“My dear Sisson”
William Raimond Baird was a patent lawyer and mineralogist, but his hobby was his fraternity and the fraternity world at-large. He spent 25 years as editor of Beta Theta Pi’s magazine and his manual American College Fraternities is considered a definitive reference on the subject. On January 1, 1898, he sat down and penned a note to fellow Beta Francis H. Sisson.
Although he is closely identified with Beta Theta Pi, Baird started his fraternity life as a member of Alpha Sigma Chi at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. Alpha Sigma Chi was founded in 1871. Rutgers University and Cornell University were its founding homes as it was organized simultaneously by Elbridge Van Syckel and Ellis D. Thompson. The chapter roll numbered seven with the other chapters at Princeton University, St. Lawrence University, Columbia University and the University of Maine. The Columbia chapter was expelled in 1878 and the Princeton chapter was the victim of anti-fraternity laws; neither chapter was included in the 1879 merger with Beta Theta Pi. Cornell’s chapter became the Beta Delta Chapter of Beta Theta Pi. Maine became Beta Eta. Rutgers became Beta Gamma and St. Lawrence became Beta Zeta. Baird’s chapter at Stevens became Sigma instead of the Beta Epsilon designation it was to have been given, taking on the dormant Sigma name which had been used by the chapter at Illinois College in Jacksonville from 1856-66. Beta Epsilon was later given to the chapter at Syracuse University when it was founded in 1889.
In his quest to find a fraternity with which to merge Alpha Sigma Chi, Baird did extensive research on the fraternity system. This research culminated in the publication of a small volume called American College Fraternities in 1879. He published seven more editions in 1880, 1883, 1890, 1898, 1905, 1912 and 1915. After his death in 1917, 12 subsequent editions of Baird’s Manual of American College Fraternities were published. The most recent 20th edition is dated 1991.
Baird wrote extensively about Beta’s history and the estate he left helped create Beta’s Founders Fund in 1919. He was also a member of Phi Delta Phi (international legal fraternity) and Tau Beta Pi (engineering honor society).
Grace Lass Sisson, Francis’ wife, was Grand President of Pi Beta Phi from 1895-99. Baird was evidently missing some editions of Pi Beta Phi’s magazine and hoped his note to “My dear Sisson” would help him obtain the missing Arrows.
Some other fun posts about the Sissons and Baird:
Interesting entry today, but equally interesting is the image of the original note. Not only is this a great example of the lost art of letter writing, but also one of the lost art of penmanship! The handwriting is exquisite!! (as I note jealously as I type my response).