The Minnesota Daily, Oct 7, 1916

Picking up the thread of the early history of Mnesicles in the last post, we move forward nearly 2 years this announcement on page 3 of the Oct 7, 1916 issue of The Minnesota Daily. This is the earliest mention of the Mnesicles Club in The Minnesota Daily, immediately prior to the chapter's installation on Oct. 20.

It's tempting to consider the Cyma Club the precursor of Mnesicles Chapter—and several histories of Alpha Rho Chi imply as much. While this is in some ways true, the actual situation was much more awkward. Despite 10 members leaving to form Mnesicles Club and petition APX, the remaining members of Cyma remained dedicated to operate as a local architecture fraternity.

A read of the Society Section of The Minnesota Daily on Saturday October 14, 1916 would uncover that both architecture fraternities would remain competitive. The following notices appeared on page 5 (I've condensed them for space and column breaks on the page).

Mnesicles' pledges would not be members for the Oct 20, 1916 charter, but presumably have been initiated into APX at a later date.

Cyma would continue to operate as a local fraternity for a few more years. However by May 1920, it's final mentions in The Minnesota Daily were as part of a list of student organizations overdue to file registration for continued university recognition. Mnesicles Chapter would continue to maintain its status as an active chapter until around 1990. There are no signs that our latest colonists ever attempted to reestablish Cyma before submitting their application to APX in Oct. 2012.

The Minnesota Daily, Dec 11, 1914

Heading into ceremonies to formally establish Mnesicles Colony at the University of Minnesota on Feb 9, 2013. we'll briefly resume this blog to look back nearly 100 years to the origins of APX at Minnesota. The following story appeared on Dec 11, 1914 on the cover of student newspaper, The Minnesota Daily, in the extreme lower right corner.

This is the same sort of mission statement you would expect from any local architecture fraternity of the era—or as part of applications to establish new colonies of Alpha Rho Chi in the modern day.

Two years later, 10 members of Cyma Club would leave to form Mnesicles Club and petition to become a chapter of Alpha Rho Chi. Walter F. MacGregor, their first president, would be one of the 10 original charter members of Mnesicles Chapter.

Another founder of Cyma, Samuel P. Albee, would also make the switch to APX. In fact, he would be elected as WGS by the 4th National Convention to complete the term of Chandler Cohagen, who would be serving in WWI France. Unfortunately Brother Albee would die in May of that year, leaving the office vacant until 1920.

Bonus article: Cyma would again announce their organization a month later in The Minnesota Daily on Jan, 19, 1915 (page 3). Many of their goals would still sound familiar today.

Daily Illini, April 26, 1914

In honor of Founder's Day 2012, here is the oldest published notice of our fraternity. 

In 1964's Jubilee issue of The Archi, Leo Bauer recounts that when leaving the Hotel Sherman on Easter Sunday April 12, 1914, he and Chandler Cohagen pledged not to divulge the results of their negotiations until the next regular meeting of their respective chapters. That meeting would not be held immediately. At Illinois, classes would not resume until Tuesday afternoon (4/14). Arcus probably met next later that week (perhaps old minutes could be uncovered). Imagine trying not to spill that exciting news to the brothers you see in the house and studio for better part of a week!

It would not be until two weeks later until the Daily Illini bore the first published announcement of the new fraternity on April 26, 1914.

The unfamiliar chapter name was misprinted as "Anthemia," much to the amusement of the primary author of this blog, who has used the term as an email and Twitter handle for years.

Near the top of the list of faculty names is, Professor Loring H. Provine, who was acting head of the Architecture Department at the time. Provine would serve as department head until 1948.

The complete issue of the Daily Illini is available in the university libary's online archives. It's an interesting artifact of college life in 1914. Just looking at the top of page 1, we see one institution starting while another takes a final bow, worries about possible war with Mexico, and a discobolus named "Butt."

June 25, 1924, Volume 5, Number 9 - Additional

This is a milestone issue of The Archi. Very few issues were able to welcome two new chapters to APX. Fewer still feature a new Master Architect and push the chapter installation news to the bottom of page two. That might not have been the case if The Archi didn't still depend on subscriptions for its survival.

Besides Bro. Gilbert, this issue welcomes three notable new brothers.

Raymond Everett was an instructor in Architecture and freehand drawing at Texas. Although previous issues indicated that he was a member of Iktinos, it turned out that he was actually a faculty member of Sigma Upsilon and that an initiation in Alpha Rho Chi was in order. His bookplate, above, is an example of his skill. He was also known for landscape paintings and murals. Everett stayed with Texas until his death in 1948. A couple biographies are available on UT's servers. The best of these memorials features quotations from several leading individuals familiar to Archi Names readers.

Donald B. Parkinson, with his father John, was a leading architect of Los Angeles. Union Station (above) was one of his final works. He lent his hand on many of the city's Art Deco landmarks including: LA City Hall, Santa Monica City Hall, and the Guarantee Trust Building. Bro. Parkinson's association with Andronicus may be related to his work on many core buildings at USC and - more significantly for Trojan football fans - Memorial Coliseum.

Julien E. Garnsey,* was a notable muralist. When he was initiated by Andronicus, he may have already started working decoration for the Los Angeles Central Library. He was responsible for the mosaics in the library's rotunda (above) and a lifesize freize depicting scenes from "Ivanhoe." A photo of Bro. Garnsey at work is below.

*The middle initial "A" in the chapter report was a typo.

Master Architect, Cass Gilbert, a letter to the fraternity: June 25, 1924, Volume 5, Number 9, Part 2

A little over a week ago at the 63rd National Convention of Alpha Rho Chi, we inaugurated our newest Master Architect, Robert Ivy, FAIA.

This issue of The Archi, our 2nd Master Architect, Cass Gilbert wrote a letter to our membership upon his elevation to the same position. This is what he said:

June 10, 1924
Dear Brother Tousley:

Your letter of June 3rd reached me on the 6th instant, but I have been under such pressure since then that I have been unable to answer it.

I have been intending to write to you in response to the verbal request which you made after the initiation banquet and also to write a special letter of appreciation of the honor which Alpha Rho Chi has conferred upon me.

I must ask you to accept a very brief expression of the cordial feeling which I have in my heart, for the simple reason that the day has worn along so far that it would be impossible for me to get a letter of any length into the mail tonight, and I note from your letter that if the letter is mailed tonight it will reach you in time for the press of the June issue. I must therefore, as I have said, limit this letter to a very few lines.

I cannot undertake to re-state what I said at the banquet, the talk there was very intimate and from the heart. I recall laying down a few general propositions that we should always keep in mind that our first duty was loyalty to our country; we should take part in its real interests and in its up-building, and that we should so conduct ourselves in our professional lives that we should deserve the support and recognition of the public and be entitled to the confidence of our clients. I recall emphasizing the great importance of the Alpha Rho Chi as a Fraternity which upholds the highest ideals of personal life, of purity of thought and of high-minded professional endeavor. I also recall appealing to those present to maintain standards of purity in design as well as purity of thought.

I most cordially welcome the fellowship into which i have been admitted.

I regard it as one of the greatest honors that has come to me, for the confidence expressed in me by the young men who form Alpha Rho Chi means more to me than I can tell you.

Please give my most cordial greetings to the Fraternity, and believe me

Very sincerely yours,

CASS GILBERT

June 25, 1924, Volume 5, Number 9, Part 1

Two More Brothers Meet their Master

If you were wondering why it has taken me so long to blog about the next issue, i admit that it has to do with the headline above, which could be found on page 3 of this issue. What I did not expect as a result of this project was that I have been finding myself getting somewhat acquainted with these brothers. At this stage in the game, it's pretty guaranteed that everyone i've come across has probably already met their master. But in the end, it doesn't matter what year it happens, it is always jarringly tragic when you hear of such young people dying, as in the case of these two brothers, B. G. Webb and Gervase "Jack" Wenzell.

Brother Webb hailed from Anthemios, and graduated in 1920. Only last year, in 1923, he married a young lady named Josephine Webb (see the issue 2/1/1923, Volume 4, Number 4, Page 2). Tragically, both brother Webb and Mrs. Webb, along with his parents, Mr & Mrs. Alves Webb were all killed when their automobile was wrecked by a B & O Train near the city of Holton, Indiana. In a moment, a family was just wiped out. It's truly truly sad, even 76 years later.

Brother Wenzell initiated as a brother of the Andronicus Chapter in 1922, though he was not a charter member. He left school at the end of last year (1923) because of health issues, described as "trouble with his eyes." He went to live with his brother in San Diego who was a doctor, and it seems he then contracted pneumonia, and died a long time later. It can be assured that it was a long illness, and though there aren't specific details, I wonder that if in this day and age if Brother Wenzell might have been spared. After all, penicillin has not yet been discovered.

According to the Archi account, Brother Wenzell was the son of a famous artist and illustrator named A. B. Wenzell. It wasn't very difficult to find artwork by Mr. Wenzell on the internet. The example below is an illustration from The House of Mirth, written by Edith Wharton.

Following the wikipedia information, it turns out that Brother Wenzell was also preceeded in death by another brother, Arthur, who was killed in a car accident in 1915.

What Else Happened??
I can't leave you with just a dirge.. here are some other interesting things that came about in this issue:

Harry J. Korlsund, MNES '20 admits that he's been too busy to establish a chapter at Boston Tech. Though he has met with some of the fellows there, he doesn't think the time is right just yet.

The Kallikrates Chapter has rented a brick cottage on Carr's Hill for their home next year. The word used to describe the place is "Salubrious" and that's a fantastic word that we need to use more often in 2010.

Mnesicles Brother Leon Makielski's little brother S. J. is initiated at Kallikrates. Not only that, Brother S. J. married Miss Alice Lee Patton on May 19th.

A Brief Diversion - Early Metagenes Letters

With the 41st anniversary of Metagenes this week, I'll take a break from the 1920s and direct you to a collection of correspondence from the earliest days of my chapter. In addition to telling part of the local history, these letters feature three future members of the Grand Council and provide a snapshot of various chapter letterheads in 1969.

There are several other historical exhibits on metagenes.org – including pledge book covers from 1969-2009, posters from the 1990s, and some seriously imaginative yearbook composites. Look on the site under "History."