Back in college, I thought it was cool that our fraternity’s symbol was a fire truck. It’s not the reason I pledged Pi Kappa Alpha in 1978 (that had to do with the beer at rush parties), but it’s always been a fun association. We had a Pike fire truck, bought on the cheap from a rural fire department, which the brothers used for driving around the WKU campus to pick up coeds.
On the rare beautiful afternoons in which it was actually running, we were a magnet for attention. I’m not sure how we didn’t get arrested. There was even a song that began. . . “It’s the red fire truck, that makes you. . . ”
34 years later, my son Josh is a Pike at U of L, and he and his brothers are making a more positive contribution to the world through the use of the Pike fire truck symbol. On Nov. 10, the U of L Pikes are holding the inaugural PIKE’s Fireman Challenge to raise money for the Crusade for Children.
Teams can sign up for the competition. The challenge is for 8-person teams to push a fire truck 15 feet. The cost is $100 per team. The event, which will take place Nov. 10 at Fourth Street Live!, is getting support from local media and from local fire departments.
For information on the event, including how to become a sponsor or enter a team, check out the chapter’s web site or Facebook page.
