THE MICHIGANENSIAN SERIES: FEATURING 1933, 1973 AND 1988

Article by H. Keith Hellems, M.D. ‘62

During the fundraising campaign I started to gather pages from Michiganensian publications that had the name of Delta Chi in them.  I started in 1897 and went to 2008.  Delta Chi went off campus during the depression in 1933 and came back on campus in 1949.  We plan to publish these over the next months, usually 2 or 3 years at a time for your interest.  Below is a brief history of the Michiganensian excerpted from Wikipedia.

The Michiganensian, also known as the Ensian, is the official yearbook of the University of Michigan.  Its first issue was published in April 1896, and the yearbook is editorially and financially independent of the University of Michigan’s administration and other student groups. It is published yearly in late spring by a staff of several dozen students. The book is the second oldest publication on campus, and it contains articles and original photography related to campus life, student activism, university athletics, and current events.

In its earliest form, the Michiganensian served as an illustrated directory, providing information on organizations, fraternities, and athletics. As the publication evolved in the early 1900s, more space was dedicated to writing and photographs, but the publication still focused largely on fraternities and athletics. Now, in its current form, the Michiganensian is composed of photography and stories about campus life, student activism, current events, and athletics.  The 125th issue also split with precedent by including limited fraternity and sorority coverage, amid student criticism of secret societies on campus and a nationwide ‘Abolish Greek Life’ movement. 

In this month’s eDelt we feature the Michigan Delta Chi class of 1933, 1973 and 1988.

Delta Chi at Michigan was established in 1892 and then went off campus in 1934 during the depression.  It was re-established through the efforts of Henry DeKoning ’33 and Wilbur Nelson ’34 in 1948.  1933 is included to show you Henry’s picture and also the old house at 733 South State Street.  It looked like quite the large house.  1973 was included to show what a change was occurring in student housing.  From the beginning of the university up through the 1960’s and early 1970’s there was no mixing of the sexes in student dorms.  Curfews to get women back to the dorms were 11 pm during the week and midnight on weekends.  What big changes.  1988 mentions connections to Joe Walsh, former member of the Eagles, Steven Wei one of the co-founders of the drinking game “Delta Dice” and the winter formal being held at the Palmer House Hilton on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago – must have been quite a group!