PKT25: Commentary from Joe & Laura & Astrid on Touring the House
All my posts here get cross-posted to my friends-locked Facebook account, and the fraternity stuff has seen a lot of commentary from my brothers and in some cases their spouses. With their permission, I'm going to post some of them (with minor edits) here so those brothers not on Facebook can see them.
First up, my fraternity brother Joe and his wife Laura left a lot of comments on the house tour. Joe and Laura grew up in the Cleveland area and were high school sweethearts. Laura went to Baldwin-Wallace while Joe was at CWRU, and she was often over at the house. They got married after graduation and was one of the first three Phi Kap weddings I attended. Joe is now a podiatrist in PA.
I've also thrown in a few comments from Astrid, who was from Germany and met Zuck clubbing in the Flats. They dated him throughout college while she went to CSU and they got married and divorced post-college.
Joe on the Red Room
Occasionally, we would have mini Case Men’s Glee Club rehearsals in the Red Room (it has, or had a piano). We also practiced (some reluctantly) our serenading songs in there. I don’t remember much studying in the Study room, but I certainly remember playing Chubby Bunny in there (and Steve often winning). I certainly loved that Kitchen and chapter room, especially as Steward. Except when we had soft shell tacos. They got hard fast, would be used as frisbees, and were the worst to clean up. I guess that only sucked for those on that night’s kitchen clean up duty.
Joe on the Dungeon
This installment of your history is very important me. I moved into the house in the Fall of 1995. I was supposed to move on the third floor with my big, Steve E. , but he was able to secure a large single last minute (the Bakery?). My parents were “ok?” with me moving into a fraternity after seeing the nice third floor corner room…but on move in day at the end of Summer, I was delegated to the Dungeon! It was the color “dirty 🤢”, so Laura and I painted it light gray. (We painted many, many rooms in that house together). I know it had a window, because I took a lot of shit for my Mom adding drapes to said window 🙄. No mom jokes, please.
My first work session was cleaning BOTH of the fore mentioned bathrooms biweekly. Did I mention Dave lived across from me in the Wine Cellar? Empty pizza boxes and chicken legs often on the floor. He told me God created dirt and I told him God also created Clorox 😊. He was also my President, after an 8 hour (no joke) election chapter meeting.
My next semester I upgraded my work session to mopping that back 3 floor stairwell biweekly. I can still smell the Murphy’s oil soap every time I think of that hallway. It sure beat cleaning two shitty bathrooms.
I can’t believe that the pool table is gone. Thanks for the memories.
Astrid on the Observator and East Wing
I would also like to point out that and I used to scrub that bathroom between the East Wing and the Observatory on Friday nights when we arrived to stay at the house for the weekend...I also remember when Davis had a ferret while living in the Greenhouse that you could smell when sitting in the East Wing's living room where we would watch Jerry Springer or Seinfeld when coming back from classes at CSU.
Laura's response to Astrid
Lots of bathroom cleaning indeed! I definitely cleaned the bathroom off the Observatory, between the East Wing…... Often!
Joe's response to Astrid
I love that bathroom. But I wish we would have seen it in its glory with a working tub and working built in shower. Both we “for show” during our time. My absolute favorite, in fact a great college memory for some reason, was regularly brushing our teeth together in a communal way. Like a matter of fact ritual.
Me
The bathroom they are discussing was a "private" bathroom so it was not part of the assigned cleaning rotation.
Joe on the Studio
After leaving the Dungeon, I found a loophole and scored the Studio as a “double” with Dennis. He was not actually in school that semester, and “visited his room” a few weekends a semester. As many may recall, I ran a side business-a “PKT spirit wear” store out of the back room for a few semesters!! I believe Rowan crashed there for awhile too. In fact, we spent weeks before bed filling up bags of paper hole punch scraps that we finally dumped into Zuck’s bed across in the East Wing to get back at him for something one night!! I also loved the awesome L shaped desk in that room. One of the best in the house.
Josh, Zuck and Davis emptied my room on camcorder because I went home most weekends and arrived Sunday before our Chapter meeting, to their dismay. Except one snowy day when I can back early to study on that cool desk…. An hour or so into studying, I realized it was damn cold and no one was around. No cell phones back then. Finally Ducar found me with the crisis that the boiler stopped working! We had to vacate the house. I believe as risk manager and house manager we worked out with Wes getting the common area of Leutner Commons or somewhere similar to be “Camp Phi Kap” for 3-4 days that November 1996? I believe that was how “Black Out” was born and a great rush tool for all those north side dorms.
Joe on the Observatory
Lastly, I ended my 4th and 5th years at CWRU in the Observatory. I loved that room. The best closets and lots of space. I spent an all nighter in there finishing my psychology honors thesis-- Josh had to literally nail my door shut so I wouldn’t get distracted and keep wondering the house. He let me out at 6:30am so I could turn it in at 7am!
Joe on the FOB
I believe that Sunshine lived in the FOB when I pledged, but I could be wrong. I lived in the Oval Office when I was President. Ralph was in the FOB and shared the cool bathroom with me.
I remember being awaken from the Oval Office around 2am one weekend when we were hosting brothers from OSU or Ohio U(?) and they went out to the Flats clubbing somewhere with some of our brothers. The concern was that my brothers “lost” one of these guest Phi Kaps and came back to the house without him. I really have no idea if we ever found that guy.
The Ohio Alpha Beta Chapter of Phi Kappa Theta
The House Tour Outside,
Main Floor Bedrooms,
Main Floor Public Rooms,
Basement Public Areas,
Basement Private Areas,
2nd Floor Big Bedrooms,
2nd Floor Small Bedrooms,
3rd Floor First Hallway,
3rd Floor Second Hallway,
Attic & Errata,
House Tour Commentary: Joe & Laura & Astrid
The Pledge Program Schedule, Curriculum & Black Books
Pledge Classes Fall 1996
Events Detour
Other Full Series, My Rush Experience, Chapter History
First up, my fraternity brother Joe and his wife Laura left a lot of comments on the house tour. Joe and Laura grew up in the Cleveland area and were high school sweethearts. Laura went to Baldwin-Wallace while Joe was at CWRU, and she was often over at the house. They got married after graduation and was one of the first three Phi Kap weddings I attended. Joe is now a podiatrist in PA.
I've also thrown in a few comments from Astrid, who was from Germany and met Zuck clubbing in the Flats. They dated him throughout college while she went to CSU and they got married and divorced post-college.
Joe on the Red Room
Occasionally, we would have mini Case Men’s Glee Club rehearsals in the Red Room (it has, or had a piano). We also practiced (some reluctantly) our serenading songs in there. I don’t remember much studying in the Study room, but I certainly remember playing Chubby Bunny in there (and Steve often winning). I certainly loved that Kitchen and chapter room, especially as Steward. Except when we had soft shell tacos. They got hard fast, would be used as frisbees, and were the worst to clean up. I guess that only sucked for those on that night’s kitchen clean up duty.
Joe on the Dungeon
This installment of your history is very important me. I moved into the house in the Fall of 1995. I was supposed to move on the third floor with my big, Steve E. , but he was able to secure a large single last minute (the Bakery?). My parents were “ok?” with me moving into a fraternity after seeing the nice third floor corner room…but on move in day at the end of Summer, I was delegated to the Dungeon! It was the color “dirty 🤢”, so Laura and I painted it light gray. (We painted many, many rooms in that house together). I know it had a window, because I took a lot of shit for my Mom adding drapes to said window 🙄. No mom jokes, please.
My first work session was cleaning BOTH of the fore mentioned bathrooms biweekly. Did I mention Dave lived across from me in the Wine Cellar? Empty pizza boxes and chicken legs often on the floor. He told me God created dirt and I told him God also created Clorox 😊. He was also my President, after an 8 hour (no joke) election chapter meeting.
My next semester I upgraded my work session to mopping that back 3 floor stairwell biweekly. I can still smell the Murphy’s oil soap every time I think of that hallway. It sure beat cleaning two shitty bathrooms.
I can’t believe that the pool table is gone. Thanks for the memories.
Astrid on the Observator and East Wing
I would also like to point out that and I used to scrub that bathroom between the East Wing and the Observatory on Friday nights when we arrived to stay at the house for the weekend...I also remember when Davis had a ferret while living in the Greenhouse that you could smell when sitting in the East Wing's living room where we would watch Jerry Springer or Seinfeld when coming back from classes at CSU.
Laura's response to Astrid
Lots of bathroom cleaning indeed! I definitely cleaned the bathroom off the Observatory, between the East Wing…... Often!
Joe's response to Astrid
I love that bathroom. But I wish we would have seen it in its glory with a working tub and working built in shower. Both we “for show” during our time. My absolute favorite, in fact a great college memory for some reason, was regularly brushing our teeth together in a communal way. Like a matter of fact ritual.
Me
The bathroom they are discussing was a "private" bathroom so it was not part of the assigned cleaning rotation.
Joe on the Studio
After leaving the Dungeon, I found a loophole and scored the Studio as a “double” with Dennis. He was not actually in school that semester, and “visited his room” a few weekends a semester. As many may recall, I ran a side business-a “PKT spirit wear” store out of the back room for a few semesters!! I believe Rowan crashed there for awhile too. In fact, we spent weeks before bed filling up bags of paper hole punch scraps that we finally dumped into Zuck’s bed across in the East Wing to get back at him for something one night!! I also loved the awesome L shaped desk in that room. One of the best in the house.
Josh, Zuck and Davis emptied my room on camcorder because I went home most weekends and arrived Sunday before our Chapter meeting, to their dismay. Except one snowy day when I can back early to study on that cool desk…. An hour or so into studying, I realized it was damn cold and no one was around. No cell phones back then. Finally Ducar found me with the crisis that the boiler stopped working! We had to vacate the house. I believe as risk manager and house manager we worked out with Wes getting the common area of Leutner Commons or somewhere similar to be “Camp Phi Kap” for 3-4 days that November 1996? I believe that was how “Black Out” was born and a great rush tool for all those north side dorms.
Joe on the Observatory
Lastly, I ended my 4th and 5th years at CWRU in the Observatory. I loved that room. The best closets and lots of space. I spent an all nighter in there finishing my psychology honors thesis-- Josh had to literally nail my door shut so I wouldn’t get distracted and keep wondering the house. He let me out at 6:30am so I could turn it in at 7am!
Joe on the FOB
I believe that Sunshine lived in the FOB when I pledged, but I could be wrong. I lived in the Oval Office when I was President. Ralph was in the FOB and shared the cool bathroom with me.
I remember being awaken from the Oval Office around 2am one weekend when we were hosting brothers from OSU or Ohio U(?) and they went out to the Flats clubbing somewhere with some of our brothers. The concern was that my brothers “lost” one of these guest Phi Kaps and came back to the house without him. I really have no idea if we ever found that guy.
The Ohio Alpha Beta Chapter of Phi Kappa Theta
The House Tour Outside,
Main Floor Bedrooms,
Main Floor Public Rooms,
Basement Public Areas,
Basement Private Areas,
2nd Floor Big Bedrooms,
2nd Floor Small Bedrooms,
3rd Floor First Hallway,
3rd Floor Second Hallway,
Attic & Errata,
House Tour Commentary: Joe & Laura & Astrid
The Pledge Program Schedule, Curriculum & Black Books
Pledge Classes Fall 1996
Events Detour
Other Full Series, My Rush Experience, Chapter History