There is a long list of famous Phi Delta Theta brothers, which is not surprising at all considering the values we held that would attract men of character. Some of those famous names include Neil Armstong of Purdue who was the first man on the moon; Sean Tuohey of Ole Miss who, with his wife Leigh Anne, helped raise Michael Oher of The Blind Side; and Burt Reynolds of Florida State who was one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors in the ’70s, starring in films like Smokey and the Bandit and Deliverance.
Here at Pennsylvania Theta, we have our very own famous alumni brothers: Vance Packard ’36 and Ed Hintz ’59.
Vance Packard ’36 was initiated into PA Theta in the spring of 1933. Three years later in 1936, he graduated from Penn State University with an English degree. After college, he went on to a successful career in journalism. He wrote an influential book called The Hidden Persuaders in 1957. The book offered a popularized but serious look at America’s postwar prosperity and the explosion of consumerism. The book exposed the growing and potentially harmful influence of the nation’s advertising industry. He wrote, “Many of us are being influenced and manipulated, far more than we realize, in the patterns of our everyday lives.” He was among the first to describe subliminal advertising, a concept which captured the public’s imagination even though advertisers disputed their use of these techniques.
In the early months of 1957, Edward Hintz ’59 was initiated into PA Theta, then went on to graduate in 1959 from Penn State University with a degree in Finance from the Smeal College of Business. From that moment on, Mr. Hintz became a very important person in Penn State history and its future. He was named as an Alumni Fellow by Smeal College in 1982; then in 1987, he was named as a Distinguished Alumnus of Penn State. With one of his most recent donations, Penn State was able to construct the new Smeal College of Business Building. The courtyard plaza just outside the building is now known as The Edward R. and Helen Skade Hintz Plaza.
Do you know a famous Penn State Phi Delt? We want to tell his story! Email us at alumninews@pathetapsu.org.
Sources:
- Grandparents of Media Literacy
- Phi Delta Theta
- The First 100 Years of Pennsylvania Theta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity
