Former Grand Secretary Bill Hindman Passes

Early Wednesday morning former Grand Secretary Bill Hindman, Pennsylvania ’39, passed away. He was 88 years old. A celebration of his life will be held at 6:00 p.m. Friday, July 21, at the Northeast Presbyterian Church Fireside Room, located at 4400 Shore Acres Blvd. N.E., St. Petersburg Florida, 33703. An online obituary in today’s Richmond Times Dispatch can be found by visiting http://tinyurl.com/j5aq9.

Brother Hindman was a descendant of Thomas Stone, whose signature is on the Declaration of Independence. He is survived by a niece, Carol Stone Brown.

In 1944 at the age of 26, Brother Hindman assumed the role of Grand Secretary of our young Fraternity. Under his direction Sigma Phi Epsilon added 51 chapters to its rolls, our greatest expansion to date. He capitalized on the influx of G.I.s attending college by opening chapters on campuses with booming enrollment. The strategy paid off. Sigma Phi Epsilon grew from 70 chapters to 134, establishing us as a large national Fraternity. After leaving the staff in 1957, the position of Grand Secretary was restructured and became the position of Executive Director.

In 1997 Past Grand President and Order of the Golden Heart recipient Frank J. Ruck, Michigan ’46, reminiscing about his time working under Brother Hindman as Assistant Grand Secretary, said, “It was Bill’s idea to get the organization larger… In order to be powerful and successful, size was a prerequisite. He put us on a road that we’ve never gotten off.”