| 1915-1920 | 1920-1930 | 1930-1940 | 1940-1950 | 1950-1960 |
| 1960-1970 | 1970-1980 | 1980-1990 | 1990-2000 | 2000-Present |

1950-1960

The 1950’s were definitely a time of expansion for Sigma Phi Epsilon nationally. Ohio Alpha approved the charters at Kent State in 1953 and Youngstown State in 1954.

Locally, Ohio Alpha saw many changes. Pledges were still voted in on an individual basis. A pledge board was set up to review the progress of the pledges in a judicial manner. Our pool table was purchased on November 1, 1954 in Toledo, Ohio. In 1955, it was passed in brotherhood that only Brothers be allowed to wear SigEp apparel.

The momentous event of the fifties was the arrival of our chapter house mother Olga Bentley, “Mom”. Arriving early in October of 1957, Mom’s original purpose was to allow women to be able to enter the house unchaperoned on weekend nights.

But Mom soon meant more to us than any Brother could imagine. On October 7, 1957 the Dean gave us permission to “have dates in the house Friday afternoon and night, Saturday afternoon and night and Sunday afternoon.” The Dean congratulated us on our choice of a house mother.

”Mom”, as remembered by Alumnus Richard Gerhardt:

Mom Bentley was a gracious lady who also made us better brothers because of her presence. She understood that boys would be boys but she would remind us there were limits to abide by and standards that we should require of ourselves.

She made gentlemen out of us in many ways. Mom would also dress up for dinner and would get us talking about the latest challenges on campus or in the news.

Mom was always there when you needed her. She was there to lend an ear and to make a suggestion. She knew a lot of people at the university and in Ada and if a call would help, she made it.

Mom Bentley also kept tabs on us and our families both while we were at Northern and afterwards. She enjoyed talking to her friends about the successes of “her boys” while on campus and later in our careers.

Mom Bentley was a warm, giving and gentle lady who took the time to understand and to care about each of us and to make each of us a better person. She was as proud of being our SigEp Mom as we were fortunate to have her share her life with us. Our love and memories of her will go on forever.

Probably the largest expansion of the house since it was built occurred during the summer of 1959. Termed the “House Expansion Program of 1959”, alumni members, Robert Bowan, George Hindall, E.H. Parkhill, Jack Miller and active Brother Bill Yoakham hired professional architects from Toledo to draw up the plans for expansion.