After our “Farewell 505 Princeton” article appeared in the Summer 2023 Open Visor, we heard from a number of alumni that maybe a little history about our first home at 515 Oxford would be an interesting article to publish. We contacted Neil West ’62 about this and he asked a couple of his brothers from the early years to provide us with their recollections of 515 Oxford and life as a member of Delta Upsilon in the formative years of our chapter.
Thank you to Fred Mitchell ’62 and Craig Gjerde ’64 for sending us their memories of life as a DU at 515 Oxford Street. The purchase of the House at 515 Oxford Street in 1961 by the North Dakota Chapter of Delta Upsilon as best recalled 59 years later by Fred Mitchell ‘62.
From Colony to Chapter
In January 1960 I transferred to the University of North Dakota from Ripon College, Ripon, Wisconsin. I had been an active member of the DU chapter there and was recruited by DU International to move to Grand Forks and take the lead in forming a new chapter. A year later we had an active chapter with close to 30 members. DU International then directed me to focus on procuring a house, the final requirement to secure our charter. They offered no financial help. However, they did agree to finance, either through a grant or a loan (I don’t recall which it was) any renovation the house required and to furnish it.
The first step was to create a housing corporation which would be the purchasing entity. Neil West and Jim Wickham worked with me. Jim had been a member of the DU chapter at the University of Colorado, prior to transferring to UND. We located a DU alumnus in Fargo who was an attorney. He agreed to create the housing corporation and found one or two other DU alums who agreed to be the directors of the Corporation.
We now had the legal entity, but no money. The chapter then engaged in a number of car washes in Grand Forks, on a main street using water from a fire hydrant. I should add, the owner of a local car wash close by was understandably quite angry. I don’t recall how we got access to city water. That effort raised a few thousand dollars. It was probably less than $5,000 which was still a significant sum in 1961.
We then got in contact with the owner of a four unit building located at 515 Oxford Street that was for sale. Our Fargo attorney was probably the person who came up with the idea of using a contract for deed. As best I can recall, with that instrument, the seller actually retained the deed until the contract was satisfied. In order to get clear title to the property, the Chapter had to make regular monthly payments for five years. As long as the Chapter made timely payments it had the rights of ownership. Once the contract was signed, we received funds from DU International to convert the fourplex into a chapter house.
I do recall a Saturday morning in the Spring of 1961 when the seller stopped in. The renovation work was well underway and he was horrified by the work in progress. I suspect he expected us to default so that he could reclaim his property, which by then was not rentable as a fourplex. His concern was misplaced, because the Chapter never missed a payment and ultimately, we got clear title to the house. The seller must also have retained a first mortgage on the property, but I don’t recall how that was arranged.
– Fred Mitchell ‘62
Memories of Life and Music at 515 Oxford
515 Oxford was a strange building, but we were excited about having a different kind of fraternity—no hazing, no secret handshakes, and an emphasis on scholarship. The early members of the DU Colony were great role models.
The house we purchased was originally a fourplex with four apartments that were very similar with two apartments on the ground level and two in the basement. Each apartment had a kitchen, living-dining area, two bedrooms and a bath. The basement had a large sleeping room with maybe six bunk beds in it (barracks style) with study desks for everyone. There were two-man rooms that were in high demand because many of the members were sleeping in bunk beds with up to a dozen of their closest friends in the large basement room. The president and the treasurer got to share a small bedroom with barely enough space for two desks and bunk beds. The garage was also configured to make four bedrooms.
Music, especially singing, was a strong feature of DU life. We had several members who sang with the Varsity Bards, church choirs, and the Choral Union. Other members played in bands and orchestras.
We won the Interfraternity Sing competition several years. (I led the winning group in 1964.) Each group sang a fraternity song (we might have done “Two Rivers”) and sang one other song (we did “I’ll go home with Bonny Jean” from Brigadoon.) We also serenaded the sorority when a DU brother got engaged. We regularly sang at the end of our group meals.
I was the song leader in 1964. Part of my job was to start the song with the right tempo and in an appropriate key—so we could hit the high notes and the low notes. We sang several DU fraternity songs, a few drinking songs, and several sorority songs. Some of those songs would not be acceptable today. (Aside: This reminds me that with respect to our Jewish members, we were served our milk after the main meal was over.)
Some of the songs were:
- Hail, Delta Upsilon, brotherhood glorious. Justice our cornerstone…
- Whene’er you find two rivers converging to the sea, you’ll find a Delta…
- Dikaia Upotheke, hail, the emblem that we love…
- DU will shine tonight…
- DU, we love you, love you. DU, we love you, love you. Love you in the …
- Oh, it’s beer, beer, beer, that makes you want to cheer…
- Girl of my dreams, I love you. Honest, I do…
- Glorious, Glorious, one keg of beer for the four of us…
The singing, even with some gushy words, was well received. Everyone joined in. Singing created a strong bond among the early DUs at UND.
– Craig Gjerde ’64