In September 2024, the 1974 pledge class of the Kappa Kappa Chapter hosted a reunion to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of their pledging. The planning committee (Frank Herold ’78, Leif Houkom ’78, Jeff Kiolbasa ’78, Doug Michels ’78, Jim Novaria ’78, and Bill Runzel ’78) met monthly over Zoom for a year to plan the weekend.

“We wanted to use it as a precursor to the fiftieth anniversary of our graduation,” said Doug. “We also thought that we’re entering our golden years and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity, because we don’t know how many anniversaries we will get to see.
“When we were rushing at Illinois, we rushed in the spring of our senior year of high school and we were one of the last classes to have that experience,” Doug said. “The IFC ran things in those days, and when college acceptances went out in January or February, the IFC reached out to ask if students wanted to explore the Greek system. IFC sponsored a rush weekend. Our class rushed, accepted bids, and pledged Sigma Chi when we were seniors in high school. In August, when we arrived on campus, we all moved directly into the fraternity house. It was a unique experience and gave us four full years of being together as a fraternity.

“A year or two before we pledged, in the early ’70s, the chapter had a pretty significant fire at 410 E John. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but a good portion of the house was damaged due to the fire, smoke, and water damage. When we rushed, they were still living in another fraternity house that was vacant because the renovations were ongoing. One of the rush receptions was at Tri-Delt Sorority. The renovations were complete by the time we moved in, so we thought the house was really nice.”
All six members of the planning committee were officers during their undergraduate years. “We all contacted brothers, helped with local arrangements, and planned the events and activities,” Doug said. Bill donated the use of his planes to help transport brothers from Chicago to Champagne and back for the event, and there was a box at the game for the use of brothers and spouses.
The planning committee decided to host several of the events in Chicago where most of the members lived. There was a welcome reception and dinner on Thursday night, golf and dinner on Friday, and then the football game, reception, and banquet in Champagne.

In addition to events, the group gathered to reminisce. “Members brought artifacts of our time in college, including yearbooks, composites, photos, memorabilia, in a suite in Napierville where members could gather during the weekend,” Doug said. “It was a great walk down memory lane.”
For the Saturday night reception and banquet, the planning committee invited four brothers who were special friends of the pledge class of 1974. Each of them had a special relationship to the members of his class.

“Steve Sarovich ’75 was the Consul of the chapter when we were rushing and when we pledged,” Doug said. “He’s the one that was in charge and largely responsible for things when we joined.
“Mark Anderson ’77 was the Consul of the chapter while we were pledges and new initiates. John Wunderlich ’77 is a very dedicated Sigma Chi and is dedicated to philanthropy. He impressed upon us the importance of character and contribution to the university and society. Tim Schneider ’77 was a couple of years older than we were and was a great role model for our class. He always took the time for us as pledges and has remained close to our class over the years.
“They all joined us on Saturday evening for the event, and it was really special,” Doug said. “At the conclusion of dinner, we went around the room and shared stories from our time at 410 E John Street. our lives as alumni. and what Sigma Chi has meant to us. Frank served as emcee for the Saturday banquet. and the evening concluded with the singing of ‘The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi’ in a serenade of the women guests in attendance.”

“Thank you for including us in your ’78 reunion,” said Tim Schneider ’77. “Eileen really enjoyed meeting everyone. We had a wonderful time and an evening we won’t forget.”
“Judy and I both had a wonderful time at the reunion, and it is nice having the pictures as a reminder,” Grant Cape ’78 said.

“It was very special for me to connect with so many of our pledge class brothers after all these years,” Doug Steger ’78 said. “We looked a few years older, but so much wiser?”
Doug Michels said the reunion “renewed the spirit of brotherhood for our class and set things up really well for the fiftieth anniversary of our college graduation. Hopefully we can rope in the others to maximize attendance for that event.

“There’s been a core of us from our class who have stayed close over the years, and we get together for golf, dinner, and our annual ’Christmas shop’ in Chicago,” he said. “These aren’t exclusive, so we would love to have other brothers join us.

“Tim Schneider and his brother own a golf course in the suburbs of Chicago and host an annual golf tournament, which is another wonderful opportunity to connect.”
Doug encouraged brothers to take advantage of these times to fellowship.

“The minute that you see one of your pledge brothers from 50 years ago, who perhaps you haven’t spoken with in years, it takes about 30 seconds to reconnect. because you have that special bond,” Doug said. “You catch up, reminisce, and it is a special connection. Don’t hesitate to reconnect. Don’t miss the opportunity because you might not have it again.”