Men of the Skull Chapter 49: Assisted

This chapter has to do with a Fraternity party, but not one of Skull's.  At Penn State (and in the book) I become very close to two Little Sisters of Alpha Chi Rho, also known as "Crow House."  In the book, the two women are named Judy and Virginia, and they were roommates at Sutton Court.

Fraternity Map, circa 1987.  Color additions are mine.  Yes I know I screwed up Lambda Chi's location

By this point in the story, I was dating Virginia.  She was a sophomore from Boyertown, which was maybe half an hour from where I lived back home.  As I described her in an earlier chapter:

Virginia was about five foot six- a full four inches taller than Judy (even without the boots).  She wore extremely tight jeans that showed off her curves and black boots with three inch heels.  Her hips were wider than Judy’s and she had a nice butt.  She wore a hooded maroon sweatshirt with the letters AXP in blue.  Even with the thick sweater, I could see she had very nice breasts.  Her face was oval with a delicate, angular jaw and sad hazel eyes.  She reminded me a lot of the girl on the cover of Dylan’s “Freewheelin’” album: Suze Rotolo, except Virginia had very short brown hair- cut shorter than mine. 

It made for an interesting look- almost butch, but not.  Virginia was almost the perfect foil for Judy: Judy was so incredibly feminine and in some ways delicate, while Virginia had the whole “ball-buster” thing going for her.  I know that sounds fucked up, but that was the 80s.

This story is about a mid-winter party at Crow house, and it was typical of Crow parties of the time.  Like every other fraternity, a Saturday night party meant packed rooms, packed basement bar, loud music and many kegs of beer (Skull would go through 25-30 kegs on any given party night.  I don't know how many Crow finished, but their house was smaller, therefore so were their parties.)

Crow House

In April 2008. I was almost finished writing the book.  I saw was at PSU for a Skull function, and drove past Crow House.  The door was wide open, and people were milling about.  Crow was moving back into their old House (long story.)  I parked, and walked up to the porch.  There I spoke to a couple of the brothers.  I told them about the book I was writing, about Crow's part in it, and asked if I could go in and take some pictures- escorted if necessary.  The Crow brothers very graciously granted permission, and the House President accompanied me.  I hadn't been in that house in over twenty years at that point.  As I took pictures, I told him stories of my Crow house memories.  He asked questions, and seemed really interested.

The pictures in this chapter are the ones I took that day.

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Chapter 49   Assisted

Early Sunday, February 21, 1987 Levine sentenced to 2 years for insider-trading scheme

            Virginia was drunk.  She was behind the bar at Crow while we played the usual Flip a Cup/ Three man games and it was only about one AM.  But she went to Lil Sister Happies before coming here, so she’d been drinking for maybe seven hours, and even she had her limits.  Tonight she wore her black Skullympics shirt which had her letters on the back.  Nothing fancy.

            It didn’t help that  the older alum standing next to her behind the bar kept giving her drinks, and made her “Three-man” (or “Three bitch” as he called her.)  I’m guessing he was in his thirties.  His dark hair was in full retreat from the top of his head, and he had a big beer gut.  He wore jeans and a white dress shirt with a big collar, and several gold chains.  Disco Duck!  He was definitely trying to get her drunk and fuck her.  I smiled- this should be fun to watch. 

            The idea that he might succeed never entered my mind.  Why should it?

This large paddle used to hang downstairs in the party room.  I'm told it dates back to the 1950s.

            “Pour some shugah on meeeee!” blasted Def Leppard from the speakers.  Disco swayed to the song as he tried to flip the cup in front of him.  He failed twice, drank, and, smiling, passed the cup to Virginia.  She smiled and thanked him.  Rubbed the rim of the cup around in the beer swill on top of the bar for “traction” and flipped. 

            Plastic cups make a hollow pop when they land top down on the bar. 

            “Consume, dear!” she pointed her elbow at me.

Stairs to the basement party room.  They would normally be slick with beer.

            I tapped the cup on the bar and raised it over my head (current rules, aside from DDD) and drank.  The dice came to me and I rolled.  4 and 1:  Popsicle!  Disco was last to put his finger on his nose, so he drank.  Rolled again: 5 and 4: nothing I passed the dice to Virginia, who missed on her third flip, and passed the cup to me.  Someone down the bar scored with the other cup and shouted for Virginia to drink, which she did. 

            She rolled: 3 and 1.  She gave the “Three man” honor to Mandy, who was down the other side of the short bar from her. 

This first floor room used to be the dance floor during parties.  I think they were setting up for a dinner here. 

            And so it went.  Disco kept talking to her but I couldn’t hear what he was saying.  She said stuff back, but it was more about current events around Crow house.  He kept smiling and inching closer to her.

“An ain-gel’s smahl is what you sell.  You promise me heav-un, then put me through hell!” shouted Bon Jovi.

Looking through the entrance to the basement party room.  These benches lined two walls.

Sure enough, Disco eventually put his arm around her and tried to kiss her.

Virginia turned and kneed him right in the nuts.

“I said NO, ASSHOLE!” she shouted, a look of drunken fury in her eyes.

The room went silent except for the music.

“You give love a bad name!”

The basement party room, from the entrance.  The bar used to go all the way across, so the only access was the door seen in the back.  The room was lit with red lights.  The tables were not there.

Then people began to laugh and the noise started up again.  Disco picked himself off the floor, angrily spurning offers of help.  His white shirt was covered with grey beer muck.

He stood and glared at Virginia who glared right back at him: tense, breathing heavily.  He looked like he was about to say something when two guys hustled him back through the open door in back of the bar.  I think he shouted something about “little sisters” but I couldn’t quite hear.  The opening chords of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” blasting from the speaker next to me obscured everything.

Virginia turned to me and smiled.

“I love my brothers.  They watch out for us!”

From the main room on the first floor.  These were the Crows I knew.  

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