Br. BOB RIVERA - BELOVED MENTOR

Robert Rivera - Gift to the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley from Gary Fredburg 2009 (click on image to enlarge)
As the Phi Delta Psi was entering its second year, Br. Rowland LoBianco and his speech teacher Bob Rivera became friends. Bob, who was a devoted Sigma Alpha Epsion alumnus from the University of Southern California, became interested in our Brothers effort to build a "real" Fraternity at Los Angeles Valley and Pierce Colleges. Though it was likely against school rules, he became the de-facto advisor to our Brotherhood. He was instrumental in our California State University Northridge Gamma Chapter's decision to affiliate with SAE.
After his retirement from Valley College, Bob became a speech teacher at LaVerne University, where he assisted in creating a chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon on that campus.
Because of his influence many Phi Delta Psi Brothers joined SAE at USC.

MAY 9th TOUR OF HISTORIC NORTH HOLLYWOOD

"If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development."
Aristotle - founder of the first museum in the western world.

THE "HIDDEN IN PLAIN SITES" TOUR with RICHARD HILTON and JERRY FECHT

On Saturday May 9, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. the Museum of the San Fernando Valley is conducting a special North Hollywood Historic Walking Tour. (See details below)

The first 20 people to sign up for the May 9th tour, will receive a complimentary pass to the 5th Annual Old Fashioned Pancake Breakfast being held that morning at Fire Station #86 down the street at
4305 Vineland, just north of the 101 Freeway.
So, have a great breakfast and walk it off in North Hollywood!


The Museum of the San Fernando Valley is dedicated to revealing the historic and artistic riches we travel past everyday and may never realize are there. To paraphrase Aristotle: “Knowing where we came from and how we got where we are, serves to inform us in creating a better future.”

Join us in discovering this rich neighborhood!

DATE: Saturday, May 9, 2009
TIME: 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
MEET: North Hollywood Park
(Tujunga Ave. at Magnolia Blvd. - Amelia Earhart Statue)
PRICE: $10.00
LENGTH: 2.5 hours
PARKING: On-street (Tujunga Ave. or Magnolia Blvd.)

If you planning on joining us, please email us at: NoHoTours@aol.com.
Tell us you are coming and how many in your party. Walk-ups accepted.

For further information, call: (818) 909-4729
Thank you to the Universal City/North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for your support.

HODY'S DRIVE IN - VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA

Since some of you don't visit the blog of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, I thought you might enjoy this memory stimulus,
Fecht

Hody's Drive In Restaurant 1967 - vintage postcard given to the archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley by Gary Fredburg 2009. (click on image to enlarge)

In the year 2000, Van Horn, Iowa had a population of 216 people. I wonder how many people it had when R&S wrote this post card featuring Hody's Restaurant on the corner of Sepulveda and Victory in Van Nuys in 1967? On a good night, the Van Nuys Drive In Theater would have had more than 216 people in its audience?
San Fernando - July 11, 1967 Sat. PM
Hi, Arrive there about 12:30 PM. Wonderful weather all the way. Had lunch at Betty's.
My glasses just fell into in Las Vegas at nose piece. Had to buy new frames. Hot today. Love R&S"

A Br. BRUCE BENNER MEMORY

Bruce Benner (click on image to enlarge) Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley 2009

Br. Bruce Benner pledged the Phi Delta Psi at Beta Chapter in the Spring of 1960. This a memory of Bruce from Big Al Conahan.

I owe this memory to Brother Bruce Benner. He would recite this Bawdy Diddy in the late evenings at the "Rudnick House" It came to mind the other day and thanks to the enormous store house of knowledge available to us from the world wide web, I found the lyrics by Flanders and Swann. Hope you all enjoy this syllepsis bit of prose as much as we all did when we were too young to truly appreciate it.
HAVE SOME MADEIRA, M'DEAR

Flanders and Swann
She was young, she was pure, she was new, she was nice,
She was fair, she was sweet seventeen.
He was old, he was vile, and no stranger to vice,
He was base, he was bad, he was mean.
He had slyly inveigled her up to his flat
To view his collection of stamps
And he said as he hastened to put out the cat,
the wine, his cigar and the lamps:
'Have some madeira, M'dear
You really have nothing to fear
I'm not trying to tempt you, that wouldn't be right
You shouldn't drink spirits at this time of night
Have some madeira, M'dear
It's very much nicer than beer
I don't care for sherry, one cannot drink stout
and port is a wine I can well do without
It's simply a case of Chacun ð son gout
Have some madeira, M'dear!'
Unaware of the wiles of the snake in the grass
The fate of the maiden who topes
She lowered her standards by raising her glass
Her courage, her eyes and his hopes
She sipped it, she drank it, she drained it, she did
He quietly refilled it again
And he said, as he secretly carved one more notch
on the butt of his gold-handled cane;
'Have some Madeira, M'dear
I've got a small cask of it here.
And once it's been opened, you know it won't keep
Do finish it off, it'll help you to sleep
Have some Madeira, M'dear
It's really an excellent year
Now if it were Gin you'd be wrong to say yes
The evil gin does would be hard to assess
Besides, it's inclined to affect me prowess
Have some Madeira, M'dear!'
Then it flashed through her mind what her mother has said
with her ante penultimate breath;
'Oh, My child, is you look on the wine that is red
then prepare for a fate worse than death!'
She let go the glass with a shrill little cry
Crash! Tinkle! It fell to the floor
When he asked 'What in heaven?' she made no reply,
Up her mind, and a dash for the door.
'Have some Madeira, M'dear'
Rang out down the hall, loud and clear
A tremulous cry that was filled with despair
As she paused to take breath in the cool midnight air,
'Have some Madeira, M'dear!'
The words seemed to ring in her ear,
Until the next morning, she woke up in bed
With a smile on her lips and an ache in her head
And a beard in her ear hole that tickled and said
'Have some Madeira, M'dear!'

Br. JERRY FECHT

Jerry Fecht 2009 (click on image to enlarge)
I have been getting beaten up for not having my picture among those I took at Barone's and Sol y Luna this last week. The reason is simple, I was the one taking the pictures. So, here I am yesterday at San Elijo Lagoon near Cardiff / San Diego. The Lagoon is a nature preserve that Janne and I contribute to.
I was a member of our Fraternity's second pledge class, in the Fall of 1957. Today, I am working to bring about a significant Museum of history and culture for the San Fernando Valley. The fun part about the project is that I get to see Gary Fredburg and Grady Talbot a lot, so much so that I forget that we are all getting older.
Dave Stole once said to me that "people have to work on friendships." and I really believe this. By working on the Phi Delta Psi archives for the Museum, I am in regular communication with LeRoy Hunt. By working on this blog, I hear regularly from John Bogdanoff and Al Conahan.
Life is good. Jerry