Plenty of us had romantic flings back at Purdue; some of us even discovered our other halves in part because of Phi Gamma Delta . Bob Schmidt ’52 and his lovely wife Nancy have just such a love story. We reached out to learn about their Phi Gamma Delta -fueled romance in celebration of Valentine’s Day.
When and where did you first meet your wife and how long have you been together?
My wife, the former Nancy Staggs, was a Purdue Kappa Alpha Theta. In the early fall of 1951 my FIJI Brother Ed Ogden fixed me up with Nancy for a Gimlet Party. From then on we were glued together; pinned in November 1951, engaged in January 1952, and married June 1, 1952. It was a BUSY DAY--10am commissioned 2nd Lt. US Army, 2PM Graduated, 6PM Married..WOW!
In 2012 we celebrated our 60th Wedding Anniversary but sadly I lost my best pal on November 22, 2012.
What Phi Gamma Delta events or social occasions do you remember enjoying with her?
While at Purdue we enjoyed the dances-The Military Ball, The Junior Prom, The Fiji Island Party, and of course the Beer parties. After graduating we were back at Purdue almost every Homecoming and our Class would always have a get-together. We also enjoyed going back for the 100th Anniversary of the Chapter. In 2002 we had a 3-day 50th Reunion in Naples and a great time was had by all - fishing, golfing, sightseeing, eating, drinking, etc.
Do you and your wife still meet up with any couples you knew through Phi Gamma Delta?
In the 1980's I retired to Naples, Florida and several of the Brothers would spend the winters in the Naples area and we got together often-- Jack and Jinny Noyes, Bill and Sara Lee Hatlem, and John and Jean Schwentker. We also were part of the SW Florida FIJI Graduate Chapter that had a Monthly program October through April including a celebration of Pig Dinner.
Do you or one of your brothers have a love story that you know began with Purdue Phi Gamma Delta ? CLICK HERE or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to share your story!
