I am Tom McClelland, and I have met sporadically with brothers of Theta Chi at what we called mini-reunions. We were students at San Jose State College (now university) in the 1950s. We have had ten of these meetings, groups no bigger than 30 brothers, throughout Northern California—and througout the years. In fact, I hosted two of them. At last summer's gathering in Fremont, CA, a guy named Vern Perry started promoting the idea of a major get-together for our group. When he got back home in Massachusetts, he started emailing me about the subject.

Thus began our effort to have a BIG ONE. We started by expanding our email list. We had about 35 at the beginning. Now we have passed 130. The reunion found a willing host in Tom Barton who lives in Boulder Creek near Santa Cruz. Communicating by emails alone, the three of us came up with a plan for a three-day event, golf on Friday, main event all day Saturday, farewell brunch on Sunday. And it will be held in the beautiful redwoods of those Santa Cruz mountains.

We developed a teaser campaign, to be done mostly by emails. Our first message was headlined:

Plan to be There…for Nostalgia Unlimited

And this was the message:

• The biggest ever Theta Chi reunion for SJSU alumni will be held the last weekend in September. The main reunion will be held on Saturday the 29th starting late morning. We will meet at Roaring Camp in the Boulder Creek area. There will be a Bar-B-Q luncheon in our private area. The afternoon will have a number of activities with plenty of time to renew old friendships. An Italian dinner in the evening will be held at a local bistro.
  For those that want to stay over, excellent accommodations are available within a three- mile radius of the restaurant. Those that stay over will congregate on Sunday morning the 30th, for a getaway brunch, tentatively scheduled for the famous Brookdale Lodge.
  On Friday the 28th, the day before the reunion starts, a golf event is being planned at the Boulder Creek Country Club. No details yet but we do know that golfing and non-golfing wives will be welcome. We are having the golf event before the reunion so that it does not, in any way, interfere with the reunion itself.
  Wives, please understand that all planning is being done with you in mind. We guarantee you will have a wonderful time as guests of the Brothers of Theta Chi.
  Tom and Joan Barton are making all arrangements from event planning, meals, room accommodations, golf, etc. Tom and Joan have already spent many hours securing the facilities, visiting each motel and restaurant. Joan Barton is preparing the mailers. Tom “Termite” McClelland and Vern Perry got the ball rolling for this event, and are acting as the Bartons’ sounding board. Pete Silva is the leader in finding lost brothers. So far we have about 130, many of them by email addresses, some by traditional adresses. The dates are firm! Some of the events are in place but the final plans will not be completed for another month or so. You will be receiving email updates from time to time and you will also be receiving materials in the mail.
  Be sure to get the personal information sheet back to Tom McClelland. He is hoping to print a Gamma Xi Gas (a version of the original Gamma Xi Gazette) to update everyone about who is doing what these days.

I sent a questionnaire to confirm addresses and get background information on the men.To date we have 51 completed forms. They continue to come in daily.

This will be a major event for our guys. Stay tuned.

The original frat rat, Tom Termite McClelland

Click the photo(s) here to see a larger version.