175th Celebration Banquet - October 28, 2023

On July 22, 2021, Beta Theta Pi’s Tau Chapter reached the remarkable milestone of 175 years since its founding at Wabash College on July 22, 1846. Few organizations have the opportunity to celebrate a dosquicentennial and Tau’s brothers did not intend to allow the occasion to pass unrecognized. Unfortunately a global pandemic had other ideas for those wishing to schedule the celebration during the milestone year; but by early 2023 a plan to host a belated celebration on the Wabash College campus had been agreed.

The 175th anniversary banquet presented by Richard J ’62 and Stacie J. Stephenson featured the personal touch and excellent taste of the Stephenson family. Chef Markus Ford and Dr. Stacie Stephenson transformed the Knowling Fieldhouse of the Allen Athletics Center with elegantly decorated dinner tables and arrays of fresh flowers. Chef Markus personally designed the menu and provided coaching and support to Wabash’s chef and dining service team. The stage was indeed set for celebration co-chairs Davey Neal ’01 and Adam Collins ’02, who had prepared a full program.

For the 175th celebration banquet special presentation, Adam Collins ’02, president of the Wabash Beta Alumni Association, announced that the Tau Chapter Hall of Fame would be inducting its third member, Richard J Stephenson ’62, and, further, that the hall of fame would be renamed the Richard J Stephenson ’62 Tau Chapter Hall of Fame. A surprised and delighted Mr. Stephenson joined his fraternity brothers on stage to accept a special plaque with citation from Collins and share a champagne toast before thanking everyone for considering him for such a great honor.

Later in the evening, Collins announced that the Beta Theta Pi Distinguished Service Award would be presented posthumously to Jim Engledow ’78. Joining Collins on stage to accept this high honor in recognition of his lifetime of service to Tau Chapter from Beta Theta Pi trustee Scott Fussell Middle Tennessee ’95 were Engledow’s father, Jack ’53, and Engledow’s sons, Eric ’05 and Craig ’08. This special moment was followed by another presentation and a surprise moment for Davey Neal ’01 who would also be recognized with the Beta Theta Pi Distinguished Service Award for his dedication to the fraternity as a chapter president, district chief, and lead organizer and promoter of the Indiana Beta Conclave over many years.

Following all of the excitement and recognition around Tau Chapter alumni, guests were anxious to hear about the state of the undergraduate chapter. Luka DiFilippo ’25, president of Tau Chapter, took the podium and shared his vision for the continued success of Beta Theta Pi at Wabash College. He then introduced seven fellow undergraduates to share their perspectives and demonstrate that the chapter’s future was bright indeed: Nathan Powell '27, Liam Krueger '27, Nick Campos '26, Luca Flaim '27, Bo Wagner '27, Mike Kopecky '27, and Isaac Ward '27.

Davey Neal ‘01 closed the celebration banquet by inviting alumni back for the bicentennial in 2046.

175th Celebration Tailgate

An exceptional tailgate tent was provided for Tau alumni and undergraduates thanks to the generosity of Richard J ’62 and Stacie J. Stephenson. The tailgate menu was designed by Chef Markus Ford and notably featured Mr. Stephenson’s personal baked bean recipe. As alumni entered the tent they found a full catered lunch with live musical entertainment provided by the Bluewater Kings.

After great food and music were enjoyed by all, Davey Neal ’01 took the stage to get the crowd fired up for the kickoff of the football game against conference rival Wittenberg. Steve Hoffman provided a color commentary preview of the game and members of the Class of 1966 took the stage to lead everyone in a rousing rendition of Old Wabash. The normal pregame routine was then interrupted by a special surprise presentation by Dr. Stacie Stephenson.

To the delight of the crowd and the surprise of Mr. Stephenson himself, the singer, songwriter, and actor known for being the runner-up on the first season of the hit television show “American Idol”, Justin Guarini, appeared from behind the stage to join the Bluewater Kings. After sharing a warm hug with both Dr. and Mr. Stephenson, Guarini shared how much he appreciated the invitation to appear due to his affection for the Stephensons built over many years sharing their love for supporting families in need through charitable efforts. After performing a set of classic and memorable crowd favorites, Guarini waved goodbye and Davey Neal ‘01 wrapped up by thanking the Stephensons and sending the gathered alumni off to enjoy the football game.

175th Celebration Weekend

The 175th anniversary celebration weekend kicked off on Friday afternoon, October 27, with campus tours for arriving guests. Beta Theta Pi national archivist and historian, Zac Haines Miami ’05, presented a session for initiated members on the proper presentation of Beta ritual. This session was followed by a Tau Beta history panel discussion open to the public. Click here for more details and photos of the history panel discussion.

Following the history panel discussion in Hays Hall, named for Tau Beta Tom Hays ’55, the crowd retired to Detchon Center, named for Tau Beta Lee Detchon, Class of 1923, for an informal dinner of Arni’s pizza. The celebration continued on Saturday morning at the chapter house as more alumni arrived and picked up their registration packets. Just over 100 Tau Beta alumni registered for the weekend’s activities, with healthy turnouts from every decade of class years from the 1950’s to the early 2020’s. Some alumni were attending their third anniversary celebration with prior celebrations occurring in 1996 for the 150th and 1971 for the 125th.

The registration packets were well-crafted and included a name badge, welcome letter, schedule, list of registered alumni, key contacts, a campus map, hotel shuttle information, tickets to the football game and tailgate, and a commemorative medallion recognizing the chapter’s milestone. Manning the registration table were celebration co-chairs Davey Neal ’01 and Adam Collins ’02 along with house director Nathan Balkenbusch Kansas State ’14. Alumni arriving at the chapter house on Saturday morning were able to take a tour of the house and share a light breakfast with the undergraduates.

As the first floor of the chapter house filled with arriving alumni, Adam Collins ’02, president of the Wabash Beta Alumni Association, welcomed everyone and provided a brief overview of the day’s agenda. Collins recognized and thanked the approximately 80 alumni donors, along with their spouses and partners, who had donated to allow the alumni association to complete a major renovation of the first floor of the chapter house during the summer. Following Collins’ remarks, alumni continued to socialize and then began to depart for the 175th celebration tailgate at Little Giant Stadium.