Former Beta Lambda Chi brothers gather in Moravian University's new HUB this past August to celebrate the naming of their new room. Photo by Nick Chismar ’20
William H. “Rick” Eberts Jr. ’73 cherishes warm memories of his time at Moravian University: making the varsity tennis team, winning a team academic competition, and finding a true and caring mentor in political science professor and tennis coach Tim Mead. But the most enduring takeaways are the friendships he forged with his brothers in Beta Lambda Chi.
After raising more than $190,000, Beta Lambda Chi alumni are creating a legacy space in the Haupert Union Building that will bear the fraternity’s name and serve current and future Moravian students. The project, originally envisioned as a smaller room, has grown to three times its originally planned size and will occupy Room 302, located prominently off the HUB’s main stairwell.
“Our fraternity was an integral part of our experience for so many of us,” says Eberts. “It was a meeting place where a group of guys who knew very little about one another developed a strong bond that only continued to grow after graduation. We truly cared about one another.”
Fellow Beta Bob Mende ’74 echoed that sentiment when he joined with nearly 35 of his brothers for breakfast in the HUB in late August, a few days in advance of the arrival of the Class of 2030. “My Moravian education was the making of me,” he says. “It helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I met my late wife here, and I met the best friends I’ve ever had here. Years and years later, we’re still close, and we still have those good memories of our fraternity as just a great place to be together.”
Long after Eberts, Mende, and their brothers graduated and built families and careers of their own, the Beta Lambda Chi fraternity chapter lost its privileges on the Moravian campus. But the group’s bond endured, and many of those still in the area continue to meet regularly for breakfast. And many share a conviction that the Beta Lambda Chi name should live on in a meaningful way on campus to both honor their own experience and positively impact current and future students.
The seeds of a project that would accomplish that were planted during the rededication of the HUB in fall 2025. It was, in the words of John Harting ’71, a “snap decision” that he, Eberts, and Mende arrived at during the dinner after Moravian Director of Leadership Society Giving and Impact John Andreadis provided a detailed tour. “We were totally amazed,” says Harting. “Bob made the comment, ‘Beta has to be part of this,’ and from there, it just took off.”
The group quickly organized an effort to raise funds for the Beta legacy project, and a plan was formulated “before we even left the room,” says Harting, who also enlisted John Diacogiannis ’71, since, he says, Diacogiannis “is deeply familiar with Beta’s history.”
The response was so enthusiastic that the fraternity alums quickly surpassed their initial goal of $65,000 through individual gifts and pledges.
While the space features infrastructure to support student organizations, leadership development, and community-building opportunities, Andreadis says the named room can also be a home base for alumni luncheons, reunions, and future brotherhood gatherings.
Adds Harting: “The Beta that I was a part of would add so much opportunity for men on campus today. I feel strongly that it is important that everyone associated with the university know that, at one time, there was a fraternity here that made a difference and that added to the quality of student life. Having a room in the HUB sponsored by Beta will help keep that legacy alive.”—Linda Harbrecht, Photos by Nick Chismar ’20
This month marks the one-year anniversary of the reopening of Moravian University’s new Haupert Union Building.Take a look back at the transformation in the feature story from the spring 2026 issue of Moravian University Magazine.