Paragon
May 2023
This
Save the Date for the July Work Weekend and Cookout
Memory Prompt: Were You There For the Phi Kappa / Theta Kappa Phi Merger?
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, May 31 - Chapter Charter Anniversary
Saturday, July 8 - Work Weekend Day #1 and Cookout
Sunday, July 9 - Work Weekend Day #2
Saturday, October 14 - Homecoming Event at the House
A Message from the Alumni Board President
Brothers,
A big thank you to all of the brothers who attended our first alumni work weekend of the year the weekend of April 22-23. While you can read more about the details of what we accomplished later in this Paragon, I was most struck by how well it worked out to have this work weekend coincide with the initiation ceremony. This allowed alumni who were traveling to Cleveland anyway for the work weekend, and who could make it into town by Friday afternoon, to participate in the pledge dinner and the initiation ceremony itself.
Our association gained four new members when alumni status was granted to the four brothers who graduated this semester. Welcome to Nick Kernan, Tyler Weingartner, Pritish Mishra and Maxwell Sun! I have personally worked with Nick and Max over the past 2 years as we launched our first work weekends last year, and I know that they will continue to do great work as alumni. Welcome brothers!
The Class of 2023. L-R: Nicholas Kernan, Tyler Weingartner, Pritish Mishra, Maxwell Sun.
Our work weekends, and everything else we do, are only made possible by the generosity of our brothers. I would especially like to thank the brothers who make recurring monthly contributions to our association. We currently have 5 brothers who donate a combined monthly total of $235 per month to the association. This is very helpful for us for budgeting purposes. As we put together our budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1st, we’ll be able to plan for this revenue and plan needed expenditures to go with it. You can join these brothers by making a recurring donation via our website. A big thank you goes out to Joe Reed ‘03, who is the most recent alumnus to commit to a recurring monthly contribution.
Looking to the future, please hold the weekend of July 8-9 for our next alumni work weekend and get together, as well as Saturday, October 14, for our contribution to CWRU’s Homecoming festivities. I hope to see you at both of these events!
Yours in the Bonds,
Nicholas DeCenzo
President, Ohio Alpha Beta Alumni Association
Planning for Homecoming 2023 has begun! Please fill out this quick 2-question survey to help the event planning committee organize this family-friendly event on Saturday, October 14, 2023.
Save the date now for our July work weekend on Saturday, July 8th and Sunday, July 9th. We are in the initial planning stages for the work weekend, but we will have roles for all skill levels.
From at least the mid 90's to the early 00's the brothers would come to the house the weekend after 4th of July for the Summer House Party. While we will be working most of the day, we will also have a barbeque on Saturday, July 8. Plan to stop by whether you are working or not on Saturday to meet brothers from different eras or get reacquainted with brothers from your era! More details will follow in the June Paragon.
On April 22 and 23, undergraduate and alumni brothers completed several projects around the house. Several alumni traveled from out of town for the work weekend:
- Brando Palmer - Madison, Wisconsin
- Patrick Glynn - Phoenix, Arizona
- Eugene Choi - Atlanta, Georgia
- Tony Rossi - Baltimore, Maryland
- Neal Pence - Urbana, Ohio
- Nick DeCenzo - Washington, D.C.
Local alumni in attendance included:
- Steve DeBrosse
- John Dutton
- Joe Gall
- Nate Jacobsen
- Nathan Kossover
- Ken Nagano
- Davey Rowan
In addition to the undergraduates and chapter alumni, Stephan Oechsle joined in the work weekend fun on Saturday. Stephan is the Director of Fraternal Operations from the Phi Kappa Theta National office and is an Alumnus from the Ohio Psi Chapter at Ohio University. In his free time, he restores and makes hand-crafted furniture. We greatly appreciated having Stephan join us from Perrysburg, Ohio!
Projects worked on over the weekend included:
- Drywall repair
- Driveway enhancement work
- Completion of the study room threshold and trim
- Installation of new paper towel and soap dispenser in first floor bathroom
- Electrical work on lighting and exit signs
- Minor roof patching to the parlor
- Repairing exterior to prevent racoons from enter the attic
- Composites were inventoried, photographed and when possible, rehung on the walls
On Saturday evening, the undergraduate brothers cooked dinner for everyone. They prepared breakfast for dinner which consisted of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, fruits and juice.
Thank you to the undergraduate brothers for their contributions to the work weekend labor, dinner, and for funding the projects.
John Dutton about to light up the room.
Brandon Palmer and Ken Nagano working on the threshold.
Tony Rossi preparing lunch cleaning out the window wells.
Nick Kernan and Isaiah Taylor replacing drywall removed by a previous project.
Isaiah Taylor making dinner.
Brothers old and new
Undergraduate coaches and alumni coaches are wrapping up another successful semester. Coaches will be integrated with the transition process as undergraduates leave and enter leadership roles. To maintain momentum through the summer, the Alumni Board’s Coaching Committee and undergraduate Executive Councils (Spring and Fall) will convene to summarize progress, brainstorm objectives for Fall 2023, and draft alterations to the coaching program.
The current alumni coaching program was founded by Bill Lenart in 2017 as the Local Board of Coaches. In Fall 2022, the Alumni Board established a Coaching Committee to operate the program. The current committee chair, Aaron Mann, was in the second class of undergraduate leaders to have the support and guidance of a local coach. Aaron’s coach developed his understanding of brother-to-brother accountability which enabled Aaron to establish a new Board of Justices. The Coaching Committee strives to continue developing leaders, offering trusted mentors, enhancing accountability, and sustaining institutional knowledge.
To join the Coaching Committee or nominate an alumnus brother who would make an excellent coach, please contact Aaron (aaronmann@ohioalphabeta.org).
Memory Prompt: Were You There For the Phi Kappa / Theta Kappa Phi Merger?
As we all know, we celebrate Founder’s Day on April 29 because on that date in 1959 two traditionally Catholic national fraternities, Phi Kappa, and Theta Kappa Phi, officially merged into Phi Kappa Theta.
This merger was approved by all of the individual chapters of the predecessor fraternities. For years, there has been a strong oral tradition that the Alpha Beta chapter of Phi Kappa was the only chapter that voted AGAINST the merger. Some brothers will tell you that we wear our fraternity badges slightly differently at our chapter because of that vote.
Of course, there’s no documentation of this anywhere. That’s where you hopefully come in. Were you there for the merger? Whether you were an active in the years leading up to the merger or just have some solid stories you were told as an active, we’d love to hear what you know. Email Nathan Kossover at secretary@ohioalphabeta.org, and he’ll compile some of your responses for a future issue of the Paragon!
Our most common question about 11016 Magnolia “when did we buy the house?” In our Founder’s Day Paragon, we noted that 11016 Magnolia was transferred to Phi Kappa on December 30, 1954, and that we moved in during the spring semester of 1955. That date came from title research done by Bill Danso ‘05. While Bill reminds us that when digging back this far into the past, it is possible that something was missed or that an incorrect deed was accidentally referenced, this seems pretty definitive, right?
Well, sort of. Bill notes that December 30, 1954 was definitely the date that the deed was signed. However, because this happened right before the New Year holiday, and electronic recording and signing was not available in 1954, the deed was not actually recorded until January 13, 1955. Thus, technically speaking, we took title to the house on January 13, 1955. Therefore, we can celebrate our 69th anniversary of owning the house on December 30, 2023 or January 13, 2024, or if you’re so inclined, for the entire two week period between those dates.
The second most common question about 11016 Magnolia is “when did the house get built?” Bill dug into the title research further and found some answers. The short answer is that it appears the house was probably built in 1915. The long answer takes some telling, so let’s turn it over to Bill!
To pick a somewhat arbitrary beginning to this history, we will start with the property being owned by the Jeptha Homer Wade family, or J.H. Wade as the deed record shows. This name may sound familiar, as the first Jeptha Homer Wade was the organizer and first president of Lakeview Cemetery and also donated the property for Wade Park.1 J.H. Wade II, a grandson of J.H. Wade, became close with his grandfather, and was a financier and businessman in his own right. He was deeply involved with Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Art School, and other philanthropic pursuits. He was also one of the initial incorporators of the Cleveland Museum of Art, and was named its President in 1920.2 Jeptha Homer Wade and his grandson platted a subdivision that would be known as Wade Park which included Magnolia Drive. Due to many lots remaining unsold, J.H. Wade III was instrumental in re-platting the subdivision through the Wade Realty Company.3 On October 22, 1910, a deed from J.H. Wade II was recorded transferring title to the property which would become 11016 Magnolia Drive to the Wade Realty Company.
On March 20, 1912, Henry C. Van Cleef purchased the property from the Wade Realty Company. It should be noted that the deed states that it was purchased “for the consideration of Ten Dollars and other valuable considerations * * *.” It is common to put a nominal dollar amount in the deed blanks, and not the actual purchase price, so this is very likely not the actual price. A 1920 copy of the Proceedings of the Fifty-Third Annual Convention of the American Institute of Architects lists a Henry C. Van Cleef as living in New York, and a 1911 copy of the Brooklyn Blue Book and Long Island Society Register also lists a Henry C. Van Cleef with an address on East 93rd in Cleveland, Ohio. It is not certain that this is the same Henry Van Cleef, but based on these limited documents, it is reasonable to think it may be. In any case, there is no indication that Henry Van Cleef built anything on the property, as he only owned it until April 25, 1913, when he sold it back to the Wade Realty Company.
The Wade Realty Company inserted certain deed restrictions on the property. Specifically, the deed from Van Cleef’s purchased on March 20, 1912 states that the owner agrees:
For a period extending unto Jan. 1st, 1938, that said premises will be used for no other than residence purposes; that one residence only, which shall cost not less than Fifteen thousand ($15,000.00) Dollars, shall be erected or placed upon said premises; that no part of the foundation wall of said residence shall be placed nearer than Sixty five (65) feed to the center of the Magnolia lot line, and not nearer than Ten (10) feet to either side line of said premises; that no structure or fence, excepting a porch, shall be erected or placed between said residence and the line of Magnolia Drive; that no double house, two family house, terrace or apartment house shall be erected or placed upon said premises; and that liquor, whether spirituous, vinous or fermented, shall not be sold upon said premises.
This deed sets the minimum value of the home that would need to be built at $15,000. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this would be approximately $462,000 today. Second, the reference to liquor is interesting. While it is reasonable that neighbors might not want to have the sale of liquor in a residential neighborhood, the temperance movement was well underway at this point which would ultimately lead to prohibition starting in 1920.
After Henry Van Cleef sold the property back to the Wade Realty Company, it was resold to Adrian D. Joyce two years later on May 7, 1914. According to the History of the Glidden Co. and of the Work of Adrian D. Joyce and Percy L. Julian with Soybeans and Soyfoods (1917-2020) by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi in 2020, on behalf of the SoyInfo Center, Adrian Joyce was general manager of sales and distribution of the Sherwin-Williams Company in 1914. In 1917 he purchased the Glidden Varnish Company, which eventually was taken public and by 1949 was one of the three largest paint companies in the world.
For all of his career success, Joyce’s history with 11016 Magnolia only appears to have lasted one minute. The deed transferring the property to him was received by the Recorder on May 6, 1914 at 12:50 pm, but his deed transferring the property to Thomas G. Rowe was received by the Recorder on May 6, 1914 at 12:51 pm. There is a reference to a Thomas G. Rowe as being a businessman operating the Rowe Bros. store in Cleveland that opened in 1911.4 Here again, this may not be the correct Thomas Rowe, but the documents point to a strong possibility that it was.
Thomas Rowe also did not keep the property for very long, as he transferred it to Frank D. Fulmer on September 15, 1914. Volume 53 of the Construction Record dated March 27, 1915 shows that Thomas G. Rowe hired an architect to build a house on East 108th Street, so it seems he found a location he liked better. There does not appear to be much information out there on Frank. D. Fulmer, but he also did not own the property for very long. On September 21, 1914, Frank D. Fulmer transferred the property to Harry New.
Though the deed records cannot tell us for sure, it appears that the house was constructed for Harry New and his family. Back in the 2001-2008 era, there were still some original blueprints to the house that were rolled up and kept in various safe locations such as the second floor hallway closet. If those can still be located, they might contain additional information about the date of construction. Also, a search of old tax records could reveal when the valuation increased for tax purposes. However, with the very short ownership periods prior to the New family, it is hard to imagine that anyone had much time to build the house before him.
To confuse matters more, Volume XXX No. 16 of the October 16, 1917 edition of The Ohio Architect Engineer and Builder shows a building permit for 11016 Magnolia Drive for a dwelling described as “[b]rick, shingle roof, steam, two stories. 65x82. $30,000.” However, it lists the applicant as T.H. Brooks, who appears nowhere in the chain of title.
T.H. Brooks does appear to be in the chain of title for 11020 Magnolia Drive, the neighboring house to the east. Either the name or the address of the permit is likely a misprint from over 100 years ago, so it is unlikely that this mystery will be solved. There is one other reference to T.H. Brooks at 11016 Magnolia in the 1919 Social Register – Cleveland published by Harvard University, but again, this seems to be an anomaly.
If we disregard the apparently incorrect permit taken out for T.H. Brooks, we can say with some certainty that 11016 Magnolia was built at some point between September 21, 1914, when Harry New took possession of the property, and 1916, when 11016 Magnolia starts appearing as New’s home address in various directories. Given the effort presumably involved in building such a substantial house, it seems likely that the house was completed in 1915. This means that the Phi Kappa Theta house is 108 years old, give or take a few months, and that Phi Kappa Theta and its predecessor organizations has owned it for 68 of those 108 years.
Of course, this still leaves the dates between Harry New’s death and our purchase of the house on January 13, 1955 unexplored. in In a future issue, Bill will explore what happened between 1920 and 1955, as well as some of the changes made to the title since 1955. Many thanks to Brother Danso for his extensive research on this topic.
1 https://case.edu/ech/articles/w/wade-jeptha-homer-i
2 https://case.edu/ech/articles/w/wade-jeptha-homer-ii
3 https://case.edu/ech/articles/w/wade-park-allotment
4 History of Crawford County, Ohio and representative citizens, John Edward Hopley, 1912.