THE FRATERNITY
Kappa Alpha Psi is the crystallization of a dream!
The founders are:
ELDER WATSON DIGGS, "THE DREAMER'
EZRA DEE ALEXANDER
BYRON KENNETH ARMSTRONG
HENRY T. ASHER
MARCUS PETER BLAKEMORE
PAUL WAYMOND CAINE
GEORGE W. EDMONDS
GUY LEVIS GRANT
EDWARD GILES IRVIN
JOHN MILTON LEE
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 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. The Constitution of KAPPA ALPHA PSI is predicated upon, and dedicated to, the principles of achievement through a truly democratic Fraternity.
​
Charted 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. This change became effective April 15, 1915, on a proclamation by the then Grand Polemarch, Elder Watson Diggs. 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.
​
From its inception, and for the next six years, Brother Diggs served as the Grand Polemarch of KAPPA ALPHA PSI Fraternity. Through his leadership and indefatigable application, augmented by the efforts of B. K. Armstrong, and John M. 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. Accordingly, much of the credit for the organization's survival through this period is shared by these three men.
​
Every endeavor was directed toward establishing the Fraternity upon a strong foundation before embarking on plans of expansion. 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. 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.
​
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. 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.
​
For years, in order to safeguard the ritualisic secrets of the Fraternity, Diggs laboriously typed and bound the rituals. 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.
​
In the spring of 1912 Diggs wrote in a little blue examination book the first Constitution, which was adopted in 1920 with but a few revisions. This edition remained in use until 1926 when it was supplanted by the codified edition jointly written by Diggs, J. Ernest Wilkins, and W. Ellis Stewart. In 1957 the Constitution again underwent major revision.
​
Now substantially established and provided with a Constitution, Ritual, coat of arms, motto, and guiding hand in a dynamic Grand Chapter, the Fraternity was ready for expansion. In the summer of 1912 Diggs visited the University of Illinois at Urbana, Illinois, where he met Earl B. Dickerson, President of the Old "Illini Club." This club constituted the nucleus of the University of Illinois Chapter, the Beta, which was chartered on February 8, 1913. Gamma Chapter (later changed to Indianapolis Alumni Chapter) was established on December 29, 1913, followed by the establishment of Delta Chapter at the University of Iowa, on March 7, 1914. The latter was subsequently changed to Gamma Chapter, and the designation of Delta assigned to the Wilberforce University Chapter at Wilberforce, Ohio. Epsilon Chapter, Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, was established December 4, 1915, as the first chapter in the East. Elder W. Diggs journeyed from Indiana to give this chapter his personal and official installation, recognition and blessing.
​
Thus ended the infancy of KAPPA ALPHA PSI, whereupon the Fraternity embarked upon an era of expansion. Except for the years of World War I and II, when several Grand Chapter meetings were suspended, KAPPA ALPHA PSI has grown and prevailed with unabating impetus.
​
KAPPA ALPHA PSI Fraternity, relatively early, envisioned the modified attitudes of college administrators and administrations regarding certain frivolous activities previously identified with Greek letter organizations; and it initiated appropriate changes. Among the early changes brought about was the banning of paddling and other forms of physical abuse, and the introduction of constructive endeavors during pledgeship and probation. To date, KAPPA ALPHA PSI Fraternity is organizationally and administratively mature. It moves steadily toward a tomorrow of promise, productivity, and influence.
THE CHAPTER
The late T.D. Armstrong, a well-known local businessman and the late Cornelius A. Harris, a well-known educator, organized the chapter. Both of these men were members of the Houston Alumni Chapter. Both lived and worked in Galveston and felt a need to have a chapter in this area. To get a chapter they needed more than just the two of them. They reached out and found six noble men. These men were James E. Coleman, Edward J. Crockett, William Jackson, A.W. MacDonald, Charles Moore, and Dr. Leon A. Morgan. Each of these men joined the fraternity through the Houston Alumni Chapter.
The Houston Alumni Chapter and the Grand Board of Directors granted our chapter its charter on December 2, 1950, and the genesis of this chapter became official. All of the chapter’s charter members were either educators or in the business world. Each helped to shape the history of Galveston and the surrounding area in their own way. With ACHIEVEMENT as a base, our chapter’s charter members chose SCHOLARSHIP, CHARITY, and BROTHERHOOD as the chapter’s cherished goals.
EVENTS
Follow us on social media for the latest information...
@islandnupes on Instagram
Islandnupes on Facebook
MEMBERSHIP
Membership is a solemn commitment. Membership in Kappa Alpha Psi and the Galveston Alumni Chapter is a lifelong dedication to the ideas and lofty purposes of Kappa Alpha Psi, which considers for membership only those aspirants whose personal, social, and academic qualifications are acceptable to the Fraternity.
We expect our members to be dedicated. A person who feels he would do the Fraternity a favor by joining is not worthy of membership. No one holds himself superior to the Brotherhood of Kappa Alpha Psi is worthy of this distinction. Kappa Alpha Psi is not interested in the simple accumulation of members and chapters.
​
Acceptable qualities of Kappa Alpha Psi members include: the disposition to live in close companionship with men of similar values, the wisdom to abide by the will of the majority without sacrificing individuality, the discretion to refrain from destructive criticism while seeking to remove the causes of such criticism, the acceptance of responsibility for any effort that moves the group forward, the desire to strive for, and ultimately achieve, excellence in everything you do, the commitment to train for leadership, and the resolution to give lifelong financial support and commitment to the maintenance and development of the Fraternity's programs and purposes.
​
For consideration into Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. on the alumni level, you must possess at least a Bachelors Degree or the equivalent of such a degree from an accredited college or university.
​
Complete the form below if you are interested in becoming a member OR if you are already a member and desire to join our alumni chapter.