Iota Omicron Chapter Celebrates 50 Years
It was May 18, 1963 when a group of young men at Wisconsin State University-Whitewater, called the “Cavaliers” was installed as Iota Omicron Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. It was the largest local group ever to become chartered as TKE. The Cavaliers were founded just 2 years earlier with the expressed purpose of becoming a TKE Chapter in the future. Little did these men realize the fraternity they started would stand for a half century.
Today the chapter’s scroll numbers exceed 900 men from that founding date. The fraternity house that was purchased in 1969 continues to be owned by the chapter housing corporation, Whitewater Teke Association. After a brief four-year hiatus from campus, the chapter is back as Iota Omicron Colony. Keeping the tradition, the house at 1238 W. Main Street is now called “The Cavalier House.” The eight-family building is leased primarily to UW-Whitewater students until the chapter rebuilds its membership to occupy the building and become an official chapter.
Take a moment to celebrate Iota Omicron Teke and may this website allow us to keep the brotherhood alive as undergraduates and alumni. Our goal is to share memories, new ideas and let our community live on while guiding the next 50 years of Iota Omicron.
Original Cavaliers gather for 50th Anniversary celebration on May 18, 2013 – 50 years to the day of the inception of the Iota Omicron chapter. Plenty of single-digit scroll numbers in the group, with 2 being the lowest scroll able to attend.
Pictured from left to right: Mike Richardson, Tony Cattelino, Jerry Packard, John Voorhees, Dennis Spielman, Steve Rupert, Richard La Certe, David Rhodes, Bob Soule, Tom Moe and Paul Siedschlag.