FAITH AND
FRATERNITY
// By Aaron Martin (LA’94)
When Dane Griffin (LA’84) says he would do anything to attend his fraternity’s annual reunion, he isn’t kidding.
Beta Sigma Psi has held a gathering on the same weekend in July each year since 2018, and Griffin has either hosted or attended every event but one—he only missed the 2022 reunion because he was sick with COVID-19. So, when his daughter scheduled her wedding for the same weekend a few years ago, he had news for her.
“I told her I wouldn’t be there unless she found a different day to get married,” Griffin says. “So, she decided to reschedule the wedding for a different weekend. That should give you a pretty good idea about how important the reunion is to me.”
This sense of importance stems from the particular blend of friendship and faith—and tragedy—that kept the fraternity brothers close and ultimately brought them back together.
Unfortunately, tragedy was the catalyst.
In 2017, a rare trip to Indiana by an out-of-state fraternity brother led Griffin and a handful of others to travel to Fort Wayne for a weekend gathering—a small, unofficial reunion. Then, within a few months of the visit, the out-of-town brother died suddenly.
This shocking event, plus other heartbreaking occurrences among members, drove the surviving members into action.
“We had three brothers who passed away within about a year, and we realized there were a lot of us going through crises, too, so we decided it was a priority for us to get together for some sort of reunion,” Gary Felger (A’83) says. “We had previously discussed having a reunion, but we never got around to it. After losing those brothers in such a short amount of time, we realized we shouldn’t keep putting it off. We started to feel a sense of urgency.”
When Dane Griffin (LA’84) says he would do anything to attend his fraternity’s annual reunion, he isn’t kidding.
Beta Sigma Psi has held a gathering on the same weekend in July each year since 2018, and Griffin has either hosted or attended every event but one—he only missed the 2022 reunion because he was sick with COVID-19. So, when his daughter scheduled her wedding for the same weekend a few years ago, he had news for her.
“I told her I wouldn’t be there unless she found a different day to get married,” Griffin says.
“So, she decided to reschedule the wedding for a different weekend. That should give you a pretty good idea about how important the reunion is to me.”
This sense of importance stems from the particular blend of friendship and faith—and tragedy—that kept the fraternity brothers close and ultimately brought them back together.
Unfortunately, tragedy was the catalyst. In 2017, a rare trip to Indiana by an out-of-state fraternity brother led Griffin and a handful of others to travel to Fort Wayne for a weekend gathering—a small, unofficial reunion. Then, within a few months of the visit, the out-of-town brother died suddenly.
This shocking event, plus other heartbreaking occurrences among members, drove the surviving members into action.
“We had three brothers who passed away within about a year, and we realized there were a lot of us going through crises, too, so we decided it was a priority for us to get together for some sort of reunion,” Gary Felger (A’83) says. “We had previously discussed having a reunion, but we never got around to it. After losing those brothers in such a short amount of time, we realized we shouldn’t keep putting it off. We started to feel a sense of urgency.”
Now, as many as 40 members of Beta Sigma Psi get together every year for a long weekend of good times and reminiscing.
Most attendees are graduates of the classes of 1980 through 1984, although some younger members have attended in recent years.
The first four reunions were held at Griffin’s home in Rockville, Indiana. Since 2022, the event has been hosted by Mark Kramer (ABE’83) at his lake house near Loogootee, Indiana.
“All of this really started with Dane, who was there at the beginning and took on the load of hosting for several years,” Kramer says. “I have a place that’s got an ideal setup for a reunion like this. It’s got just enough bathrooms, and we turn the basement into a sort of bunkhouse. The house is on a lake, and the opportunity to go boating and floating adds to the fun. So, I offered to take it on. The guys love it, and it has just grown from there.”
The event resembles a typical men’s weekend, only with a profound depth of underlying meaning.
“We golf, we play cards, we go pontoon boating, we drink a fair amount of beer—though not like we used to—and some of us take naps,” Felger says.
“When we get together, it feels like no time has passed—like we were in college last year, not 40 years ago. And there isn’t a lot of talk about careers or any of that because nobody’s impressed by that anymore. What’s important is reconnecting while we still can.”
Now, as many as 40 members of Beta Sigma Psi get together every year for a long weekend of good times and reminiscing.
Most attendees are graduates of the classes of 1980 through 1984, although some younger members have attended in recent years.
The first four reunions were held at Griffin’s home in Rockville, Indiana. Since 2022, the event has been hosted by Mark Kramer (ABE’83) at his lake house near Loogootee, Indiana.
“All of this really started with Dane, who was there at the beginning and took on the load of hosting for several years,” Kramer says. “I have a place that’s got an ideal setup for a reunion like this. It’s got just enough bathrooms, and we turn the basement into a sort of bunkhouse. The house is on a lake, and the opportunity to go boating and floating adds to the fun. So, I offered to take it on. The guys love it, and it has just grown from there.”
The event resembles a typical men’s weekend, only with a profound depth of underlying meaning.
“We golf, we play cards, we go pontoon boating, we drink a fair amount of beer—though not like we used to—and some of us take naps,” Felger says.
“When we get together, it feels like no time has passed—like we were in college last year, not 40 years ago. And there isn’t a lot of talk about careers or any of that because nobody’s impressed by that anymore. What’s important is reconnecting while we still can.”
Religion has been at the heart of Beta Sigma Psi’s identity since its inception, which can be traced to an informal faith-based group that formed at the University of Illinois in 1919.
The organization evolved into the alpha chapter of Beta Sigma Psi, which was established in April of 1925. The beta chapter was founded at Purdue just one month later.
Beta Sigma Psi’s official mission is to create an environment where Lutheran college men can grow spiritually, scholastically, and socially. The fraternity has more than 7,500 initiated members, mostly in the Midwest.
“The church always played a big part in it,” Griffin says. “Since you had to be Lutheran to get into the fraternity, we always had a very distinct group of guys—guys from all kinds of backgrounds, but with that one thing in common. Some of us were quiet guys and some of us would go out on a Saturday and party with the best of them, but we were always at church every Sunday. It’s a special bond.”
At the time, beta chapter members also shared a desire to compete in campus activities. This included intramural sports and University Sing, an all-campus performance competition between Purdue housing units and student organizations that was commonly known as U-Sing.
To this day, success in athletics and U-Sing are regular subjects of conversation at the reunion.
“We won some trophies back in the day, and the guys still like to brag about that,” Kramer says. “Most of those trophies are still at the house, in the basement somewhere. But we go back occasionally to do something productive at the house, and somebody absconded with one of our U-Sing trophies at one time or another. It’s at my lake house now.”
In many ways, Griffin is a fitting embodiment of his fraternity and the spirit of its reunion.
He is part of a multigenerational Purdue family and one of five siblings who paid their own way through the university. Griffin’s grandfather once roomed with famous alum and popcorn king Orville Redenbacher (A’28, HDR A’88), and his brother, Dale (A’81, MS EDU’86), was given a Distinguished Agriculture Alumni Award in 2015.
Described by Felger as “the John Belushi of our group,” Griffin is still an easygoing and fun-loving fraternity brother—but he’s also a devout man who takes friendship and dedication very seriously:
“I wouldn’t miss that reunion for the world. I don’t know how many fraternity brothers we’ve lost over the years, and that’s natural, but it makes you stop and think about what really matters.
“It all starts with the church, and we honor that every year by taking communion before our big golf outing. The pastor meets us on a Saturday morning to give us communion. He thinks it’s pretty crazy—he’s never seen anything like that, 30 or 40 guys taking communion before they go golfing. I think it’s kind of cool.”
Religion has been at the heart of Beta Sigma Psi’s identity since its inception, which can be traced to an informal faith-based group that formed at the University of Illinois in 1919.
The organization evolved into the alpha chapter of Beta Sigma Psi, which was established in April of 1925. The beta chapter was founded at Purdue just one month later.
Beta Sigma Psi’s official mission is to create an environment where Lutheran college men can grow spiritually, scholastically, and socially. The fraternity has more than 7,500 initiated members, mostly in the Midwest.
“The church always played a big part in it,” Griffin says. “Since you had to be Lutheran to get into the fraternity, we always had a very distinct group of guys—guys from all kinds of backgrounds, but with that one thing in common. Some of us were quiet guys and some of us would go out on a Saturday and party with the best of them, but we were always at church every Sunday. It’s a special bond.”
At the time, beta chapter members also shared a desire to compete in campus activities. This included intramural sports and University Sing, an all-campus performance competition between Purdue housing units and student organizations that was commonly known as U-Sing.
To this day, success in athletics and U-Sing are regular subjects of conversation at the reunion.
“We won some trophies back in the day, and the guys still like to brag about that,” Kramer says. “Most of those trophies are still at the house, in the basement somewhere. But we go back occasionally to do something productive at the house, and somebody absconded with one of our U-Sing trophies at one time or another. It’s at my lake house now.”
In many ways, Griffin is a fitting embodiment of his fraternity and the spirit of its reunion.
He is part of a multigenerational Purdue family and one of five siblings who paid their own way through the university. Griffin’s grandfather once roomed with famous alum and popcorn king Orville Redenbacher (A’28, HDR A’88), and his brother, Dale (A’81, MS EDU’86), was given a Distinguished Agriculture Alumni Award in 2015.
Described by Felger as “the John Belushi of our group,” Griffin is still an easygoing and fun-loving fraternity brother—but he’s also a devout man who takes friendship and dedication very seriously:
“I wouldn’t miss that reunion for the world. I don’t know how many fraternity brothers we’ve lost over the years, and that’s natural, but it makes you stop and think about what really matters.
“It all starts with the church, and we honor that every year by taking communion before our big golf outing. The pastor meets us on a Saturday morning to give us communion. He thinks it’s pretty crazy—he’s never seen anything like that, 30 or 40 guys taking communion before they go golfing. I think it’s kind of cool.”
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