JACK HOOVER ’58

Why did you join Sigma Chi?  It was the best of the houses that rushed me, I liked the people I met and enjoyed the relationships with those people.  It was a good house on campus.

How were your experiences living in the chapter house?  Very good, we had a chapter house and had an overflow at an annex house downtown.  We rotated living in the chapter house and the annex house so everyone would get a chance to live in the chapter house, which was nicer.  Penn State had good housing.

Describe your nightly dinner:  We had a dress code of shirt, tie and either a suit or sport coat.  You never left the table until the last person finished eating.  We had a good cook who made good food; it was a nice dining room for college.  Lunch was more casual, we didn’t have to wear a tie or jacket, but no one left the table until the last person was finished.  Bridge games would often spring up before dinner as well.  People living in the annex often ate meals at the house.

What was the best party?  The Annual Sweetheart dance, it was one of the major parties we had, it was a black tie event.  Homecoming was also a fun annual party because it was enjoyable to have alumni visit.

Where was the best campus hangout?  The Tavern was the best part of downtown; it had good beer and was well liked.  I often met people at the Tavern.

What did brothers do for fun during the week and weekend?  Homework took up a lot of the week so the weeknights weren’t too exciting.  We would occasionally go downtown for some beers and there wasn’t much dating during the week.  The weekends were great, dating was fun, but the guy to girl ratio was four to one because of the influx of war veterans, so you had to wrap your date up early in the week.

What is your favorite memory of your undergrad days?  The friends I made and the things we did together made for a great life.  We went to football games, basketball games and wrestling matches.  A few of our brothers were on the wrestling team so that was always fun.

How did you get to campus from the house?  It was only a couple block walk from the house, but the Annex was a little further away.  The house was on campus, across the street from Beta Theta Pi on Burrows.  Most people walked to class, only a few used bicycles or cars.

If you could go back and relive one moment, what would it be and why?  Family time would be precious time for me, skiing and beach trips stick out the most.  My college days were fun, but family is my top priority.  I have two children and four grandchildren that live in Maryland and California.