We have a number of unique items stored in our archives, and how they find their way to us is an adventure in itself sometimes. In the Fall of 2020 we were contacted by the Moss Family Funeral Home in Batavia, IL. They had held a service for a Mr. John Horn after his passing in June of 2020. He had no living relatives, and his remaining personal items were being donated to goodwill. A photo album of his time at the University of Illinois was left behind after the service and they felt it was appropriate to reach out to us, as they could tell, while personal in nature, it would have some historical significance to Psi Upsilon and they didn’t just want to discard it.
It captured his experience as a member of the Omicron Chapter at the University of Illinois from 1957-1961 and tells quite a story of what the fraternity experience would look like at that time: Homecoming parades, formal date parties, and rush letters… And while you may not recognize those in the photos you can picture your brothers in the photos today.
Our hope in the coming months is to continue to share items from our archives, not only of historical significance, but also those that tell a story.
You can also view many of our items online at our digital archives collection: https://psiu.org/archive Which includes all past issues of our magazine “The Diamond”, Convention Records, and written histories such as “The Annals of Psi Upsilon”.
If you have any interest in joining our History and Archives Committee please connect with our Director of Engagement, Jonathan Chaffin, Gamma Tau ’00 (Georgia Tech).
Though this photo was taken a few years before my time, I believe I recognize brothers Marty Hower and Ole Olson (Olsen?). You might want to double check the rolls to see if I’m right.