The Vietnam War
The most devastating force to affect the health of PLT, however, was the Vietnam War. PLT always had attracted actives strongly sensitive to moral and social issues. The drain's impact on college age youth and minorities was enormous. Being asked to serve in a "War" that many regarded as obscene caused many students to preoccupy themselves with the war issue. Phi Lams even more so. Suddenly, the traditional fabric of fraternity life was shelved in favor of protests, picketing and constant meetings to try to understand a cause that they were being told to support with their lives. The ease of drugs and alcohol contributed no small amount to a campus life, which left little time or effort to the fraternity.
Ironically, it was at this same time that the Alumni's rallying efforts began to emerge. Lloyd "Biff Hoffman, '32, Alumni general secretary for many years, had pursued his dream of a House on the Hill for decades. The move to 203 South Third Street had diverted fraternal energy from that dream. By the mid to late 1960s, everyone realized that 203 South Third Street was not adequate to support the fraternity's needs. Biff began to organize energy around his determination. In 1967, the Alumni Association launched the largest fund drive in its history. In 1980, the alumni were still raising funds to complete the house. In the 13 years after the effort began, more than $152,510, $19,318 dollars worth of goods, and over 40,000 hours of work were given to Phi Lambda Theta.
In order to be as efficient and effective as possible during this time span, an almost equal effort was expended to tightly organize the fraternity.
Lloyd "Biff" Hoffman was again involved with a significant event in our history. He had for years helped guide the fraternity by personal diplomacy. These nurtured friendships earned him tremendous respect; many contributions to the House on Hill fund drive were based on loyalty to Biff. It was his dedication to Phi Lambda Theta that brought Don Ward, also from York and a member of the class of '49, in to the fraternity's inner circle. Don realized that without Biff the Alumni organization would quickly deteriorate.
Senior officers Harley Bennett, Tom Deans and Mel Woodward, worked with Don during this period to build a strong organizational framework. Don prepared a governing code for Phi Lambda Theta, saw to its ratification, and fought for it s respect. Central to the Code's success is a working relationship between the interacting units for the Active Chapter and the Alumni, as well as a partnership between the two entities. The Alumni, as initiators and implementers, have worked to mold themselves in to a focused corporate structure.
But what happened to the Chapter during this time? The Vietnam War took its toll on Phi Lam as well. The chapter admitted in 1970 that their situation was hopeless and voted to disband. The Alumni were shocked. Phi Lam had weathered dismal situations before with one exception (the Effects of the Great Depression). Now, the second failure caught the Alumni in the middle of a Fund drive whose goal was hundreds of thousands of dollars to build THE HOUSE an alumni dream for two or more decades.
What were the Alumni going to say: that the Chapter folded because they believed the ideals of Phi Lambda Theta were no longer valid. Indeed, during the Vietnam War, these ideals were desperately needed, especially in Washington. But, as the introduction makes clear, Phi Lambda Theta is not attempting to change the world, but rather giving a small group the opportunity to experience true, unbiased brotherhood. There was and still is an Alumni commitment too deep to allow failure. So the Alumni Board of Directors said nothing to the General Alumni about the chapter's decision to disband. Remarkably, they made plans to rush freshmen themselves the coming fall.