Kappa Sigma was the first fraternity to be established at the
University of Illinois following the removal of anti-fratertnity
restrictions at the institution. Its charter was granted October 15,
1891 and the Chapter, given the name of Alpha-Gamma, came into
existence a month later when its first members were taken into the
fraternity under the guidance of Robert Lackey, a member from
Purdue, who had come to Illinois that fall to become the University's
first football coach.
Ten years earlier, in 1881, the trustees of the University of Illinois, then known as the
Illinois Industrial University, had abolished Greek letter societies from
the campus by requiring matriculants to sign pledges not to become
members of such groups while students in the institution. Previous to
that time, the Upsilon Chapter of Delta Tau Delta and the Kappa Kappa
Chapter Chapter of Sigma Chi had brief existences on the campus, but
because of the ruling, were forced to officially disband. The required
pledges were widely known as "iron clads", a famous term applied
to them during the regime of Dr. S.H. Peabody as regent.
With the resignation of Dr. Peabody in 1891, the attitude of the
University trustees changed, however, and students who entered the school
that year were not required to sign the pledges. It was whispered that at
the next meeting of the trustees in December of that year, the "iron
clads" would be withdrawn.
The rumor reached Purdue
University, one of the closest neighboring institutions, where Robert
A. Lackey, a football star and an active member of Kappa Sigma, took a
particular interest in it. At that time, Purdue had the only chapter of
Kappa Sigma in the Mid-West, so Lackey and the other Kappa Sigma members
there longed for fraternal company. As captain of the Purdue football
team in 1890, he came into contact with the Illinois football team when
it came to Purdue for a game. The next year, he was offered a position to
become the first football coach at Illinois. He accepted the position
merely for the opportunity that it would present him to establish a
chapter of Kappa Sigma. In his position, he was thrown into personal
contact with most of the male students at Illinois. For the January 1892
issue of the Kappa Sigma Caduceus, he described the situation:
"Finding excellent material at Illinois and being thrown into
personal contact with the best men in the school I soon began to talk
'fraternity' to one or two of the college leaders and found them willing
and anxious to welcome the Greeks. At this time there were no
fraternities there. It was not long before we had ten men who were
willing to go ahead although the fraternity restrictions had not been
definitely removed."
In the later years he wrote: "I soon came to know Robert Carr and
recognized in him a personality of unusual ability and charm. I mentioned
the question of college fraternities to him and especially talked Kappa
Sigma and found he was favorable. Together we looked over the field and
soon had a dozen men of the University allied with us." (A chapter
history prepared in 1895 says only nine were pledged at first.)
So a petition for a chapter was prepared and nine men signed this.
It was mailed to Herbert Martin, then National Secretary of Kappa
Sigma, but to help matters along, because he expected they would be
obliged to wait some time before it was acted upon, Lackey sent a
telegram to Martin stating that the petition was on its way to him.
Lackey had sent his message the morning of October 15th and it was with a
greal deal of surprise that he received that afternoon following lunch a
telegram from Martin saying: "Go ahead and install chapter: Frank D.
Arms, George H. Atherton, George P. Behrensmeyer, James D. Metcalf,
William G. Miller, James Steele, and William E.
Steinwedell."
Immediately, plans were outlined for their installation. Although the
date was still at a time before the University trustees had convened and
withdrawn the restrictions, Lackey was so confident that they would do so
that he had no hesitancy about pledging more men and going ahead with the
work.
He consulted the acting regent, Dr. T.J. Burrill on the matter but
the gentleman thought that such an action would not be looked upon with
favor by the faculty and trustees since the students had not yet been
released from their pledges. He explanied as far as possible to Professor
Burrill the objects, regulations, and customs of the fraternity, showed
him the good effects of fraternity life, in addition to the benefits of
the order, but the latter was under the impression that fraternities had
a secret membership, secret meeting places, and indulged in all manner of
deviltry and would be a terror to college discipline. Instead of the
chapter openly declaring itself, the regent thought that the group had
better form itself into a club and do no secret work until it was free to
do so.
Lackey, however, was not daunted. Later, he explained his attitude: "I
was determined to take no chances as the prize was too great and I knew
that soon, others would begin to talk 'fraternity' and by the time the
field was clear, we would lose some of our men."
About this time, the "football colors" began to appear on the campus.
The pledges to the fraternity were all wearing the organization's colors
and when asked by outsiders what the decorations meant, it was explained
that they were football colors.
But the football season was drawing to a close and Lackey knew that he
would soon have to be returning to Purdue. So, he decided to initiate
some of the men at once. How could one man initiate a chapter of Kappa
Sigma? Lackey was vexed by the problem. He had not seen anything of the
kind and had no instructions from anyone. Knowing that he had to do it
some way, he conceived of the idea of administering the oath and the
secret signs to four of the men and then he could properly orgaznize a
chapter in due form.
It was finally decided to draw lots to determine which of the pledges
would be the origional four. Accordingly, a meeting was held in the room
of Harless W. King one night about the first on November to decide the
order of initiation. The four selected were: James David Metcalf
of Gerard, Illinois; William George Miller of Chicago, Illinois; William
Ernest Steinwedell of Quincy, Illinois; and George Henry Atherton of
Streator, Illinois. Their initiation was held on the night of November
17, 1891 in the room of Metcalf and Atherton at 402 West Church
Street in Champaign.
About this time, the University trustees met and as expected, removed
the fraternity restrictions and destroyed the "iron clads", which had
been signed by the students still in the University. In the meantime, the
new fraternity had been collecting paraphernalia and regalia so it was by
that time well equipped. It was then quietly rumored over the campus that
Kappa Sigma would be installed on the campus. Lackey was informed of the
trustees' actions and came from Purdue to aid in the official
installation which took place December 16th, 1891.
As no permanent rooms had been secured by the fraternity up to this
time, the G.A.R. hall at 23 Main Street, was rented for the occasion and
five men were initiated that night.
Realizing that the fraternity should have a permanent meeting place,
shortly after the Christmas holidays, rooms were secured and fitted up
over the old First National Bank of Champaign, located at the
corner of Main and Walnut streets, where the chapter officially
announced itself.
About a week later, the reorganized Kappa Kappa chapter of Sigma Chi
came out openly with an active membership of sixteen, having received
their new charter December 12, and having been initiated December 22nd.
During December, the Kappa Kappa chapter men knew that Sigma Chi was
taking steps to revive itself and Lackey reported in the January 1892
issue of the Kappa Sigma Caduceus that its organizers felt badly since
most of the good men had already been taken by another fraternity. He
reported at the same time that Beta Theta Pi and Phi Gamma Delta had
organizing agents working on the campus.
The next year, the chapter moved into larger and more desirable quarters
in the Odd Fellows Hall at 107 North Neil Street, the old rooms
being inadequate to the needs of the group.
During December of that year, a local fraternity named Alpha Nu,
established in May, was granted a charter from Phi Delta Theta. The new
fraternity was installed with fifteen charter members on February 9,
1894. Previous to this time, Kappa Sigma and Sigma Chi were the only
fraternities in the field and jealous enemies. It is explained by early
members that both organizations had men affiliated with them who were
never initiated. The still exisitant feeling against Greek letter
organizations made many parents object to their sons becoming allied with
the groups and so those men not wishing to disobey parental wishes were
not initiated, but were actively connected to the fraternities through
friendships and common interests.
In April of 1895, Delta Tau Delta petitioned and received a charter.
Seventeen men were initiated as charter members on February of the new
groupat a ceremony staged in the Chicago Athletic Club in Chicago. The
establishment of other national fraternities followed in quick
succession: Alpha Tau Omega became established in 1895, Phi Kappa Sigma
in 1896, Phi Gamma Delta in 1897, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon in 1899.
The school year of 1894-95 found Kappa Sigma anxious to find more
commodious quarters so that fall it moved into the first fraternity house
at Illinois, located at 505 West University Avenue. The move was
quite an innovation and shortly thereafter started a movement toward
fraternities seeking individual houses. At this time, all of the then
established fraternities were quartered in rented halls on the second
floors of business buildings in Champaign.
In the fall of 1896, the chapter moved again, this time to an even newer
and better house that the first. This second house was located at the
Northwest corner of Clark and Elm streets. That house remained the
chapter's quarters for several more years, when it was decided to move
closer to campus. This time, it was moved to 212 East Green Street
when that thorough-fare was just beginning to be the center of the
student district in 1904. Previous to that time, most of the students
lived closer to the business district of Champaign that to the
University.
It was in the fall of 1911 that the chapter moved into its present house at the
Northwest corner of Third and Daniel streets. The house had been
built especially and appropriately designed in Italian style for
the fraternity the previous year. The Daily Illini reported at the time
that it was indeed the most beautiful and pretentious fraternity house on
campus. At that time too, the University was not yet fully developed and
the location of the new house was in a newly laid out and barren district
which had formerly been the location of the old Champaign fairgrounds-
quite south of the rooming house area. In contrast with today, there were
no fraternities as neighbors and the few houses in the area were several
blocks distant.
