When Rick Tucker decided to become a member of the ISU greek community by joining the FIJI fraternity, it came as no surprise to his family.

In fact, it was almost expected.

“I don’t think that my parents wanted me to live in the dorms, but they left the decision up to me,” said Rick, sophomore in mechanical engineering. “They liked their experience and saw it as a good way to keep me on track.”

Rick is part of the fourth generation of a 14-member greek family legacy, which includes all members of his immediate family and can be traced back to the very fraternity he belongs to today.

Rick’s father, maternal grandfather and maternal great-grandfather were all members of FIJI fraternity, formally called Phi Gamma Delta, 325 Ash Ave. His great grandfather graduated from Colgate University in Hamilton, NY, in 1907, and his grandfather and father graduated from Iowa State in 1945 and 1969, respectively.

The similarities don’t stop there.

When Rick moved into the FIJI house in the fall of 1999, he moved into the same room his father and grandfather occupied during their days at Iowa State.

Rick grew up listening to FIJI stories, and he remembers bumping into many of his father’s fraternity brothers over the years.

“When you are in a house, instead of being friends, you’re brothers,” he said. “You get invited to each other’s weddings.”

Rick said following in his father’s footsteps has brought them closer together by creating another common bond.

“He is always interested to hear about what is going on in the house,” he said.

Since Rick became a member of the fraternity, his father has joined the FIJI Housing Corporation Board, a group of alumni who serve as landlords for the chapter house.

Rick’s father, Keith, served as chapter president during the 1968-1969 school year and graduated with a degree in industrial engineering. While some things have changed since his time in the house, Keith said, the general atmosphere is still the same, and the opportunity to get involved is still there.

Rick has also become very involved in the house over the past years, serving as greek ambassador during Greek Week, chapter recruitment, secretary and philanthropy chairs. He also is a member of Impact, a group that unites fraternities and sororities to make a stronger greek community.

Rick’s sister, Katie, followed in their mother’s footsteps as a sorority member at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Rick said the Tuckers’ strong history in the greek system always gives them something to talk about at Christmas and Thanksgiving, and his father is “always hoping for an ISU-Purdue Bowl Game next year.”