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 HISTORY OF PHI-KAPPA ZETA
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The following
appeared in what Dennis Drew, High Kappa at the time, called the "local Paed,"
or our chapter's local Paedagogus in the Fall of 1988. Dr. Bill
Nowell wrote this history of our chapter's beginnings a few years after we
received our charter.
During
the summer of 1982, Mike Mixson, having been initiated into Lambda Chi Alpha
at Troy State and having recently transferred to AUM, wanted to start a local
chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha. Pam Spivey, a co-worker of Mike's at
Gayfers, knew Russ Russell, a Lambda Chi from Auburn who was then at AUM, and
knew that Russ had made an unsuccessful attempt to start a Lambda Chi chapter
at AUM. Pam gave Mike Russ's name, and the two began to work together,
writing the General Fraternity and asking for support in starting a chapter.
Interested individuals, led by Brothers Mixson and Russell, set up a
recruitment booth during Fall 1982 Orientation. The new recruits held
regular meetings at the Mixson house through that fall. The members of
that initial group who would eventually become Lambda Chis were Mike Arnette,
Mike Camerio, Jay Tate Custard, Jimmy Dickey, John Free, Kyle Gilreath, Smitty
Grider, Perry Haynes, Jack Hudson, Kevin Jeter, Tim Mitchell, Jim O'Brien,
Steve Oswald, Tony Pinckard, Marc Sandlin, and Robbie Sandlin.
The
members of this new local club bound themselves together with an oath based
upon the Lambda Chi Alpha Associate Member Ceremony, but they were not yet
able officially to identify themselves with Lambda Chi Alpha. As fall
quarter progressed, the group expanded to include Mike Bird, Buddy Bowick,
Charles Crumpton, Danny Culpepper, Don Mahone, Joey McNees, and Paul
Watson. The group held its first sorority swap in November with Delta
Zeta. They were beginning to attract attention on campus. In
December, they held a Christmas party with Delta Zeta.
At
this time, the acting officers were Mike Mixson, President; Russ Russell, Vice
President; Mike Arnette, Secretary; Robbie Sandlin, Treasurer; and Kyle
Gilreath, Rush Chairman.
Lambda
Chi Alpha Fraternity responded to the overtures from the local group by
sending staff member Dave Leathers to visit the campus in January, 1983, to
evaluate the group. Brother Leathers was impressed with both the size
and quality of the group and quickly recommended that they be made a colony of
Lambda Chi Alpha. The meeting with Dave Leathers coincided with the
first time that Dr. Bill Nowell of the AUM mathematics department met with the
group. Mike Arnette had recognized Dr. Nowell's name on a list of local
Lambda Chi Alpha alumni and had invited him to the meeting.
Director of Expansion Rand Goodman came to Montgomery during March 12 through
25 to organize the new colony. The group experienced different
activities each night for two weeks in order to learn as much as possible
about Lambda Chi Alpha. Nightly celebrations at Cowboy's and The Pub
were also highlights of this period.
A rush
party at the Marx House in Pike Road resulted in the addition of Bob Hansen
and Alan Turner to the membership. James Eckerly, a Lambda Chi initiate
of the South Alabama chapter, had also joined the group. A meeting of
Lambda Chi Alpha alumni at Howard Johnson's recruited alumni support for the
colony. Randy Bilbro, a Troy State alumnus and former Student Advisory
Committee member, assisted with alumni recruitment and worked closely with the
chapter over the next two years.
The colony organization
climaxed with the election of officers on March 22 and the association of the
new members on March 23. The following were elected as the founding
colony officers: High Alpha, Mike Mixson; High Beta, Russ Russell; High Gamma,
Perry Haynes; High Tau, Jack Hudson; High Delta, Jimmy Dickey; High Kappa,
Steve Oswalt; High Phi, Smitty Grider; High Epsilon, Jimbo Eckerly; High
Sigma, Charles Crumpton; and High Rho, Mike Arnette. Dr. Nowell was
appointed High Pi.
The
Troy State chapter conducted the Associate Member Ceremony in the AUM
University Center on March 23 for the members of the local group not already
members of Lambda Chi Alpha. The group picture made at that time
appeared in the summer issue of The Cross and Crescent. Following
the ceremony, the colony conducted its first business meeting.
On
April 23, 1983, the new colony was formally installed. Rand Goodman
returned for the installation. The new members were initiated that night
in the auditorium of Georgia Washington Junior High School by a ritual team
from Troy State. Earlier that day the colony raised funds with a car
wash at the old Pizza Hut on the Eastern Bypass. They met for dinner at
Western Sizzler. After the ceremony, most of the members went back to
Rand Goodman's room at Howard Johnson's to celebrate.
Before a colony can receive a charter and be elevated to chapter status, it
must demonstrate successful operation as a colony for at least a year and meet
the standards of chapter operation. The AUM colony spent the rest of
1983 and 1984 achieving those goals. Each month the officers submitted
reports to the General Fraternity of the progress made.
The colony held its first large-scale social event on May 16, 1983. This
Lei in May celebration was to become an annual event. Eighty cases of
beer and a good supply of Perry's famous hunch punch [note, this was
undoubtedly prior to the development of Lambda Chi's risk management program]
ensured a good time for all. The first Lei in May was a major factor in
recruitment. Most of the members who would join during the next six
months were at the party.
High Alpha Mixson resigned in May, and the colony elected Russ Russell as the
second High Alpha. He led the colony's efforts to meet the standards of
chapter operation. Russ, along with Perry Haynes, Jimmy Dickey and
Charles Crumpton represented the colony at the fraternity's Leadership Seminar
at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, during the summer of 1983.
The social highlight of the fall was a swap with Alpha Gamma Delta. This
was a country western social complete with a hayride.
The colony continued its rapid growth. Five new associate members joined
during the summer and fifteen were added during fall rush. As a result,
the new colony had the largest number of new members among campus
fraternities. In January of 1984, the first ritual team composed of
members of the colony initiated these new associates.
Russ Russell left AUM in the spring of 1984 to finish his degree at
Auburn. Jim O'Brien was elected High Alpha and took over the task of
developing the colony into a chartered chapter. Danny Culpepper and
Buddy Bowick also made major contributions to these efforts.
That summer the colony benefited from a special retreat organized by chapter
consultant Larry Young. The entire staff of first-year consultants came
down from Indianapolis along with Director of Chapter Services Frank Maez.
Special workshops and plans for chartering were mixed with water skiing and
other fun at the lake.
Lambda Chi Alpha celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary with a special
General Assembly in New Orleans during August of 1984. High Beta Danny
Culpepper and High Pi Dr. Nowell represented the colony at this special
event. At this time of the General Assembly the colony successfully
petitioned the Grand High Zeta to receive a charter.
On October 20, 1984, the chapter officially became Phi-Kappa Zeta during a
formal banquet at Rolling Hills Country Club. A zeta designation is the
Greek letter name assigned to a chapter indicating the order in which they
receive their charter. For example, Boston University is Alpha Zeta
because it was the first.
The main speaker at the Charter Banquet was Dr. Murphy Osborne, Grand High
Beta. The charter was presented by Director of Chapter Services Frank
Maez. Other special guests included former Grand High Zeta member Bobby
Ray Hicks and chapter consultants Dave Huffine and Bill Marks. Russ
Russell was toastmaster and received the award for outstanding member during
the time as a colony.
Phi-Kappa Zeta received its first major award from the International
Fraternity in 1994 when it received the Tozier Brown Public Service Award for
an outstanding project, for a project it participated in benefiting residents
of a home for the handicapped.
Chapter Advisors - Phi-Kappa Zeta has had relatively few chapter
advisors during its 22 years as a interest group, colony, and chartered
chapter. In chronological order, our advisors have been: Dr. Bill
Nowell, Kappa-Omega 566; Perry Haynes, Phi-Kappa 006; Donnie Sasser, Phi-Kappa
65; Brian Hale, Phi-Kappa 151; and Clark Ward, Phi-Kappa 185.
International Ritual Team Members - Phi-Kappa Zeta has had three
members participate as members of Lambda Chi Alpha's International Ritual
Team. The International Ritual Team performs the fraternity's initiation
ritual at summer General Assemblies and Leadership Conferences. Brother
Brian Hale, Phi-Kappa 151, was a team member at the 1994 General Assembly in
Indianapolis, Indiana; Brother Danny DePlanche, Phi-Kappa 181, was a team member at the 1996
General Assembly in Dallas, Texas; and Brother Jason Goodson, Phi-Kappa 236,
was a team member at the 2001 Leadership Seminar in Ames, Iowa.
Student Advisory Committee Members - The Student Advisory Committee is a
committee of undergraduate members representing each of the conclave areas
who advise and assist the Grand High Zeta (the International Fraternity's
Board of Directors) and professional staff in their duties and
decisions. Brothers Brian Hale, Phi-Kappa 151 -- (1994-95 term), and Kyle Shirley,
Phi-Kappa 281 -- (2005-06
term), have served as members of the
Student Advisory Committee, representing the 21 chapters in the Dixie Conclave
(the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee).
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