The 10 years from 1910 to 1920 were important in the history of Chi. Forty-nine Chi men served in the World War. Of these, three should have special mention. Lt Col. Alan G. Goldsmith ’11, Infantry A.E.F., was cited for the Legion of Honor, two official Romanian decorations, official Serbian decoration and one United States decoration. Major Constant Southworth ’98, major of infantry, won his promotion through outstanding military and diplomatic service in Montenegro. He also received a citation, signed by Mussolini, for his military services in Italy. First Lt. John D. Southworth ’11, medical corps, was awarded the Croix de Guerra by the French government. The others who served during the World War are listed later.
During the year 1918, the period of the Students Army Training Corps, the academic life at Kenyon was completely disrupted. Chi Chapter suffered severely. Too much praise cannot be given to John M. Jerpe ’20 who held the chapter together through this troublesome time, with the result that when Kenyon resumed its normal life January 1, 1919, Chi emerged as a well-organized and functioning chapter.
The period from 1920 to 1946 has witnessed several noteworthy events. The centennial celebration in June 1924 brought 73 Chi alumni back to the Hill, the largest number that had returned to Gambier at one time. As already mentioned, Chi took possession of Middle Leonard and the beautiful parlor in that division. As also mentioned, through the efforts and generosity of R.A. Weaver ’12, the Lodge was rebuilt. Among the many names that should be mentioned are Kenyon H. Eberth ’27, whose early tragic death deprived Delta Tau Delta and the country of a young man of great promise, and Alton Wade ’26, who twice accompanied Admiral Byrd on his explorations to the Antarctic – the second time as chief of the geological survey. In 1928, W. Clinton Seitz ’15 joined the faculty of Bexley Hall, the first Chi initiate to become a Kenyon professor.
It is a significant fact that no less than 15 Chi initiates are the sons of Chi men. Once in the ’20s, four of them were in the chapter at one time. Brothers in blood may be counted by the scores.
The time for Chi’s regular initiation has varied considerably, following the custom in vogue on the Hill during each period. Up until the fall of 1909, the freshmen were initiated in early October; then for three years, it was deferred until after matriculation, usually about Thanksgiving. For 20 years from 1912 to 1932, the initiation was held at the beginning of the second semester. For one year, the experiment was tried of waiting until the beginning of the sophomore year. In June 1933, the practice was begun of initiating the pledges at the time of the commencement banquet.
Chi has served Delta Tau Delta well. One of her sons, Alvan E. Duerr ’93, was president of our fraternity. (He was also twice elected to the chairmanship of the National Interfraternity Conference and edited the fourteenth edition of Baird’s “Manual of American College Fraternities.”) Several other Chi men have been on the Arch Chapter. The entire chapter went to Columbus, Ohio, November 19, 1894, and installed Beta Phi. The team that initiated Gamma Xi, when Delta Tau Delta entered the University of Cincinnati, October 30, 1909, was largely composed of Kenyon Delts.