09/04/2026
Unfortunately Brother O’Dell’s name was accidentally omitted from this article in Fall Newsletter and is a great article. My apologies to him. Tom Axon
75 Years of Theta Chi at Ball State by Brother Joh O’Dell ‘10
When I joined Theta Chi in the fall of 2006, I hadn’t yet learned what true friendship, let alone brotherhood, meant. As an Army brat who frequently moved, I knew what it felt like to be proud of a shared purpose, but I hadn’t yet experienced what it meant to truly be part of a brotherhood.
In the fall of 2026, I proudly wore my pledge pin to church in Indianapolis when an older woman recognized it and asked if I was a Theta Chi, like her husband, Ron Gardner. Knowing that a man I revered had made the same decision, at the same university, in the mid-1950s gave me even more confidence in my decision and reminded me that I was joining something much bigger than myself.
As I’ve thought about what 75 years of Delta Kappa really means, I keep coming back to how few organizations ever get the opportunity to celebrate an anniversary like this. In 1951, the Triangle Society became the foundation for what would become the Delta Kappa Chapter of Theta Chi at Ball State. The men who started that journey could not have known what they were creating or how many lives would eventually be connected to those letters.
Seventy-five years later, we get to see the impact of that decision. Generations of Delta Kappas have built friendships, families, careers and memories that extend far beyond their years at Ball State. And perhaps what makes Delta Kappa most special is that those connections haven’t ended when brothers received their diplomas.
Our alumni organization continues to thrive because brothers continue to stay involved. Just this year, we’ve shared brotherhood at ax throwing, TopGolf, the Indians, an initiation at IHQ and, perhaps most importantly, the many life events that brothers have shared with one another. Whether you graduated five years ago or fifty, you remain part of the same story.
That makes this year’s 75th anniversary celebration particularly meaningful. I hope as many of you as possible will make the trip back to Muncie for Homecoming. The annual meeting and tailgate are always great opportunities to reconnect with old friends, meet brothers from other generations and, inevitably, hear a few great stories that will be carried forward. We’re also fortunate to have Don Mikesell joining us as the keynote speaker for the annual meeting. I hope you’ll make the effort to be there and help us celebrate what Delta Kappa has meant to so many men and their families.
But this anniversary is about more than looking backward. It gives us an opportunity to think about what comes next. Our plans to re-colonize Delta Kappa at Ball State are moving forward, with a goal of returning the chapter to campus in approximately three years. That is an exciting opportunity, but it also comes with a responsibility.
The Delta Kappa we celebrate today exists because previous generations of brothers chose to invest in something they knew would outlast their own time at Ball State. Now it is our turn to do the same. If Delta Kappa is going to celebrate 100 years, and someday 150, it will be because alumni today are willing to invest in the next generation just as those before us invested in ours.
That is what makes 75 years more than an anniversary. We are celebrating something that has already lasted three-quarters of a century while helping prepare it for its next chapter.
I hope you’ll come home to Ball State this fall, reconnect with your brothers and celebrate 75 years of Delta Kappa. More importantly, I hope this anniversary reminds all of us that what started in 1951 is still worth investing in today—and that the best years of Delta Kappa may still be ahead of us.
