There are less than six weeks until the 2015 Delt Gathering held on April 24-26 in Oxford! Last year we had over 50 Delts attend the Gathering, and many committed to bringing more brothers in 2015. There is some great history behind this event which was started by brothers from the 1970s. We caught up with Bill Kurtz ’73 who gave us some of this history and who encourages any brothers who play Euchre and drink beer to make the trip to Oxford next month. CLICK HERE for details.
Tell us about how the Delt Gathering began.
I believe the first year was 1988. There was never was any cosmic meaning to this. It just happened accidentally. I had started coming up from Florida to visit Frank Pusey ’71. I hadn’t been to Miami in a while, so I made a trip over by myself. The following year, I got ahold of Ron Newcome ’75 and Bob Hayden ’70. The three of us met in Oxford, hit a few bars, went to the house and stayed in a little motel in Oxford. From this point, we grew to around six or seven guys over the next few years. Once more people started attending, we rented cabins at Hueston Woods State Park about five miles from Oxford. We did this for a few years. We then moved to Ron Newcome’s family cabin in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. We were there for the next four or five years until the Army Corps of Engineers condemned the cabin and flooded the area. At that point, we moved back to Oxford.
At what point did the gathering really begin to grow?
When we returned to Oxford, Ron Newcome took care of planning the gathering for several years until at some point I took over. Along the way, Bruce Strachen ’75 got several of the brothers in the Cleveland area to start attending. The group continued to grow through the 1990s. In 2001, a bunch of guys were getting together for Fred Sofen’s (’73) 50th birthday. This group was in town at the same time as the gathering — about 25 guys total. We decided to merge the groups. Up until four years ago, the group stayed at around 25 guys. Then, one day as we were leaving Hueston Woods lodge, Rick Rollins ’76 offered to take charge of organizing everything. As I had been doing this for a some time, I was more than happy to accept his offer. Due to Rick's effort, along with help from Steve Sullivan, the group grew to over 50 last year.
Describe a typical Delt Gathering weekend.
We meet at Mac & Joe’s bar on Friday afternoon. Around 7:00 p.m., once everyone arrives, we have dinner. After dinner, we return to our cabins at Hueston Woods State Park, play some Euchre and tell stories. About four or five years ago, Dave Tumbas ’74 started cooking a gourmet breakfast for everyone on Saturday morning. He has since been named the “HP of the Delt Gathering.” As many will recall "HP" stands for Helen Powell, the house cook in the early and mid '70s. Rick Rollins has started a Saturday morning golf outing, so most of us play golf. In the afternoon, we visit the house, thanks to Bob Carmean ’74 making arrangements. More recently, we have had a room in the lodge where we can all meet for cards and refreshments on Friday night after leaving Mac & Joe's. Most brothers head home on Sunday. Others take advantage of the third-night-free option, recover on Sunday and head for home on Monday morning.
Who is invited?
Any of our brothers are welcome. Wives are always welcome, but no one has ever had the courage to show up with one.
What is your best memory of the Delt Gathering over the past 25+ years?
I think the most memorable moments for all of us are the hangovers on Sunday morning. We get to see guys we haven’t seen in years. You spend 10 minutes with them, and it feels like no time has passed.
