Today is the day on which Delta Kappa Epsilon was founded 172 years ago. There are many people, places, and things which have DKE connections. I’ve learned about many of them through This Day in Deke History posts on social medials (see https://www.facebook.com/TDIDEKEH/)
Here is today’s post:
June 22, 1844
The Fraternity is founded at Yale in Room 12, Old South Hall when 15 men of the sophomore class came together to form our great Fraternity. Some in their number had been offered membership in Psi Upsilon but declined to be initiated as others associated with them had not been chosen. The 15 formed Delta Kappa Epsilon to compete with Alpha Delta Phi and Psi Upsilon which, until then, had monopolized junior year Greek-letter society interests at Yale. Only 15 men were chosen each year to join each Junior Society. That is why 15 brothers became the Charter Members of the Fraternity. Initially, it was not anticipated that the Fraternity would expand beyond Yale and that is why the Phi designation was not chosen at the first meetings. The badge was designed by the Charter Members and resembles that of Psi Upsilon, except that in the center of the black field, the gold letters of Delta Kappa Epsilon appear upon a white scroll.
The fifteen founders of Delta Kappa Epsilon are William Woodruff Atwater, Edward Griffin Bartlett, Frederic Peter Bellinger, Jr., Henry Case, George Foote Chester, John Butler Conyngham, Thomas Isaac Franklin, William Walter Horton, William Boyd Jacobs, Edward VanSchoonhoven Kinsley, Chester Newell Righter, Elisha Bacon Shapleigh, Thomas DuBois Sherwood, Albert Everett Stetson, and Orson William Stow. Bartlett later wrote about the founding and the ideal DKE man, “one who combined in the most equal proportions the gentleman, the scholar, and the jolly good fellow.”
Although, at the very beginning, it was founded with the intention of being only an organization at Yale, a second chapter was founded at Bowdoin College a few months later in November 1844. The chapter at Yale took on the Phi designation and the Bowdoin chapter became Theta. The first convention took place in 1846 in New Haven.
Grant Burnyeat, DKE History and Archives Committee Chair, wrote about another memorable DKE convention. On December 26, 1920, “The New York Times, under the headline ‘DKE Men off for Cuba’ reported that 150 members and officers of Delta Kappa Epsilon left Pennsylvania Station in New York in a special train to visit Cuba and attend the 76th Annual Convention of the Fraternity. The article also stated: ‘All the trains will meet at Savannah, where there will be a reunion of members as guests of Mayor M.M. Stuart [Stewart] and other City officials. Part of the entertainment for the visitors an old-fashioned barbeque. President Menocal of Cuba is a graduate member of the Cornell Chapter of the Fraternity. He heads the committee arranging for the visit of the Americans [and Canadians], and will provide a Cuban warship to convey the delegates and officers from Key West to Havana. Steamers are to be provided for others and airplanes are to make round trips with passengers. The convention banquet and the President’s annual ball and reception at the palace are to conclude the visit.’”
On December 30, 1920, “the first American College Fraternity Convention held off the North American Continent was held in Havana, Cuba under the auspices of President Menocal of Cuba (Delta Chi-Cornell University). The special train that had left Pennsylvania Station on December 26, made stops in Philadelphia, Savannah and Key West, before setting sail on the ship ‘Governor Cobb’. The Convention souvenir was an inlaid box containing 25 Cuban cigars. 300 of the boxes were made and one is available for viewing at the International Headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Another box is housed at Cornell University.”
For a post about my visit to the DEKE Shant in Ann Arbor, Michigan, see http://wp.me/p20I1i-2dz.
© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2016. All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/
