On Thursday, March 7th, 2013, the men of the California Theta Colony at the University of California, Irvine had the honor of meeting with brothers from around the nation. Brothers that were represented included General Council President Christopher Lapple, California State University, Northridge ’80 and General Council Member at Large Morris “Moe” Stephens, Southern Indiana ’99. The California Theta Chapter was re-issued its original charter nearly 40 years after it was originally issued to California Theta Bond #1, William “Bill” Zulch, on March 9th, 1975.
After a hearty meal provided at the Irvine Pacific Club, several alumni from the original California Theta Chapter recounted the memories that they had with their brothers both during their time at UC, Irvine and after, pointing out to the Re-Founding Fathers that they had plenty of good times and a lot of hard work ahead of them.
A highlight of the night came from Curtis Parvin, California Theta Bond #45, who pledged $10,000 to start a whole man scholarship for the future members of California Theta. Several other alumni followed suit, and within minutes, alumni collectively pledged over $42,500.
General Council President Christopher Lapple then presented California Theta Colony President Mark Saleh with the original charter. In his last act as President, Mark Saleh thanked his fellow Re-Founding Fathers for their support and encouragement, as well as the alumni who had guided to colony along the way. The floor was then handed to the incoming Chapter President Matthew Ripley who expressed excitement in the newly re-founded chapter’s achievements, but also reminded his peers of the hard work and struggles that come with being a full-fledged chapter.
In accordance with Phi Delta Theta’s Strategic 10-Year Plan, Phi Delt 2020 and its growth initiative, Phi Delta Theta is currently executing expansion strategies that culminate in seven chapter installations annually and 200 chapters by 2018. The installation of California Theta is the second chapter installation of 2013 and is the Fraternity’s 170th current active chapter.
