Monday, April 5, 2010

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.

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