohibiting coed living would be introduced and, if passed, would require UCLA to immediately suspend its practice.

In the next issue of The Triad strong liberal viewpoints were provided in the form of letters from the Venerable Dean of the Northwestern Chapter and the Secretary of the Minnesota Chapter. While the tone and length of the letters varied, the message was loud and clear: the National fraternity was out of touch with the "younger generation" and should allow coeducational living.

When the volatile topic came up for discussion at the 1970 Conclave, the debate against coeducational living was actively participated in by UCLA — yes, UCLA — who announced that "the experiment failed dismally."

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Children's Television Pioneer
The main speaker at the 1970 Conclave banquet in Estes Park, CO was Northwestern Acacian George A. Heinemann. Heinemann was a pioneer in children's television at NBC. Among his most popular programs were Ding Dong School, Shari Lewis and Lambchop, NBC's Children's Theater, and Update — the first news program for teens.

He was also responsible for creating several educational programs, including the first course for college credit ever aired by a commercial television station. Heinemann went on to receive seven prestigious Peabody Awards, including a special award in 1972 for excellence in children's and youth programming.

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The Father of Modern Technology
The next time you decided to log on, text message, check your PDA, or graph a bell curve, be grateful for Acacia Fraternity — because you owe these modern-day luxuries to one extraordinarily inventive Brother, Jack S. Kilby.

In 1970, Kilby, an Illinois Acacian, received one of six National Medal of Science Awards from President Nixon for his work (going back to 1958) on the integrated circuit. This breakthrough — better known as the microchip — paved the way for most modern-day devices, including computers, cell phones and graphic calculators.

Kilby went on to recieve 60 patents on his path to induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1982. In 2000, he was awarded the Nobel Laureate in Physics.

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A New View
In 1972, the magazine-style Triad was replaced by a tabloid newspaper with a familiar name: The Journal of Acacia: A Publication of The Triad. This new communications piece would carry on for the next eight years under editor Mary Gleason, who received many awards for her work.

Archival copies of this publication are a rarity at National Headquarters. The paper was published four times a year under the same annual volume number, starting with Volume 67, and continuing through Volume 74. Only one complete set (Volume 69) is on record. Issues missing from the archives include:

• Volume 67, Issues 2, 3, 4
• Volume 68, Issues 1, 2
• Volume 70, Issues 1, 3
• Volume 71, Issues 1, 3
• Volume 72, Issue 4
• Volume 73, Issues 3. 4
• Volume 74, Issues 2, 3, 4

Any of these lost issues would be a great addition to the archives. If you can supply them — either temporarily for transcribing, or permanently — please contact Acacia headquarters.

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Expand and Contract
At the 1970 Conclave, a new expansion plan instituted by Assistant Executive Secretary Tom Bolman (of the Miami of Ohio Chapter) sought to target smaller schools in hopes of combating the rising anti-Greek sentiment cropping up on most of the larger campuses. The plan was a success in that many colonies and chapters were started at these smaller schools. Unfortunately, the changing social climate that the fraternity sought to escape was not limited to the large schools and the prevailing anti-Greek sentiment caused the expansion effort to suffer greatly.

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Happy Together
In an effort to bring the National Council and undergraduates members closer together, the first Council meeting to be held at a fraternity house took place at the Louisiana State University Chapter house in February 1971.

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So You Think YOU Had a Big Pledge Class?
According to the 1972 Journal, Louisiana State reported the largest ever pledge class — 65 men.

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Undergrads Represent
Undergraduate Counselors were made a part of the National Council in 1972.

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Final Passing
In 1972, Charles A. Sink passed on to Chapter Eternal. He was the last surviving member of Acacia's original Founding Fathers.

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The Naked Truth
As reported in the March 1974 Journal:

"Acacia sent one streaker and a large cheering section to Northwestern's coed 'Greek Streak' the evening of March 6."

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Intergalactic Hoops
Started in 1966, by John Miller of the Illinois Wesleyan Chapter, the Acacia Midwest Basketball Tournament soon became a featured event for Midwest chapters. The name was later changed to the much funkier Intergalactic Basketball Tournament, and by its 10th anniversary it had drawn as many as 20 participating chapters. Illinois had bragging rights, winning fully half of the tournaments by that time, with Purdue slightly behind with three championships.

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Climb On
Frank Gibney, Venerable Dean of the Vermont Chapter, was the first Acacian to climb Mt. McKinley, North America's highest peak. It took Gibney and three friends 26 days to climb the western buttress, the more inaccessible route. They had no trouble aside from the usual 80 mph winds which resulted in a -95 °F wind chill, avalanches, snow blindness and frostbite.

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The "I-Can't-Believe-They-Printed-This" Moment
From the May 1975 Journal:

"The brothers from the University of New Hampshire have a new four-channel stereo receiver, turntable and cassette tape deck, which they received for winning first place in a semester-long beer drinking contest. The prize must have been for endurance."

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Dubious Acacian Cameo
The 1976 Conclave minutes reported (in a running-gag-kind-of-way) that traveling secretary Kenneth Harwood had made an unplanned appearance in the background of the adult film Linda Lovelace for President. Part of the movie was filmed at the University of Kansas (Harwood's alma mater), which he was visiting at the time. It was also reported that the KU Acacians asked Miss Lovelace if she would be their house sweetheart, and she accepted.

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Colonies' Rights
At the 1976 Conclave in New Orleans, colonies were given the right to send delegates to the Conclave. However, colony delegates were not given the right to vote.

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Diamond Anniversary
Held at Snowmass Village near Aspen, Acacia's 75th Anniversary Celebration featured a number of milestones. The Drive for 75 capital fund campaign, culminating in the burning of the mortgage for the National Headquarters, reached its goal of $75,000. The final steps were taken to make the Shriners Burn Institute Acacia's National service project. For the first time in years the legislative sessions were short and sweet, with no changes made to the Laws of Acacia or the Ritual. And Delmer M. Goode was putting the finishing touches on his book, Acacia: The Third Quarter Century.

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Compute This
The first mention of purchasing a computer for the National Headquarters appears in the Council minutes for August 3, 1979.

Up for consideration was the IBM 5110 Computing System, which featured a desktop unit, keyboard and what appeared to be a four-inch diagonal display screen. Main memory held 16-64K of data, depending on the unit. And talk about high capacity storage! The computer could hold between 2K and 1.2 MB of data on its optional external storage units. If money was no object, you could even set up an external storage RAID totaling a whopping 4.8 MB!

The sticker price for the bare-bones 16K system was about $11,000, and the top-of-the-line model came in at almost $20,000. Suffice it say, the motion was tabled.

The first true computer system arrived at the headquarters in 1989, at an initial cost of $11,000. Subsequent Council minutes revealed trouble with the system, but the technology eventually prevailed, and the system was ultimately a boon to the fraternity.

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Movin' On
Acacia's National Headquarters relocated to Indianapolis, IN in 1981. This move geographically centered the office in relation to Acacia chapters, and allowed the fraternity to take advantage of favorable Indiana tax laws. The state continues to be the home of Acacia and dozens of other national fraternity and sorority headquarters.

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The Patterson
At the 1980 Conclave, the first George F. Patterson, Jr. Award was presented. The recipient? Brother Patterson himself. This award is only given once a year to an Acacian who has previously received the Award of Merit, thus making it the premier individual honor bestowed by the fraternity.

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Not So Little
Of the many campus traditions and events across the country, only one can lay claim to the title of "World's Greatest College Weekend." This would be Indiana University's Little 500 bicycle race, started by Howdy Wilcox in 1951, and modeled after the Indianapolis 500.

Acacia has always been well-represented in the race, which regularly draws crowds in the thousands. For many years, Acacia was even a top five finisher, taking first place three times (1961, 1983 and 1991). Mention of the Acacia team can even be heard in the Academy Award winning film, Breaking Away.

According to the Indiana University website, the Acacia team ranked second in the 2003 fall cycling series, continuing the chapter's tradition in this major college event.

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Seven Days
Acacia started its National Human Service Project, Seven Days of Service, during the week of November 14-20, 1983 to benefit the Shriners Burn Institutes.

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Excellent Spirit
Adopted at the 43rd Conclave (Acacia's 80th Anniversary) held in Kansas City, MO in 1984, the Acacia Spirit of Excellence program was designed to help undergraduates achieve excellence in all areas of chapter operations.

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Alumni Addressed
As part of the 1985-86 Year of the Alumnus, an Alumnus Induction Ceremony was added to the Ritual of Acacia.

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Steve From Jerry Springer's Got Nothin' On Us
During the October 8, 1984, taping of the Phil Donahue Show at St. Cloud State University, Acacia was chosen by the University Program Board to act as Mr. Donahue's security force.

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Acacia's Music Man
Illinois Governor James R. Thompson proclaimed December 17, 1985, "Alexander M. Harley Day." Harley, a Northwestern Acacian, was honored for his advancements in field of music. In 1936, Harley and his wife, Francis, started the Maine Music Masters. In 1952, the name was changed to the Modern Music Masters and is known today as the 4,100-chapter strong Tri-M Music Honor Society.

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International
Acacia could truly be called an international fraternity with the chartering of the Western Ontario Chapter on November 23, 1985.

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Fire III
In July 1985, the Illinois Chapter house was the target of an arsonist. While the house and many possessions were lost, all lives were spared. Some might think this event would break a fraternity, but it actually served to bring the chapter closer together. After a hasty reorganization, the brothers managed a 34-man rush, an improvement in grade point average to 3.87, and an expansive role in campus leadership. By August 1986, a new house was opened to a united and strong brotherhood.

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Risky Business
The first Risk Management policy appeared at the August 1990 Council meeting. In accordance with the Fraternity Insurance Purchasing Group, the policy took a hard stance against alcohol. It also featured a strict policy against hazing and drugs, along with a section on fire safety. The Risk Management Task Force became a part of every Acacia chapter. Eventually Risk Management had its own award, its own Goldbook, and (in 1994) an official chapter officer.

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Across the Border
The first Conclave to be held outside of the United States took place in Toronto, Canada in 1992.

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Adios, Little Sister
Although women's auxiliary groups had been a fixture on the fraternity scene for years, by the late 1980s these groups had become increasingly problematic for a number of reasons. Their existence infringed on the single-sex status of fraternities and sororities by co-mingling the two groups; some believed they were demeaning to women; and, in worst-case scenarios, they led to the sexual abuse of women.

Due to these combined factors, the programs begain phasing out around 1990. Acacia was one of the groups at the leading edge of this cultural change, and by the 1992 47th Biennial Conclave in Toronto, it was decided that all little sister programs were to be stopped by all Acacia chapters. While some chapters were reluctant to let go, the practice eventually disappeared.

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The Incredible Disappearing Triad
In 1992, The Triad made history by appearing for the first time in full color. Unfortunately, that issue was the last to be published for nearly a decade. The reason, quite simply, was an extremely tight financial period for Acacia.

The embezzlement scandal of the 1980s reverberated well into the 1990s, and accounts receivable from chapters grew throughout that period as well. Insurance issues were also causing financial constraints. Add in the cost of Conclaves and Acacia Leadership Academies, and publishing The Triad was just not a financially sound proposition.

Even though the Council discussed republishing The Triad at many of its meetings, it wasn't until 2002 that it was finally accomplished. Now back on track, look for The Triad to continue its regular publishing schedule.

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Excellent Policy
The 1996 Conclave in St. Louis, MO directed the Council to prepare an international insurance program for Acacia. After much preparation and debate, the finalized plan was presented at the 1998 Conclave in Cleveland. It has served Acacia ever since.

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Onramp to the Information Superhighway
The idea of Acacia on the World Wide Web was first suggested in the July 1994 Council minutes. The main goal of the first proposal was to allow for greater communication between chapters, National Headquarters, and alumni utilizing a system of computers, electronic mail and fax machines.

By February 1996, the Internet was coming into its own. In a letter to the Council, Brother David C. Lemons (of the Indiana Chapter) makes his case for an Acacia website:

"I'm proposing that Acacia be one of the first fraternities to be established on the web, since the Internet is here to stay and only going to get bigger. Some sources say that surfing the net may surpass the television as the leading form of information technology and entertainment."

Acacia's website came into being in just before the St. Louis Conclave in 1996, thanks in part to the efforts of Brother Ron Handley. The website continues to evolve as a vibrant communications resource for all Acacians as well as other audiences.

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Substance Free
In July 2000, the Council made a progressive step forward by passing legislation that required all new Acacia colonies and chapters to provide substance-free housing. This legislation also applies to rechartered chapters.

When Acacia was founded, the fraternity made clear its desire to differentiate itself from its peers by running an alcohol-free house. But over the years, the alcohol policy changed with the times. By the 1990s, alcohol-related incidents were on the rise throughout the Greek system. Whether it was related to hazing, parties getting out-of-hand, or injuries to guests, the situation had to be addressed. Consequently, fraternities began taking a closer look at their policies. Many initiated alcohol awareness programs. Still others, including Acacia, took steps to initiate substance-free housing.

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In Tribute

To all those Acacians who have made a difference:

To the thousands of Acacians who have served as professors, deans, administrators and executives;

To those Acacians who have served with distinction as National Officers, Council members, Foundation members and Headquarters staff;

To the Acacians who have served as advisors, chapter officers and campus leaders;

To Acacians who have helped to colonize and recharter Acacia chapters and keep existing chapters going in times of need; and finally,

To every Acacian who has ever helped another brother in any way, may this Centennial celebration remind you to always seek the truth and give the light.