FRATERNITIES & SORORITIES

Were any of you in these organizations? I was in one called Achates and was president my senior year at Bowen...It was actually not all that different than my college fraternity. I would probably been one the ones shot by the trench coat mafia. We really thought we were hot stuff. There was a lot of competetion between the various groups...My girlfriend was in one called Phi Omega. Other frats i remember were Pops, Phi Ep, and Omega.

~~~ Allan Schoenberger
 I was in T O Phi, it was fun and we thought we were pretty cool back then. Do you remember the "sing?" I think that was what it was called. All of the different Sororities and Fraternities performed. I remember it was at McCormick Place!
 
~~~Karen Myers Martin
 "Sing" was at Arie Crown at McCormick Place. It was a pretty big deal. We rehearsed for weeks one year in a church across the street from Caldwell school. I believe it raised money for some charity since we sold ads and gave out a program at the theater. The fraternities at South Shore H.S. always seemed to win. They were "Pals", I think and "Omega."
 
~~~ Allan Schoenberger

I am pleased to say I still have my Phi Pi Phi purple jacket circa 1962. My brother Mike was reluctant but after a lot of begging he relented and I was soon brought in as a new recruit!  Bruce was our president, so I figured that because I was Mike’s brother I would be treated with total respect.  What a naïve notion!  My hell night resulted in me dressing in women’s clothing along with other new Phi Pi brothers.  My dear friend Bob Robin, who was a member, thought I looked like Rita Moreno!  That was a scary thought.

I remember Bruce took pictures of us all in drag.  Then we went to Rainbow beach where I ended up being tossed in the drink.  This took place in March ’62.  I thought it was worth the humiliation, so I could get my Phi Pi purple jacket.

Six months later, I contracted a virus that lasted a year.  They thought I had leukemia or some bug bite but it turned out I had rhumatic fever and spent another year at Columbus Hospital in the Lincoln Park area.  What was so wonderful from this sad moment in my life is that all my childhood friends from Burnham, Luella and Bowen came 30 miles from the manor to visit with me on school nights and weekends.  And if it wasn’t for that purple jacket and loyal manor friends, who knows what life would have been like!

I would love hearing from former Phi Pi brothers and old manor friends.

~~~ Richie (Richard) Levin [richiel49  at sbcglobal dot net]

I was a member of Mu Eta Nu (MHN) and we had black jackets with red sleeves.  I recall the “sing” at the Arie Crown Theater as well. I can still see our fraternity in polka dot shirts singing to a packed Arie Crown Theater about the British invasion. We spent months practicing for that event and afterwards went to Diamond Jim’s for dinner. It was quite an evening.

 I also remember playing touch football on 55th street in the depressed median between the traffic lanes. I have vivid memories of playing Achates (purple jackets), and Omega (red and white jackets) on very cool September mornings.

 Some might remember that Mandy Patinkin was in MHN as well.

 ~~~Wayne Miller 1970  (Key West, Florida)


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