Purdue Family Carries Forth Old Masters Tradition

There are elements of the Purdue experience that remain timeless. The leaves change and Boilermakers pack Ross-Ade Stadium to cheer on the old gold and black. Snow flies and students pile onto improvised sleds for a joyride down Slayter Hill. The weather warms and graduates soak themselves on a run through the campus fountains after completing finals.

Against this backdrop, change is still inevitable. New faces arrive. Buildings rise and fall. Programs and activities evolve according to cultural trends. Through the many changes Purdue has undergone however, an enduring spirit manifests through the persistence of programs and traditions.

One of those programs, Old Masters, will celebrate its 75^th anniversary this fall. Throughout its existence, Old Masters has engaged generations of Boilermakers while offering opportunities for students to present a keynote program and connect with top professionals from diverse fields.

Lori and Chad Thacker, and their daughter, Caroline, are a testament to the enduring spirit of Old Masters. Lori and Chad served as Old Masters hosts and members of the Central Committee as students and Caroline has followed suit. The Central Committee, comprised of 12 Purdue students, works alongside Margie Jones, advisor and senior associate director of student involvement for Student Activities and Organizations, to plan and execute the event.

“It’s amazing to see how much has changed physically as we walk around campus,” Lori says. “But the program is still here. It’s a little different in some ways than when we were here, but it’s withstood the test of time.”

Old Masters is a unique tradition that was created in 1950 when student leaders, business representatives, and university officials together defined success as “honesty, personal integrity, and good philosophy,” sparking the idea to invite a group of 10 successful and outstanding individuals to campus to share ideas and experiences with the student body. Old Masters engage with Purdue students as guest speakers, through meetings with small groups and sharing their most valuable experiences. The keynote event is a panel discussion called Evening with the Old Masters.

Lori and Chad each had similar entries to Old Masters thanks to the encouragement of older students. Lori, who transferred to Purdue following her freshman year at Auburn University, was introduced to Old Masters through Linda Alexander, her sorority sister in Delta Delta Delta, and sought to get involved at their encouragement. Similarly, Chad received similar encouragement from Jack Elsey, his fraternity brother in Phi Gamma Delta, who had been a part of Old Masters.

Due to this encouragement, Lori and Chad were successful in applying to be hosts/hostesses, affectionately known as “ho-ho’s.” Hosts and hostesses are chosen by the Central Committee, to complete a training and escort each Old Master to their various commitments on campus. One aspect of hosting an Old Master is creating a “hype box,” which serves as a gift for the Old Master. Lori and Chad each recall using phone books and personal knowledge of their respective Old Masters to call personal assistants, secretaries, and coworkers to choose special gifts to include. 

Lori and Chad were both selected to serve as members of the 1991 Old Masters Central Committee. As part of the team of 10 students responsible for executing the event, the Central Committee works countless hours to ensure its success. This often involves late nights and stress to meet deadlines – important lessons that can be carried to endeavors beyond Purdue.

“One of the major things that I took away from that experience was developing the confidence to manage deadlines,” Chad says. “When you’re in Old Masters, the stress can pile up when deadlines are approaching and it’s easy to freak out. One of the best parts of the program is you have advisors who have been through it before, so they can talk you down from the ledge and give you the encouragement and confidence to do what needs to be done. In my work now, sometimes we deal with immediate deadlines and sometimes we have deadlines that are four years out – and that’s no sweat.”

Life on the Central Committee is not all work, however. Within the late nights and advisor meetings are moments of levity. Stephen Akers, then dean of students and advisor of Old Masters, provided one such moment during a traditional comedic roast of the Central Committee. Akers, described by Lori and Chad as stoic, walked into the roast wearing Lori’s robe – which he had acquired through the help of her sisters in Delta Delta Delta.

“I had spent the better part of the week asking my sisters and going through the house wondering where my robe had gone,” Lori says. “It was so unexpected because he was the last person I would expect to do something like that.” 

Other treasured memories include interactions with Old Masters Carl Osborne, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, and Michael Kalleres, then a vice admiral in the US Navy. Whether amongst peers or in interactions with Old Masters, the program promotes a culture of connections that resonate throughout a lifetime. Staying connected with other members of the Central Committee, Old Masters, advisors, and mentors impact friendships, relationships, and careers.

“There’s a deep bond and respect amongst everyone who participates,” Chad says. “You spend so much time together and the connections continue to show up as you move throughout life.”

It was this ongoing connection that led to Lori and Chad beginning to date. Though Lori and Chad were enthusiastic members of the Central Committee together and recall admiring each other, it wasn’t until the wedding of Sally Semler, another member of the Central Committee, that they began dating.

“I’ve heard a lot of stories about Old Masters and my parents’ love story is obviously my favorite,” Caroline says.

Today, Caroline is carrying forth the Old Masters tradition as a member of the Central Committee. While she was interested in participating in Old Masters before coming to Purdue, she was not initially successful in applying to become a hostess. A presentation by members of the Central Committee in one of her classes gave her another opportunity to connect with the program, and learn how to become better qualified to serve as a hostess and inspired her to pursue the opportunity once more. 

Caroline’s work paid off when she was selected to serve as a hostess for the 2024 Old Masters program. After a great experience serving as a hostess, she was selected to the 2025 Old Masters Central Committee. In each of her roles with Old Masters, Caroline has found value in the connections she has made.

“I love the people,” Caroline says. “I’m really looking forward to more opportunities to expand my network and become immersed in it. Everyone I have met has been amazing and it’s so energizing to meet so many people who love Purdue and are driven in the same way as you.”

This 2025 Old Masters program will combine with Rising Professionals, a similar program that focuses on young alumni, for a special celebration to commemorate 75 years of Old Masters and 10 years of Rising Professionals. Lori and Chad plan to attend the celebration along with nine members of the Central Committee from their time in Old Masters, who they recently reconnected with. Though Caroline acknowledges the amount of work to prepare for the milestone anniversary, Lori hopes that her daughter will take time to reflect as she faces the challenges in planning and executing the event.  

“I hope she can take the time to look around, take it all in, and not focus too much on the day-to-day,” Lori says. “This truly is one of the best times and experiences in your life. Don’t get so caught up in the deadlines, work, and stress that you forget to have fun because it goes so fast. It’s over in the blink of an eye.”

Adds Chad, “I’m just so proud of her for getting in and I know she’s going to have a great experience.”

The Thacker family has a strong appreciation for the persistence of Old Masters. Chad and Lori reflect that although some of their beloved connections through the program have passed away, the program is still going strong. Through students like Caroline, the program has weathered challenges to remain a beloved tradition.

“Old Masters has been through lots of changes, but it has endured,” Caroline says. “Think about how much the world has changed even in the last five or 10 years. Old Masters has been here 75. There have been so many challenges and changes, but it’s still here. It’s amazing to be part of something like this and I know when I look back, I’m going to love my time at Purdue so much for having been part of this.”