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Hail, hail to old Purdue. All hail to our old gold and black! Hail, hail to old Purdue! Our friendship may she never lack!!!
Our Stellar Brothers house at 214 Marstellar Street is long gone, and our memories of our Stellar Brothers days may have faded a little. We don't have a Stellar Brothers house to visit at Homecoming and most of us rarely talk with other Stellar Brothers. We likely don't even know where other Stellar Brothers are living or what they ended up doing.
The purpose of this web site is to help you learn about what has happened to your Stellar Brothers, and perhaps encourage you to pick up the phone to call or send an email to friends from our college days. In addition the web site will help us coordinate and announce a future gathering of Stellar Brothers at some point in the not too distant future.
First things first....join the web site!!!
STELLAR SENDOFF FOR TIM SOLDNER
Fourteen Stellar Brothers were able to make it to Fort Wayne to say goodbye to Tim. Around 200 people attended his Life Celebration service. Lumpy was one of the good guys. A stellar Stellar Brother.
Front: Kevin Wills, Jeff Soldner,John Soldner, Don Haberlin, Doug Moore
Back: Greg Smith, Doug Lemmon, Don Herlitz, Chuck Huseman, John Huseman
Not pictured: Dave Haney, Mike Edmondson, John Nidlinger, Gene Hawkins
Tim Soldner (1952-2024)
Tim "Lumpy" Soldner, 72, passed away on August 28, 2024 in Fort Wayne from complications of a stroke. Tim was a pledge of the Fall 1970 class. Both of his brothers, Jeff and John, and his brother-in-law Kevin Wills were also Stellar Brothers. Tim was the Pledge Trainer for the Fall 1973 pledges, and he was House President in 1974.
Tim's celebration service is at 11:00 a.m. on September 14th with a visitation prior from 9:30-11:00 at the Central Ministries church in Fort Wayne.
As of Monday, eight Stellar Brothers are planning to gather before and after the funeral at the church. If you are planning to attend, please complete this short survey to help us coordinate the Stellar gatherings. Click here to take the survey: Tim Soldner Life Celebration Survey.
New Stellar Story & New Assignment
A new Stellar Story has just been added to our website. Alan Kolodiej (Fall 1973) has written a Stellar Story about his 51 Years in Pharmacy. It’s an impressive career and equally impressive is that all three of Alan’s daughters also graduated from Purdue. Check it out if you have some time.
A New Year’s Task for you. We would enjoy reading about your career. You are assigned to write a summary / overview / memoir of your career. We all started as clueless freshmen, and Stellar Brothers and Purdue University shaped us and launched our careers. How did it work out? We want to know!
For the late 50s and early 60s Stellar Brothers, you are assigned an additional task. We do not have any Stellar Stories from those days. You are now officially old, but we would love to read Stellar Stories of what has survived in your memory for 60+ years. The topic is wide open: House chores, House Mom, Sleeping Dorm, Intramurals athletics, Parties with Girl’s Co-ops, Meals, Studying, Open House, or anything else that comes to mind. We would enjoy your insight into what Stellar Brothers was like in the late 50s and early 60s. Don’t let your house brothers down!
(January 27, 2024)
Brad Krehl (1954-2023)
Just received word from John Nidlinger and Mike Edmondson that Stellar Brother Brad Krehl, DVM 78 (Fall 1973) passed away March 8, 2023 after a short illness. He was a veternarian practicing in Martinsburg, PA where he went after graduation. He leaves his wife Kendel and 3 kids. He was a pledge trainer one year and overall a helluva good guy. His viewing and funeral will be in Martinsburg, PA on March 12 and 13, 2023.
(March 10, 2023)
Stellar Brothers Gathering in Alaska
Hey, did you hear the one about a Veterinarian, an Engineer, and a Landscape Architect go to Alaska? Well, three Stellar Brothers and their wives certainly did as they had a Stellar reunion in Alaska this past May. Dale Huddleston (Fall 1970), John Huseman (Fall 1970), and Larry Washmuth (Fall 1968) added another state to their list of U.S. states visited.
Stellar Brother Stories
Kevin Barker (Fall 1976) just added two stories to our Stellar Stories web page. He tells about the exceptional Stellar Brothers fast pitch softball team of 1976, and he supplies the answer to the question: So what ever happened to Moose, our Stellar Brothers super dog. Check them out.
And how are you progressing with your Stellar Story?
Stellar Brothers Gathering - Sept 25, 2021
Beautiful weather, a Purdue football victory, and Stellar Brothers fellowship was the perfect combination for another successful Stellar Brothers gathering. And we have the pictures to prove it. Click here to see the pictures.
214 Marsteller Demolition
The last year of the Stellar Brothers Co-operative House was academic year 1983-84. The physical house we all knew at 214 Marsteller Street was demolished on May 17, 1986. How do we know that? Because Stellar Brother Mike Ringer (Fall 1969) happened to be at Purude that day and stopped by 214 Marsteller to see our old house. To his horror, he witnessed the razing of the house. Below are two pictures he took.
Joe Ely (Fall 1971) has taken the lead in developing an "Historical Plaque" to place on the apartment building that rose from 214 Marsteller ashes.
HOUSE MEMBERS LIST
Forgotten some of the names of your house brothers? Using Purdue Debris pictures we have assembled the list of Stellar Brothers members showing the pledge year and the years each member was a Stellar Brothers. In the 27 year life of Stellar Brothers, there were around 276 of us.
STELLAR BROS SCRAPBOOK 1970-71
We are posting on the website for the very first time the Stellar Brothers Scrap Book for Academic Year 1970-71. The Scrap Book is fifty years old with fragile pages, but the memories are quite vivid. The scrap book editor was Larry Washmuth (Pledge Class 1968). And John Prewett (Pledge Class 1969) saved it through the decades.
As you check out this scrap book, it is interesting note that it may document PEAK Stellar Brothers. That is, Stellar Brothers was founded AY 1957-58 and prospered for 27 years. A little Purdue EE129 math calculates that the halfway point would be AY 1970-71. Coincedence? Maybe. Maybe not.
PURDUE DEBRIS PICTURES
All 27 of the Stellar Brothers Debris pictures are now in a single document on the website. A mixture of emotions awaits as you scroll through the 27 years looking at the faces and reading the commentary.
To see the Debris pictures, click the "Purdue Debris" menu item or click here: Purdue Debris 1958-1984
STELLAR BROTHERS HISTORICAL PLAQUE
Help us with the text for a historical plaque that we plan to install at the site of our former Stellar Brothers house at 214 Marsteller Street. Below is version 1.0. Please send comments and suggestions to Joe Ely joeely618@gmail.com
STELLAR BROTHERS GATHER IN FLORIDA
We are relieved to report that no confirmed reports of public disorder were submitted to local authorities due to fits of laughter resulting from college era stories that are embellished with each telling. John Prewett (Fall 1969), Larry Washmuth (Fall 1968), Dave Haney (Fall 1969), Dale Huddleston (Fall 1970), Bill Siewert (Fall 1970), and John Huseman (Fall 1970) gathered in Florida in early January to enjoy their friendship and watch the Boilers embarrass #8 Michigan State.
STELLAR BROTHER CONQUERS BOSTON MARATHON!!!
Stellar Brother Joe Ely, Pledge Class of 1971, so far has run a staggering 85 marathons, which is estimated to be 10 times more than the combined marathons run by the entire universe of Stellar Brothers. On April 15, 2019 Joe took on the BOSTON MARATHON. Although it is not known for sure, he is likely the only Stellar Brother to have run Boston. The picture to the right documents Joe in his Purdue shirt crossing the Boston Marathon finish line. Congratulations to Joe for successfully conquering the 26.2 mile course!
PICTURES FROM THE 2018 STELLAR BROTHERS REUNION
Another fun reunion as 25 Stellar Brothers met in West Lafayette on September 22, 2018. Beautiful weather, great stories, tasty food, enduring friendships, and a Purdue football victory were all part of a fabulous 2018 Steller Brothers reunion. Click here for reunion pictures. If you have pictures from the reunion, be sure to upload them to the web site....use the "Photo Gallery" menu item.
In our House Meeting, we got "life" updates from our House Brothers and also passed out various awards. We also decided to have the next reunion in 2020. And with much graditude, we again thank House Brother John Prewett and his wife Debbie for hosting the after-game party at their lovely home.
Pictures from the Epic 2016 Stellar Brothers Reunion!
Beautiful weather, great stories, tasty food, enduring friendships, a big turnout, and a Purdue football victory were are part of a fabulous 2016 Steller Brothers reunion. Click here for reunion pictures and click here for the summary of the house meeting. And if you have pictures, be sure to upload them to the web site....use the "Photo Gallery" menu item.
With special thanks to John Prewett, there are four Stellar Brothers Photo Albums that have survived from our college days. To see them, click the "Stellar Bros PhotoAlbum" link on the left menu bar. Prepare yourself to see pictures from 45 years ago!!!
You likely have not thought about your Stellar Brothers house mates in a long time. That is a small crime as some of the best friends in your entire life were made while at Stellar Brothers. Time to join the web site to find out what time has done to your house brothers. Please join the web site!