The brothers of Michigan Eta celebrated their 50th anniversary on the campus of Michigan Technological University in July 2015. The unique culture of the campus, located on the tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is reflected in the Michigan Eta brothers’ dedication to cooperation and brotherly love.

Over 130 brothers returned to campus for the celebration of the chapter’s success since its founding in 1965. Events over the anniversary weekend included an open house, golf tournament, hockey game, picnic, celebratory dinner, repainting of the house’s red door and a pickled egg contest (a local delicacy).

Attendees used the anniversary to celebrate the strength of their brotherly bonds. When one alumnus had to cancel his plans to attend due to the sudden diagnosis of a serious illness, the brothers began collecting videos and photos and created a banner to support him.

Many alumni also attended their first Ritual in decades to witness the initiation of Fred Wenzel, Michigan Tech Renaissance, the father of the late Tyler Wenzel, Michigan Tech ′06, who was killed by a car while walking home in 2007. The Ritual sealed a bond built between the chapter and the Wenzel family in the years since the accident.

The weekend’s most poignant moment occurred during the banquet when Justin Fitch, Michigan Tech ’05, spoke of the cause that occupied the final part of his life: suicide among veterans. A retired Army major, Fitch had to retire due to terminal cancer, but he fought as long as possible to raise awareness for this cause that meant so much to him. During the reunion, he raised funds for a retreat center in Kentucky for military families. Brother Fitch passed in October, but the chapter remembers him through a scholarship, and Michigan Tech honored him with the 2015 Humanitarian Award.