Sigma Chapter's original charter from 1884 has been preserved in a safe deposit box in a Springfield bank for over six decades. (Not sure where it was kept before then.) We recently learned that the bank in downtown Springfield (now PNC Bank) will soon close that location, and we were advised to get our contents.
On Friday, February 1, 2013, Greg Gernetzge '15, Chapter Treasurer, and Skip Buckley '80, Sig Fiji Alumni Association Secretary, removed the contents and took possession of the original charter! We brought it back to the chapter house at 20 West Ferncliff Place, and shared it with the Sigma Brothers. Copied above are photos of various Brothers displaying the original charter at the chapter house. One Brother commented, "This is the oldest historical document that I've ever touched -- 129 years old. Almost as old as the Emancipation Proclamation."
We now plan to send the original charter to our International Fraternity headquarters office in Lexington, Kentucky, where it will be preserved in a fire-proof, water-proof safe. We hope to get a new replica of the original charter to display in the chapter house.
It was a pretty cool moment in our chapter's history to secure the original charter, and to share it with today's Sigma's Brothers.
Fraternally,
Skip Buckley '80
Perge!
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