More than 400 alumni and friends of the Beta Eta chapter are expected to attend reunion events May 30-31 in Blacksburg.
After arriving at Virginia Tech as a “small town farm boy” in 1975, Tom Pridgen found an instant family at Alpha Gamma Rho – then a new agricultural fraternity housed in a stately farmhouse on six rolling acres near campus.
“I went to this huge school and was scared to death,” he said. “When I walked into that fraternity house, I felt like I was home.”
Almost five decades later, Parker Sheetz of Woodstock, Virginia, had a similar experience.
“I wasn’t planning to join a fraternity,” he said. “I came to the house for a low country boil. Guys were cutting grass, playing basketball, and I just thought, ‘I’m 100 percent going to do this.’ Most of us are children of farmers, or have an agriculture background, and when we come here, it feels like home.”
In the 50 years since the Beta Eta chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) was founded as the first agriculture fraternity at Virginia Tech, many things have changed: Its 19th century house now includes central heat and air, livestock no longer freely roam the property, and the brothers come from more diverse majors – both in and outside of agriculture.
But one thing remains constant – a brotherhood united by service, leadership, and a deep connection to agriculture.
“AGR is a family for life,” said Pridgen, who now serves as a chapter advisor to the fraternity. “It’s a network like no other.”
From May 30-31, that family will come together for Alpha Gamma Rho’s 50th anniversary celebration in Blacksburg. Their goals are not only to celebrate a half century of brotherhood, but also to raise $100,000 to fund a new scholarship for Virginia Tech students. The weekend’s highlights will include an opening reception hosted by alumnus Jay Poole ’78; a luncheon, alumni panel, and live auction; and a barbecue at the Alpha Gamma Rho house.
“It’s a time to come back to celebrate, reengage, and plot a course forward for the next 50 years,” Pridgen said.
