Taken from Jim Grimes' (EO '57) dedication speech for the Bob Varah library, September 19, 1998.

“Now, I would like to talk a little about the early days and tell you how Epsilon Omicron came into being…

In 1954, under Bob Varah’s [a Beta Omega initiate] leadership, the Campus Men’s Club was formed, which had the high ambition of becoming a chapter of Sigma Chi. Among them were Tom Merry, George Allen, Alan Houtby, Bob Riddell, Don Dickison, Tony Lennon, Bill Andrews, Roger Jackson, Ted Frank, Dave Doinahue and Gerry Dobbyn. In 1954-55 the Campus Men’s Club met regularly on campus and in some of London’s sleaziest hotels.

Also among these initial group was Charlie Vaucrossen who contributed a great deal of time and effort to our cause in 1955 and 56 but who could not be initiated into our Fraternity at that time because of its shameful policy of refusing to admit black men. After this barrier was eliminated, and for this much of the credit belongs to John Graham. Charlie was finally initiated in 1977. Ten years later, in 1987, he was named a Significant Sig.

I first met Bob shortly after he arrived at Western. I was then the President of the Arts & Science Council, and Bob wanted official recognition for a men’s social club. I told him that he could probably get him what he wanted, provided it did not cost the Council anything. Even in those days budgets were limited. His was my introduction to his persuasiveness and tenacity. Not only did he gain recognition, he also convinced me to join the Campus Men’s Club.

At that time the Fraternity system was closely regulated with the six existing fraternities forming an oligopoly. You could not be initiated until second year and then only if you had acceptable academic standing. The Inter-Fraternity Council and the Dean of Men, the Godfather, refused to accept us as a legitimate fraternity. Their opposition to any more fraternities on campus, which I still believe was unreasoned, seemed to stem from the from the beliefs that enrollment could not support more if all of them were to thrive, even though Western was on the cusp of an enrollment explosion. Within a couple of decades the student population grew from a few about 3500 to more than twenty thousand.