All of Sigma Gamma celebrates the extraordinary life of our founder, Charlie Weigand, who passed away on Tuesday (11/16/2021) at the age of 95. Charlie was an inspiration to all of us for many decades and lived an extraordinary life. His vision and enthusiasm paved the way in the fall of 1947, for 26 young men to meet and as a group, thrash out their ideas to conceive of a brand new fraternity.
One of their primary goals back then, in post WW 2 days, was to create an organization that specifically barred all forms of discrimination of any kind. In fact, we were the very first fraternity in the SUNY system to specifically include this non discrimination provision in our by laws. This premise and the importance that Charlie and his fellow founding brothers placed on it preceded the national civil rights movement by many years.
Charles Kirnon was friends with Charlie Weigand, and at Charlie’s encouragement, he became (to our knowledge) the first African American to join a fraternity in Oswego. This is why Charlie personally chose the first ever picture that appeared in the 1948 Ontarian (school yearbook) to represent the new fraternity, and that's why you see in the attached pictures, the classic shot of Charlie (in his sweater on the right) and fellow founding brother, Charles Kirnon.
Charlie singlehandedly composed our fraternity creed in 1949 and gathered the brothers together at the old Pontiac Hotel, near City Hall, to read it aloud for the first time. (see picture).
Charlie's original sweater were the very first set of Gamma colors ever made. His family recently sent them to us, and we have now preserved them in a proper display case. We are going to have a formal unveiling ceremony on Saturday December 11th in Oswego to honor Charlie's memory.
Here's a link to an interview conducted with Charlie in 2017 as we were gearing up for our 70th anniversary.
Charlie was born on April 23, 1926 in Ozone Park, Queens. Like many in that time, Charlie fibbed about his age and enlisted in the US Air Force while he was still in high school. Charlie completed 29 combat missions and 13 training missions during the war and served for many years retiring as a Master Sargant in the Air Force Reserve. After returning stateside, Charlie ventured up to Oswego on a GI Bill scholarship. In the fall of 1947, in a small cabin opposite Sheldon Hall, (between where King Hall is now and where the DKK house is now) Charlie convened a gathering of 26 like minded men from all backgrounds and together they hashed out the details for forming a new fraternity. Many of the foundational decisions made that evening still form the very basis for how Sigma Gamma operates today, almost 75 years later.
Charlie graduated SUNY Oswego--- with a Master's Degree in Education, no less --- in just three years, in 1950. Following college, Charlie went on to fulfill his passion to teach and educate in the field of Printing and Flexography, teaching for many years at Plainedge High School on Long Island and later as a Professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. Upon retiring, Charles and Marilyn moved to Phoenix, AZ where both he and Marilyn joined and became involved with the Phoenix Elks Lodge No. 335. Charles became Exhalated Ruler of the Elks in 1996 and remained active in the organization for 30 plus years.
In addition to being the Founder of Sigma Gamma Fraternity and marrying the love of his life, Marilyn, (they were married for 73 years!!!) one of Charlies’ greatest accomplishments was being a father. He always wanted a large family and considered himself lucky and blessed to have seven children.
If by some chance, you're reading this and in the Arizona area, Charlie's services are set for visitation on Wednesday December 1, 2021 from 3-5 p.m. at Hansen’s Mortuaries and Cemetery located at 6500 E. Bell Road, Scottsdale, AZ. A funeral service will be held in Ascension Hall at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church at 11001 N. 40th Street, Scottsdale, AZ on Thursday December 2, 2021 at 10 a.m.
Rest in peace and Godspeed Charlie. Thank you for your service to our country and for having the vision to conceive of a fraternity that will always honor your memory.
Thanks for the memories Charlie. Proudly we hail you, brother.