Alpha Eta Rho History

Alpha Eta Rho is a collegiate fraternity founded to bring together those students having a common interest in the field of commercial aviation.

Alpha Eta Rho, the Greek letters which stand for "air", came into being to fulfill a definite need of the time. Enrollment in aviation courses on the campus of the University of Southern California in the spring semester of 1928- 29 was surprisingly 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. Under the leadership of Hill, founder and national president for 21 years until his death in 1950, Alpha Eta Rho continued to grow in size and 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, John Goodwin took over the presidency, Benedict served in this 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 known 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 Wood, who had been the national secretary-treasurer for almost 20 years while at Parks College, accepted the position of the national president.

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.

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