Phi Kappa
Psi was founded in 1852 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, on the campus of
Jefferson College by William Henry Letterman and Charles Page Thomas
Moore. Through long nights of caring for a sick friend during an
outbreak of typhoid fever, the founders grew to appreciate service,
and decided to form an organization that would ensconce these ideals.
On the dreary night of February 19, 1852, the brotherhood of Phi Kappa
Psi was born.
Letterman, whose physician father but died early in his life, was
living with his mother a few houses away from Jefferson College when
the epidemic hit. Moore was also a student at Jefferson at the time.
William
Letterman (c. 1832 - May 23, 1881) is the younger brother of Jonathan
K. Letterman, who is known as the Father of Battlefield Medicine. His
system enabled thousands of wounded men to be recovered and treated
during the American Civil War.
William
Letterman graduated from Jefferson College (now Washington and
Jefferson College) and then went on to receive his M.D from Jefferson
Medical College in 1857.
Moore
(February 8, 1831 - July 7, 1904) was born in Virginia in a portion of
the state along the Ohio River now located in West Virginia. Moore
served in the Union Army during the war and went on to become a
justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals following the
Civil War and died in West Virginia.
The creed
of Phi Kappa Psi was a result of efforts by John Henry Frizzell
(Massachusetts Alpha, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1898) and
Kent Christopher Owen (Indiana Beta, Indiana University, 1958). It was
adopted by the Grand Arch Council at Denver in 1964. It reads as
follows:
I believe that Phi Kappa Psi is a
brotherhood of honorable men, courteous and cultured, who pledge
throughout their lives to be generous, compassionate, and loyal
comrades;
I believe that I am honor bound to
strive manfully for intellectual, moral, and spiritual excellence; to
help and forgive my Brothers; to discharge promptly all just debts; to
give aid and sympathy to all who are less fortunate;
I believe that I am honor bound to
strengthen my character and deepen my integrity; to counsel and guide
my Brothers who stray from their obligations; to respect and emulate
my Brothers who practice moderation in their manners and morals; to be
ever mindful that loyalty to my Fraternity should not weaken loyalty
to my college, but rather increase devotion to it, to my country, and
to my God;
I believe that to all I meet, wherever
I go, I represent not only Phi Kappa Psi, but indeed the spirit of all
fraternities; thus I must ever conduct myself so as to bring respect
and honor not to myself alone, but also to my Fraternity;
To the fulfillment of these beliefs, of
these ideals, in the noble perfection of Phi Kappa Psi, I pledge my
life and my sacred honor.
Symbols
The
fraternity flag is in the proportions of eight and one-half feet wide
by six feet high; the colors are the official fraternity colors; the
design is three vertical stripes of equal width, a hunter green in the
middle, flanked on either side by a cardinal red stripe.
The
Order of the S.C.
The Order
of the S.C., formed in 1920, is regarded within Phi Kappa Psi as a
"fraternity within the fraternity." Entrance can only be gained by
attending at least seven Grand Arch Councils and performing, to the
satisfaction of the Order, one or more acts of benefit to the
Fraternity. The Order meets every two years, during Grand Arch
Councils. The words that the initials "S.C." represent are held secret
by its members.
Notable Phi Psis
Public
Service
Current
Evan Bayh,
U.S. Senator (IN), former Governor of Indiana (1989-97) (Indiana Beta,
Indiana University, 1975)
Michael
Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, founder of Bloomberg L.P. (Maryland
Alpha, Johns Hopkins University, 1961)
Stephen
Hadley, U.S. National Security Advisor (New York Alpha, Cornell
University, 1966)
Charlie
Dent, U.S. Congressman (PA), (Pennsylvania Lambda, Pennsylvania State
University, 1982)
David
Shafer, Georgia State Senator (Georgia Alpha, University of Georgia,
1983)
Earl
"Butch" Ehrhart, Georgia State Representative (Georgia Alpha,
University of Georgia, 1978)
Former
President
Woodrow Wilson, (1913-21), Governor of New Jersey (1911-13), President
of Princeton University, Nobel Peace Prize recipient (Virginia Alpha,
University of Virginia, 1879)
John F.
Kennedy, Jr., Son of JFK, founder of George Magazine
Joseph W.
Barr, Secretary of the Treasury (1968-69), FDIC Chairman (Indiana
Alpha, DePauw University, 1936)
Joseph
Blatchford, Director of the Peace Corps (1969-71) (California Epsilon,
UCLA, 1953)
Pierce
Butler, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1922-39) (Minnesota Alpha,
Carleton College, 1885)
George E.
Chamberlain, U.S. Senator (OR), Governor of Oregon (1903-09) (Virginia
Beta, Washington and Lee University, 1872)
John T.
Connor, Secretary of Commerce (1965-67) (New York Beta, Syracuse
University, 1933)
Paul
Coverdell, U.S. Senator (GA) (1993-2000, died in office), Director of
the Peace Corps (Missouri Alpha, University of Missouri, 1959)
John W.
Davis, Democratic presidential nominee (1924), U.S. Ambassador to
Britain, U.S. Solicitor General, noted attorney (Virginia Beta,
Washington and Lee University, 1889)
J. Edward
Day, Postmaster General (1961-63) (Illinois Beta, University of
Chicago, 1933)
Joseph
Benson Foraker, U.S. Senator (OH), Governor of Ohio (1886-90),
candidate for 1908 Republican presidential nomination, first alumnus
president of Phi Kappa Psi (New York Alpha, Cornell University, 1866)
James P.
Goodrich, Governor of Indiana (1917-21) (Indiana Alpha, DePauw
University, 1885)
Herbert
S. Hadley, Governor of Missouri (1909-13) (Kansas Alpha, University of
Kansas, 1888)
Homer A.
Holt, Governor of West Virginia (1937-41) (Virginia Beta, Washington
and Lee University, 1916)
Lawrence
Judd, Territorial Governor of Hawaii (1929-34), Governor of American
Samoa (1953) (Pennsylvania Iota, University of Pennsylvania, 1906)
Thomas H.
Kuchel, U.S. Senator (CA), (1953-69; Senate Minority Whip) (California
Delta, University of Southern California, 1929)
William P. Lane, Governor of Maryland (1947-51) (Virginia Alpha,
University of Virginia, 1910)
Lloyd
Lowndes, Jr., Governor of Maryland (1895-99) (Pennsylvania Beta,
Allegheny College, 1864)
A.
Mitchell Palmer, U.S. Attorney General (1919-21), candidate for 1920
Democratic presidential nomination (Pennsylvania Kappa, Swarthmore
College, 1889)
Raymond
P. Shafer, Governor of Pennsylvania (1967-71) (Pennsylvania Beta,
Allegheny College, 1935)
William
C. Sproul, Governor of Pennsylvania (1919-23), candidate for 1920
Republican presidential nomination (Pennsylvania Kappa, Swarthmore
College, 1889)
Lt. Gen.
E.O. Thompson, Texas Railroad Commission's longest-serving member
(1933-65) (Texas Alpha, University of Texas at Austin, 1913)
James E.
Watson, U.S. Senator (IN) (Majority Leader 1929-33), U.S. Congressman
and Republican Party Whip (Indiana Alpha, DePauw University, 1881)
Robert "B.J."
Dion, Professor of Political Science and Master of French (1981-1985),
(Indiana Gamma Wabash College, 1832)
Statistics
More than
100 Phi Psis have served as members of the U.S. Congress, including 17
Senators
Members
have served in the following positions with the U.S. government:
President of the United States, Attorney-General, Secretary of the
Treasury, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary
of the Army (2), Postmaster General, Director of the Peace Corps (2),
FDIC Chairman, and U.S. Ambassador (7)
At least
12 members have served as state (or territory) governors
Military
Brig.
Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell, "Father of the U.S. Air Force,"
Congressional Gold Medal of Honor recipient (D.C. Alpha, George
Washington University, 1896)
Maj. Gen.
William "Wild Bill" Donovan, World War I Medal of Honor recipient,
founder of the Office of Strategic Services (precursor of the CIA)
during World War II (New York Gamma, Columbia University, 1903)
Gen.
Tasker Bliss, U.S. Army Chief of Staff during World War I
(Pennsylvania Gamma, Bucknell University, 1870)
Maj. Gen.
Frank "Machine Gun" Parker, Commander of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry
Division during World War I (South Carolina Alpha, University of South
Carolina, 1888)
Maj. Gen.
Henry Terrell, Commander of the U.S. Army's 90th Infantry Division
during World War II (Texas Alpha, University of Texas at Austin, 1908)
John
Marsh, Secretary of the Army (1981-89), U.S. Congressman (VA)
(Virginia Beta, Washington and Lee University, 1948)
Stephen
Ailes, Secretary of the Army (1964-65) (West Virginia Alpha, West
Virginia University, 1934)
Captain
Henry H. Bingham, Congressman and Medal of Honor Recipient
Over 60
Generals, 20 Admirals and at least 2 ships, including:
The USS
James C. Owens (DD-776) named after James C. Owens, Jr. (California
Delta University of Southern California 1930)
The USS
Walter X. Young (APD-131) named after Walter X. Young (Illinois Beta,
University of Chicago, 1937)
Arts
and Entertainment
John
Astin, actor (Pennsylvania Alpha, Washington and Jefferson College,
1949; Maryland Alpha, Johns Hopkins University, 1950)
Zach
Braff, actor (Illinois Alpha, Northwestern University, 1997)
Roy
Crane, nationally-syndicated cartoonist (Texas Alpha, University of
Texas at Austin, 1922)
Peter
Graves, actor (Minnesota Beta, University of Minnesota, 1946)
Edward
Herrmann, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor (Pennsylvania Gamma,
Bucknell University, 1965)
Edward
Everett Horton, stage and screen actor; television performer (New York
Zeta, Brooklyn Poly, 1907)
Frank
Morgan, Academy Award-nominated actor (New York Alpha, Cornell
University, 1908)
James
Whitcomb Riley, poet/writer (Indiana Alpha, DePauw University, 1883)
Charles
"Buddy" Rogers, actor/band leader (Kansas Alpha, University of Kansas,
1923)
Roy
Scheider, Academy Award-nominated actor (Pennsylvania Eta, Franklin
and Marshall College, 1954)
Steve
Tesich, Academy Award-winning screenwriter (Indiana Beta, Indiana
University, 1962)
James
Thurber, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and humorist (Ohio Delta, Ohio
State University, 1918)
Frederick
Jackson Turner, prominent historian (Wisconsin Alpha, University of
Wisconsin, 1878)
Wes
Bergmann, Reality TV Personality The Real World: Austin (Arizona Beta,
Arizona State University)
Pat
Weaver, pioneering television executive and Emmy Award winner (New
Hampshire Alpha, Dartmouth College, 1927)
Nathan
Daniel Brown, writer; popularized character Richard Galen in
television series x3i (Ohio Delta, Ohio State University, 2005)
Sports
Phog
Allen, Basketball Hall of Fame member, "Father of Basketball Coaching"
(Kansas Alpha, University of Kansas, 1905)
Kevin
Berry, Olympic gold and bronze medal swimmer in 1964 (Indiana Beta,
Indiana University, 1965)
Ron
'Babe' Bontemps, Olympian (Wisconsin Gamma, Beloit College)
Terry
Bowden, former college football coach and current broadcaster (West
Virginia Alpha, West Virginia University, 1975)
Jeff
Cirillo, current Major League Baseball player, All-Star 1997 and 2000
(California Delta, University of Southern California, 1989)
Jerry
Colangelo, Basketball Hall of Fame member, former Phoenix Suns and
Arizona Diamondbacks majority owner (Illinois Delta, University of
Illinois, 1959)
Ford
Frick, Major League Baseball Commissioner (1951-65), National Baseball
Hall of Fame member (Indiana Alpha, DePauw University, 1913)
Johnny
"Red" Kerr, former NBA player and coach, current broadcaster for the
Chicago Bulls (Illinois Delta, University of Illinois, 1954)
Nile
Kinnick, Heisman Trophy winner (1939) (Iowa Alpha, University of Iowa,
1938)
John
Michels, former NFL player, first-round draft choice in 1996
(California Delta, University of Southern California)
Ralph
Miller, Basketball Hall of Fame member and former college coach
(Kansas Alpha, University of Kansas, 1938)
Tex
Schramm, Pro Football Hall of Fame member, former Dallas Cowboys GM,
key NFL innovator (Texas Alpha, University of Texas at Austin, 1940)
Mark
Spitz, Olympic swimming legend, won 7 gold medals in 1972 (Indiana
Beta, Indiana University, 1969)
Dick
Tomey, current college football coach (Indiana Alpha, DePauw
University, 1957)
Michael
Troy, gold medalist in the 200m butterfly and 800m freestyle at the
1960 Summer Olympics and Sports Illustrated cover subject, (Indiana
Beta, Indiana University, 1959)
George
Yardley, Basketball Hall of Fame member (California Beta, Stanford
University, 1947)
Ron Yary,
Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Outland Trophy winner (1967), NFL
first overall draft choice (1968) (California Delta, University of
Southern California, 1966)
Business
Jerry
Yang, Yahoo! co-founder (California Beta, Stanford University, 1987)
Benjamin
Lutch, Excite co-founder (California Beta, Stanford University, 1991)
David
Fout, Aquilent CEO/President (Maryland Beta, University of Maryland
Baltimore County, 1988)
Jerry
Nelson, Ticketmaster founder (California Epsilon, UCLA, 1948)
Angus G.
Wynne, Jr., Six Flags founder (Texas Alpha, University of Texas at
Austin, 1933)
Michael
Bloomberg, New York City Mayor (Maryland Alpha, Johns Hopkins
University)
Matthew
X. Wang, Under The Button (Pennsylvania Iota, University of
Pennsylvania)
Herbert
H. Dow, Dow Chemical Company founder (Ohio Epsilon, Case Institute of
Technology)
Many
leaders of major Fortune 500 corporations, banks, and national
professional associations
Education
Current
and recent presidents of the University of Cincinnati, MIT, University
of San Francisco, Creighton University, Slippery Rock University, and
the West Virginia University
Former
presidents of Case Western Reserve, Cornell University, University of
Illinois, Johns Hopkins University, University of Kentucky, University
of Montana, University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University,
Princeton University, The College of New Jersey, and Washington and
Jefferson College
Miscellaneous
Owen
Garriott, Skylab astronaut (Oklahoma Alpha, University of Oklahoma,
1949)
Robert
Lowry, Churchman and famed 19th-Century hymn-writer (Pennsylvania
Gamma, Bucknell University, 1856); his work includes "Shall We Gather
at the River," and "How Can I Keep From Singing?"
Elliott
See, Gemini astronaut (Texas Alpha, University of Texas at Austin,
1945)
David G.
Tyler, U.S. Congressman (VA), son of President John Tyler (Virginia
Beta, Washington and Lee University, 1867)
Endowment Fund
Like many
fraternal organizations, the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity maintains an
independent endowment for the educational benefit of its members. The
Endowment Fund of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, Inc., organized in
1914, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational foundation. As of
December 31st, 2004 the Endowment Fund had net assets of $18,928,712.
In 2004 the Endowment Fund spent $1,085,515 on scholarships, grants
and other educational activities for the fraternity's members.
Although
established in 1914, it was not until the mid-1990s that the Endowment
Fund began to flourish. In 1994, net assets totaled a mere $620,503.
Ten years later that amount grew to almost $19 million. In 2004, under
the leadership of Tom Pennington, Director of Development, and Wayne
Wilson, a probate attorney who serves as volunteer Chairman, the
Endowment Fund of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity became the largest
endowment fund of any American or international collegiate fraternity
or sorority. Generous giving by wealthy alumni have helped Phi Kappa
Psi reach this goal. The fund also relies heavily on smaller
contributions to its "Chapter Scholarship Foundation" program, whereby
90% of a donation can be ear-marked for the benefit of a specific
chapter. This has spurred giving among those who have a strong
connection with the chapter at their collegiate alma mater. The Phi
Kappa Psi chapter at USC (University of Southern California) has the
largest chapter scholarship fund with $1.3 million in 2004.