Bruce Balmat '70 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) remembers the day that he decided to join Phi Sig. “I rushed as a 2nd term freshman in the Winter Term of 1967,” he said. “A fellow wrestler on PSU's team, Rich "Bruno" Nonini ‘69, invited me to dinner at Phi Sig. I went there several times and was impressed with the guys I met: Doug Arnold ‘70, Steve Brose ‘69 and Craig Heckman ‘70, to name a few. It was a much friendlier house than the others I visited. I accepted a bid but didn't pledge until the Spring Term of my sophomore year so that there would be no interference with the wrestling season.”
He says that the friends he made in his pledge class would remain in his life through today – 55 years later. “I was in a great (and very smart) pledge class -- We still see each other at football games. The friendships I made at the house have continued for the last 55 years. A number of guys from the house, and from Sigma Chi, ended up getting our first jobs in the Philadelphia area. We had lots of social gatherings together and when we finally matured a little (I hope) and married, our wives and children became good friends. A number of our kids also attended PSU so we had numerous multi-generational tailgates. And we still do.”
The group of brothers catches up with regular reunions. “Our group takes a 3-4 day trips every three years or so to a nice place to spend time together, catch up and reminisce. St. Michaels, MD, Key West, Napa Valley, Sedona, Williamsburg, Bermuda and this year, Asheville have been pleasant stops.”
“While serving on the Kappa Chapter Board, I met another group of great guys who have the same sort of long-term camaraderie,” he said. “Chapter golf outings and alumni work weekends have strengthened my ties to another generation of brothers. And the current brothers are doing a great job building similar bonds, having lived together during the pandemic.”
Following Bruno's suggestion that I rush Phi Sig was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
