The History of Gamma Epsilon ****
When Kieve Pearlman, Paul Mayer and Ken Cohen started what would much
later become Gamma Epsilon, they had no idea what would follow. Maybe
surprising to some, the earliest formation of the group was a knee-jerk
reaction to a perceived injustice. They did not think the world should
be unfair or that people would be cruel to each other, nor that they
should just sit back and do nothing. Inaction simply was not an option
for a puny few, untested freshmen - as one of the three liked to
described themselves.
The precipitating event for what followed was not the stuff of
legends. The three friends went to a rush party for another fraternity,
although none intended to join. They felt that fraternities were
elitist groups, wasted time, participated in crass rituals including
hazing, and could not justify the expense. In other words, fraternity
rush was purely for entertainment.
And good times were, indeed, had by all until one fraternity member
informed them that while they were welcome to the party, they could not
join the fraternity -- they were Jewish. They were told that
fraternities at Marshall did not take blacks, Jews or five eyed
Martians. In retrospect, they are not quite sure about the last part of
that claim since the room was noisy and they probably lost concentration
after the first two non-qualifiers. However, there were two surprises
in this rush policy: first they found out that they must have "looked
Jewish" and second that anyone really gave a damn.
Moral outrage in the abstract is one thing, but having injustice
crammed right into one's gullet gives real taste to this sense of evil.
Liquid vitamins unquestionably fortified their courage that night, but
they also decided they had to do something. While a few individuals can
be important, real strength comes in numbers working together to
accomplish common goals. These three guys were not tall, good looking,
rich, or brilliant. Hell, they were not even the right religion! But
they had a social consciousness which said "this cannot stand". They
would not allow a corrupt Greek system to decide the future for others
on the basis of religion or the color of skin.
Of course, they did not know that once the battle started it
would evolve into a multi-front and complex war. While this is not
the proper forum for full revelation of the conflicts that ensued,
suffice it to say that change always threatens existing power
structures and a new group embracing societal change proved to be
extremely worrisome to some of the more deeply entrenched and some
times highly prejudiced "leaders" on campus and in the community.
Kieve, Ken, and Paul recruited a few others, making the original
ten, who worked to become a common brotherhood with ideals that
could be contagious and worth defending.
Once this group was started, it would become totally different
from any existing campus groups and would attempt to sustain its
founding ideals. The original premise triumphed by affecting the
lives of those who followed and reverberating around Marshall
University in a manner that, at least partially, changed the
institution forever.
In the spring 1963, ten brothers became Beta Tau Colony of Zeta
Beta Tau. Why ZBT? It had a history of tolerance and would invest
in a campus where there were few Jewish students, knowing in advance
that Gamma Epsilon would become a minimally Jewish chapter in this
traditionally Jewish Fraternity. And ZBT was willing to talk to the
ten guys with an idea...a process which would legitimize their
efforts.
At that moment in time, none of the ten founders really thought
much at all about actually becoming a nationally recognized
fraternity. So nine Jews and Roy Huffman...the first brave gentile
who in effect proved that religion just did not matter in the
construct... became the core of a grand experiment. The group grew
and eventually gained support from the local community as well as a
small cadre of campus advisors. It gained respect for doing things
differently, positively, actually quite innocently. Indeed, pure
fortuitous circumstances led to the foundation of Gamma Epsilon.
For many, Gamma Epsilon chapter of ZBT changed lives; for others
it was simply a social experience. At each reunion or upon personal
reflection, many are moved by the depth of the emotion from those
who became part of this fraternity. Each has his own particular
take on what happened. Each carries within him memories that either
do or do not matter in his own life today. Today, the ZBT - Gamma
Epsilon Scholarship Fund is a testimony to the character of those
who participated in this grand experiment. An endowment that
supports others and lives forever demonstrates the relevance of what
was learned.
Kenneth R. Cohen March 5, 2008
