Charley's way

This was originally published in the Ohio State Phoenix two weeks after Charley's death. The Phoenix was a publication by and for freshmen. It was first published on Monday, Jan. 17, 1921, and Charley became its business manager the next fall. I do not currently know when The Phoenix ceased publication, but it might have been as early as 1925.

CHARLES HULS

In the fall of 1921, among the incoming class of freshmen, was a young man from Logan, Ohio. Possessing a fine record in activities in high school, he was soon selected as business manager of the Phoenix and did much toward putting the publication, which was then in its second year, on a firm foundation. This young man was Charles Huls. From that humble beginning, he rapidly rose in campus prominence, attaining the highest honors that the university offers, among them being the editorship of the 1924 Makio. A fortnight ago he died, and in his death the university lost one of the finest men that have ever been enrolled here.

    We never had the pleasure of meeting Charley, as he was called by every one who knew him, but it seems as if he had almost been a friend of ours, so much did we hear about him. But if we had known him we are sure he would have been just as cordial to us, a mere freshman, as to the best friend he had. That was just Charley's way.

    Mere words of sympathy can not express our sentiments in any wise and the least we can do is to strive to live as full and as rich a life as did Charley Huls.

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Seniority

I had forgotten when I wrote the post *Deceased January 31, 1925 that Grandpa Fred was editor of the Senior Pages for the 1925 Makio. I can't help but think that when Charley was complaining in letters home about how hard Fred was working on the Makio, that Fred was working hard on the Makio because of his senior brother Charley.

1925 Makio

School newspapers and yearbooks have long been a fertile proving ground for aspiring journalists and photographers and Charley and Fred both worked on the OSU Lantern and Makio. Did they also work on their Logan High School newspaper or yearbooks? So far I have only found one online edition of a 1922 Aerial and Grandpa Fred was its business manager. Personally, I bet Charley couldn't wait to get involved with both OSU publications, and Fred just followed along because he could.

Since the 1925 Makio was dedicated to Uncle Charley, David, and the others who died that year I can only imagine how hard it was for Grandpa to keep seeing his brother's face haunting him from the yearbook pages as he worked on them.

Worked for a brother who would never see the final product.

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Purple and white

218 E Seventeenth Avenue

The fraternity Phi Gamma Delta (ΦΓΔ) has changed a lot since 1925, as has 218 E. Seventeenth Avenue. The Omicron Deuteron Chapter began there in 1878 as Ohio State's first fraternity. Charley quickly became involved when he went to OSU in 1921 and Grandpa was happy to follow in his shoe steps the next year.

Fred (upper left) and Charley (lower right)

Uncle Charley was a "Fiji" as was Grandpa Fred. They both seemed to live the Greek life to its fullest. If you look through their Makio yearbooks, you see the epitome of 1920s stereotypes: jazz age kids with raccoon skin coats, bobbed and shingled hair, and lots of pomade.

I wonder, did the fraternity colors of royal purple and white resonate with the brothers since those were also the colors of Logan High School.

I find myself staring at the above pictured fraternity house and wonder if one of those windows looked in on their bedroom or bathroom. Did Uncle Charley or Grandpa Fred look through them and what did they see? A bright future?

I then look at the photo of the brothers with their Brothers in this 1925 Makio photo. I'm glad they did not know what was coming, other than a desire to warn them.

I believe the original Phi Gamma Delta  building was torn down in the mid '60s, because the current apartment building on that site was built around 1966. The current Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house is nearby at 94 E. Fifteenth Ave.

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