[Erik P Conard]

Little interest until recently has come as regards the early days of TKE. When I came on the scene as a fielder in the fall of '57
we still had living Founders Mayer, McNutt, + Tex, Bill Wilson,
Joe Pierson, Art Connard, and Wilbur Tuesburg. Not all were imbued with TKE history. I interviewed all these men between
the years '57 and '61, and corresponded with Tex 'til his death.
Logan and later leaders were not at all interested in history, in fact a certain amount of disdain emerged. After the move to Indy
lots of things disappeared or were "purged." No one seems to
know where the local badge collection that Hall, Hougan and I
started. Kane was interested but finally gave up due to the total
disinterest of the long reign in Indy.
It is horrifying to realize how LITTLE history the present folks know about TKE's early days. Things haven't changed one iota.
Lambda Chi friend, Duke, Lawson, et al would shit razor blades if
they thought the history of LXA and TKN were in as bad a shape.
TKE as a name was chosen in 1901, I think, and the first house
was in 1902...the first fraternity house at IWU. During the fall of
'02 Joe Pierson and Wallace McCauley were chosen to select a
badge (sororities had 'pins' and fraternities, 'badges' said Tex)
Prior to that we were simply known as Tekes, which pleased a good many as it was rhymed with Dekes, a prominent fraternity
of an eastern bent plus easier to say....an aside, early members
would complain that folks would say "Deke?" and we would say,
"No, Teke." Funny today...my Deke friends gripe as when they
say "Deke" and the response is "Oh, Teke?" LOL
I was asked if I'd write the 100th anniversary history of TKE,
but declined as I knew how hard it would be to do and I was in
the early stages of bad health. Then Kane and Dave Edmunds, the PhD historian were asked, but Dave was moving on to the U
of AZ and Kane was in the dying throes of diabetes. Mark Fite rose to the occasion but had little understanding of the times
til the 60s. He was starting a new business and now is Grand Prytanis. He sent me his manuscript on the era of the fifties, I read it and didn't even recognize it had much to do with TKE, so
bad was the input. I spent 70 CONSECUTIVE hours re-writing it
as this was MY era. I returned it immediately to Mark in FL, and
that was about ten years ago. Nothing heard of since. I do know
the monies collected for the 100th Edition were spent elsewhere,
and like the Founders' Room, the Knights of Apollo Room, etc....the
funds were simply not there when needed. I do not think it will ever be written, at least it'll pale compared to Pete's. The episode of the "sacred soil" was COMPLETELY misunderstood.
What an embarrassmen that would have been...don't get me started. I am not a stranger to writing, have published a few books and have an earned PhD dissertation on history.
Back to the badge...Joe and Wallace selected a generic badge from a fraternity jeweler's catalog, and it was an equilateral triangle supported by the same TKE scroll we still have. But the
badge was larger. Guys, I never saw one. Tom Hougan and I
looked, virtually tore the KC office apart, asked Hall (who did not
much care). We found the TKE colony pins and most of the locals,
which we DID complete, tho some chapters had no previous
badges. I named some of our colonies myself, and had over a dozen with no badges at all, simply a TKE pledge pin.
The geographical location of Bloomington-Decatur-Champaign was PURE COINCIDENCE and you savvies will note, though, we
wear our badge somewhat at a tilt. This was a concession to the
geographical configuration, no more...yep, pure coincidence. I
was told this by Joe Pierson himself and by Clarence Mayer. Tex
did not come into the fraternity 'til '08. The Golden Book, pp. 48-
49 briefly discusses this, written by McCauley---a rather disagree-
able frater..I never met him--this was Dick Hall's assessment.
I might digress a bit here...Other greeks reading this, STUDY the
history of your outfit, some are GLORIOUS. Kind moderator, let
me rave on, if you will, for I am totally enamored of the histories
of a good many others, like SAE, Sig, Chi Psi, Kappa Sigma Kappa,
ATO, Sig Ep (Sigma Phi + E) so many, even Kappa Sig's baloney....
LOL Read it all with pride and keep it alive. REMEMBER, though, we knew nothing of it prior to pledging, so don't get too puffed up, though I read the Phoenix (SAE) from cover to cover while I
was still in high school. I had planned to go SAE if I went to KS State, Kappa Sig if KU, and had not thought much beyond that.
Lester Henry Martin was a driving force in TKE 'til his death and
had not A J Barr "Jack" been killed, the badge history'd have been
moot. Jack was returning home from a date and was crossing the camel back when his Pierce Arrow Great Eight stalled on the
Illinois Central tracks between Bloomington and Normal and the train hit him. He was a dedicated Phi Delt and
a prominent young attorney in Bloomington. Don't know if he got
lucky in love that night....Kane and I would joke about this when we were drinking with Pete Leland at Conclaves. Tex Flint did not
find this at all funny....
At the installation of Gamma chapter, Feb 3, 1912, it was noted that the location of the three chapters formed a near-perfect equilateral triangle.
So, dear readers, I do not know anything further other than the TKE badge remained virtually unchanged, a bit smaller and a few jewellers later we went to Balfour and today we have a plastic
piece of crap with no engraving...a shame.
Leland Frederick Leland, ne Peterson, had a white gold badge with three diamonds in place of pearls. This is the only deviation
I know of other than some jewels between the pearls...Frank Licher made it for him and so far as I know, it is still in the Leland
family. Pete had no sons; wife Wilma and daughters were AOPis
and Wilma became Nat'l Pres. I have a custom one, emeralds and rubies. And the housemother/sweetheart
badge (every housemother I ever met absolutely loved theirs.
TKE did not, and I am not sure they even know, that Bill Wilson's
middle name was SALTER, not "L" and that Rodney Williams had no middle name. Middle names are missing on several, but it'd
not be too tough to get 'em. Don't get me started.
Ask questions about TKE history anytime, and LXA friend, I hope I
have answered your question.