Theta Kappa Phi

Defunct Catholic collegiate fraternity

Theta Kappa Phi

ΘΚΦ
Founded| October 1, 1919; 104 years ago (1919-10-01)
Lehigh University, in Bethlehem, PA
Type| Social
Former Affiliation| NIC
Status| Merged
Merge Date| April 29, 1959
Successor| Phi Kappa Theta
Emphasis| Catholic students
Scope| National
Member badge|
Colors|  Red,  Silver and  Gold
Symbol| Sun
Flower| Columbine
Publication| The Sun of Theta Kappa Phi
Chapters| 24 installed
Colonies| 2, at merger

Theta Kappa Phi (ΘΚΦ) was a social fraternity founded on October 1, 1919, at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. On April 29, 1959, Theta Kappa Phi merged with a similar Catholic fraternity, Phi Kappa, to form Phi Kappa Theta.[1]

## History[edit]

The idea for the organization developed from a group of men who were a part of the university’s Newman Club, who had met in 1914. Plans for the official establishment of the fraternity fell through upon the entry of the United States into the First World War in 1917, with several members subsequently joining the armed forces. Of the original group, three returned to Lehigh at the end of hostilities to resume their studies. These became the Founders:

* August Concilio
* Peter J. Carr
* Raymond J. Bobbin [2]

Following the conclusion of the war in November 1918 and the return of members back to school, Carr led efforts to restart the process of establishing a social fraternity at Lehigh. Ultimately thirty men, including Concilio, Carr, and Bobbin, agreed to the establishment of the X Club, the original name of Theta Kappa Phi.[2][3]

During the first few months of the new fraternity’s existence, several important actions were undertaken. In a meeting on November 12, 1919, the X Club would select Theta Kappa Phi as its new name. At the time of its adoption, the letters simply stood in place for ‘The Catholic Fraternity’ before they were given a secret meaning later upon merger into Phi Kappa Theta in 1959. The founding group would elect Concilio as the fraternity’s first President. Carr successfully began the infant fraternity’s nationalization by unifying with the a fraternity called Kappa Theta at Pennsylvania State University, establishing the group there as its Beta chapter on March 22, 1922.[3]

Meanwhile, the fraternity would receive valuable help and inspiring leadership from local Bethlehem pastor, Rev. William I. McGarvey. Since none of the existing members had fraternity experience, McGarvey was a valuable asset in developing the fledgling group into a true fraternity in its early days. McGarvey would additionally secure the help of Rev. Michael Andrew Chapman in writing Theta Kappa Phi’s ritual, who was an Episcopal priest as well as a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Bard College. The basics of Theta Kappa Phi’s ritual are still used in Phi Kappa Theta’s ritual today, while McGarvey’s effort for Theta Kappa Phi have seen him recognized as the fraternity’s fourth founder, alongside Concilio, Carr, and Bobbin.[3]

Theta Kappa Phi would continue to expand to other colleges and universities in the surrounding region. By the time the merger came about in 1959, Theta Kappa Phi maintained 24 open and active chapters across the United States.

The merger, called a union of relative equals, took place on April 29, 1959.

## Symbols[edit]

* Publication - The Sun of Theta Kappa Phi
* Badge - Shield displaying upon black enamel the letters Θ, Κ and Φ in gold over a golden heart. All this was mounted on a gold shield bordered with crown-set pearls, and four rubies in the form of a cross.
* Pledge button - Shield of white, bordered with a gold chain enclosing a golden sun.
* Colors - Red, Silver and gold
* Flower - Columbine

## Chapters[edit]

Chapters of Theta Kappa Phi were as follows. Chapters and colonies in bold were active at the time of the merger, those in italics were inactive:[4]

Name  | Chartered  | Institution  | Location  | Status  | Notes  | Reference

|
|
|
|
|
|

Alpha | October 1, 1919 | Lehigh University | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Pennsylvania Alpha chapter of ΦΚΘ | [5]
Beta | March 24, 1922 | Penn State University | University Park, Pennsylvania | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Pennsylvania Beta Gamma chapter of ΦΚΘ | [6][7][8]
Gamma | May 9, 1922 | Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Ohio Gamma Theta chapter of ΦΚΘ | [6][9][8]
Delta | May 12, 1923 | University of Illinois | Champaign and Urbana, Illinois | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Illinois Beta Delta chapter of ΦΚΘ | [6][10]
Epsilon | May 9, 1924 | University of New Hampshire | Durham, New Hampshire | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became New Hampshire Epsilon chapter of ΦΚΘ | [11]
Zeta | April 9, 1925 | Ohio Northern University | Ada, Ohio | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Ohio Zeta chapter of ΦΚΘ | [12]
Eta | June 25, 1925 | City College of New York | New York City, New York | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became New York Eta chapter of ΦΚΘ | [13]
Theta | June 1, 1927–1931 | Cornell University | Ithaca, New York | Inactive  | Renamed New York Theta chapter of ΦΚΘ | [14]
Iota | May 22, 1932 | Temple University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Pennsylvania Iota chapter of ΦΚΘ | [15]
Kappa | January 4, 1934 | University of Oklahoma | Norman, Oklahoma | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Oklahoma Kappa chapter of ΦΚΘ | [16]
Lambda | November 10, 1935 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester, Massachusetts | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Massachusetts Lambda chapter of ΦΚΘ | [17]
Mu | November 29, 1936 | Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri Mines)  | Worcester, Massachusetts | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Missouri Mu chapter of ΦΚΘ | [18]
Nu | May 2, 1937 | Oklahoma State University | Stillwater, Oklahoma | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Oklahoma Nu chapter of ΦΚΘ | [19]
Xi | April 14, 1938 | Louisiana State University | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Louisiana Xi chapter of ΦΚΘ | [20]
Omicron | May 4, 1941 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Lafayette, Louisiana | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Louisiana Omicron chapter of ΦΚΘ | [21]
Pi | April 10, 1948 | St. Louis University | St. Louis, Missouri | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Missouri Kappa Kappa chapter of ΦΚΘ | [22][23]
Rho | October 23, 1948 | Mississippi State University | Starkville, Mississippi | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Mississippi Rho chapter of ΦΚΘ | [24]
Sigma | March 13, 1949 | Boston University | Boston, Massachusetts | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Massachusetts Sigma chapter of ΦΚΘ | [25]
Tau | April 10, 1949 | Saint Francis University | Loretto, Pennsylvania | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Pennsylvania Tau chapter of ΦΚΘ | [26]
Upsilon | May 21, 1949 | University of Missouri | Columbia, Missouri | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Missouri Kappa Upsilon chapter of ΦΚΘ | [6][27][28]
Phi | December 4, 1949 | Kent State University | Kent, Ohio | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Ohio Phi chapter of ΦΚΘ | [29]
Chi | April 15, 1951 | University of Mississippi | Oxford, Mississippi | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Mississippi Chi chapter of ΦΚΘ | [30]
Psi | December 11, 1954 | Northern Illinois University | DeKalb, Illinois | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Illinois Psi chapter of ΦΚΘ | [31]
Omega | May 18, 1957 | University of Detroit Mercy | Detroit, Michigan | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Michigan Omega chapter of ΦΚΘ | [32]
SJS Colony | 1953–1954 | San Diego State University | San Diego, California | Inactive  | Did not charter with ΦΚΘ |
UW Colony | 1954 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | Madison, Wisconsin | Absorbed, ΦΚΘ | Joined Wisconsin Lambda chapter of ΦΚΘ | [33]

## References[edit]

1. ^ 17th Ed, Baird's, p 734-735
2. ^ a b Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. VIII-25–26. ISBN 978-0963715906.
3. ^ a b c Staff (2016). "The Journey of Phi Kappa Theta". The History of Phi Kappa Theta, Part 3: The Early Days of Theta Kappa Phi (18 ed.). Indianapolis, Indiana: Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity. pp. 34–36. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
4. ^ William Raimond Baird; Carroll Lurding (eds.). "Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities (Baird's Manual Online Archive), document with Theta Kappa Phi list". Student Life and Culture Archives. University of Illinois: University of Illinois Archives. Retrieved 18 December 2021. The main archive URL is The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
5. ^ This chapter originated as the X Club in 1914.
6. ^ a b c d The Phi Kappa chapter on this campus was slightly older, thus the age of the chapter is calculated from the earlier date.
7. ^ The Theta Kappa Phi branch originated as Kappa Theta (local) in 1920.
8. ^ a b The Journey of Phi Kappa Theta 2011
9. ^ The Theta Kappa Phi branch originated as Iota Lambda (local) in 1920.
10. ^ The Theta Kappa Phi branch originated as Phi Lambda Pi (local) in 1921.
11. ^ This chapter originated as Nu Sigma Mu (local) in 1922.
12. ^ This chapter originated as the Newman Club in 1923.
13. ^ This chapter originated as Pi Theta Phi (local) in 1921.
14. ^ Oddly, this chapter originated as a local with the same name as the later united fraternity. It was formed as Phi Kappa Theta (local) in 1924, per the Baird's Archive and Cornell yearbooks, becoming Theta Kappa Phi in 1927.
15. ^ This chapter originated as Chi Lambda Phi (local) in 1926.
16. ^ This chapter originated as Delta Phi Epsilon (local) in 1930.
17. ^ This chapter originated as the Friars Club (local?) in 1930.
18. ^ This chapter originated as the Cardinal Mercier Club (local) in 1925.
19. ^ This chapter originated as the Friars Club (local?) in 1936.
20. ^ This chapter originated as a ΘΚΦ colony in 1937.
21. ^ This chapter originated as a colony in 1938. Baird's Archive shows it as being installed in 1941, a long incubation period, probably due to WWII enlistments and roster changes.
22. ^ Fall 2014 Temple
23. ^ This chapter originated as Delta Nu (local) in 1933.
24. ^ This chapter originated as a ΘΚΦ colony in 1942.
25. ^ This chapter originated as a ΘΚΦ colony in 1947.
26. ^ This chapter originated as Iota Chi Mu (local) in 1947.
27. ^ The branch from ΘΚΦ originated as a colony in 1948.
28. ^ PHI KAPPA THETA MO Kappa Upsilon Chapter Our History
29. ^ This chapter originated as the Friars Club (local?) in 1947.
30. ^ This chapter originated as a ΘΚΦ colony in 1949.
31. ^ This chapter originated as a ΘΚΦ colony in 1953.
32. ^ This chapter originated as a ΘΚΦ colony in 1956.
33. ^ The Wisconsin Lambda chapter came from ΦΚ, and its name did not change after the April 29, 1959 merger. However, it absorbed an unnamed colony of ΘΚΦ that at the merger was already five years old (1954-1959). The ΦΚ chapter had originally formed out the Loyola Club (1920). The ΘΚΦ colony was never chartered.

## See also[edit]

* Phi Kappa (Catholic fraternity)
* Phi Kappa Theta

* v
* t
* e

North American Interfraternity Conference

Currently active members of the NIC|

* Acacia
* ΑΓΡ
* ΑΓΣ
* ΑΔΓ
* ΑΔΦ
* ΑΕΠ
* ΑΚΛ
* ΑΣΦ
* ΑΤΩ
* ΑΦΑ
* ΑΦΔ
* ΑΧΡ
* ΒΣΨ
* ΒΘΠ
* ΒΧΘ
* ΒΥΧ
* ΔΚΕ
* ΔΛΦ
* ΔΣΦ
* ΔΤΔ
* ΔΥ
* ΔΦ
* ΔΧ
* FarmHouse
* ΖΒΤ
* ΖΨ
* ΘΔΧ
* ΘΞ
* ΙΝΔ
* ΙΦΘ
* ΚΑ Society
* ΚΑΨ
* ΚΔΡ
* ΚΔΦ
* ΛΧΑ
* ΛΘΦ
* ΛΣΥ
* ΛΦΕ
* ΝΑΚ
* ΠΚΑ
* ΠΚΦ
* ΠΛΦ
* ΣΑΕ
* ΣΑΜ
* ΣΒΡ
* ΣΛΒ
* ΣΝ
* ΣΠ
* ΣΤΓ
* ΣΦ
* ΣΧ
* ΤΔΦ
* ΤΕΦ
* ΤΦΣ
* Triangle
* ΦΒΣ
* ΦΓΔ(FIJI)
* ΦΙΑ
* ΦΚΘ
* ΦΚΣ
* ΦΚΤ
* ΦΚΨ
* ΦΛΧ
* ΦΜΔ
* ΦΣΚ
* ΦΣΦ
* ΧΦ
* ΧΨ
* ΨΥ
* ΩΔΦ

Active former members of the NIC|

* ΔΕΨ
* ΔΨ
* ΚΑ Order
* ΚΣ
* ΦΔΘ
* ΣΦΔ
* ΣΦΕ
* ΤΚΕ
* ΘΧ

Defunct former members of the NIC|

* ΑΚΠ
* ΑΛΤ
* ΒΚ
* ΒΣΡ
* ΔΑΠ
* ΔΣΛ
* ΘΚΝ
* ΘΚΦ
* ΘΥΩ
* ΚΝ
* ΟΑΤ
* ΣΔΡ
* ΣΛΠ
* ΣΜΣ
* ΣΤΦ
* ΦΑ
* ΦΒΔ
* ΦΕΠ
* ΦΚ
* ΦΛΘ
* ΦΠΦ
* ΦΣΔ
* ΦΣΕ

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