|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Chapter
History |
|||||||||
 Pi
Kappa Phi Fraternity was founded on December 10, 1904 at the College
of Charleston in South Carolina, by Andrew Alexander Kroeg, Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson,
and Simon Fogarty, Jr. (pictured right). These men had enjoyed a friendship since elementary
school days in the environs of one of our nation's oldest towns. Both Harry Mixson and Anthony
Pelzer Wagener, founding founders and authors of the ritual of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, were
baptized and grew up together at St. John's Lutheran
Church in historic downtown Charleston. The first meeting of the fraternity was held at
the Fogarty Home at 90 Broad Street, only a few blocks away from the College of Charleston.
The first Founders Day was observed one year later with an informal dinner in the home of Mrs.
William Mixson. On March 16, 1907, the year of the fraternity's incorporation as a national
organization, Beta Chapter was established at Presbyterian College, in Clinton, South
Carolina. On January 11, 1909, Theodore Kelly started at third chapter, Gamma, at the
University of California at Berkeley.
The purpose of our fraternity, as stated in our constitution, is to "promote fellowship and mutual trust among its members, to uphold the traditions and ideals of the colleges where its chapters are located, to encourage excellence in scholarship, and to inculcate in its members the highest ideals of Christian manhood and good citizenship." Omega Phi Fraternity, a local fraternity founded at Mercer University in 1921, was installed as the Alpha Alpha Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi on February 16, 1923. At that time, Alpha Alpha had fifteen brothers and one pledge. The chapter experienced a period of prosperity over the following years. During this time, Alpha Alpha occupied numerous houses around the campus, including one house still at 1491 Adams Street, across the street from Shorter Hall. The chapter encountered problems in the late thirties and was closed in 1938. On December 7, 1947, Mercer's I.F.C. voted unanimously to allow Pi Kappa Phi to re-establish the chapter on Mercer's campus. On April 10, 1948, the alumni of Pi Kappa Phi gave a dinner for its new rushees, the Alpha Alpha Club, made up of eighteen young men, under the leadership of affiliate Brother G. Gerald Kunes (Chi Chapter transfer student). On May 22, 1948, the reactivation of Alpha Alpha Chapter was complete. During the following years, Alpha Alpha met in one of the meeting rooms in Shorter Hall. The chapter continued to prosper into the fifties for a short while. However, weaknesses in caused it to be shut down for a second time, in 1955.
On March 30, 1968, Alpha Alpha Chapter was officially reactivated with initiating teams from Georgia Tech and Georgia State. A chartering banquet was held in Macon, with featured speaker former University of Georgia Football Coach James Wallace Butts (Alpha Alpha 29). In 1970, the current Pi Kapp lodge was completed with help from Alpha Alpha alumni Wally Butts and Robert Lee Bennett (Alpha Alpha 26). Bob Bennett alone contributed $6,242.55 for the lodge's completion. A dedication ceremony was held at the new lodge on February 15, 1970. At the Supreme Chapter in 1978, Bob Bennett was named Mr. Pi Kappa Phi, the highest possible honor to be awarded by the fraternity, for his lifetime of dedication and contribution to Alpha Alpha Chapter and Pi Kappa Phi. Wally Butts died on December 17, 1973 and, at the Supreme Chapter in 1981, he was inducted into the Pi Kappa Phi Hall of Fame. In the fall of 1981, Glenn Dickson, former leadership consultant, visited Mercer and learned that Pi Kappa Phi had pledged only one man during rush and there were only ten brothers. Unable to initiate more than ten men in any one year since 1968's reorganization, it was decided that Alpha Alpha would be reorganized. After talking with the director of student activities, Glenn learned of a intramural group at Mercer called the "Spanish Flies" who were interested in starting a fraternity of their own. They were trying to get Sigma Chi, but University officials were weary of bringing another fraternity to Mercer. Glenn met with some of the "Spanish Flies" that evening to discuss the reorganization. The following evening fifteen men pledged. They were Joe Chancey (Archon), Mark Hancock (Vice Archon), Frank Tarallo (Treasurer), Merv Rudner (Secretary), David Wheeler (Warden), Fred Lee (Historian), Charlie Bridges (Chaplain), Mark Aycock, Andrew Eisenberg, Steven Kurth, David Lintz, Ken Sawyer, Robert Sexton, Bubba Swan, and Thomas Holbrook.
Since our chapter's reorganization seventeen years ago, Pi Kappa Phi has continued to grow at Mercer. At Supreme Chapter in 1981, the bell was adopted as a symbol of Pi Kappa Phi and Alpha Alpha installed a bell in front of the lodge. In February of 1983, Area III Conclave was held at Mercer to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Alpha Alpha. In honor of this weekend, Macon mayor George Isreal proclaimed it "Pi Kappa Phi Weekend." Also in 1983, Pi Kapp won the first ever Dean's Cup for being Mercer's "Most Outstanding Fraternity." In 1984, Alpha Alpha helped in the installation, and served as the initiation team of Epsilon Upsilon Chapter at Georgia College. On May 14, 1985, Robert Lee Bennett, a loyal and ever true brother of Pi Kappa Phi, entered the Chapter Eternal. In his will, Brother Bennett set up a scholarship fund for members of Alpha Alpha Chapter. Today, there is over $100,000 available in this fund, which is supervised by the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation. Brother Bennett will always be remembered by the fraternity for his outstanding contributions to Alpha Alpha Chapter and to Pi Kappa Phi. ROBERT LEE BENNETT LOYAL ALUMNUS AWARD WINNERS
CHAPTER PRESIDENTS SINCE 1981 REORGANIZATION
|
On December
23, 1965, the national office received approval from Mercer to reactivate Alpha Alpha Chapter.
On February 1, 1966, a national counselor began interviewing perspective members for the
colony. A week later, two freshmen, Hollis Lewis and Allen Brinkerhoff, were pledged. These
two young men became the two colonizers around whom the chapter was rebuilt. At that time, the
Macon area alumni, headed by Carl Westmoreland (Alpha Alpha #125), were providing funds for
the use of a meeting room for the colony in Shorter Hall.
On November 14,
1981 twenty men were initiated into Alpha Alpha Chapter. Mark Hancock, Vice Archon,
coordinated a twelve day blitz rush program during the first two weeks of Winter Quarter,
pledging eighteen men. The following spring, the Chapter initiated thirteen more brothers.