In spring 2022, Indiana Tech Magazine featured a story about a group of fraternity brothers who have maintained strong bonds throughout the years and a reverence for the university they called home during the late 60s and early 70s.

During commencement weekend in May, 16 members from the Kappa Delta Chapter of the Theta Xi fraternity returned to Indiana Tech for a reunion. Organized by 1970 graduate Ron Kantorak, they, along with their significant others, converged on Fort Wayne to hear their fraternity brother and nationally renowned automotive dealer, Blaise Alexander, deliver this year’s commencement speech. Mr. Alexander’s children, Aubrey, Adam and Mo, were also in attendance.

They also got together for the dedication of the Theta Xi Fraternity Kappa Delta Chapter conference room inside the Zollner Engineering Center. Although the chapter disbanded in 1974, its pulse remains strong at Indiana Tech, driven by a brotherhood that continues to give back to the university that served as a launching pad for many successful careers.

“It was such a joy having this group of men back and their guests on campus to share their stories and see how Indiana Tech has progressed in the time since they were here,” said President Karl W. Einolf. “I am proud that this university had such a positive impact on their careers, and I am grateful for their generosity toward Tech in the years since.”

To learn more about this group of fraternity brothers, read the story below from the spring 2022 issue of Indiana Tech Magazine.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Ron Kantorak

Although the Kappa Delta Chapter of the Theta Xi fraternity disbanded at Indiana Tech in 1974, the pulse of this brotherhood is stronger than ever. Ron Kantorak (BSME, 1970), one of Theta Xi’s biggest cheerleaders and a huge supporter of the university, wouldn’t have it any other way.

When looking back on his time at Tech, Ron does so with reverence. Through Theta Xi, he joined a strong network of friends that prepared one another for the rigors of the classroom, and then helped each other blow off steam outside the classroom. In fact, it was during a frat party in 1968 that he met his wife, Cathy; they’ve been married since 1970.

“At the time, there were 11 fraternities at Tech, and there was much competition between them,” Ron said. “We had Greek week, which consisted of many competitions such as the chariot race, the fat man trike race, a three-legged race, a pie-eating contest, a Greek week queen competition and the float competition. We also had intramural competition through the year with softball, basketball, track, bowling, volleyball and football. Through all these things, a strong team spirit and very tight ties developed among the brothers.”

Ron also looks back with gratitude to several professors who “with tough love and bending over backwards” made sure he graduated on time.

“As I became financially stable, I thought about how the professors really helped me get my engineering degree and I started contributing to Tech at the President’s Club level every year as my way of saying ‘thank you.’ I was also a guest lecturer for five years” he said.

In addition, Ron and his wife fund the Corporal Jonathan F. Blair memorial scholarship at Tech in honor of their great nephew who was killed in November 2005 during combat operations in Iraq.

It was in 2009 that Theta Xi regained its heartbeat. Mike Hayzer, who Ron had remained close to after graduation, met up with Blaise Alexander and Jack Rosenthal, and the trio decided a reunion was in order. From there, Ron, Jim Frazer and Ron Minto were recruited to track down as many brothers as they could. The result was an epic reunion in July 2010, hosted by Blaise in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

“Forty-seven brothers of Theta Xi and 30 wives showed up. Many of the brothers had not seen one another for 40 years, but we picked up right where we left off. It was a grand party,” Ron said.

It was so successful that the brothers met again in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Another reunion is scheduled for this year.

At the 2010 event, there was discussion about how the Theta Xi fraternity could be commemorated on campus.

“I suggested that we fund a scholarship in the name of Theta Xi Fraternity Kappa Delta Chapter and went about soliciting the brothers to fund the scholarship,” Ron said. “This perpetual scholarship has a balance of $169,636, with two engineering students currently on scholarships.”

Included in the scholarship are funds that resulted from the sale of the property the Theta Xi frat houses were on. After months of chasing and supplying a significant amount of documentation, Ron received the funds from the State of Indiana’s unclaimed funds. He immediately allocated them toward the scholarship. 

Recently, Ron and a group of his fraternity brothers pledged to the current Zollner Engineering Center Expansion and Renovation project. Their donation will go toward having a room in Zollner named after Theta Xi. 

“Within this group, there are a lot of guys who are very proud and grateful—for the engineering education they received from Indiana Tech and for their experiences being a part of Theta Xi,” Ron said. “Indiana Tech was our launching pad, and those times helped mold and shape who we became. I can say I am very proud to have been a part of it all.”