Tag: History

Greek Life Museum Opens!

Greek Life 5This past weekend, the Chi Phi Fraternity officially opening the Greek Life Museum at the national headquarters in Suwanee, Georgia. The project was years and thousands of man-hours in the making. The Greek Life Museum Committee headed by Brother Senour Reed, the current Grand Epsilon, announced the opening with a string of speeches that thanked all how worked hard and donated money to see the museum become a reality.

The museum is not only a way to display theGreek Life 2 heritage of the Chi Phi Fraternity, but of all Greek Life. Each of the display cases that line the walls present a different era of fraternity and sorority history. One display holds a plethora of books written by fraternity men and sorority women including Brother Walter Cronkite, Dr. Seuss and Condoleezza Rice. Another bookcase houses every copy of the Chakette Magazine that the National Archives holds. These books go back to 1899.

Greek Life 4The last case holds the greatest treasures of Chi Phi, ornate badges from the Northern Order, Secret Order and Southern Order of Chi Phi. Some contain detailed etchings in simple gold, while others have rubies and pearls attached. All however, look very similar to the current rendition of the Chi Phi badge. Included in this display is a badge that was actually discovered on a Civil War battlefield in Tennessee.

The night also saw speeches from Brother Chris Shuler, Greek Life 3Chairman of the Chi Phi Educational Trust and from Grand Alpha, Brother Jim Soderquist. Brother Soderquist will abdicate his position come June when our own, Brother Ron Frank will once again take up the position of Grand Alpha.

Brother David Ebner attended to represent the DZAA, and the DZ Chapter sent Brothers Corey Irby and Billy De Guzman. Brother Ebner noted that not a single guest went unimpressed by the display and that the Committee and National Staff did the Fraternity proud that night.

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

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The DZAA would like to wish all of our Alumni and their families a very happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. First observed in 1986 (although it didn’t hit full national observance in all 50 states until the year 2000), this national holiday honors the man who rallied the nation for non-violent activism in the civil rights movement.  As we celebrate this holiday, let’s remember the man for whom the holiday is named and the rights and equality of which he dreamed.