Legend of Blackfoot/Whitefoot

[KyleMcGuire1983]

Yeah, apparently the black-feet thing was a footwashing ceremony with some kind of Christian significance.

Not sure how Hopkins interpreted that as hazing, I think it was his ejection and the secrecy that made him feel something suspicious was going on. The Legion of Honor was an anti-hazing vehicle that was used to fight off bullies at VMI though, and we all know what became of the Legion....so it's all good.

ATO was founded in 66, right? That's three years before Sigma Nu and apparently hazing was still widespread by 1868....

[UWGATO]

Alpha Tau Omega was founded on Sept. 11, 1865 in Glazebrook's father's home in Richmond, with Marshall and Ross present.....probably before they reported back to VMI in Lexington. I had never really heard the Blackfoot/Whitefoot story done that well. We'll probably never be able to separate fact from myth, but either way it's told, it's still a good story. To quote a newspaper editor character in the movie, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence," starring John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and Lee Marvin, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

[Zipcreature]

Interesting story. I've actually never heard this "Blackfoot/Whitefoot" story, nor did we get to watch the Lords of Discipline movie while pledging, but our new pledges will certainly be watching it.

- Dan Cameron

[banditone]

We all heard the story of black foot / white foot, and we had to know the Lexington Triad info.

We also watched that movie... Which was pretty funny. It was shown at our chapter pretty much when it came out.

[BillS]

Everyone is looking at the official version of the story. You have to read between the lines of the ATO history. First the fraternity was founded after the Civil War to bring young men together from both sides. Second the fraternity lost its way and started to only admit members from old southern families. Third the members were in a secret meeting dressed in white robes. Lets put all three together now. After the civil war southern members of ATO in white robes. Think of D. W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” and you have what was going on in the meeting. I don't think many people today can appreciate how different the South was many years ago.

Am I knocking ATO? No, I was an active member back in the late 60’s and still keep up with the few fraternity brothers still living. I believe fraternities can be a very positive experience. Fraternities, even those based on good moral principals can lose their way and that is what happened to a particular chapter of ATO many years ago.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by BillS

Everyone is looking at the official version of the story. You have to read between the lines of the ATO history. First the fraternity was founded after the Civil War to bring young men together from both sides. Second the fraternity lost its way and started to only admit members from old southern families. Third the members were in a secret meeting dressed in white robes. Lets put all three together now. After the civil war southern members of ATO in white robes. Think of D. W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” and you have what was going on in the meeting. I don't think many people today can appreciate how different the South was many years ago.

Am I knocking ATO? No, I was an active member back in the late 60’s and still keep up with the few fraternity brothers still living. I believe fraternities can be a very positive experience. Fraternities, even those based on good moral principals can lose their way and that is what happened to a particular chapter of ATO many years ago.

Interesting stuff Bill.

This kind of makes me wonder about the 'official' version of our history, i.e., that we were founded "against hazing." I'm beginning to come around to the fact that the anti-hazing thing might be a good message for undergrads to hear as it gives more impetus to the LEAD/anti-hazing movement, but I think it [the founding] is probably a much more complicated story than most of us really know.

[BillS]

Our version if my memory serves me is Sigma Nu was founded to give ATO healthy competition. I even heard people say there were versions of the Sigma Nu crest where the snake was spitting out an ATO badge in disgust. I don’t know how the rumor got started or if it is still out there. No doubt it was from some drunken fraternity party.