Kappa Delta Rho
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| Kappa Delta Rho (ΚΔΡ) |
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| Founded | May 17, 1905 Middlebury College |
| Type | Social fraternity |
| Scope | National |
| Motto | "Honor Super Omnia" - "Honor Above All Things" |
| Colors | Middlebury Blue and Princeton Orange |
| Flower | Red Rose |
| Chapters | 76 (36 active) |
| Headquarters | 331 South Main St. Greensburg, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Homepage | http://www.kdrfoundation.org/ |
Kappa Delta Rho (ΚΔΡ) is an American college social fraternity, with 76 chapters spread out over the United States, primarily in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Kappa Delta Rho's open motto is Honor Super Omnia, or Honor Above All Things.
Kappa Delta Rho was founded in Old Painter Hall at Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT on May 17, 1905[1]. It formed out of the Middlebury Commons Club, and had ten principal founders: George Edwin Kimball, Irving Thurston Coates, John Beecher, Pierce Wordsworth Darrow, Thomas Howard Bartley, Benjamin Edward Farr, Gideon Russell Norton, Gino Arturo Ratti, Chester Monroe Walch and Roy Dyer Wood.[1]
Somewhat unique among college fraternities, KDR's Alpha Chapter at Middlebury was forced to coeducate in the early 1990's, due to a policy at the school against single-sex organizations. The chapter is now the Alpha and only chapter of the Kappa Delta Rho Society, and maintains its own traditions and a unique badge, slightly modified from the standard fraternity badge.
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[edit] Founding History
Before 1905, there were only three fraternities at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. Chi Psi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, and Delta Upsilon founded chapters on the campus before the Civil War. No new fraternities formed on the campus, until a large neutral group founded the Commons Club. In 1905, the Alpha Chapter of Kappa Delta Rho formed out of the Commons Club.
In the fall of 1904, George E. Kimball, president of the Commons Club, and two other members, Irving T. Coates and John Beecher, met in Room 14 of Old Painter Hall. They discussed the formation of a new, more closely knit fraternity group. The Commons Club was large and not very congenial for intimate relationships then. After several meetings, they approached seven other members of the Commons Club who were very enthusiastic about the idea. They were, Thomas H. Bartley, Pierce W. Darrow, Benjamin E. Farr, Gideon R. Norton, Gino A. Ratti, Chester M. Walch, and Roy D. Wood. On May 17, 1905, the ten men met as the charter members of Kappa Delta Rho Fraternity in Room 14 of Old Painter Hall.
The exact circumstances are impossible to recount with the passage of time, but there were setbacks from the beginning. The announcement of the birth of KDR occurred at a faculty meeting in the fall of 1905. Someone asked, "What is the name of the new frat?" The reply was, "Some Greek combination ending in Rho." Other remarks by the faculty indicated they thought KDR would have a "hard row," or a struggle to exist. It wasn't long before the faculty hoped that KDR would not pledge all the best men on campus.
Kimball, Walch, and Ratti met many times to draft a ritual, choose a motto, and write a constitution that fit the fraternity's ideas and ideals. Walch created our secret motto and password. Unlike other fraternities, the founders named the officers of KDR after Roman titles, instead of Greek Republic titles. They wanted to emulate the Romans' stern virtues. They also chose our motto, Honor Super Omnia - Honor Before All Things. Middlebury Blue and Princeton Orange became the fraternity colors, symbolizing justice and freedom. The founders appointed Ratti to design the coat of arms, since he had art experience. Then the founders focused on the ritual. Adopting a ritual caused a great deal of anxious thought. The founders intended the ritual to reflect the high ideals they wanted to follow.
With few revisions, the ritual has stood the test of time. The basic structure remains the same today. Subsequently, the red rose was adopted as the fraternity's flower and became the symbol of love and incorruption for the fraternity of Kappa Delta Rho.
During the first year, Delta Tau Delta sent a representative to the campus to discuss absorbing KDR into their fraternity. This came about because the founders considered joining a national fraternity. In the words of Kimball, "(We) decided that we preferred to 'paddle our own canoe' and took no further action in the matter."
In the beginning, there were no pledge classes or pledges, but delegations. In 1913, the fraternity attracted larger pledge classes of ten to fifteen men. The chapter used furnished off-campus meeting rooms for the secret conclaves, socials, and rush parties. During the summer of 1909, the chapter published the first issue of The Scroll. The first issue had a circulation of thirty copies for all the undergraduates, alumni, and honorary members. Due to a conflict over the name, the publication became the Quill and Scroll in 1924 and is still the official title of KDR's semi-annual fraternity magazine.[1]
In 1913, Alpha Chapter took the first step toward National Fraternity that it is today, installing the Beta Chapter at Cornell University. At the time of its centennial celebration in 2005, the National Fraternity boasted 76 chapters, all of which point back to a single room at Middlebury College.
[edit] Values
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The values of ΚΔΡ are expressed in its Credo and Precepts. The Credo was written in 1946 by George E. Shaw, Alpha '10, the first pledge of ΚΔΡ. The Precepts were adopted by the 95th National Convention in 2006.
[edit] Credo
Since the Beginning, wherever men have come together, there have I been.
My membership is legion. From the humble home and from the stately mansion; from the rolling farms and from the noisy factories; from the East and West and North and South have my followers come.
They who understand my meaning have followed in the footsteps of the Man of Galilee. In peace, they have been their brother’s keeper, and in the agony of war, their blood has enriched the Fields of Flanders and reddened the sands of the Pacific.
Their reward has been the Inspiration of their Youth; the Driving Power of their Manhood; the Memories of their Maturity. They have fought the good Fight and of these, my sons, I am justly proud,
Who am I? My name is FRATERNITY. And because I have given Man that which he craves, I shall endure. My sons shall neither falter nor fail. They shall add new lustre to my name.
[edit] Precepts of Kappa Delta Rho
As a Brother of the National Fraternity of Kappa Delta Rho, I have but one aim: to lead an honorable life.
To this end, I am bound by my words and actions to:
Embrace the principles and spirit of the KDR Gentleman, treating all those I encounter with dignity and respect;
Work diligently in the pursuit of my education, understanding that I am a student first and that the quest for knowledge is an endeavor which will last a lifetime;
Meet all of my obligations to the Fraternity in a timely manner, so as to ensure that I am doing my share and that I am not a burden to my brothers;
Engage in the service of mankind, not for the praise or recognition that such service may bring, but because it is the right thing to do;
Serve as my brothers’ keeper, holding them accountable for their actions as they hold me accountable for mine, and
Support my Alma Mater, that she may view Kappa Delta Rho as a partner in the development of her students.
I understand that my membership in Kappa Delta Rho is a lifelong privilege that is contingent upon my willingness to incorporate the values of the Fraternity into my daily life and uphold the oath I have sworn. As I speak these words I once again to affirm to my brothers, and all who hear me, that I am a KDR Gentleman and I will place Honor Above All Things.
Honor Super Omnia!
[edit] Significant Alumni
[edit] Business[2]
- Colston E. Warne, Beta '20 - Founder, Consumers Union, Publisher, Consumer Reports Magazine
- Otto S. Kirschner, '13 - Founder and President of K2 Ski Corporation
- Michael J. Poules, Delta '53 - President, American General Insurance Company
- Stephen Sanborn, Delta '63 - Vice President, Standard & Poors Corporation
- Archie C. West, Epsilon '36 - Vice President, Frito-Lay, Inc., Regarded as Inventor of Doritos
- C. Bruce Hinton, Nu '58 - Chairman Emeritus, MCA Records Nashville
- Gregory Booth, Omega '70 - CEO, Zippo[3]
- Charles W. Berger, Iota '75 - Vice President, Apple Computers
- Stephen P. Holmes, Iota '79 - CEO of Wyndham Worldwide
- Roy W. Johnson, Mu '27 - Vice President, General Electric Company
- Robert J. Sinclair, Rho '53 - President, Saab-Scania of America, Inc.
- Frank S. Ioppolo, Beta Alpha '63 - Vice President and General Counsel, Walt Disney Attractions and Disney Worldwide
[edit] Athletics[2]
- C. Edward Ackerly, Beta '20 - 1920 Olympic Games Gold Medalist, Wrestling
- George W. Eby, Zeta '34 - President, Board of Directors of the Ice Capades
- Donald F. Yenko, Zeta '51 - Race Car Driver and Muscle Car Legend, Creator of Yenko Camaro
- Patrick J. Reilly, Zeta '58 - President, Professional Golfers Association
- Harold Osborn, Eta '22 - 1924 Olympic Games Gold Medalist, Decathlon, High Jump
- Peter D. Rocca, Lambda '79 - Olympic Silver Medalist, Pan American Games Gold Medalist, Swimming
- Frank W. Elm, Nu '53 - U.S. Olympic Swimming Coach, Head Swimming Coach, Rutgers University
[edit] Military/Public Service[2]
- Ari Fleischer, Alpha '82 - Press Secretary for U.S. President George W. Bush
- Lt. Colonel Matt Urban, Beta '41 - Medal of Honor Recipient, Most Decorated American Serviceman
- General Richard G. Graves, Iota '40 - Major General, U.S. Army (Ret.)
- John S. Fisher, Iota Honorary - Governor of Pennsylvania (Ret.)
- Charles I. Carpenter, Iota '27 - Major General, Air Force Chaplain (Ret.)
- John M. Weikert, Pi '23 - Major General/Chief of Staff and Vice Commander, Far East Air Force (Ret.)
[edit] Education[2]
- Dr. Roger B. Corbett, Beta '24 - President, New Mexico State University
- Claude T. Rich, Eta '29 - Director of University Relations, Indiana University (Ret.)
- Dr. Hadley L. Conn, Jr., Nu '42 - Professor and Chairman of Department of Medicine, Rutgers Medical School
- Dean B. Arnold, Pi '29 - Dean, Widener University (Ret.)
[edit] Entertainment[2]
- Daniel Spink, Iota - Actor (American Pie, Invincible, Not Another Teen Movie)
- Rick Tae, Tau '96 - Actor (The Dead Zone, Smallville)
- Chris Higbee, Omega - Singer, PovertyNeck Hillbillies[4]
[edit] Chapters
Kappa Delta Rho has 76 chapters, 36 of which are currently active.
[edit] External links
- http://www.kdr.com/ - Official Site
- http://www.kdrfoundation.org/ - Kappa Delta Rho Foundation
- http://www.kdr-ab.com/ - Alpha Beta Chapter of Kappa Delta Rho Alumni Corp.
- http://www.kdrab.com/ - Alpha Beta Chapter of Kappa Delta Rho - University of Delaware
- http://www.kdrgb.com/ - Gamma Beta Chapter of Kappa Delta Rho - Virginia Tech
- http://www.indiana.edu/~kdrho/ - Nu Chapter of Kappa Delta Rho - Indiana University
- http://www.calkdr.com/ - Lambda Chapter of Kappa Delta Rho - University of California
[edit] References
- ^ a b c National History of Kappa Delta Rho. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ a b c d e Noteworthy Alumni of Kappa Delta Rho. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ Indiana University of Pennsylvania Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ IUP Magazine: I Want to Go to the Top. Retrieved on 2008-02-18.
