Central Texas College | Aviation Department

Central Texas College Aviation Science Department

Alpha Eta Rho - History

Alpha Eta Rho, the Greek letters that stand for "air," came into being to fulfill a Alpha Eta Rho seal definite need of the time. Enrollment in aviation courses on the campus of the University of Southern California in the spring of 1928-1929 was surprising large, and faculty members as well as students were voicing the need for an extracurricular activity for promoting and organizing this interest in aviation.

Led by Professor Earl W. Hill, who was teaching aviation at USC and with the assistance of others on the faculty, Alpha Eta Rho was organized on April 10, 1929, and after receiving official recognition by the university, the first election of officers was held May 23, 1929. Under the leadership of Hill, founder and National President for 21 years until his death in 1950, Alpha Eta Rho continued to grow in stature within the college and the aviation industry.

Marshall Benedict, an employee of United Airlines, became the second National President of the fraternity in 1950. Except for a 16-month period from June 1951 until October 1952 while he was recalled to active duty with the Air Force and John Goodwin took over the Presidency, Benedict served in this capacity until 1963. Benedict at this time was associated with the FAA.
Benedict resigned in 1963 and was replaced by Ray Mertes, a great supporter of aviation education while with United Airlines. Mertes, who died unexpectedly in 1965, was followed by Gene Kropf, Public Affairs Officer of the Western Region of the FAA. Kropf, also know as the "Red Baron", served as national president until 1981 at which time he resigned to accept the position of Chairman of the Board of Alpha Eta Rho. At that time Harold S. Wood, who had been the National Secretary-Treasurer for almost 20 years while at Parks College, accepted the position of the National President.

On July 1, 1988, Harold Wood resigned as National President to accept the position of Chairman of the Board of Alpha Eta Rho. Wayne E. White, retired from Boise State University, accepted the position of National President. Following the death of Wood, White accepted the position of Chairman of the Board on December 5, 1997 with Ronald D. Kelly becoming the eighth president of the Alpha Eta Rho fraternity.

Through the leadership of these six dedicated men, Alpha Eta Rho has grown internationally. The alumni membership of the fraternity exceeds 37,000, and is distributed throughout the aviation industry both in the United States and abroad. Currently there are over sixty active chapters of Alpha Eta Rho. Another seventy chapters have been established over the years, but have become inactive. Approximately 1,000 new members are being initiated every year.