History

In 1776, our nation became free to determine its destiny on the will of its peoples. In that year, the world's most powerful brotherhood was born, the United States of America. In the same year our nation was born, so was a wonderful idea called the "college fraternity." Only this country has made the most of the personal bonds between students and the college fraternity. While to an outsider, all fraternities appear the same, they are actually quite different, each with its own unique personality and history. Pi Kappa Phi can trace its beginnings to a group of young students at the College of Charleston in 1904. There is no city quite like Charleston, and there is no fraternity on American college campuses quite like Pi Kappa Phi.

In 1904, Andrew Alexander Kroeg, Jr., Simon Fogarty, Jr., and Lawrence Harry Mixson were all attending the College of Charleston. Kroeg possessed a leadership talent that was exact and sure, and he was a model gentleman with a thirst for success. Kroeg's friend, Fogarty, was a standout athlete who motivated with such intent and heart that people were quickly drawn to him. Playing alongside Fogarty on three college athletic teams was Mixson who was commonly known for his attention to detail and his setting of goals. The three friends encouraged and supported each other in every endeavor, and a tight bond was formed between them as they worked to achieve the highest personal levels of scholastic and extracurricular achievement.

The three men led a small campus movement to form a group called Nu Phi, which stood for "non-fraternity." Kroeg, in his determination to see his friends given the opportunity to influence the campus like fraternity men, decided that the only recourse was to start a new, full-fledged fraternity we know today as Pi Kappa Phi. Seven loyal Nu Phi's were at that ever-important meeting, and Pi Kappa Phi's foundation began to take form. On December 10, 1905, Mixson's mother cooked the men a special supper to celebrate Founder's Day with a dinner ceremony marking the achievements of the founding fathers.

The men chose to expand and create more Pi Kappa Phi chapters. The Beta chapter was established at Presbyterian in 1907, and Theodore Kelly established Pi Kappa Phi as a national fraternity with his founding of the Gamma chapter at the University of California. Pi Kappa Phi became locally registered in South Carolina on December 23, 1907. The coat of arms, motto, and rituals were established, and the creation of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Journal strengthened communications between chapters. The Journal changed its name to The Star and Lamp, a name that still endures and maintains chapter communications today.

Pi Kappa Phi enjoyed a progressive beginning and it is that dedication which helped Pi Kappa Phi become a leading fraternity in the United States. Pi Kappa Phi has initiated over 90,000 brothers and is the fastest growing fraternity in the country. Pi Kappa Phi is the only national fraternity who has created and supports its own outreach project, PUSH.