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HomeSIU Tau Upsilon Lines
WASHINGTON, DC BEFORE TAU UPSILON
The Renegades. In the 1940’s, Alpha Omega Chapter – the graduate chapter chartered in Washington, DC in 1922 – had a problem common in so many graduate chapters — the brothers who had been in the chapter for many years objected to sharing power with newer members of the chapter for many reasons. They were both older and wiser than their younger brothers, both chronologically and in fraternity years; they were established lawyers and doctors, principals, and college officials who would not take advice from post office workers, policemen, teachers, or men still in the early stages of their careers.
The problems became so acute that a group of the younger men in Alpha Omega broke off with the intent to form their own chapter. Alpha Omega dubbed the group the Renegades. This group of Brothers convened regular meetings aimed at rejuvenating Omega in DC, which was described as “really down” at that time. Most of the group members agreed that if they were awarded a chapter, their mission was to “keep that chapter active until everything was restarted in the city, and once that happened… the chapter would fade away.
TAU UPSILON IS ESTABLISHED
The group continued to meet as if they were a chapter, calling themselves the Lamplighters. The Lamplighters decided that their best approach was to set up their own chapter, as a second graduate chapter in Washington, D.C. The initial petition for a chapter was made to Grand Basileus Grant Reynolds (1951-1953). The 1951 Miami Grand Conclave, in responding to their request, approved a second chapter in the region in December 1951, but chartered it in Northern Virginia, rather than Washington, DC as the Lamplighters had requested, and named it Tau Upsilon.
TAU UPSILON'S PATH TO CARBONDALE
Tau Upsilon First Charter Transfer. In 1952, the Supreme Council, meeting in Washington, DC, approved moving Tau Upsilon’s charter to the District of Columbia, despite opposition from Alpha Omega. In a brief dated March 9, 1952, opposing the “establishment of a new graduate chapter in the District of Columbia, Alpha Omega said, "the Supreme Council had overstepped its bounds by approving a second chapter in the city on February 23, 1952". Once the Supreme Council had ruled on the jurisdiction issue — and then stuck to its decision — Alpha Omega and Tau Upsilon began the ritual of learning to co-exist and thrive in Washington and give brothers a choice on a chapter.
By mid to late 1959, Alpha Omega and Tau Upsilon had made a de facto merger. The legal merger came at the 1960 Grand Conclave in San Antonio, when Bro. Ed Clement (Α’52), a Tau Upsilon delegate to the meeting, retired the charter for Tau Upsilon, leaving a single graduate chapter in Washington, DC.
Tau Upsilon Second Charter Transfer. The Tau Upsilon charter remained retired for almost ten years until late 1968 or early 1969, when it was transferred from Washington, DC in the 3rd District, to Carbondale in the 10th District as a graduate chapter.
Until the time of Tau Upsilon's move to Carbondale, SIU students seeking membership in Omega were mainly pledged and initiated, first by Nu Chi graduate chapter in East St. Louis, IL, then by Tau Gamma undergraduate chapter at SIU - Edwardsville. Tau Upsilon then became the conduit for initiations into the Fraternity for both graduates and undergraduates attending SIU Carbondale.
Tau Upsilon initiated 2 lines of undergraduates before SIU at Carbondale was granted a Charter:
INITIATED THROUGH TAU UPSILON
(To help establish what would become Omicron Theta chapter)
SIU- Carbondale
NEW BREED
Initiated May 17, 1969
Roderick Bascom
Stephen Blakely
James H. Crockett
Clarence Fuller
William D. Greer
Bernard F. Lewis
Milton L. Mack
Myron Mott
Eugene R. "Smokie" Murray
James O. Pinkston^
Conor J. Tatum
NOTE: This is the first “all Carbondale student” line
SIU- Carbondale
WILD BUNCH
Initiated February 21, 1970
Carl H. Bates
Eric D. Belue
Dana G. Brinkley
Duane Flowers^
Harold Hunt^
Roland B. Johnson
Elmer Lewis
Pete Lewis
Bobby R. Morrow
Stanley Patterson
Jeremiah Perry^
John Quillen
Ronald Scott^
Larry E. Walker^
Eric R. Watson
Reginald C. Winston
Thomas O. Woods
Maurice R. Young
(^Omega Chapter)
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