

It was not until he moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he met an old German printer in whom he had confidence, that he entrusted the esoteric materials of the Fraternity to a commercial printer.

Kappa Alpha Psiįor years, in order to safeguard the ritualistic secrets of the Fraternity, Diggs laboriously typed and bound the rituals. Having adopted a motto which mutually suited them, they carried a sketch of the coat of arms to a commercial engraver in Fort Wayne, from which he made the first metal plate. In selecting a suitable motto, Diggs, Armstrong, and Lee solicited the aid of a Professor of Greek Art at Indiana Technical College at Fort Wayne, Indiana. Work on the latter was completed during the following summer by Diggs, Armstrong, and Lee while they were pursuing employment at a hotel in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

By the end of the first year, working together, Diggs and Armstrong had completed the ritual and had commenced work on the coat of arms. Accordingly, much of the credit for the organization’s survival through this period is shared by these three men.įrom its inception, every endeavor was directed toward establishing the Fraternity upon a strong foundation before embarking on plans of expansion. Lee, who comprised the remainder of the original Grand Board of Directors, the infant Fraternity was guided through the most perilous years of its life. Through his leadership and indefatigable application, augmented by the efforts of B.K. Thus, the name acquired a distinctive Greek letter symbol and Kappa Alpha Psi thereby became a Greek letter Fraternity in every sense of the designation.įrom its inception, and for the next six years, Brother Diggs served as the Grand Polemarch of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. This change became effective April 15, 1915, on a proclamation by the then Grand Polemarch, Elder Watson Diggs. The Constitution of Kappa Alpha Psi is predicated upon and dedicated to, the principles of achievement through a truly democratic Fraternity.Ĭhartered and incorporated originally under the laws of the State of Indiana as Kappa Alpha Nu on May 15, 1911, the name was changed to Kappa Alpha Psi on a resolution offered and adopted at the Grand Chapter in December 1914. It is a fact of which Kappa Alpha Psi is justly proud that the Constitution has never contained any clause which either excluded or suggested the exclusion of a man from membership merely because of his color, creed, or national origin. It was the vision of these astute men that enabled them in the school year 1910 – 11, more specifically the night of January 5, 1911, on the campus of Indiana University at Bloomington, Indiana, to sow the seed of a fraternal tree whose fruit is available to, and now enjoyed by, college men everywhere, regardless of their color, religion or national origin. It is the beautiful realization of a vision shared commonly by the late Revered Founders, Elder Watson Diggs, John Milton Lee, Byron Kenneth Armstrong, Guy Levis Grant, Ezra Dee Alexander, Henry Tourner Asher, Marcus Peter Blakemore, Paul Waymond Caine, Edward Giles Irvin and George Wesley Edmonds. Kappa Alpha Psi, a college Fraternity, now comprised of functioning undergraduate and alumni chapters on major campuses and in cities throughout the country, is the crystallization of a dream. The 33rd Grand Polemarch of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc., Thomas Battles, Alpha Xi / Stockbridge-Jonesboro (GA) Alumni pictured here with Senior Grand Vice Polemarch, Reuben A.
