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Tue, 01/01/2008 - 12:00am — admin

Kappa Kappa Psi History

Kappa Kappa Psi was founded on November 27, 1919 by ten members of the Oklahoma A & M College (later to be known as the Oklahoma State University) Band, led by William Alexander Scroggs and the band director and mentor, Bohumil Makovsky. The other founding members were A. Frank Martin, Raymond D. Shannon, Clyde Haston, Clayton E. Soule, Carl A. Stevens, William H. Coppedge, Dick Hurst, Asher Hendrickson, and Iron Hawthorne Nelson. Since its creation, Kappa Kappa Psi has grown tremendously, especially in the past ten years, doubling in membership as well as number of chapters.

Gamma Pi Chapter History

In the spring of 1955, a group of interested bandsmen, many of them members of the Purdue Reamer Club, organized a local fraternity for college bandsmen patterned after the Alpha Zeta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi at Indiana University. This group kept a band scrapbook, made a band handbook, and acted as a band booster organization. The two people most responsible for starting the group and drawing up the original constitution and charter were Ken Parrish and Bob Race.

In the fall of 1955, the desire to become a National Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi was motioned to Professor McEmber, assistant director of bands at Purdue. He immediately wrote to Kappa Kappa Psi National Headquarters and requested the necessary information required to initiate a local chapter here at Purdue.

After fulfilling all requirements of the National Organization, the Gamma Pi Chapter at Purdue University held its first meeting on March 8, 1956. The total membership consisted of 17 charter members and 5 honorary members. On March 18, 1956, the Alpha Zeta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, from Indiana University, initiated the local organization at Purdue University, and it officially became the Gamma Pi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi.

Gamma Pi Traditions

POTS

The membership pot is a tradition of Gamma Pi and is worn and carried as a symbol of the chapter. It serves as a visual scrapbook and a symbol of who you are. Members place articles that have stories or represent aspects of them. Pots were originally at Purdue University tradition shared by all student organizations, but to this day, only three organizations at Purdue still carry on this tradition: The Reamer Club, Tau Beta Sigma, and Kappa Kappa Psi. The Gamma Pi chapter is the only chapter in Kappa Kappa Psi to wear Pots.

FUBAR

FUBAR is the "eternal pledge brother" of Gamma Pi. He is a wooden replica of the Purdue Band Key, and is therefore symbolic of the Purdue Bands.

FAMILY LINES & LETTERS

Within a week of becoming a BIT, Brother in Training, prospective members receive a Big Brother. Big Brothers are active members of Gamma Pi who help assist in the membership education process. They are also there for moral support and are a valuable resource.
The Big Brother tradition therefore creates family lines similar to a family tree. The family lines usually have many traditions of their own, with family letters being the most common. Each family line usually has a combination of color or patterns used on Kappa Kappa Psi sweatshirts and serve as a proud way to show family heritage and brotherhood.