APhiA and Beta Theta Pi

[Senusret I]

I received an email on yesterday which stated this:

...members of Beta Theta Pi, the Fraternity that cites Alpha Phi Alpha in their history as a fraternal organization it assisted in developing at Cornell U. in the years of 1905 and 1906 according to Brother Hall and Charlie Warner, General Secratary of Beta Theta Pi and current administrator at West Chester University.

(It was a caption from a photograph. Brother Hall is our National Executive Director.)

Could a Beta Theta Pi member with access to a history book verify this? (Proper name of the book and page number would be especially helpful )

Just so you know, several of our founders worked as waiters in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Beta Theta Pi fraternity houses at Cornell. Though it is not mentioned in our primary history book, it is mentioned in our Centennial Book of Essays and Letters and an unofficial (yet highly accurate) book called The Talented Tenth: The Founders and Presidents of Alpha.

Please PM me or respond here if you'd like to know more from our perspective.

[Coramoor]

I would love to hear more.

Unfortunately I can't help out with the quote. My fraternity history books and all the chapter history books I have are back home right now.

[a.e.B.O.T.]

As soon as Dr. Thursday reads this, you'll have your answer.

[EE-BO]

Very true aeBOT, Dr. Thursday will surely have some answers.

Senusret, I have emailed your query to someone at our HQ as well to see if any of our historians can shed some light on this. I will post any info I receive.

I do not keep close tabs on Beta history, but I gave it a lot of attention when I was an active- and I have never heard about this before.

I would be interested to hear more from your perspective as well.

[Senusret I]

I have to first say that the fraternity listed in the first book is "Theta Beta Pi" but it is widely believed that this is a misprint and should be "Beta Theta Pi." If someone has a Baird's that might be helpful to see who was on campus in 1906.

From Henry Arthur Callis: Life and Legacy (Page 25):

It is of interest to observe that fraternity information was secured by Callis [a founder] from his work at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and by George Kelley [another founder] who also worked at the house of Theta Beta Pi Fraternity. Callis wrote of these contacts...

• Much of the ceremony of initiation was gotten directly from the old historical fraternities at Cornell and was modified to suit our purposes. When the members of these organizations became acquainted with our purposes, they were quite free with information about their own secret proceedings.

In line with the above statement by Jewel Callis about white fraternities, the same idea was advanced by Jewel Nathaniel Murray,

• Ideas were borrowed from the white fraternities and modified to suit our own initiatory ceremonies, but the [yeah this partwas borderline ritualistic, sorry ] was original with our seven founders.

Next, from The Talented Tenth, page 69:

Noticing from his work as a waiter at the Theta Beta Pi house that the white fraternities had pins, he thought it would be a good idea for the Alpha Phi Alpha Society to have one also.


There must have been a mistake in the original notes that transposed the letters and it's stuck over the years.

[BigRedBeta]

I really enjoy Beta history, but I also don't remember hearing any of this. That said, because Beta is so old, and because expansion was such an early goal, I know that we claim to have connections to quite a number of organizations - whether through bloodlines (Beta's were brothers or fathers to other organization founders) or direct assistance.

[Senusret I]

FINALLY, a mention with the correct letters:

Page 49, Notes on the Founding of Alpha, by Jewel Henry Arthur Callis, from Centennial Book of Essays and Letters:

In the months that followed, [Eugene] Kinckle Jones and I were associated closely. We were both students of the social sciences, government and economics. Together, we wrote the first constitution of Alpha Phi Alpha in my room in the old Beta Theta Pi house.

[ECUJacob]

great research work, Senusret.

[Senusret I]

Thanks

[EE-BO]

Senusret, I have not been able to get anyone to give me any more info than what I told you in PM- and for the benefit of everyone that was just a couple of people at Oxford saying there was some kind of connection, but not able to give concrete evidence that Beta actually helped Alpha versus Alpha perhaps being inspired by Beta to some degree.

Given how incredibly similar all the traditionally white fraternities are, I find it hard to believe that Beta had a direct influence on Alpha Phi Alpha which has a completely different focus and perspective.

So I think it logical to assume that there might be some loose link to Beta- even as basic as future Alpha founders just being around the house and liking the fraternal concept, but it seems far-fetched to assume that Beta played any kind of active part in the formation of Alpha.

[Senusret I]

Thanks, EE-BO! I have appreciated your PMs in this matter as well as the public comments of you and your brothers.