We received a wonderful piece of memorabilia in the office last month. The granddaughter of Alfred E. Driscoll, Delta Delta ’25 (Williams College), sent us this Psi Upsilon Banner from her grandfather’s collection. It was made by “The Chicago Pennant Co.” a well known and respected brand to those who collect vintage pennants today, and the tag shows this product was made between 1924 and 1927.
Brother Driscoll had a distinguished career as a politician, attorney and businessman, most notably serving as the Governor of New Jersey from 1947-1954. When he was elected Governor in 1947 he was one of the youngest Governors in the United States at 43 years old and he became the first two-term New Jersey Governor. His most notable achievement was that as the “Father of the Turnpike” as it was under his guidance that New Jersey Turnpike was completed in 1951, and the construction of the Garden State Parkway began. From the time of their construction, these two major transportation links would transform the agrarian “Garden State” into the most densely populated state in the union. He also served as a member of the New Jersey Senate (1939-1941), was President of the Warner Lambert Pharmaceutical Company, and served as the chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which he called a “labor of love” after retiring from Warner-Lambert in 1968.
He was named the “Psi Upsilon Personality of the Month” in the January 1947 edition of the Diamond which you can read below:
The-Diamond-of-Psi-Upsilon_Jan_1947_DriscollWe would like to thank Brother Driscoll’s Granddaughter, Antoinette, and her other family members for thinking of us and donating this banner to the Archives! If you have any Psi Upsilon Memorabilia in storage and are interested in donating it please contact Executive Director Thomas Fox.