VANCE T. MEYER VISITS THE MUSEUM'S SPACE

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY          2012

Vance Meyer visits The Museum space during its last week in Sherman Oaks.

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      Vance Meyer graduated from Burbank High School in 1956. He completed his studies at Los Angeles Valley College in 1959 and transferred to San Fernando Valley State College (later - Cal State Northridge.) At the university, Meyer was the first president of Pi Kappa Tau, a fraternity later to become a chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Vance was a founding member of the Maple Leaf Society, a community college support organization. The society is an outgrowth of the Phi Delta Psi Fraternity.

        Mr. Meyer is the retired chairman of the Chairman of Pardee Construction Company. He served the company for 34 years.  He closed his career with Pardee with a record year in profits.  

BRENT BRODY INITIATION AT PIERCE COLLEGE 1961

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY       2012

The student members of the Phi Delta Psi Fraternity at Los Angeles Pierce College took their oaths of lifelong loyalty so seriously that their youthful bond still holds much of the group together in 2012. For example, 13 alumni "brothers" just shared a "13th hour" lunch at the Red Robin restaurant this June in Calabasas.

While kneeling, Brent Brody of Pierce College swears his lifetime loyalty to the Phi Delta Psi Fraternity before the Beta Chapter President Donald Collins. Standing at the podium was Paul Martz, the Fraternity's Pledge Master. At Paul's left standing is LeRoy D. Hunt the organization's Master of Rituals and Traditions, Seating at the right is Donald B. Taggart Founder and first President of the Fraternity. To the left are Bob Marko and Larry Tunison. Spring 1961.

Brent Brody went on to co-found Brent's Deli in Northridge, California. He later establishing a second Brent's Deli in Honolulu, Hawaii. (click on image to enlarge)

Photo number 5092 - Phi Delta Psi Archives - The Museum of the San Fernando Valley

A FAMILY OUTING AT THE MUSEUM

CHERISHING OUR VALLEY 2012

 

Rowland LoBianco of Palm Springs brought his Aunt Sally by The Museum Space this week, to share stories about their family in the San Fernando Valley, and talk about Roy's experiences at Notre Dame High School and L.A. Valley College.

VALLEY COLLEGE PARTY - 1960s

 DISCOVERING OUR VALLEY   2011

The early 1960s, before the tragedy of the Viet Nam war, was a time of fun and innocence at the community colleges of the San Fernando Valley. Here are two snapshots indicative of the era. They were taken at a Phi Delta Psi Fraternity party at LA Valley College.

Arthur Hortze and Joann Clerc (a member of Theta Rho) .  Photo gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Jerry Fecht 2011.  Refer to photo 3812  (click on image to enlarge)

Valley College student Tim Herles and his date (unknown woman) Photo gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Jerry Fecht 2011.  Refer to photo 3813

MARDI GRAS AT PIERCE COLLEGE 1967

2010  THE YEAR OF VALLEY ADVENTURES

You can tell a lot about what sorts of artifacts and photographs are arriving to your Museum, by the photographs posted on this blog. Since each in-coming picture gets an identification number and is scanned for our records, blog viewers often get a peek at what is being recorded. The following photographs taken from a photo album kept by pledges of the Phi Delta Psi Fraternity in the Spring of 1967, allows us to visit Mardi Gras on the Pierce College Campus, 43 years ago.

 Beta Chi Delta sorority girl at the Phi Delta Phi booth - Photo gift to the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Jerry Berns 2009.(refer to photo 2075)

 Phi Delta Psi Fraternity member Bob Moore welcomes Mardi Gras visitors to his organization's booth.
(photo number 2071)

 Student projects, such as the Pierce College Mardi Gras were strongly supported by the school's many fraternities, sororities and special interest clubs in 1967.  (photo number 2070)

 Pierce students gather to make wagers on their Mardi Gras turtle races. (photo 2068)

 

Student floats prepare to parade across the Pierce College campus. (photo 2074)

GREAT PIERCE COLLEGE "RUSSIAN INVASION" WATERFIGHT 1967

2010  THE YEAR OF VALLEY ADVENTURES

Phi Deta Psi pledges at Pierce College prepare for their Spring waterfight - photo gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Jerry Berns 2009 -  refer to photo 2060

      The Cold War was a very real thing to Americans in the 1960s, and college students responded to the threat with typical youthful bravado. Here LA Pierce College students, pledges in the Phi Delta Psi Fraternity, held a spring water fight with active members of the organization calling it the Russian Invasion. Today alumni of the Fraternity through their Maple Leaf Society are among The Museum's strongest supporters.

Student Ray Lupacchini wields a fire extinguisher in a 1967 Pierce College water fight  - Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley - refer to photograph 2063

"Siege of the Pool - Russian Invasion Water Fight" Pierce College Spring 1967.

(refer to photo number 2062 - gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Jerry Berns 2009)  Water balloon strategically aimed - photo 2057

THETA RHO SORORITY c. 1963

2010  THE YEAR OF VALLEY ADVENTURES

One of the most popular sororities at Los Angeles Valley College in the 1960s was the Theta Rho Theta.
These photographs were taken from images still in Roz Stern's scrapbook. The photographs were glued onto the book, and removal for scanning endangered the images.

 These color snapshots were taken on February 17th, 1963 at the Phi Delta Psi Fraternity house on Victory Boulevard. An all-Greek festival was taking place. "All Valley College Greeks participated with games, fun and laughs."

 "Poor Kirby gets wet at the Phi Delt booth"  Evidently, the Phi Delta Psi brothers had constructed a dunking stand. Kirby and a friend Vito Mazzarino had been in the US Navy together and had just started Valley College.

"Barbara checks out the scene at the carnival"

ROBERT RIVERA BELOVED LA VALLEY TEACHER

Robert Rivera - Gift to the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2009 (click on image to enlarge)

As the Phi Delta Psi Fraternity was entering its second year, a student Rowland LoBianco and his speech teacher Bob Rivera became friends. Bob, who was a devoted Sigma Alpha Epsion alumnus from the University of Southern California, became interested in his students' effort to build a "real" Fraternity at Los Angeles Valley and Pierce Colleges. Though it was likely against school rules, he became the de-facto advisor of the local fraternity. He was instrumental in Phi Delta Psi's California State University Northridge Gamma Chapter's decision to affiliate with SAE.
After his retirement from Valley College, Bob became a speech teacher at LaVerne University, where he assisted in creating a chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon on that campus.
Because of his influence many Phi Delta Psi Brothers joined SAE at USC.
Many of Bob's students from Valley College entered the film and television industries.

ROBERT MARKO PHI DELTA PSI FRATERNTIY

Commemoration Card 1990 for Robert Marko - Gift to the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley by Jerry Berns September 2008 (click on image to enlarge) The small enameled pin at the top right is a Maple Leaf Pledge Pin.

Robert Marko was a major student leader in the San Fernando Valley in the 1960s. He was the President of the Phi Delta Psi Fraternity's Beta Chapter at Los Angeles Pierce College. He died on the 15th of January, 1990.