Beta Theta Pi at the University of Illinois

The Sigma Rho chapter of Beta Theta Pi was founded in 1902 at the University of Illinois. After enjoying many rewarding and eventful years at Illinois, the chapter was closed for a few years.

But in the fall of 2013, we recruited a new class of Betas and a year later, the brothers have moved back into the Beta house at 202 East Daniel.

In August of 2016, our status as a chapter of Beta Theta Pi was restored.

Shahid Khan '71 Receives Beta's Oxford Cup Award

Shahid Khan '71

Sigma Rho's Shahid Khan '71 was the recipient of the Oxford Cup at the national convention in Utah on July 27, 2017.

The Oxford Cup recognizes Betas of achievement. Brother Khan received a degree in Industrial Engineering in 1971. He is the owner of auto parts company Flex-N-Gate, owner of the Jacksonville Jaquars football team and the London soccer club Fulham. He was featured on the cover of Forbes magazine, was profiled on Sixty Minutes and has been a commencement speaker at the U of I.

Charles Christoe '64 Co-authors Two Novels

The Mysteries of Modern Alchemy

Charles Christoe '64 has co-authored and published two novels in the past year:

The books are a two part story of two college students who learn about modern alchemy and high pressure physics from a college professor. Both books are available from Amazon.com as e-Books for $1.99 each.

Sigma Rho Installation Banquet 4/29/2017

Sigma Rho is once again an officially recognized chapter of Beta Theta Pi!

To celebrate this achievement, the undergraduate brothers of Sigma Rho will be hosting an installation banquet on April 29 in Champaign-Urbana. They would like to invite all alums to join in the celebration. The banquet will begin promptly at 6pm at the Eastland Suites Conference Center Ballroom. The chapter will provide dinner and drinks at the venue during the celebration.

John W. DeWolf '30 Memoirs of Sigma Rho

John DeWolf '30 of Houston, Texas has written about his time at Sigma Rho in late 1920's. He passed away February 5, 2004 and his daughter, Deborah Allen of AZ, sent us a segment from his memoirs called "My Life and Good Times". From it, we learn what life was like at the Beta house and on campus. He reports on the early days of Tom and Carrie who were our cooks for many years. He also reports on some of the Sigma Rho activities at the time. John was active in many campus organizations and sports and excelled in academics.

Sigma Rho Summer 2016 Newsletter

The spring semester was a busy one for the brothers of Sigma Rho and the summer of 2016 so far has been filled with exciting achievements and experiences. As the semester concluded, there is a lot to be proud of at 202 E. Daniel Street. We initiated 27 new brothers into our chapter and pledged 8 more during spring recruitment.

Reunion in Tucson May 2016

Tucson golfers

Several Sigma Rho brothers & Beta sweethearts from the classes '59 t0 '67 met for a reunion May 1 - 5, 2016.  The organizing brothers included:  Larry Gahan '60, Steve Knapp '61, Sam Leeper '62, Dave Polaski '63, Phil Yenerich '64, Mike Holbrook '64, Scott Harris '66, and Don Huisinga '67.

Their activities included hiking, biking, mountain jeep riding, golf, tennis, site seeing and shopping.

Recognizing Sigma Rho Varsity Athletes

Since the start of the Sigma Rho Chapter in 1902, many Betas have participated in and excelled at varsity sports. We have started a  project to identify and recognize our varsity athletes and their accomplishments. We have managed to identify several varsity athletes but our list is not complete.  Most of the information was obtained from the online versions of the Illio.

Homecoming 2015

Homecoming )ctober 25, 2015

The Fighting Illini took on the Wisonsin Badgers in Memorial Stadium on October 24th. Before the game. alumni, family and friends were treated to an open house and lunch at the Beta House. Some of the class of '65's were there for their 50th anniversary.

Golf Outing 2015

Several alums and undergraduates enjoyed a day of golf and socializing at the Lake Bluff Golf Club in Lake Bluff, IL on Saturday, July 11, 2015. The event was organized by Bob Wallace '79 and Mike Langan '82.

Sigma Rho March, April & May Newsletter

News from the undergraduates as they finish out the school year. Sigma Rho was the winner of the Alpha Phi’s “King of Hearts” pageant. Also included are photos from some spring break trips, Mom's weekend report with photos, the first official philanthropy event benefiting the Andrew Weishar Foundation, paying tribute to notable alumni with photos in the library, and some comments from some of the graduating seniors.
Mike Czmiel '15, Public Relations Chair

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