Theta Chi’s existence at Drake University is directly attributable to the effort of the fraternity’s Alpha Mu chapter, located at Iowa State College. In the spring of 1947 Dale Ratliff of Alpha Mu learned that his brother (Doyle, ’51) would be attending Drake, and the opportunity for colonization was immediately realized. In April, representatives of Alpha Mu traveled to Des Moines and conferred with Roy L. Miller, a Drake faculty member and chapter advisor to Sigma Alpha Epsilon; the year before Miller had written to the national office of Theta Chi, stating that “your organization is among those that we feel would be a real credit to our campus and a desirable addition to our fraternity system.” The meeting was followed by a May 1 conference between representatives of Alpha Mu and Counselor of Men S. C. Tiedman, who was conducive to the proposed colonization. Theta Chi’s Executive Director Frederick W. Ladue (Iota, Colgate) concurred, writing to Tiedman that “Drake University is one of our splendid institutions and the fraternity would be very happy to have a chapter on your campus.”

In the fall of 1947 the Ratliff brothers and the membership of Alpha Mu began to organize a colony on the Drake Campus. They were assisted by john Williams ’49, a Drake student and a pre-war pledge of Theta Chi at Indiana (Alpha Iota). Although no official university permission had been extended to being recruitment, 15 men who had expressed interest in beginning a new fraternity were brought together. The colony- which named itself Chi Alpha—held its first meeting on October 18, 1947 in the basement of historic Lochroft Hall. On December 2, 1847, the colony was officially recognized by the Committee on Fraternity and Sorority Affairs.

In 1948 meetings were moved to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 3242 Forest Avenue. The fraternity grew in membership, and became visible on campus. The university encouraged its progress, and observed that “within the colony is presented every element you would want to find.” In the fall, housing was acquired at 1355 30th Street, and in December the colony petitioned Theta Chi for a charter. Notification that the petition had been accepted by the national fraternity was received shortly thereafter. Installation of Chi Alpha colony as Gamma Tau chapter of Theta Chi took place on April 23, 1949. An informal luncheon was held in Morehouse Dormitory, which was followed by an initiation ceremony at the Masonic Lodge, 2708 Beaver Avenue. In this evening, a banquet held at the Hotel Commodore recognized the 25 initiates of Gamma Tau. Featured guests included Theta Chi’s National President Stuart Kelly (Phi, North Dakota State) and Drake University President Henry G. Harmon.

Gamma Tau maintained the momentum it displayed as a colony for several years following its installation. Membership continued to increase, largely with the ongoing assistance of Alpha Mu chapter, and in April, 1949 was extended full voting rights on the Drake IFC. In a search for adequate housing the chapter moved to 2812 Cottage Grove Avenue in the fall of 1949 and then to the 3921 Cottage Grove one year late.

The 1951 spring semester marked the beginning of over a decade of recurring problems and disappointments for Gamma Tau. Membership dropped from 39 to 27, necessitating the relinquishment of the chapter house in February. Financial pressures ensued, yet in the midst of uncertainty the chapter succeed academically and was awarded campus scholarship honors. During the summer, suitable housing could not be located, and Gamma Tau participated in the 1951 fall formal rush without the benefit of a chapter residence. In October the chapter leased West Hall, located at 3303 University Avenue, from Drake. Although membership actually fell from 25 men to 20 between the fall and spring semesters, the national fraternity felt that Gamma Tau was making progress. In the summer of 1952 Gamma Tau was presented with the Sidney Ann Gilpin Lewis Memorial Trophy, representing the most significant improvement by a Theta Chi chapter during the preceding year.

During the fall of 1952, gamma Tau was again forced to recruit members without the use of chapter house, having lost the University Avenue property which followed, the fraternity held its meetings and social functions at a number of locations, including the homes of local alumni. Two days before the start of the spring 1954 rush week the chapter moved into a residence located at 2625 Carpenter Avenue; largely through the assistance of the women of Delta Zeta, the house was prepared in time to welcome prospective members. However, the acquisition of housing failed to provide Gamma Tau with any type of impetus, and it soon appeared that the very future of the chapter was in question. There was a marked disunity within the fraternity, as its membership had split into three groups: varsity athletes, who had little time to devote to chapter affairs; veterans of the Korean Conflict, who viewed much of fraternity life as sophomoric; and visionary underclassmen, who had hopes of reversing the chapter’s downtrodden state. Although some chapter initiates were expelled for their lack of support, the membership of Gamma Tau continued to experience difficulty in working towards common goals.

Gamma Tau’s total chapter membership stood at 10 men in the fall of 1954. Minutes from the October 25, 1954 chapter meeting recorded the receipt of a “letter from national stating their dissatisfaction and reporting our loss of chapter if no improvement in six months.” The fraternity’s situation—particularly in the areas of finance and manpower—failed to improve, and on December 6m,, 1954 Gamma Tau considered an option to “disband the chapter and turn our charter to the national on bankruptcy issue because of financial reasons, total disorganization, [and] no cooperation by the brother.” The proposal was tabled for one week, after which time it was voted on and it was carried to keep the chapter.” However, the dissatisfaction and failure to move the motion to disband the chapter was reconsidered. A Majority of Gamma Tau’s members agreed that the chapter situation was hopeless, and the national office of Theta Chi was notified of the desire to relinquish the charter. Theta Chi responded by scheduling two field secretaries—Charles Ledbetter (Alpha Eta, North Carolina) and Glenn Snyder (Gamma Theta, San Diego State) to travel to Drake and “make renewed efforts to retain the chapter.” The university, on the other hand, felt that for Gamma Tau to continue would be a great mistake… the local group has made the right decision.” Ultimately, the handful of members who stayed on committed themselves to revitalizing Gamma Tau; when a reorganization meeting was held on April 4, 1955, the chapter reported the pledging of six men. By the end of the 1955 spring semester, Gamma Tau had grown to 26 men.

In the fall of 1955 the fraternity relocated 1151 28th street. Theta Chi continued to struggle as the smallest fraternity on campus with a membership of 17 men. In May 1956 the chapter house was vacated and the fraternity’s furniture placed in storage. During the 1956-57 school year Gamma Tau again functioned without housing, the effect of which on morale, as noted in the chapter’s minutes, was significant:

“There is no real incentive in Gamma Tau for men to join, such as lack of meeting place, need of fraternal spirit, need to build up interest among sororities… we should as (past National president) Kelly for his advice, and if worse came to worse, we could go back as a colony.”

An optimistic Theta Chi returned to the Drake campus in the fall of 1956, complete with a chapter house located at 1600 30th Street. However, disappointment once again set in following the fraternity’s failure to obtain a single new member during the first two months of the semester. The chapter barely survived; in the fall of 1958 its finances were so depressed that it obtained the permission of the university to employ a graduate counselor in lieu of a housemother.

During the summer of 1959 Gamma Tau considered making its fifth housing relocation in eight years. A problem was posed by the fact that the desired property—located at 1280 34th street,-- was not zoned for use as a multiple residence dwelling. The Des Moines City Council was asked to rezone the entire block for fraternity and sorority use while the proposal was being passed from committee to committee, Gamma Tau moved in the property. Even after all of 34th Street between Forest and University avenues was rezoned for use by fraternities and sororities, Theta Chi was not in conformance with the law, due to an insufficient lot width not until May 1960 was the fraternity able to obtain a zoning variance, allowing it to legally occupy the residence. Following the relocation, Gamma Tau’s future initially appeared promising. There was some growth in membership, and the fraternity won scholarship honors for both semesters of the 1959-60 school year. Yet in the fall of 1961 the chapter again teetered on the brink of dormancy the university, as an emergency measure, gave the fraternity permission to rent its house to non-members. In October 1961 Gamma Tau’s membership consisted of nine men, only three of which resided in the chapter house; accounts payable totaled $2300. J.C. Byrd (Alpha Eta, North Carolina), a Theta Chi field secretary, came to Drake and spent over a month attempting to untangle Gamma Tau’s difficulties. Byrd was successful in obtaining significant concessions on the part of the national fraternity, designed to assist the chapter’s treasury; he was unsuccessful in obtaining the permission of the IFC to extend formal rush and to allow Gamma Tau to initiate pledges after three weeks of indoctrination. However, the traveling secretary’s greatest contribution was to recruitment; by the end of the semester, the chapter’s membership had grown to 32 men, the largest number in over a decade.

At the conclusion of the spring 1962 semester Gamma Tau moved out of its 1280 34th Street address. The chapter considered the purchase of a number of properties, but financing could not be achieved. With the arrival of the fall semester the “fraternity members agreed to hold a houseless rush… and to point all efforts toward securing a new house.” The housing search continued to be unproductive, and Gamma Tau’s membership became disillusioned. In contacting the national office of Theta Chi, the university described the fraternity’s situation as “serious and that the undergraduate chapter appeared ready to throw in the towed.” The IFC considered suspending Gamma Tau “due to lack of activities,” including its absence from formal rush, IFC meetings, Greek Week, and social functions. J.C. Byrd returned to Drake for several visits, where he was “surprised at the news that the national (fraternity) would have to pay off all debts before the university would allow the chapter to continue.” In time, Byrd arranged for the repayment of Gamma Tau’s obligations, and with the assistance of local alumnus Tom Hyland ’53, finally obtained housing for the chapter. In February 1963 Gamma Tau took up residence at 3425 Kingman Boulevard, the former home of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The chapter house, acquired at a cost of $37,000, had a total capacity of 30 men.

During the 1960’s the chapter achieved some degree of stability. Gamma Tau increased its campus involvement and at one point membership approached 50 men. However, by 1969 the fraternity had lost its momentum; the chapter house was sold, and it appeared that Theta Chi had become Drake’s first victim of the Vietnam-era “fraternity depression.”

By the fall of 1971, Gamma Tau’s membership had fallen to seven men. The fraternity succeeded in pledging five men during each of the two subsequent semesters, and on August 1, 1972, moved into its first chapter house in three years, which was located at 3120 Cottage Grove Avenue. Gamma Tau continued to make progress, and in the summer of 1973 it was presented with a second Lewis Award for chapter improvement.

The 30-plus members of Gamma Tau relocated to 1247 33rd Street just prior to the 1974 fall rush week. Because of the small size of the residence, many of the chapter’s initiates were forced to live elsewhere. In order to remedy the situation, fraternity considered building an addition to the chapter house, and applied for a loan from the national office to that effect. At approximately the same time, it became apparent that the Alpha Xi Delta was encountering increasing difficulty in its membership. Gamma Tau was able to secure the sorority house, located at 1320 34th street, allegedly through use of a loan obtained from the 33d Street addition. Gamma Tau moved into the residence in 1975 and began a program of chapter revitalization, slowly yet consistently building up its membership and Greek and campus involvement.

Following a 30-year struggle to achieve status on the Drake campus, by 1979 Theta Chi had become recognized as an important part of the Greek community. The Office of Greek Affairs, in comparative rankings of all fraternities, evaluated the chapter as fifth out of ten, but added that Gamma Tau had “all the ingredients necessary to be the best chapter on campus.” Through dedication, concerted effort and careful resource allocation, Theta Chi has arguably achieved the position of Drake’s most impressive fraternity. In the fall of 1983 Gamma Tau could claim a membership of 93 men—the largest on campus—in addition to having won the IFC scholarship award for five consecutive semesters. Theta Chi has truly become the undisputed underdog story in the history of fraternities at Drake University.

In 2014, it became apparent to chapter alumni, as well as undergraduates, that the 1320 34th Street property was in a dire state of disrepair. The aging property needed repair, remodeling, and rebuilding. An initiative, spearheaded by alumni, began to raise funds for the total demolition and reconstruction of the property. The fundraiser was successful, and during the 2015 school year the chapter temporarily relocated across the street to 3307 Forest Avenue, otherwise known as “Red Lion.”

In 2016, the new chapter house was completed, and featured room for nearly 30 members. With a fully furnished basement, chapter room, and elevator, the quality of this house was sign of things to come. Theta Chi gained over 20 recruits in the first year alone, and has successfully recruited classes within the 20-30 member range. This period led to another era of success for the chapter, despite an increasingly anti-Greek life sentiment throughout academia. Featuring increased campus involvement, intramural victories, and social events Gamma Tau has managed to retain a stable membership of ~60 undergrads since the new house’s construction.

Gamma Tau’s most renowned initiate is Karl Kasulke ’63, who played professional football for the Minnesota Vikings from 193 to 1972. Drake Theta Chi Michael Lytle, ’70 was killed in Vietnam on October 26, 1969; a university scholarship was subsequently created in his honor.

During the 1950’s the chapter occasionally published an alumni newsletter entitled Gamma Tau Talks. A more recent publication is the Gamma Tau Tribune. A liaison, Daughters of the Crossed Swords, was organized in 1967. During its 73 years of operation at Drake University, Gamma Tau has initiated 1200 men.