"For the establishment of friendship
on a firmer and more lasting basis,
for the promotion of brotherly love and kind feeling;
for the mutual benefit and advancement of the interests of those
with whom we sympathize and deem worthy of our regard;
we have resolved to form a fraternity,
believing that thus we can most successfully accomplish our object."
Robertson Howard
Julian Edward Wood
James Benjamin Sclater, Jr.
Frederick Southgate Taylor
Littleton Waller Tazewell (Bradford)
William Alexander
The years after the Civil War found a proliferation
of American college fraternities being organized, particularly in the
South. Pi Kappa Alpha's founding in 1868 was soon followed by the founding
of Kappa Sigma and Sigma Nu. These fraternities, along with Alpha Tau
Omega, Kappa Alpha Order, and Sigma Phi Epsilon, are known as the "Virginia
Circle."
Before the end of Spring 1868, the brothers
had decided that they wanted more than a Virginia society. They wanted
to become a national fraternity. The following 21 years would prove to
be some of the most troublesome times, nearly shattering the dreams of
these young men. With universities making it nearly impossible for fraternities
to exist by placing bans on the presence of secret societies, the Fraternity
was still able to expand. The second chapter, Beta (Davidson College),
had even voted to disband saying in a letter to the president of the college,
"we have disbanded our chapter and we do not intend to carry it on
unless we can do it openly and above board, as we regard its ties too
sacred for other procedure."
Nearly two years later, the third chapter,
Gamma (William and Mary), was established. During the years that followed
until 1889, there would be a total of ten charters granted; however, only
five remained active. This was the year of a most important convention.
The Hampden-Sydney Convention brought the likes of Theron Hall Rice, a
transfer to Virginia from Southwestern, who represented Alpha; Howard
Bell Arbuckle, a recent graduate and then a teaching fellow at Hampden-Sydney,
who represented Iota; and John Shaw Foster, a delegate from Theta Chapter
at Southwestern (now Rhodes College). Lambda at the Citadel was to have
been represented by Robert Adger Smythe, but a telegram from Charleston
explained, "no holiday given us. Impossible to come. Act for us in
everything." This convention is of major importance, as it is considered
the rebirth of the Fraternity. Together, Theron Rice, Howard Arbuckle,
Robert Smythe, and John Foster came to be known as the Junior Founding
Fathers.
Another pivotal event in the Fraternity's
history is the 1933 Troutdale Convention. At this meeting, the national
organization was restructured. Former national officer titles were replaced
with simple ones, the number of national officers was increased, and the
Fraternity established the executive secretary (later executive director,
now executive vice president) as a paid professional administrator. The
year marked the end of direct regular service by two junior founders,
Arbucle and Smythe. The period of the Junior Founders had passed and Pi
Kappa Alpha looked forward to a new generation of leaders.
)
The Kappa Delta Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha was colonized on February 1st, 1993. A group of select men with the ideals and morals of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity set out to create an elite organization on campus in order to promote Scholarship, Leadership, Athleticism, and Gentlemanly behavior. These founding fathers received their charter from National on June 25th, 1994. From this point forward, the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity would be a known entity at Northeastern University, located in Boston, MA.)
