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History of the TKE Fraternity
On the cold night of January 10, 1899, students of Illinois Wesleyan University in the small midwestern town of Bloomington had just returned from the Christmas holidays when Joseph L. Settles went to the room occupied by James C. McNutt and Clarence A. Mayer at 504 East Locust Street to propose the organization of a new society on campus. Joined immediately by Owen I. Truitt and C. Roy Atkinson, these five students then drew up the first set of regulations for the Knights of Classic Lore, a society whose avowed purpose was "to aid men in mental, moral and social development."
Because of his late arrival for this meeting, James J. Love was made the first Candidate after which he, George A. Thorpe and Edwin A. Palmer became the first initiates of this new organization. Although Settles was the leader in organizing the society, Atkinson was elected President and McNutt was chosen as Secretary.
There were two fraternities already in existence at Illinois Wesleyan in 1899, both with more than 50 chapters nationally. Phi Gamma Delta had been established at Illinois Wesleyan University in 1866, while Sigma Chi had begun there in 1883. In addition, two other nation fraternities - Phi Delta Theta and Delta Tau Delta - had inactive chapters at Illinois Wesleyan, the Phi Delts existing from 1878-1897 and the Delts from 1877-1880.
The founders of the Knights of Classic Lore, however, desired an organization different from that represented by existing fraternities. Their desire was to establish a fraternity in which the primary requisites for membership would be the personal worth and character of the individual rather than the wealth he possessed, the honors or titles he could display, or the rank he maintained on a social ladder. The snobbery and disdain for persons outside their fraternity - a common characteristic of many fraternities at this time - was regarded with disfavor by the founders of Knights of Classic Lore.
It was not long after their recognition on campus, however, that the Knights of Classic Lore were approached by some of the alumni of the Illinois Epsilon chapter of Phi Delta Theta, whose charter had been surrendered in 1897. The Phi Delt alumni saw in this new group an opportunity for the restoration of its charter and, accordingly, interested themselves in converting it into a strong local fraternity. Through the persuasion and effort of Richard Henry Little, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune and one of the most prominent Phi Delt alumni, the Knights presented a petition to the Phi Delta Theta national organization at its convention in 1902. The petition was rejected.
In order that their organization might be more attractive to Phi Delta Theta, it was decided that a Greek-letter name should be adopted. The name "Knights of Classic Lore" was therefore abandoned and the Greek Letters Tau Kappa Epsilon selected. As a further step, a fraternity house was rented. It is significant that this was the first fraternity house at Illinois Wesleyan although Phi Gamma Delta and Sigma Chi had both been in existence on campus for many years. The Wilder Mansion, former home of President Wilder of the University, became the first TKE house.
In the ensuing years, the Phi Delt alumni and some of the undergraduate members of Tau Kappa Epsilon continued to press for affiliation with Phi Delta Theta, with petitions being presented at the 1904 and 1906 Phi Delt national conventions. In each instance, however, the petition was either withdrawn or postponed. It is reported that one of the petitions came within one vote of being accepted.
At the annual initiation banquet of TKE held October 19, 1907m William G. McCauley delivered his famous address entitled "Opportunity out of Defeat." This banquet marked a turning point in the sentiment of the fraternity towards becoming a part of Phi Delta Theta. Frater McCauley's remarks became one of
the most significant turning points in the history of Tau Kappa Epsilon. The decision was made to abandoned all attempts at joining Phi Delta Theta. Instead, the fraternity looked to the future. The leaders of the fraternity pressed forward toward their goal to build TKE into a strong national fraternity. Approximately two months after the national constitution was ratified, the second, or Beta chapter was installed on Saturday, April 17, 1909. The third TKE chapter at the University of Illinois was founded on February 3, 1912.
The significance of the location of these first three chapters, closely approximating an equilateral triangle on a map, was at once realized and has been symbolized ever since by the traditional position and shape of the badge. Because of the geographical significance of these chapters, consideration was given to cutting off any further growth. This was not to be however as Delta chapter was installed on November 22, 1912. Since that time, Tau Kappa Epsilon has continued to grow and prosper as a fraternity. Today, there are over 400 chapters in the United States and Canada, over 200,000 TKE alumni and thousands of undergraduate members. |
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