Pi Kappa Alpha
Encyclopedia
Pi Kappa Alpha (sometimes called Pike, PiKA, or Pi Kap) is a Greek social fraternity
with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States
and Canada
.
on March 1, 1868 by Robertson Howard
, Julian Edward Wood
, James Benjamin Sclater Jr.
, Frederick Southgate Taylor
, Littleton Waller Tazewell Bradford
and William Alexander. On March 1 1869, exactly one year after the Alpha Chapter at the University of Virginia was formed, the Beta Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha was founded at Davidson College
. After almost a decade of decline, Pi Kappa Alpha was "re-founded" as part of the Hampden-Sydney Convention, held in a student room of old Cushing Hall
at Hampden–Sydney College. The four delegates to the Hampden-Sydney Convention are referred to as the Junior Founders. It was at this convention that the fraternity defined itself as belonging to "the South." At the New Orleans Convention in 1909, Pi Kappa Alpha officially decided to declare itself a national organization.
that provides funding to the fraternity and its chapters for leadership programs, scholarships, and chapter house facilities. The Pike Foundation also owns the Memorial Headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, built to honor the services rendered by Pi Kappa Alpha members during World War II
.
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
History
The fraternity was founded at the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
on March 1, 1868 by Robertson Howard
Robertson Howard
Robertson Howard , was an attorney, editor for West Publishing, and founder of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.Howard was born December 11, 1847 to Flodoardo R. Howard and Lydia Maria Howard, in Brookeville, Maryland. His mother was of solid Quaker stock and his father was a descendant of the Howards...
, Julian Edward Wood
Julian Edward Wood
Julian Edward Wood , was a founder of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.Wood was the son of William Edward Wood and Sophia Marchant Wood and was born in 1844 in Currituck County, North Carolina, not far from the site of the ill-fated Raleigh colony on Roanoke Island. His father, a practicing physician,...
, James Benjamin Sclater Jr.
James Benjamin Sclater Jr.
James Benjamin Sclater, Jr. was a founder of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.Sclater was born in Orange County, Virginia, on July 19, 1847, the son of James Benjamin Sclater, Sr. and Harriet Sclater. Soon after his birth, his father moved to Richmond, where for many years, he was in the general...
, Frederick Southgate Taylor
Frederick Southgate Taylor
Frederick Southgate Taylor , was a successful businessman, politician, avid philanthropist, and founder of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity....
, Littleton Waller Tazewell Bradford
Littleton Waller Tazewell Bradford
Littleton Waller Tazewell Bradford was a prominent Virginia politician and a founder of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.Bradford, a cousin of fellow Pi Kappa Alpha founder Frederick Southgate Taylor, was born in Norfolk, Virginia on July 16, 1848, the son of Edmund Bradford and Anne Elizabeth Bradford...
and William Alexander. On March 1 1869, exactly one year after the Alpha Chapter at the University of Virginia was formed, the Beta Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha was founded at Davidson College
Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. The college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked in the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine, although it has recently dropped to 11th in U.S. News...
. After almost a decade of decline, Pi Kappa Alpha was "re-founded" as part of the Hampden-Sydney Convention, held in a student room of old Cushing Hall
Cushing Hall
Cushing Hall is a dormitory at Hampden-Sydney College in southside Virginia. Built in sections from 1822–1833, Cushing Hall is the oldest four story dormitory still in use in the United States...
at Hampden–Sydney College. The four delegates to the Hampden-Sydney Convention are referred to as the Junior Founders. It was at this convention that the fraternity defined itself as belonging to "the South." At the New Orleans Convention in 1909, Pi Kappa Alpha officially decided to declare itself a national organization.
The Shield and Diamond
The Shield and Diamond is the official quarterly publication of Pi Kappa Alpha, which was first printed in December 1890 by Robert Adger Smythe, the then Grand Secretary and Treasurer, under the name "The Pi Kappa Alpha Journal". The name was later changed to "The Shield and Diamond" in 1891.Pike University
Pike University refers to the collection of leadership programs that forms the foundation of Pi Kappa Alpha's educational curriculum.The Pike Foundation
Founded in 1948, the Pike Foundation is the charitable organizationCharitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
that provides funding to the fraternity and its chapters for leadership programs, scholarships, and chapter house facilities. The Pike Foundation also owns the Memorial Headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, built to honor the services rendered by Pi Kappa Alpha members during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.