Laugh So Hard Your Guts Hurt
October 2006
Boring day? These hilarious memories will put a smile on your face and take you back to your days as an undergrad. Relive your wild days and share your memories with us at here.
What is the memory that makes you laugh hardest today?
“Jim Seigman going into the fish pond. He had been pinned for several months, but the brothers were waiting for the appropriate "time" for the traditional dunk in the pond. It was a winter day and the pond had about 2 inches of ice on it. This seemed like the appropriate time for "Black Bart," the chief trickster of Pi K A, to meet his due.” - Glenn G Ritter, ’58
“Bill Birdsall’s car wound up on the porch of the chapter house.” - Alan G Rieper, ’62
“Putting a brother's VW into the living room of the 514 Delaware Avenue house.” - John O. Hatab, ’65
“"Disposing" of my black and white 1956 Chevrolet convertible. My first car, I bought it for $50 and drove it maybe three times before it died. After having sat in the house lot (512 Delaware Avenue) several months, several of my brothers decided it should be moved. There may have been some beer involved with the decision making. The move was to the end of Delaware Avenue, where a modest cliff provided a convenient down ramp for the vehicle. Several other favorites relate to pledging -- e.g., the "olive races." Then there were the "twin peaks" we constructed in front of the house as a House Party Weekend decoration. The original idea was to have mountains on either side of the walkway. I have no idea who decided to paint them pink! It is amazing we never got in trouble with our neighbors. Or, the earnest but fruitless campaign by John Hatab and Lenny Lindegren to get us to dress with more style --- Weejuns, blue oxford shirts, silk in the breast pocket of the blue blazer.” - James R. Adams, ’66
“Kazoo (Gary Anderson) at the pledge party in 1966.” - Richard Haslett, ’68
“Zoom, Schwartz, Profigliano.” - Charles A (Chet) Webb, ’69
“Anything that involved my mentor - Alan "Little Jimmie" Dalrymple. The weekend he 'parked' his Chevrolet Caprice sideways on the hill-to-hill bridge and walked home ranks up there as one of the best.” - Glenn B. Higbie, ’72
“Great Pumpkin.” - S. Clarke Woodruff, ’72
“Ted Simon threw a Frisbee out of the pool room window and Ruppert, the one eyed dog, jumped out after it. It was at least a 1 1/2 story drop.” - David Finkelstein, ’78
“There are an awful lot of them - but Garibaldi launching a cue ball through the pool room window is right up there, along with Spisak stepping through the 3rd floor ceiling during our insulation job, and finally Rich Brennan's friend asking, "You guys seen a Volkswagen around here" while we tossed a football in the back parking lot, overlooking the mangled VW on the lot below.” - Craig Mogens Madsen, ’80
“The Bed races - Fucawe Indians.” - Mark A. Votaw, ’84
“A packed house at a famous Pike Hotel party.” - Paul McDonough, ’89
First place; Dan Blanchard, during rush, was plastered, hammered, and sleeping on his back on the kitchen floor. We decided to decorate him with various condiments, and as we sprinkled confectioner's sugar on him, he started singing "I'm dreaming of a whiiiiiite Christmas". He was a very good sport, and made a terrific brother. Second place- during a lunchtime rush function, a rushee asked if we ever had food fights, (as this was the time of Animal House" a large serving spoonful of potatos were launched, and a food fight ensued. Afterwards, Chuck Keener complained that he had gotten cauliflower in his ear. Someone, (I believe it may have been Dan, again,) lost an entire glassful of chocolate milk through his nose, into his lunch. We were astounded by the volume and artistic coloring, so it stayed on display all through dinner. Third- During a game of "Zoom", Joe Feller was starting to slur his schwartzes and profigliano's, pronouncing them as "feyh" and "shwoof", so while he was chugging a full penalty beer, I mimicked him, saying "fehy" "schwoof". Twin columns of beer shot out of his nose, and followed me as I ran across the room. They almost reached the barroom door from the barstools. You win for distance, Joe. -Paul W Brambilla ’80
"So it is a
beautiful Spring evening, the House had just finished Mattie's dinner and
we were all sitting on the wall at the "old" house across the
street. Out of nowhere, Clarke Woodruff produces a manekin with a full,
long-haired wig, bra & panties. So what do you do with a manekin on
the street curb during rush hour traffic? ...why you start "making
out" with it! ...and before the Sqad Car arrived, you should have seen the
looks from the passing cars! ...from shock at a semi-clad young lady on the
sidewalk making out to laughs at those craze Fraternity guys! ...but as the
police car pulled up, Clarke was gone in a flash into the house with his
"date" under his arm! ...oh, and the cop smiled as he approached to
investigate the case, but the "brotherhood" held tight as we never
saw anything!!! I still laugh at impromptu moment where the guys were
just hanging out after dinner...." - Warren
Hickernell (aka - Slick) '73
Describe the best party
“We had an impromptu party one time, just before Christmas break. Just the guys. When we came back from break, there was dried beer on the floor, dirty glasses everywhere. The basement was a mess.” - Glenn G Ritter Jr., ’58
“Houseparties at 56 W. Market St.” - John E. Buhl, Jr., ’51
“There were several like this -- with a four-piece band singing songs that got progressively worse as the night went on ("My Ding-a-Ling" is one example). Generally, a lot of singing and beer in the bar. After one of which nights I woke in the morning to learn that "Pancho" (Harold Gardner) and I had split a fifth of Seagram's, following which I passed and Pancho tried to wake me by walking on my chest. That also was the night I got the nickname "Gash".” - James R. Adams, ’66
“Fall House party, 1967: great band, lots of laughs, as seniors we were the kings and it was fun to be able to put it all into perspective.” - Richard Haslett, ’68
“The night I made 'cardinal'. The night I didn't make 'cardinal' and Hal Long was kicking me in the ribs as I lay on the floor was an incentive to try again.” - Glenn B. Higbie, ’72
That's easy. Kazoo party after the great pumpkin, October of 1977. Great punch, even Brad Kaune liked it! -Paul W Brambilla ’80?
Describe your favorite/best road trip
“Al Lorenger and I going to the Pika national convention in Denver-driving his father's Lincoln Continental, but eating at truck stops.” - John O. Hatab, ’65
“Taking Scuz to Hairy John national forest (near Penn State) after the greatest pledge master kidnapping of all time. Best part was being back at the house when he called in to get rescued. The tradition was that whichever brother got to the phone first had to go and pick him up. We just about died when Hal Hills got the message and had a four hour drive to get Scuz who was already skunked at the PKA house at Penn State.” - Richard Haslett, ’68
“One leg is longer than the other from side-hill walking.” - Charles A (Chet) Webb, ’69
“Took John Bittner home to Chambersburg for a funeral and Little Jimmie Dalrymple and I sat in a bar near Wilson College for the night. When we left the bar to pick John up, we decided to return for a nightcap and the bartender greeted Jimmie by name. We drove back to the house, arrived in the early-AM, found cold lasagna and had a beer before we went to bed.” - Glenn B. Higbie, ’72
“Cornell US Grand Prix Watkins Glen 1969.” - S. Clarke Woodruff, ’72
“Randy Enterline, Ted Simon and I drove to Cornell University and kidnapped a pledge from his Pledge Trip.” - David Finkelstein, ’78
“Pike Convention at UMass in Keener's Dad's Mercedes Diesel - we were just a little short of food and money on the way home.” - Craig Mogens Madsen, ’80
UMass for the inaugural of the new Pike chapter. Great dance, lots of cute girls, my first overnight visit in a sorority, and great new brothers, enthusiastic, friendly, and fun. -Paul W Brambilla ’80?
What is the one memory you have shared or will share with your children or grandchildren?
“Working on displays for Lafayette Weekend, Dream Girl weekends.” - Alan G Rieper, ’62
“About our beagle, Kappa. I know he hung out with everyone, but I remember many classes where he would walk to school with me and lay down waiting, until the class was over. We had a lot of fraternity dogs on campus then.” - James R. Adams, ’66
“The brotherhood means friends for life.” - Richard Haslett, ’68
“The meaning of Brotherhood. My brothers are my extended family.” - Glenn B. Higbie, ’72
“Three years of true fraternity and not BS the rest of the world thinks about fraternities.” - S. Clarke Woodruff, ’72
“The members elected me as a social member at Pike because I didn't want to live at the frat house. I was having too much fun living at Bishop Thorpe, then an experimental coed dorm. In retrospect, I now wished that I pledged the fraternity because of th…” - David Finkelstein, ’78
“I'd have to think about if it would be appropriate to share the memory of Quince and I sawing open the fallen parking meter for a few dollars of change!” - Craig Mogens Madsen, ’80
I can still count several of my Pike brothers as people I love and trust, despite living on the other side of the world for decades. -Paul W Brambilla ’80?
“Sitting on the "Beach" pretending to do homework.” - Mark A. Votaw, ’84