Don Seipt '50 talks AZ and life after college

Writing about myself is not exactly my cup of tea. So here it goes. There was never any question as to where I would go for my formal education and the fraternity I would pursue. My dad (Wilber Seipt ’24) was Chancellor at AZ in his senior year. In the fall of 1947 the house was full, 38 to 40 students, mostly veterans on the GI Bill. I believe only 6 to 8, like myself, were just out of high school. We got a lot of informal education from the brotherhood.

For breakfast and lunch you were on your own, but dinner was formal. Everyone ate at the same time. A senior brother was at the head of the table and served the main entrée. To leave the table during dinner you asked the head of the table to be excused. Susie Crandell was our housemother and lived in the room back behind the kitchen. Pledges helped Susie in the kitchen and served tables. What a wonderful person she was!

The campus looked quite a bit different back then. A putting green separated the house from Rt. 322. There were very few cars at the house and parking was not a problem. Also there were no buildings between AZ and Shwab Auditorium and Old Main. The ratio of the student body was 5 to 1 in favor of men. In the spring the east lawn east of AZ would fill up with co-eds sunning themselves. With field glasses it was an excellent time to get the time off the Old Main clock.

Very few brothers went home on weekends. Therefore the Brotherhood really got to know each other during the weekends. The bonding of personalities was exceptional. My class ’50 held annual reunions approximately 30 years and then opened it up to other AZ classes, which still takes place today.

“Hell Week” as we referred to it back then, helped me get to know myself. There were no dangerous activities, but it tested one’s stamina, ingenuity, and endurance. Looking back I am glad I had that experience. I have many fond memories of Alpha Zeta and sometimes dream of being back in college and AZ.

After a brief time working for Penn State in Ag. Extension I spent my next 54 years on my wife’s home farm breeding and developing our herd of Holsteins. After our two sons returned home from college I found time to judge dairy shows in 18 states and two foreign countries. I was also privileged to serve as president of National Dairy Shrine, National Pure Bred Dairy Cattle Association, and the National Holstein USA organization. It’s been a great ride and it started at the Morrill Chapter of Alpha Zeta.