The Hounds of 
Techwood Drive

In 1968, Ron Blum, CE 71, and some fellow Lambda Chi Alpha brothers agreed that they needed a mascot. “We decided to add some class and some pizazz to the fraternity—to get a dog,” he says. “I do not remember who decided that a St. Bernard was the dog of choice.”

Since then, the fraternity’s house on Techwood Drive has been home to a procession of six giant, lovable canines. When a new pup is brought in, a few brothers are appointed as “High Dogs” and assume responsibility for its training, care and feeding. When the dog gets too old to comfortably live among a house of rambunctious young men, one of these “High Dogs” usually steps in to provide a quiet home for the dog’s retirement. In between, hijinks ensue. Here are just a few reminiscences from over the years.

Chai, 1968-1976

Ron Blum, CE 71: “Chai was a hit from day one. We taught him to drink out of the second floor water fountain, as it was a pain always filling up his water bowl. The slobber on the fountain was disgusting—except when guests went to drink out of the fountain. To see their faces!”

Mike Heffner, ChE 70: “My favorite memories of Chai are when he stayed by my side most of the night while I laid in wait in the hedge to ambush a KA (no, I can’t remember why), and when we sent him out Sunday morning to search for a brother after he overdid it on loganberry flips the night before. Chai immediately noticed his arm dangling high above from the tree house in the front yard.”

Steve Buffington, IM 77: “The famous ‘Chai bite’ happened after a massive fraternity streak during 1975 or ’76, when streaking was all the rage. Everyone was back in front of the house having a good old time. Dean Dull drove up and jumped out of the car, trying to calm things down. Chai became agitated and bit at his car’s front right tire, which blew out with a pretty big bang. Dean Dull was pissed but impressed by the power of Chai. We had to pay for his replacement tire but there were no other repercussions, probably because of the ’70s culture—and Chai’s lovability and reputation on campus.”

Brandy, 1976-1984

Charles F. Adkins, IE 85: “I don’t know what we were doing that night the cop nearly shot Brandy, but a lot of alcohol and fireworks were involved. We were chasing each other through the house, firing bottle rockets. I came out of the hallway by room 106 and lit the fuse on my bottle rocket. Only after it left my hands did I realize a GT cop was standing there with his gun drawn on Brandy. I sobered up in about a half a second.”

Bruce Hartman, ME 86: “I can remember Brandy being able to hold steady without flinching while a juicy slice of roast beef covered in gravy was placed over her nose. With every drop of gravy that hit the floor, Brandy strove to not drown in her own drool until she was given the OK signal to eat the treat. This was accomplished with a quick but fluid head and neck twisting motion. In one gulp, the morsel was gone.”

Ken Kelly, IE 81: “Usually Brandy would follow me to class and wait outside until it was over. The day of my first test in Deformable Bodies (the only test before drop date) a student came in late and Brandy followed the student into the class. The prof didn’t notice. Brandy found me and laid at my feet, breathing heavily and drooling. With that as a distraction, I failed the test and had to drop DefBods (my first of three times dropping DefBods). After that, I made sure not to take Brandy with me when I had a big test.”

Rene, 1993-2002

Ryan Lahm, IE 02: “Rene was famous for escaping the house at night and exploring campus. One night I was on west campus dropping off a date at her dorm. As I was walking to my car, I felt a heavy push on my leg. Scared the crap out of me. When I looked down, I saw Rene. She had spotted me and came over to grab a ride home. When I opened the car door she hopped right in and turned to give me a look that said, ‘Can we please get going?’ I always imagined Rene had this secret life that no one knew about where she went out at night to explore.”

Cole, 2002-2009

David Foley, EE 04: “I picked Cole up from the breeder and helped train him. He enjoyed sitting in the front yard on game day and barking at (and scaring) the opposing teams’ fans as they walked by. I graduated in 2004 and left for law school, leaving Cole behind. In 2009, it was time for Cole to retire. I was happy to adopt him. Two active members drove Cole to Dallas from Atlanta. He adjusted well to family life. My wife, Erin Hlasta Foley, CE 04, and I were active in the local GT alumni [network] and were always surprised by the number of alumni who had no connection to Lambda Chi yet remembered Cole. I guess a 200 pound dog is rather memorable. He moved with us to Washington, D.C., in early 2012 and passed away in December 2012 at the ripe old age—for a Saint Bernard—of 10 and a half years.”

Mitch Ginn, Arch 82, M Arch 85, is an architect and writer. While a student at Tech, he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha.

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