Phi Tau Theta, Methodist men's fraternity. Phi Tau Theta was a fraternity that spawned from the Westley Foundation, a Methodist group that was open to all Methodist men and women on campus. The Westley Foundation was founded first in January 1921 according to the College Eye (school newspaper), followed by Phi Tau Theta in October 1928 (College Eye). Professor Harry LeRoy Eells was the sponsor of this fraternity. The group's purpose was to be one with God’s spirit and desires to bring Methodist men into closer fellowship with each other and with the church, thus bringing them closer to God. In 1941 Pi Tau Theta merged with Sigma Epsilon Theta, another Methodist fraternity on campus, to form Delta Sigma Theta. Which was then renamed Sigma Theta Epsilon in 1949 and became inactive at the end of 1962. The group then reactivated in 1966 until it became permanently inactive at the end of the 1971 school year.
"Carver" which is written on the back of this paddle refers to Lowell Carver, class of 1930, who also belonged to Lambda Gamma Nu fraternity. He went on to marry Ruth Eells, class of 1930 and 1932, who was a member of Pi Theta Phi and the daughter of the sponsor of the fraternity and become an associate professor of industrial education at Iowa State University in 1940.
Phi Tau Theta. Stained brown with black lettering. "Carver" on back of handle in black lettering. Color: BR,BK
