[23263] in APO-L
[APO-L] Fraternity History (was Pre-convention greetings)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Randy Finder)
Tue Dec 10 09:02:06 2002
"Reply-To: "
Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 09:00:35 -0400
Reply-To: Randy Finder <naraht@DRYCAS.CLUB.CC.CMU.EDU>
From: Randy Finder <naraht@DRYCAS.CLUB.CC.CMU.EDU>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
In-Reply-To: <20021209202223.20688.qmail@web41301.mail.yahoo.com>
On Mon, 9 Dec 2002, Joel Bryant wrote:
> To: Mike Brown, "Fuzzy Logic", and all interested
> Bros.
>
> more than haze.That is a myth. Our history (20
> Founding Fathers,Lafayette Univ. etc.) and Service was
I think you mean Lafayette College. While a graduate student (Lawrence
Conover) did join Alpha Phi Omega in the first year, the school's post
Bachelor Programs have never been strong enough to support the school
making an application for University status with their local accreding
board, and in fact they have no post bachelor programs at this time.
I presume that by 20 founders you are refering to the 14 student founders
and the 6 advisors listed in the pledge manual (McCracken, Wyland,
HGHorton, Prentice, Hatch and Spengler). I find the concept of 20 founders
to be just a little skewed.
Dr. Ray O. Wyland for example had never even dealt with Frank Reed
Horton until after Alpha's chapter Chartering on December 14th, 1925.
Frank Reed Horton and Herbert G. Horton travelled up to BSA Headquarters
in New York (BSA HQ moved to Texas in the 1970s) during the spring of
1926 and talked to Dr. Wyland about the formation of Alpha Phi Omega. At
this meeting Dr. Wyland said that BSA would not officially recognized
Alpha Phi Omega until it had survived for 5 years. We certainly did so and
Dr. Wyland did help communicate information on APO around BSA even before
official recognition.
However Dr. Wyland was willing to travel to the first annual banquet of
Alpha Phi Omega on May 20th, 1926. At that point he became a brother of
Alpha Phi Omega along with 8 other students and Professor Harry E. Brown.
In fact at that Banquet, Raymond Jacoby, a brother who had been initiated
earlier in the spring (along with several others including Josiah Frank),
was chapter Grand Master (equivalent to chapter president).
So it is my belief that to refer to him as a founder is a disservice. He
wasn't there when we were founded, he was made an advisor at the same time
as a Lafayette advisor who is not considered a founder and became a
brother months after Josiah Frank, who is not considered a founder even
though he is the first historian for the fraternity.
Sources:
Lafayette College Admissions
National History Book (1992)
Our Heritage: History of the Founding of Alpha Phi Omega by Ralph W.
Widener (1965)
Pledge Manual (2001)
YiLFS
Randolph Finder
Section 84 staff
--
Leadership, Friendship and Service - Alpha Phi Omega
