A History of Beta

It has long been claimed that Beta of Pi Kappa Alpha was the first Greek letter fraternity at Davidson College.  A college historian later dispelled this myth.  Another letter fraternity had existed, but was destroyed by the Civil War.  Below is Robert Lafferty's recollection of the founding of Beta:

"In the year 1869, while the partisan feeling was still very strong between the North and South, five young mean at Davidson agreed to form a chapter of the Pi K. A. fraternity.  This Southern Fraternity, that had been so recently established at the University of Virginia, was brought to their notice by Brother A. W. Knox, of Alpha Chapter who had friends at Davidson, to whom he proposed the establishing of this chapter.

"The five names that were inscribed upon this, the first charter ever issued by the parent chapter, were Alfred J. Morrison, Phillip H. Pitts, T. B. Bailey, George W. Walton, and Wilson J. McKay.  As it was not convenient for a member of Alpha to be present at the establishing of the chapter, the charter was sent to these men, who adopted it, and were enrolled as 'Beta Chapter' on the first day of March 1869 -- just one year after the Mother Chapter was founded.

"At this time there were no other Greek letter fraternities at Davidson, and Beta had no regular hall in which to meet, but met, in order to secure greater secrecy, in a rear room on the second story of the large two-story brick storehouse, which stands on main street, almost opposite the Presbyterian Church.

"But sad to relate these meetings were few, for the faculty was opposed to the existence of secret fraternities, and when, to the surprise of both students and faculty, these loyal Pi K. A.s appeared wearing the 'Shield and Diamond', the faculty immediately passed a rule prohibiting secret fraternities.  If this rule was in existence before, none of the boys had ever heard of it, so in founding this chapter these noble young men had no idea they were antagonizing the faculty.

"When informed of the action taken by the faculty, a meeting was called and the matter was fully discussed, and we are proud and thankful to say that these brothers, rather than oppose and disobey the faculty, or lower the standard of our Order by keeping a 'sub-rosa' chapter, decided to return their charter and give up the Order, for which they had worked so hard.

"But in these few months of her existence these noble brethren had not been idle, for they had taken in men who are today leaders in church and state, and men of whom we are justly proud.  Among early Beta members we find Dr. W. J. McKay, a prominent minister of South Carolina and chairman of the Board of Trustees of Davidson College, Hon. T. B. Bailey, a leading lawyer of Mocksville, N.C., Dr. George Summey, Chancellor of the Southwestern Presbyterian University, and the Hon. Franklin McNeill, a lawyer of Maxton, N.C. who has quite a wide reputation.

"For this infant of Pi Kappa Alpha, although her life was short, the members conceived an everlasting love.  And many are the expressions of this love that fill the letters of these happy brethren when they speak of the pleasant memories of the happy days at Davidson twenty-five years ago.

"So Beta died the first martyr of Pi K. A.  She died for what she thought was right, and in so doing threw credit upon the entire fraternity.  Who does not respect, honor and love those loyal brethren who gave up what was dear to them rather than disobey the laws, and thus throw dishonor upon Pi K. A.?  We do love and honor above all those noble men who instructed their committee, in informing Dr. McPhail of this decision to disband, to say 'in plain terms that we have disbanded our Chapter, and that we do not intend to carry it on unless we can do it openly and above board, as we regard its ties too sacred for any other procedure.'..."

Re-establishment of the chapter in 1894 resulted from the eventual convergence of the work of two groups, initiated separately but with the same high objectives.  Outside the college campus, the tradition of the 1879 group and its excellence had persisted among Pi Kappa Alphas, and the leaders at the Hampden-Sydney Convention in 1889 firmly determined that Beta was to be re-established.  The ban on fraternities at Davidson had been lifted and a new Beta would stand as a symbol on the campus of a re-awakened ideal.  After a few years of rebuilding, Beta was back on its feet again.

Segments Reprinted from Historical Notes on Beta Chapter by A. M. Hillhouse (Class of '24).  Published by the Author in 1960.