The Knights Eternal

[Erik P Conard]

Where did "The Knights Eternal" originate, when, and what is
the significance of it today?
Clue--Lenwood....

[The1calledTKE]

I figure you mean Lenwood Cochran. He was very active in the 70's so I will shoot for that time period. But otherwise I never heard of "The Knights Eternal".

[Erik P Conard]

There was a time in the 60s when Furman University in SC,
home of the Gamma Mu chapter of TKE, banned all national
fraternities. Our chapter, a strong one, took the name as a local,
The Knights Eternal, alluding to TKE. They hung on for these years and was encouraged by the Greenville, SC alumni chapter, largely headed by Lenny S Cochran, supported by Les
Hudson. The alumni chapter would initiate members of The
Knights upon graduation. Eventually, the Baptists decided that
fraternities and dancing was not all that bad, and TKE plus the
others came back to Furman.
The Knights Eternal has been adopted in subsequent years by
interest groups, some not allowed to affiliate, as the letters were
the same as Tau Kappa Epsilon, and the sweat shirts would read T K E--thereby sidestepping the school's reticence.
By the way, Lenwood S. Cochran served on the Grand Council
a long time, three terms as Grand Grammateus. The late Ed
Georgeff, in nothing this, mentioned that Leland F. "Pete" Leland
had served many terms as Grand Histor. The ever-jokester Ed
bestowed the moniker Lenwood S Lenwood for that reason. We
have had a lot of fun over the years calling our beloved Lenny this name. Almost forgotten, I was behind him walking outside
during the Indianapolis Conclave, and said--"There goes Lenwood S. Lenwood.!" His wife Jean laughed and Lenny said,
without turning around "There is only one frater alive who'd say
that (Jim Kane had just died)" Erik Conard, how on earth are you?..been many years (over twenty)...We had supper together.
A fun story about a dear Frater. YITB, Erik

[The1calledTKE]

Wow thats very interesting. I never heard of that but that was a great idea. TKE should apply that to schools that don't allow fraternities anymore, if they just don't go ahead and start a chapter without the schools blessing.

[Erik P Conard]

TKE has plenty to do besides attempting to go on where we are
not wanted. Very few colleges have banned fraternities, a much
smaller number than one'd imagine.
BUT a lot of those who have, such a Williams, Bowdoin, a few
in the East, are not of the type, frankly, that TKE would give a rat's about entering anyway. Some schools, like Dartmouth,
have made a limp-dick attempt to banish fraternities in favor of
co-ed groups...they have failed miserably. Take a look at the
composites of the now-co-ed Greeks at Bowdoin. Talk about a
group of ..well, you be the judge!
Harvard, recently quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Education,
has said that the Greek fraternity movement is far superior as a
style of living and that after sixty some years without them they
are seriously considering the complete re-establishment of the
system there. We shall wait and see.
The sun is setting, though, in my opinion--at the so-called elite
or ivy-league schools. The dumbing-down of entry and the grading at these schools have expunged a lot of luster....Again we shall wait and see.

[teke4life]

amen, brother conard. does anyone have any inside info on those expansion consultants that nationals was talking about hiring?

[Erik P Conard]

Who is nationals? Did we pull all our Canadian Charters?
Nationals? Is it plural? What happened to 'International'?
I am not familiar with the term "Expansion Consultants." Where
did you get it?
Of the new charters issued by TKE, likely 80 or 90 per cent of them are reactivations, i.e., returning to campuses where we've
previously been. Very few "new" campuses for TKE, very few places we've not been that we really want to go..a few, not many
We have chartered about 455 schools and over 200 of them are
inactive. We have plenty to do to revive where we have failed.
Have you looked around you and thought about bringing TKE back to those schools? They have orphaned alumni and it is a
most rewarding experience. Contact HQ or your Regional Director--a great deed you can do for us all.
Expansion includes reactivations.
Our Grand Council turns down a great number of requests for
interest group recognition...most due to small numbers. We do
not need the practice in bringing in negative-cash flow groups,
and if you are under sixty these days, you are a drag....sorry, my
opinion, you may disagree. Check your ledger sheet, though

[teke4life]

international, ogc, the big cheese in indianapolis, whatever.

anyways, on tke.org they had an aritcle asking fraters to send in their resumes for a new postion "expansion consultant". supposedly (and i was looking for feeback), "nationals" has a new high-speed plan for colonizing and founding chapters. i have no idea if their planning on recolonizing old chapters, or if there is some glut of new colleges that are just dying to have greeks there.

[Tom Earp]

E C as you can tell, you and I are of the old school!

I have been using International for some time because of my Canadian Brothers! Even Though Hdqts still uses National! Da!

KS uses volunteer Reps for regions as my Skoal Rep has 6 chapters in Ks.

LXA has had TS' now ELC' Ed. Leader Consultants! Many times I call it something else! We also have expansion Team working out of HDQT!

Glad to see you have not backed off to much because of some of the Morons who bad rapped you!
Have you talked to John Laws? Have heard nothing from him!

George is still around and would be a Hoot if you guys got together like the old days

Keep up the great work Interfraternal Brother! B P is a Hoot is he not! I like he and would love to meet him one day! I think he knows almost as much as you do, well maybe a little less!

In Luck on The Good Dr. R ?

[Erik P Conard]

The field representative has been known over the past fifty years
by many names, the most common was Field Secretary. These
began with someone from headquarters who'd visit a chapter,
look at the books, read the minutes, pay a 'courtesy' call to the
dean, have a meal or two with the chapter, deliver a rousing talk, stay up late and leave early the next day or two.
The onset of WWII created a need for opening up vacated chapters, and starting new ones.
Old codgers like me now could not relate well with the vets or the youngins. So, young men were put on the road. Of course, there were the older men who persisted on the old ways, like
Chi Psi, or Phi Delt...no offense meant, but they had a much different perspective.
Sig Ep and Teke especially sought young men, fresh out of school who'd work long hours, cheap, and were effective in the
rush techniques needed. Soon other fraternities did likewise.
SAE fielded a sharp dresser, in his 30s, Phi Gam likewise, and
Wilson Heller of the College Survey Bureau (Pike, Mo '15), was
effective in evoking change from Secretary to Supervisor. Later
Consultant or some other buzz word was used. But the fact was
that the proliferation of colleges opened the door to expansion and the old men could not sustain the "knights of the road" rigors, and outfits like Teke and Sig Ep especially, went wild with
starting new chapters. I know, I spent two years on the road and
met many of the "fielders," most of whom were very suspicious
of us Tekes...who'd take about anybody. But I saw TKE go from
#14 in size to #1 in about six years. Others followed. I know I got several chapters for fraternities and sororities other than my
own. While some of the snooty sororities were busy arguing over draperies, Delta Zeta was expanding, and several other women's groups. It would appear to me that only Chi Omega of
the biggies has made a real recovery, and the old teachers' college ones like Sigma Sigma Sigma have kicked many a butt
of the latecomers to those campuses they'd been on for forty years. 'Twas fun to watch, and I did not dislike any of 'em. The
female field rep was much later in coming, but they, too, have
become "angels of the road."
It was fun butting heads with the other fielders when we'd be on
the same campus, often setting up a rush program for a weak chapter. We'd sometimes acknowledge each other, sometimes
not. Some of us played James Bond....I went thru rush week with the matriculates at Whitman, was successful in recruiting
a huge pledge class for TKE...telling this after over forty years,
whipping Beta, Phi, Delt, Sig with an enormous class to propel
the nerdy Tekes to the top for many decades to come....my opinion, of course. But, 'twas fun. And, sometimes I'd t ake the
field rep to supper or for drinks, filling him in with the latest on the expansion trail. Those days no one was even close as to the survey of campuses or potential chapter locations...Again, it
was fun, and to this day I am still friends with some of those other fielders of yore.
Well, kids, it is getting time to pass the torch, but some of us old
timers in all the fraternities have some interesting tales. We do
think so, anyway. Give us a bit of time, and we will tell you some
fun stories while we still have the time.

[The1calledTKE]

Keep on passing on all that knowledge Erik. It can be passed on throughout the new generations of Tekes and the Legend of Frater Erik Conard will live on.

[StrokerTKE]

I for one would love to hear some stories, any you feel like sharing...whether here or in a PM or even email. Our chapter has been slow in piecing together our past, and would love any stories you have of Terre Haute. I know of at least 1 other chapter (gamma nu at University of Toledo) that just recieved their colony charter a week ago that would love to know anything of their past.

Let me know if u ever visit the indiana area. I'll take ya out to dinner and listen to some of your stories while i can tell you some of our new ones. A few spring to mind that i'm sure any teke would love to hear.