OX: Why did you join Theta Chi?
Joe Kopetsky: To enhance my collegiate experience.

OX: What is your favorite Theta Chi memory or story?
JK: Too many to really pick one, but I’ll relate one that goes back a few years: I was just a freshman in the Spring of 1983 when the Psi Phi 500 was in it’s glory - - too much debauchery and illegal activity to detail, but let’s just say, it was 10 deep on the sidewalk and the real parties hadn’t even started yet. I was walking along the sidewalk of S. Pugh, by Phi Psi when I spotted the Theta Chi crew rolling down the street, literally rolling because they had made a paper ‘mache Schlitz Malt Liquor Bull out of a shopping cart and were the next entrant to make it’s way onto Beaver Avenue. When they saw me (I was probably all of 150 pounds back then), they grabbed out of the crowd (the brothers knew me pretty well as I had been out visiting Craig Walker pretty often), had me “take” from the tail of the Bull (the keg hose), threw me on top of the Bull and pushed me down the hill. Needless to say, we had a little trouble negotiating that corner at Pugh and Beaver and rolled the Bull, me and the cart into the street. The crowd erupted, we righted the Bull and off we went – brothers like Tank, Scott M, Wilbur and Tucker – as far as I can remember, were all taking part.

OX: What kind of influence has the fraternity had on your life since graduation?
JK: Quite the opposite of what it did to me when I was in school, with the exception of the friendship and comradery. It gave me a healthy respect for people, a greater appreciation for true friendship and a deeper understanding of the eccentricities of the human psyche (several people come to mind).

OX: What is your nickname? How did you get it? Did anyone in particular give it to you?
JK: Although they tried several times, no one name really stuck or became accepted by all. The closest was probably Boomer calling me “Joey Nickels” for some reason – a reason that only made sense when under the influence of the demon alcohol.

OX: Did you live in the house? If so, who were your roommates? Tell us about a memorable time with them.
JK: Lived there for a few years and even spent a summer there. My first roommate was Steve Dodge and my last was Jim Derrah. No one in between and no one after, unless you count Craig Walker on the weekends. One of the more memorable (albeit not the funniest by far) happened on the night that we accepted our bids. After much pomp and circumstance (Hey, we need the dudes!!!), Steve stood up and officially accepted his bid – and then probably downed a glass of beer. J. D., as was planned, then stood up and accepted his, whereas much frivolity ensued while J. D. pounded one back. The crowd drew quiet as I rose and true to my word, I accepted my bid to join Steve and J. D. in the Spring Pledge Class of 1984 – at that point, J. D. turned to Steve and innocently inquired, “I thought he was already a brother! (That was the last innocent thing he has ever said, BTW).

OX: Where did your pledge class go on their pledge bolt/trip? What brothers did you take? Any funny stories you can tell?
JK: To the ‘Vous (The Rendezvous), I mean to the University of Maryland, I think. We didn’t take many brothers, but I remember Craig Walker – and the rest of my memory is dominated by Ron Hawes, who managed to get his but kicked by a couple of ninjas while we weren’t looking in the ’Vous.

OX: With whom do you stay in contact? And is there anyone with whom you’ve lost touch that you would like to find?
JK: Being in Philadelphia, it has been easy to keep in touch with the locals including, Bob Dunston, Owen Fishman, Chris Casciato, Tim Paulson, Jim Derrah, Anthony Panichelli, Phil Katchur, Doug Burry, Al Vladmir, Bill Herron, John Stagliano and with some of the boys in the outerlands like Rob Scavello, Dave Yohannon, Alan Lauder, and Ed  Brown. Who would I like to find – I like to see dozens, but a few that come to mind are Dave Noll and John McHenry, of course – unless they prefer otherwise.

OX: What other activities or organizations were you involved with during your college days?
JK: I worked over at the Blue & White Golf Courses but pretty much spent most of my time with the Fraternity and at school.

OX: Tell us about your family. Have you married? Do you have children?
JK: I married in October of 2001 to a woman that John Stagliano introduced me to. No children, yet – we are practicing our parenting skills on our dogs.

OX: What do you do for a living?
JK:: I work in marketing for a computer hardware company in the Philadelphia area.

OX: What hobbies do you enjoy?
JK: There are plenty of things that I would love to do if I had more time, but I mostly work on the house, the yard, run and hike with the dogs and the wife and ride mountain bikes.

OX: What are your goals for the next few years?
JK: I expect to be busy finishing off the house renovation, burying myself in my work, and keeping my wife happy.

OX: What organizations are you involved with in your community?
JK: I spent a great deal of time in the last five years working with my local development corporation in its attempt to rebuild a neighborhood in Philadelphia. I also recently moved, so I have joined a few new organizations, which I expect to be more active with in the near future.

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