Abbreviated History
Abbreviated History
1947 - Sigma Gamma Founding
In the fall of 1947, six men attending the State University of New York, College at Oswego were living together in a small wooden cabin with a coal fired, pot belly stove across from Sheldon Hall. On one evening, they poured some refreshments and discussed the four existing fraternities at the State Teachers College at Oswego.
At the time, each of these fraternities, for various reasons, maintained certain restrictive admittance policies, in that they would only accept white Anglo-Saxons who were Christians. These six men proposed the idea of forming the first “open” fraternity at Oswego, and indeed, the first “open, non-sectarian” fraternity in the SUNY system at the time, one which would welcome men from all backgrounds regardless of race, creed or ethnic origin.
In the fall of 1947, the six housemates, led by Charlie Weigand, spread the word around campus that they were interested in forming an “open fraternity”. Unsure what turnout to expect, they were energized by the presence of (26) twenty - six men who showed up and crowded the small cabin. One was a great man, Dr. Kenneth Gabel, a math teacher, who agreed to act as the first faculty advisor. These 26 men, led by Charles Weigand, Joe Giorgio and Edward Nalbandian thrashed out all the details of the foundation of the new fraternity, and signed the original fraternity charter.
After an initial introductory period, the new Sigma Gamma Fraternity was officially accepted as a recognized organization. The brothers threw a “celebratory ball” to commemorate this occasion. Just prior to this ball, which took place at the Pontiac Hotel in Oswego, founding President Charlie Weigand
was inspired to write the fraternity’s official creed, which is still featured in every pledge book
and is read aloud at ceremonial occasions to this day, including at the Formal Inductions ceremony.
In the early days of Sigma Gamma, many of the traditions that are still upheld today were conceived and implemented. The fraternity developed the uniquely shaped and colored “Gamma paddles”
and pledge books that we still use today. Sigma Gamma also founded Greek Games starting in 1948, as well as the Sigma Gamma Used Bookstore, which the fraternity operated at the start of each semester from 1948 to 1994.
1948 - 1958 The “Lodge Days” at 84 Sheldon Avenue
After the initial founding, brothers took up residence at 84 Sheldon Avenue, which was known as “The Lodge”. It housed many brothers, up to 25 and was the focal point of the fraternity. It was where the first Sigma Gamma “Smoker” was held. Nowadays, these are referred to as “Rush” parties, where essentially potential members are invited down to the House to meet with brothers, learn about the fraternity and our traditions, and envision themselves as potential members of the best, most historic fraternity in Oswego.
Throughout the period from 1948 to 1958, the fraternity resided at “The Lodge” at 84 Sheldon. During this time period, the traditional Sigma Gamma pledge program and its various traditional components were implemented. Many social traditions
such as The Gamma Formal, Gamma Date Parties, The Toga Party, The Gamma Halloween Costume Party, Gamma Stag Party, Gamma Christmas Party, The Gamma Sweetheart Song, and many, many other traditions came into existence during this incredibly productive time frame. Sigma Gamma was instrumental in reshaping the IFC Greek Council governing body. In 1953, fraternity was officially established as a corporation recognized by NY State. In 1957, our first advisor, Dr. Kenneth Gabel suddenly passed away while at a conference in Rochester. Brothers commissioned a portrait that ever since has remained on display in Sheldon Hall.
In the early days, the fraternity’s pledges were (and still are) called “worms” from the very beginning. This was a shortened form of the term “bookworm” as one of the main areas of focus from the founding days was to encourage good scholastic habits so as to ensure that a pledge did well in his studies and remained in school. A local couple, Mr. and Mrs. Murabito, served as the house "mother and father" during this period.
In 1957, brothers Dick Sadlo and Maynard Matteson built the original Sigma Gamma sign which hung at the 84 Sheldon Avenue house and moved over to the "new" house the brothers would purchase in 1958.
During the period from 1948 - 1958, pledges also used to wear “hats” shaped like foreign legion hats with a “bird’s beak”. In the early 60’s, this changed to a “beret” style. Wearing of any hats was discontinued in the mid 1960’s. Pledges for many, many years wore plastic name badges that would list their names and hometowns, and a green and gold ribbon would be affixed to the pledge pins. Pledges have always worn the Gamma worm uniform of a green sweatshirt, worn inside out.
1958 - Sigma Gamma Buys The House at 53 West Seneca Street
As the 1958 academic year was winding down, Sigma Gamma brothers capitalized on an incredible opportunity to purchase the historic house at 53 West Seneca Street.
This multiple level, uniquely built house had many incredible architectural features, including a nautical themed “playroom” on the top (3rd) Floor, which became known as the Famous “Gamma Party Room”. The fraternity purchased the house for $18,000 and the fraternity’s advisor, at the time, Dr. Orla Loper played a crucial role in securing the house by co-signing on the original loan.
For several years prior to Sigma Gamma purchasing the house, it had been used as a “rooming house” by the Arethusa Eta sorority. So, Sigma Gamma brothers were already familiar with its layout and great potential. Sigma Gamma brothers enthusiastically moved into the House and started fixing it up and adding fraternity touches. To this day, we refer to this as “Gamma-fying The House”.
Early 1960's
As the 50’s gave way to the 60’s, Sigma Gamma was a studious bunch. The fraternity won many scholarship awards given out back in this time, for highest GPA’s among Greek organizations and highest individual student awards. Repairs and improvements to the House continued every year. The fraternity employed a cook and house master/mistress husband and wife team, Mr. & Mrs. George Hadlo, who were like parents to many of the brothers. The main components of the traditional Sigma Gamma "Meal Plan" are born during this period.
Brothers at this time were focused on "pinning ceremonies" and building elaborate snow sculptures. Gamma was also very active in community service initiatives, including coordinating blood drives and working on Gamma's annual entries in the car float parades. Sigma Gamma continued working on improving the House and customizing it for our fraternity's use. In the early 60's, Sigma Gamma hooked up with Dr. Norris Goldsmith, who served as a fraternity adviser for the next two decades.
The pipes in the House froze in the mid 60's requiring an extensive effort to replace boiler systems, piping throughout the house and cast iron steam radiators. In the mid 1960's an extensive project was undertaken to repaint the exterior of 53 West Seneca Street. In 1965, original mirror in Front Hall was accidentally broken and replaced. The iconic Sigma Gamma Crest was painted on a new mirror in 1965.
Back in these days, and indeed up until the 1972/73 school year, pledging only took place once a year, in the Spring.
Late 1960's - the 1970's
In the 1967/68 school year, a monumental, legendary pledge class comprised of 28 men gave Sigma Gamma a much needed jolt of vitality and numbers and served as the jumping off point for an incredible run over the next few decades. At this time, Sigma Gamma was thriving on every level. Numbers wise, there were routinely 50 – 60 active brothers, and Gamma excelled in just about every athletic, social, and community service category known to man. A fire in the kitchen in 1968 almost burned down the House but quick thinking brothers doused the flames, however the kitchen was severely damaged and the stove needed to be replaced. A "modern" sound system was installed in the 3rd Floor Party Room where previously live bands played.
In May of 1968, the fraternity was shaken by the sudden passing of new brother Wilbur "Fritz" Yockey
who had only pledged months earlier. He drowned while on a homemade raft that encountered turbulent waves on Lake Ontario and his body was never found, which only added to the legend of Fritz over the years.
In 1969, brother Tim Schulz started the annual spring 3 on 3 basketball tournament among brothers that is referred to as the “Tim Schulz Classic”, or simply the “Tim Schulz”. It’s a terrific day of basketball, refreshments and camaraderie that is one of many illustrations of why Sigma Gamma Fraternity has always been the tightest knit, friendliest group of brothers in any fraternity in Oswego. The tradition of holding the Tim Schulz classic is kept up to this day. Brothers have always been athletic, and an important part of pledging and life in the fraternity revolved around a ritual known as Worm Football. For many decades, Worm Football was a football game, played pick up style between the pledges and the brothers. It was always played in Gamma Park, also known as West Park, or Franklin Square Park. A procession was always held before the Worm Football Game where pledges carried an American Flag before the game took place. In the late 2000’s this game changed it’s format, and Sigma Gamma pledges (Worms) played football against the Sig Tau pledges (Gators). (Around 2019, this tradition was brought back, and featured football only amongst the brothers and the pledges). Worm Football remains an excellent way to gauge Gamma athletic capabilities of some younger brothers.
In the late 60’s and throughout the 70’s the brothers made numerous repairs and additions to the Sigma Gamma House at 53 West Seneca Street. Numerous new traditions were also born during this period, including the introduction of the infamous “Gamma Batch” and the tradition of holding “Kelsey’s Parties” in each individual room of the fraternity house. It was also during this period (1968 – 1975) that all of the rooms in the old Gamma House received their memorable names. Many of these names have been carried over into subsequent houses. It was also during the 70’s, that the famous Gamma Tit (1972), courtesy of brother Dave Degrush, was installed and the tradition of Hawaii Five – O jumping began (@ 1974). The mid 70's were also the time period that the famous Gamma inlaid tiled floors were installed in the Front Hall and the PB & J Room. Rich "Molson's" Nozell led a project in the mid 70's to build a beautiful new back deck, called the Sun Porch, that was connected to the Presidential Suite and the Lap of Luxury rooms.
Sigma Gamma pays off original mortgage note on House in 1973 … new exterior roof installed --- membership ranks rise to highest ever levels. Exterior of House is again scraped and painted. Floor of bathroom between Bear’s Den and Presidential Suite collapses, and this bathroom is de-commissioned and made into a closet. The ceiling on the Cave is painted with an incredible design. Two dutch elm trees planted in the front yard are removed. In the mid 70’s - Sigma Gamma’s custom tiled floors with inlaid ER lettering were installed, various internal fraternal traditions were started based upon these floors. All American Room is painted with a giant wall sized flag for 1976 bi-centennial.
On November 23, 1973, brother AJ Pedone, who was well liked by all and had just recently left Oswego passed away unexpectedly. He was beloved by all he interacted with and was one of those brothers who held just about every office one could hold during his time as an active brother. Brothers of his era continue to talk about his impact at reunions and brother gatherings.
The tradition of assigning nicknames for each pledge began @ 1975 or so. There were nicknames given out before then, but it wasn't the thing it would later become.
In the mid 1950’s through to the late 1970’s, Sigma Gamma brothers joined other Greek organizations in preparing cars for an annual “car float parade”. Sigma Gamma featured numerous interesting entries during this time and took home many awards. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, Sigma Gamma also hosted many blood drives as community service projects.
Throughout Sigma Gamma’s entire history, many brothers have held leadership roles within student government, intra-fraternity Greek council, and led many student run organizations, as well as championed numerous charitable causes.
In 1979, brother Gerry "Gumby" Magoolaghan begins working with Jay Sea Beer Distributors, specializing in distributing Miller Brewing Company related products. This association would prove to be a tremendous advantage to the fraternity for several years. In later years, (1985 - 1986) Peter Devine assumed this same role, and then followed Jeff Gagnon and later Bob Conroy. Each of these brothers made sure that the brotherhood was well stocked and taken care of.
The 1980's
In the 1980’s Sigma Gamma continued to thrive on all cylinders, consistently winning athletic competitions on all levels, holding incredible social gatherings, running the fraternity as a business, and churning out remarkable groups of Sigma Gamma brothers. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, Sigma Gamma rang bells for the Salvation Army during holiday season and established numerous other traditions, including participating in the city’s annual July 4th Parade. Throughout the 1980’s Sigma Gamma absolutely dominated the Greek athletic leagues, then known as “MRA”. The ranks of the active brothers were between 50 – 60 every year. Sigma Gamma continued to very successfully operate the Used Bookstore and reinvested the proceeds from such into more repairs to the Gamma House. A brand - new concrete driveway and backyard poured in a 1987 project led by Chris Angiers and Bob Bento. In the mid 80's, the drinking age in NYS changed to 21 which had a significant impact on many aspects of life as a college student. Since we were running the fraternity as a business during this period, Gamma was really doing well. The pipes froze on the House in 1982, and it took awhile to recover but Gamma did and the next seven years were part of the halycon days of Sigma Gamma.
Sigma Gamma brothers take a lead role in reshaping GSA. Sigma Gamma adds Dr. Donald Skantz as an additional advisor. The fraternity begins an annual involvement with maintaining West Park. The 3rd Floor undergoes significant flooring repairs. Sigma Gamma’s finances are operating at their peak capacity due to record breaking business in Used Bookstore, and strong membership ranks.Mid 80’s - Sigma Gamma single handedly revives Greek Games after a period of dormancy. Brother Tom Ripke updates and re-models the Cave, resumes the tradition of putting up paddles on the walls of the Cave. Mid 80’s - Sigma Gamma forms alliance with sorority Alpha Sigma Chi (ASA) by assisting them during transition period between the tearing down of their house and their eventual re-establishment on Johnson Road Late 80’s - Betty Marshall is re-added for a brief period as an additional advisor, (she had previously served as an advisor in the late 70’s and through parts of the early 1980’s prior to Dr. Smith’s arrival) In 1989, a local attorney, Tim Fennell is added as an advisor. Sigma Gamma brothers painstakingly remove ivy from the entire east side of the House in preparation for painting and repairs.
After repairs are carried out, the fraternity re-paints exterior of House, and tears down old wooden front porch. Brothers plan, execute and finance the building of a completely new concrete porch and front foundation. The fraternity receives a special award from the City of Oswego which recognizes our efforts to maintain and improve our historic House. Brother Mike Beekman transform the Coke Room (where we stored the Coca Cola for the soda machine) from a storage room to a legitimate bedroom. In the early 80’s, Sigma Gamma brothers provide significant operational, organizational and financial assistance to the sisters of Omicron Xi in starting their new sorority. Sigma Gamma brothers also assist the brothers at Delta Kappa Kappa after their home next to Sig Tau burned down.
In the early 1980's, the fraternity upgraded the famous "soda machine" which was outfitted by the brothers to dispense soda as well as ice cold beer picked up in bulk from Garafolo's. During the 1980's, the famous Dave Chicarelli run extended until @ 1987. He was a young kid who lived next door who the brothers took under the wing and he fit right in more ways that can be explained.
In 1981, Dr. John K. Smith, a Communications Professor
began his long tenure as serving as Sigma Gamma's adviser. During parts of the 80's, Dr. Donald Skantz, a business law professor and a local attorney, Tim Fennell also served in advisory capacities. Sigma Gamma held numerous legendary formals at destinations such as Lake Placid, Niagara Falls and Buffalo during the 1980's thanks in part to how ably the fraternity managed its finances back then.
The 1990's
The 90's started off well, and brothers maintained strong numbers and solid brothers for years. Traditions were kept up and Gamma continued to dominate MRA athletic leagues. Then, in 1994, through no fault of the brothers, Sigma Gamma lost the Used Bookstore, which served as a major fundraising source of income. It would take a few years before the effects of this major source of income really impacted the fraternity. In 1995, the pipes in the House froze yet again, creating another disaster. Fortunately, brother Bill Wiltsie's dad, a local Mr. Fix Everything Type, coordinated repairs for the brothers and didn't charge the brothers for any of his considerable labor costs. Way to go Fuzzy! In 1997, Gamma highlighted by the fraternity’s 50th anniversary celebration in July 1997. More than 300 Sigma Gamma alumni and brothers converged on Oswego as we celebrated 50 years of incredible history. Many of the fraternity’s original founding brothers, including Charlie Weigand, Joe Giorgio, Donald Coe, Tony Ingrassi and Ed Nalbandian came back to join the celebration. The fraternity raised significant funds, made many improvements to the House and re-asserted itself as the dominant fraternity in all of Oswego.
Early 90’s - Sigma Gamma takes out a home improvement loan to continue 3rd Floor flooring repairs. Dr. Skantz passes away. Fraternity membership still quite strong at this stage. Sigma Gamma brothers provide assistance to the Psi Phi Gamma fraternity after their house on West 5th Street burns down. 1993 - Kraftee’s opens an off campus Used Bookstore that is designed to undercut Gamma’s niche market. The Gamma Used Bookstore struggles for the first time, within a year, this long time tradition and major source of fundraising is unfortunately lost forever.
During the 1990's brothers started allowing dogs to live in the Gamma House which was something that wasn't really ever permitted before. In 1998, alumni Bob "Meat" Conroy, a much beloved brother from the 80's suddenly passed away and was remembered by many. This was also the time period when recently turned alumni brother John "Schaefer" Ledermen passed away in an automobile accident in North Carolina. Towards the end of the 90's, the fraternity slid a bit and certain traditions and responsibilities of being a brother seemed to be handled differently. There were inklings of some things to come, but the fraternity did rally through the new century milestone and held a successful Summer Party in 2000.
2000 - 2010
In September 2001, the attacks on the WTC rocked the nation and unsettled the fraternity and the college community. Sigma Gamma lost a brother (Jim Portorti) and had several other alumni find themselves in harrowing danger. One alumni, Bob Bacon, was part of the legendary NYFD crew that miraculously survived the collapse because of a miracle stairwell. By 2002, certain long held ideals and values that had been the bedrock of Gamma’s success for so many decades, suffered some direct hits. Some ill - advised brothers, for reasons known only to them, began a destructive course of action that ultimately caused the fraternity house to become seriously damaged. As a result, in 2002, the City of Oswego revoked the grandfathered clause that allowed Sigma Gamma to operate as a fraternity house in an otherwise residential neighborhood. We had safeguarded this variance since 1958 and in 2003, it was gone. Alumni brothers, led by Peter “Skeet’ER” Devine and Mike “Jamm” Joseph, and others formed a leadership group and fought valiantly to save our house. We fought numerous legal battles up and down the court system and spent three years renovating the stately old Gamma House. Many brothers from all eras donated time, their services and funds to these efforts. Their commitment is what kept Sigma Gamma alive during this time period. In 2005, we triumphantly re-opened the restored Gamma House and resumed life as an organization. We thrived in this location for a bit until certain zoning issues and their enforcement caused us to no longer be able to operate the 53 West Seneca Street location anymore. It was a very sad time for the still proud Sigma Gamma Fraternity. Sigma Gamma's active membership ranks suffered during these turbulent times, but we forged on.
In 2007, a group of alumni brothers led by Dave "Diesel" Ramsey organized a memorable 60th Anniversary Summer Reunion in Oswego at "Camp Diesel". This provided a much- needed jolt of enthusiasm as we were going through the unfortunate stages of planning to bid goodbye to our beloved Sigma Gamma House, which we would ultimately be forced to sell for the paltry amount of $32,000 in early 2009.
In 2007, the college changed the format of its annual Summer Reunions and Sigma Gamma’s alumni embraced these changes whole heartedly. For many years since then, Sigma Gamma’s alumni have shown up in force for these college reunions which are always on the second weekend of June. We have used Sean “Jabber” Ohnmacht’s bar “Greene’s” as a base to operate from during these reunions.
Also during this time, alumni George “Jethro” Tully further ramped up his extensive work to compile and maintain a “master” Gamma contact database which has been invaluable over the years as we’ve improved our abilities to communicate developments and updates to the fraternity’s extensive alumni base.
It was around this time, in 2008 that brother Kory “Jager” Rauscher (RIP – 1/4/2014) helped pave the way for the fraternity’s next resurgent period by leading the fraternity in it’s migration from the old Gamma House at 53 West Seneca Street, to its new location at 110 West Bridge Street. This location became known as “The Pit”. Brothers spent years “Gamma-fying” this new location and did a terrific job of recreating the look and feel of the old Gamma House Party Room in the attic of 110 West Bridge Street. As a graduating senior, Kory took matters into his own hands even further by recruiting one of Gamma’s all time legendary pledge classes in Spring 2009. Sigma Gamma had once again risen like a Phoenix and was riding high once again.
In late 2008, the fraternity established a group Facebook page, which has continued to serve as a terrific way for the organization’s alumni and current brothers to interact, trade stories, comment on pictures and continue the focus on tradition.
2010 - 2019
Throughout the late 2000’s and into the early 2010’s, the fraternity did well and was thriving again. There was a renewed focus on restoring traditions and making sure the “Gamma Way” was being handed down through the pledge programs. Formal Induction ceremonies were held every year.
In June 2012, the fraternity celebrated its 65th anniversary with a large turnout of alumni attending the college reunion. Many of these reunions have served as a jolt of electricity for the organization. Sean "Jabber" Ohnmacht's bar, "Greene's" served as a terrific hosting spot for the fraternity's reunions and we held an alumni Tim Schulz basketball classic in 2012 that proved memorable for all. In 2012, brothers took their home improvement efforts to the next levels by building a custom fitted DJ booth in the 110 Attic and painting the front porch green and gold. In January 2014, the fraternity was jolted by the sudden, untimely death of 26 year old alumni Kory "Jaeger" Rauscher who had done so much for Sigma Gamma including coordinating the moving of the fraternity from our home of 50 years (53 West Seneca) to the new home at 110 West Bridge Street.
Sigma Gamma took pride in being Greek Week Champions in 2010.
In 2012, then President Brad Farber compiled a State of the Union, (click here to read)
which was distributed to Sigma Gamma alumni and helped improve the vital communication between the active fraternity and it's large, supportive alumni base.
In the Fall of 2013, an unfortunate incident involving a few individual brothers, acting on their own, caused the fraternity to go through some hard times. These hard times were made even more trying by the disastrous fire that occurred on Friday March 14, 2015 just hours after Spring Break had commenced. Although there were no brothers home at the time, the damage to the house was extensive and sadly, many priceless fraternity artifacts and composites were destroyed.
These circumstances could have, and would have destroyed for good lesser organizations --- but they could not and would not do in the proudest fraternity in Oswego, Sigma Gamma.
Once again, Sigma Gamma reached back into it’s collective soul, looked catastrophe in the eye and climbed out of this hole. Through close alumni oversight and significant assistance, the active brothers were guided down the path that led to the fraternity successfully regaining official recognition and relocating to another place of operation. In May of 2016, after a few years of having to have a low key profile, alumni brothers Peter Devine, Mike Joseph and Billy Testa traveled to Oswego to re-teach certain Gamma traditions and began re-implementing certain functions, including the Formal Inductions Ceremony.
In early 2017, to ensure that the full history of Sigma Gamma Fraternity was documented accurately, alumni Peter Devine wrote an extensive book chronicling the fraternity’s amazing history over the years. Included in this history book was a nod to young brother Garret "Kujo" Kassler
who passed away unexpectedly in January 2017.
In the Spring of 2017, the fraternity was rejuvenated by another strong pledge class and the renewed focus on reinstating traditions. We are getting more acclimated to doing what we need to do in order to continue meeting the ever increasing requirements to remain a registered organization in good standing. We weren't so good with our paperwork in the 2016 - 2017 year so, in May 2017, we re-organized some of our management team
functions and created certain internal requirements to forge even closer ties to our alumni oversight board.
Alumni Bill Testa donated new silk screens used for producing Sigma Gamma pledge books. Bill came up to Oswego to demonstrate how to use and care for the new silk screens. Alumni Peter Devine then documented the pages that should be in a traditional Sigma Gamma pledge book and their reasons for being included. Additional documentation was created specifically for Gamma pledge masters.
In June 2017, on the weekend of June 9th - 11th, approximately 255 Sigma Gamma alumni were in Oswego to celebrate our 70th anniversary. Alumni Bill Testa printed up special t shirts and golf shirts and also brought up a custom banner that we had on display all weekend wherever we went. We took many group pictures, including a historic photo on the steps of Sheldon Hall. This was a historically significant picture given that our fraternity started directly across the street from where we gathered. (Here's the page where that picture appears). The Alumni Board, represented by Peter Devine, Michael Joseph and Bill Testa presented our advisor, Dr. John K. Smith with a special recognition plaque
honoring his 4 + decades of dedicated service as Sigma Gamma's longest serving advisor. Dr. Smith then gave a nice, fitting speech to all the assembled brothers. After the picture, we gathered on the front lawn at Sheldon Hall for a remarkable rendition of the Sigma Gamma fraternity song. We took a group picture at the Picnic on the Lake behind Johnson Hall and then held an event at Steamer's which was fantastic given the tremendous turnout and spectacular weather. Alumni Nels Olsen stepped up and sponsored the event which took it to the next level. At the Steamer's event, we showed a slide by slide presentation of the History of Sigma Gamma Book compiled by Peter Devine in 2017. It was great to see so many alumni riveted to the screen looking at pictures of themselves from "back in the day". We capped things off by many alumni attending the annual Greek Social Hour and doing another spirited rendition of the Sigma Gamma Fraternity Song. All in all, it was truly an epic weekend for our fraternity.
In the Fall of 2017, after the historic 70th anniversary weekend, the fraternity was settled into a location referred to as 69 W. Under the supervision of the House President at the time, Austin Dalli, the brotherhood endeavored to make the house look like a Gamma House should look. Particular focus was put on the first floor. Brother John Sarkis recreated the famous Gamma cartoon image from the 53 West Seneca Street Room of No Return wall. A built in bar was constructed as well as a stage. Alumni donations from the 70th were deployed to good use, including purchasing a new felt banner. The Fall 2017 pledge class built a nice beer pong table emblazoned with the classic Sigma Gamma crest.
The Sigma Gamma Alumni Board met regularly during this time, providing guidance and oversight to the fraternity. Peter Devine led an effort for the fraternity to honor some historic members of the fraternity who had passed away prematurely. A fundraising drive was launched. Certain alumni stepped up to sponsor specific memorial plaques. A special ceremony was held in October 2017 to dedicate the new plaques. Peter gave a short speech about each brother's plaque and noted certain historical references. After each plaque was presented to the fraternity, the assembled pledges gave the departed brothers a Gamma greeting. The entire ceremony was aired on Facebook Live enabling alumni worldwide to participate. Afterwards, the plaques were mounted along with the fraternity's original charter.
Several traditions were restored in 2017, including the Fall Toga Party and the re-appearance of the Gamma Batch. A chariot was built by alumni and delivered to Oswego. Bill Testa continued in his quest to restore and recreate older composites. An online reference library of composites accounted for by Sigma Gamma was created and added to the website. Many large framed pictures of fraternity reunions were printed up and donated. A composite for multiple years (2015 - 2017) was compiled to bring the fraternity current.
As Spring 2018 came to a close, the fraternity's PM at the time, John Mullaney, oversaw a successful Spring pledge class. A Formal Induction Ceremony was held at the end of April. A few weeks later, the fraternity packed up all its memorabilia and composites and alumni Jim Stone very helpfully arranged for all of these materials to be stored in Oswego until Gamma had relocated to 110.
Alumni Sean "Jabber" Ohnmacht closed the bar Greene's in 2018. Jabber's place had served as a gathering spot for Gamma alumni of all ages during our annual reunions. All of Sigma Gamma remains thankful for how accommodating Jabber and the staff at Greene's were.
Alumni Dave Cronk donated a much needed beer dispensing keg-e-rator which has now been successfully deployed at 110.
In August 2018, the fraternity relocated to a house we had previously occupied for many years. A lot of property renovation work was required and not all of it was completed as timely as we had hoped. For a little while, the fraternity had to vacate these premises until certain permits and other inspections could be properly carried out. Eventually, the fraternity resettled at 110 and immediately began work on improving the common spaces, including the Attic. Many improvements including top to bottom painting, new electrical, stage building, built in bar area and ventilation were all areas of improvement that the fraternity focused on. The extreme focus that the fraternity needed during this period negatively impacted recruitment efforts at this time.
Additional traditions were restored as well during this period. Many improvements were made to the Gamma web site. Dr. Smith continues to serve as the fraternity adviser even though he scaled back his active teaching schedule at the college. The Sigma Gamma Alumni Fund donated considerable sums of money to the active brothers for use in home improvement related projects. Alumni Brad Farber continued organizing the annual winter alumni gathering in NYC, while Jim Moses and his crew of Central NY 1960's era alumni continued their annual gatherings in the Rochester/Buffalo areas.
In the Spring semester, 2019, Pledge Master Jordan Robertaccio focused on bringing back some lost traditions, including the resumption of handing out physical bid cards to potential new brothers. John Sarkis simultaneously led an effort to focus on Gamma's rich heritage, by introducing and promoting the "KNOW YOUR HERITAGE" campaign, wherein ongoing social media posting activities utilized classic pictures from the Gamma archive. These efforts paid off handsomely, as there were 16 new brothers indoctrinated into Sigma Gamma Fraternity in April 2019. Alumni Bill Testa made a meaningful and symbolic visit to the House on the night of Bid Day, in February 2019, which energized and inspired everyone in attendance. Meanwhile, the fraternity continued to focus on adding more "Gamma touches" to the fraternity house. Alumni, led by Peter Devine, contributed many large framed historic pictures which the active brothers mounted on display throughout the halls and walls of the Gamma House. The Spring 2019 pledge class built a custom fitted booth occupying the western part of the Attic, and the following semester, the brothers and pledges combined to build a custom fitted bar on the eastern side of the Attic. A regulation sized pool table was acquired and a new "Pool Room" was established. In the fall of 2019, the brothers acquired a new President's Gavel which restored yet another tradition of the fraternity. As 2019 came to a close, our fraternity took a few moments to reflect on what it means to be a Sigma Gamma brother, and expressed appreciation to our original founder, Charles Weigand. You can scroll down on the NEWS page
of our site to access these tributes.
2020 - Present
The new decade (2020) started off with the fraternity operating from a position of strength. Optimism was extraordinarily high and the fraternity was firing on all cylinders. Alumni Board member Peter Devine compiled a retrospective on the previous decade, which you can access here. The fraternity's most senior leader as the new decade commenced was John Sarkis, who wrote a detailed State of the Union ("SOTU")
that set the stage for launching an extensive fundraising drive through which the fraternity was intending to commence an extensive program to undertake major improvements to the fraternity house. John Sarkis was elected by the brothers to serve as the Spring 2020 Pledge Master and embarked on a path to actively restore several additional traditions.
The fraternity's Alumni Board officers, led by Peter Devine and Bill Testa designed, developed and printed up several thousand copies of an updated version of the classic recruitment brochure, "Consider Sigma Gamma", which you can access here.
In 2020, alumni Jeff "Kermit" Jacobsen started running the Gamma Alumni Super Bowl Pool. Over the next few Super Bowls, these would prove to be very important sources of funding for the active fraternity. Jeff more or less structured the pools so that at least 1/2 of the pool payouts went to the fraternity, and the rest to the winners. And several of the winners in turn donated parts or all of their winnings too, so it's really become a terrific way that Gamma alumni have shown their support for Sigma Gamma. Jeff directs the net contributions to the pool to the Gamma Alumni Fund which in turn, oversees how it's used by the fraternity. The Super Bowl Pool Fund has been used to purchase the brothers an awesome (6) six burner stainless steel grill and cover, as well as upgraded stereo equipment, beverage dispensing equipment, composites and more. You can refer back to the News Page to see more examples.
Things were going along really well for Sigma Gamma, when out of nowhere, the specter of a global pandemic (Covid - 19) hit hard. The ENTIRE world felt the effects of Covid 19, and in mid March of 2020, pretty much the entire state of New York, including SUNY Oswego, went into "lockdown mode". The educational experience at Oswego pivoted to "remote, on - line learning" and virtually all facets of traditional social life were radically altered.
At the time of the lockdown, Sigma Gamma's Spring 2020 pledge class was roughly halfway through the pledge program. After close consultation with the Gamma Alumni Board, Spring 2020 Pledge Master John Sarkis, developed a resourceful plan to bring the program to a close while still ensuring that the pledges were provided the appropriate tools and opportunities to gain the knowledge that any prospective new member needs in order to become a productive brother. The balance of the semester presented many, many challenges for the fraternity, but ----- the brothers bore down and really focused on what measures could be taken to make the most of the situation. Starting in the end of the March, the fraternity's Alumni Board officers began instituting weekly ZOOM video calls with the brothers to more actively provide rapid consultation and advice to the active brothers. Through these ZOOM calls, and many subsequent conversations, the brothers, in consultation with the Gamma Alumni Board, developed a multi-faceted "master plan" focused on initiating and seeing through major, structural improvements to the fraternity house.
For the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester, owing to the effects of the Covid lockdown, there were virtually no social gatherings of any sort taking place at the fraternity house. Social distancing, mask wearing and other practices were strictly followed to limit the spread of Covid 19. However, Sigma Gamma as a whole sized up the situation and determined that this was a unique opportunity to undertake major repairs and improvements to the House. So, from April to July of 2020, instead of cowering in fear and/or throwing in the towel, Gamma brothers pitched in and worked tirelessly to refurbish the Attic as well as repaint the interior walls of the House. In the Attic, brothers Matt Ditzel and RJ Salerno led a team of brothers in ripping up and repairing large sections of water and fire damaged flooring. Structural repairs were made and multiple coats of protective marine grade polyurethane were put down on the new floor, which was also ingrained with large fraternity symbols. The bar section and Lounge areas were removed and rebuilt. New custom built furnishings were installed, and several new touches were added, including improved lighting and certain safety features. The Alumni Fund made substantial donations to the fraternity in order to keep the momentum going. RJ also installed a new, temperature controlled/activated automatic fan air circulation system donated by the Alumni Fund. John Sarkis hand crafted a replacement for the original, iconic Sigma Gamma mirror.
In late April of 2020, soon to be graduating John Sarkis and Alumni Board member Peter Devine reached out to Paul Stewart and Steve Phillips of the Oswego Renaissance Association ("ORA")
to begin a dialogue that ultimately resulted in the ORA bestowing an initial monetary grant that the brothers enthusiastically used to purchase paint and supplies to transform the appearance of the front of the fraternity house. Teams of brothers worked for weeks on end scraping, power washing and caulking the front exterior of the House. In conjunction with the ORA, historically accurate paint schemes were chosen and the brothers worked their tails off to re-paint the House. During this time, the front porch was also extensively renovated and repaired. Brothers custom made historic spindles and custom lattice work was installed. The deck of the front porch was power washed and stained. The results of all of this hard work were incredible. A true transformation effort that was positively embraced the community and the brotherhood.
In May of 2020, long time Sigma Gamma adviser Dr. John Kares Smith officially "retired" as an adjunct professor which transitioned his role to Adviser Emeritus.
After the Spring 2020 semester concluded, the pandemic was still in effect though somewhat temporarily lessened in scope. Several brothers stayed around in Oswego to continue the master plan of transforming the House. In June, several brothers were invited over to the former Sigma Gamma House to retrieve the GAMMA LION, a treasured piece of Gamma memorabilia.
As the summer of 2020 continued, the Alumni Board officers continued their regular Sunday night ZOOM calls with the fraternity to plot out the next steps in the master plan. Alumni James Schunk and Ryan Buckley stepped up and donated the funds to hire a local tree stump removal company to come in and finally remove an old, massive tree stump that took up far too much space in the backyard of the fraternity house.
Following this triumphant next step. active brother Vincent Aparicio led an effort to extensively clear out overgrown brush and bushes in the backyard. Soil was added to level off the slope of the backyard. The brothers then concentrated on installing concrete base support posts for a new wooden stockade fence that was installed in the rear and side areas of the backyard. This not only provided additional security but also a level of privacy that the brothers had never had previously. Building off all of this momentum, Vincent, Matt Ditzel, and RJ Salerno coordinated the effort to secure additional grant monies from the ORA that resulted in Bullseye Painting being hired to professionally repaint and repair the rear sections of the House. The results were truly transformative and simply stunning. Sigma Gamma Fraternity cannot express enough appreciation to Paul Stewart and Steve Phillips and the entire ORA team for their inspiring support and assistance throughout this process. You can see pictures of this transformation on the News page of this website.
As the Fall 2020 semester started back up again, the pandemic started raging again and limited what the fraternity could do. In fairly short order, lockdowns began again and most activities took place "remotely". However, Gamma brothers have always been resourceful and so, the active brothers took advantage of a sliver of a window of opportunity to initiate a fall pledge program, led by Fall PM Vincent Aparicio. Miraculously, the brotherhood united and resourcefully worked hard to indoctrinate (5) five new brothers in the Fall 2020 semester. Pledge class projects undertaken in Fall 2020 included repainting interior walls and custom painting of the iconic room names inside the historic Sigma Gamma fraternity house.
2021 was a very challenging year for Sigma Gamma. With the pandemic raging on, in early February 2021, a brother made an unwise decision to host a private birthday gathering at the House for his girlfriend's 21st birthday. Unfortunately, a few too many guests arrived and the small gathering was a few too many over the then existing Covid regulations. As a result, the fraternity found itself on probationary status for a period which negatively impacted our abilities to execute the traditional Sigma Gamma pledge program for two consecutive painful semesters. This was a big blow to the fraternity, and would have potentially doomed some organizations that weren't as strongly supported by their engaged alumni base. So, rather than whine about the unfair punishment we received, our alumni leaders worked hand in hand to chart a path to use the downtime period to internally strengthen our processes and communication protocols. Our brothers also continued an ongoing series of home improvements during this period. Alumni leaders continued to push the fraternity on a path to honor the organization's iconic heritage by printing and framing many enlargements of classic and iconic images from our archives. We have been steadily outfitting our House with these images to reinforce to our guests and potential new brothers just how iconic our history is at Oswego State.
In December 2021, Gamma's time in the penalty box over a Covid gathering infraction thankfully concluded. Coinciding with this positive development, the fraternity welcomed Dan Roberts, Director of Campus Life at SUNY Oswego, aboard as a new faculty advisor.
Also in December of 2021, we held a special memorial service for our founder, Charlie Weigand who passed away on November 16, 2021 at the age of 95. Charlie's family sent us his original sweater, the very first set of colors in our history. The Gamma Alumni Fund paid to have these colors framed and preserved for history. Alumni Joe McInerney represented the fraternity in Arizona at Charlie's funeral. Joe also donated a framed copy of the special memorial program that we had printed up. In December 2021, the fraternity also resumed the traditional rite of passage in Gamma, the Formal Inductions. Alumni leaders traveled to Oswego to personally induct several brothers who hadn't yet been able to experience this unique moment.
As of January 2022, Sigma Gamma was back, full throated and ready to recruit a large class of new brothers to refill the pipeline. Brothers started right out of the gate, handing out copies of the classic CONSIDER SIGMA GAMMA brochures and manning tables at recruitment fairs and dining halls. Spring 2022 PM Adam Bettan launched his pledge program in March with (14) fourteen worms. After coming off a year long hiatus/penalty box stint, coupled with the continuing efforts to restore normalcy after Covid, the fraternity is really focused on tradition restoration. Under the leadership of Mike "Rosey" Rosenblum, on April 23, 2022, the fraternity very successfully revived the Tim Schulz Basketball Tournament, with the ultimate champions emerging of Kyle Kon, Kyle Riley and Caleb Paley.
On Friday, May 20, 2022 at 4 AM disaster struck once again with a devastating and mysterious fire that roared through the House. The sole occupant of the House at the time was the recently graduated RJ Salerno, who thankfully was woken up by active smoke alarms. RJ had to jump off the roof as by then large portions of the House were consumed and engulfed in smoke and flames. Unfortunately, many possessions and fraternity memorabilia and artifacts and composites were lost in the fire and now, our brothers were faced with more sets of challenges to overcome.
Over the summer of 2022, the fraternity held a very successful 75th reunion, only weeks after the devastating fire. Determined to survive, adapt and overcome, the fraternity spread out and found additional locations to operate from. We painstakingly identified memorabilia that was destroyed and started making plans to restore a lot of destroyed fraternity artifacts. In the Fall of 2022, the fraternity --- along with SEVERAL OTHER FRATERNITIES --- were dragged into a disciplinary caused by the irresponsibility of the women's Cheerleading Team. Our fraternity was put on suspension and then probation which Sigma Gamma officially finished up in the Fall 2023 semester. Yet another successful Tim Schulz intra fraternity basketball tournament was held this year as well. The fraternity's Alumni Advisory Board continues to work very closely with the active officers to restore and reintroduce classic Gamma traditions whenever possible.
Sigma Gamma had a terrific Fall 2023 pledge program and is rebounding in force. Still very strongly supported by its alumni, the fraternity is thriving again and making plans for a solid Spring semester.
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Thank you to the many alumni who have provided incredible support, on so many levels, to the fraternity. Without your involvement and passion, there would be no Sigma Gamma.
Sigma Gamma, HAIL – TO – THEE!!
- Excerpted and summarized by – Peter Devine, Pledged Spring 1983
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