Pete Boothroyd '69
Truly fantastic! I was the first person in my family to attend a four-year college. Long Beach State was small at the time, which had many advantages. I had a great education. Nearly all of my classes were relatively small in size and were held in LA 1-5. The school mostly consisted of the Library, the Language Arts wing (LA 1-5), the Science buildings, the little theater, the physical education buildings, the engineering buildings, and the cafeteria. I lived in the men's dorm for the first year and a half. I also lived in the Sigma Pi fraternity house located on Ocean Boulevard, on the beach, in Belmont Shore and then an apartment in Seal Beach. What a way to go to college!
I am a member of the Sigma Pi fraternity. Joining the fraternity was one of the three most important things that I did at Long Beach State. The other two were getting a great education and meeting my wife. Sigma Pi provided a social education, many social events, and life-long friendships. It also provided a way to be involved in school activities in basically a commuter college.
I didn't miss many events. Forty-Niner Days was clearly the favorite. The week-long event included the building of a western town on the lower campus. It was not only fun but a competitive event for fraternities and sororities. During my tenure, Sigma Pi won a few sweepstake awards. I also attended/participated in intramurals, Spring Sing, Homecoming, Diamond Jim activities, fraternity/sorority exchanges, concerts, plays, and football and basketball games. My favorite hangout was the cafeteria. It was a social gathering place for students. Each fraternity and sorority had a table where they congregated. My other hangout was the second floor of the library—studying of course.
My wife, Mary Caye Weling Boothroyd, attended and graduated from Long Beach State in 1968. She was a member of Tri-Delta sorority, many other clubs, a song leader for three years, and Lotta Crabtree for the 1966 Forty-Niner Days.
Long Beach State provided me with an excellent academic education. I earned a BA degree (’64) and an MA degree (’69). I obtained an Elementary and a Secondary Teaching Credential as well as an Administrative Credential through the course work in the Education Department. After graduation, I taught Junior High (5 years), as an Assistant Principal (4 years), a Principal (5 years), and held various School District Office positions (25 years). I am retired, which is the best job of all. I spend my time attending Long Beach State men’s and women’s basketball games (I am a season ticket holder and member of the 49er Athletic Club), high school athletic events, Angel games (1/3 season ticket holder), attend the school and athletic events of our six grandchildren, and travel both in and out of the country. Life is good!
I became a member of Sigma Pi Fraternity at Long Beach State. That membership has turned into a life-long experience. My fraternity brothers of that era have remained friends for over 50 years. An example of the friendship is our annual New Year get together. For a great number of years we have had a three day New Year celebration that is attended by approximately 25 brothers and their spouses/significant others. We have had a three-day outing to a Dude Ranch in Santa Barbara, played in San Diego (two or three times), stayed in Palm Springs area (many times), gone to Catalina and even to Arizona and Portland. Last year we visited our roots in Long Beach. The activities include tours, golf, and a formal (tux) dinner, dancing, and entertainment on New Year’s Eve. The group is growing as we are getting the “younger” guys involved. It is truly unique to maintain contact with that many friends for that long of time.
