# Theta Kappa Phi

Theta Kappa Phi (ΘΚΦ) was a social fraternity founded on October 1, 1919, at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. On April 29, 1959, Theta Kappa Phi merged with a similar Catholic fraternity, Phi Kappa, to form Phi Kappa Theta.

## History

The idea for the organization developed from a group of men who were a part of the university’s Newman Club, who had met in 1914. Plans for the official establishment of the fraternity fell through upon the entry of the United States into the First World War in 1917, with several members subsequently joining the armed forces. Of the original group, three returned to Lehigh at the end of hostilities to resume their studies. These became the Founders:
* August Concilio
* Peter J. Carr
* Raymond J. Bobbin
Following the conclusion of the war in November 1918 and the return of members back to school, Carr led efforts to restart the process of establishing a social fraternity at Lehigh. Ultimately thirty men, including Concilio, Carr, and Bobbin, agreed to the establishment of the X Club, the original name of Theta Kappa Phi.
During the first few months of the new fraternity’s existence, several important actions were undertaken. In a meeting on November 12, 1919, the X Club would select Theta Kappa Phi as its new name. At the time of its adoption, the letters simply stood in place for ‘The Catholic Fraternity’ before they were given a secret meaning later upon merger into Phi Kappa Theta in 1959. The founding group would elect Concilio as the fraternity’s first President. Carr successfully began the infant fraternity’s nationalization by unifying with the a fraternity called Kappa Theta at Pennsylvania State University, establishing the group there as its Beta chapter on March 22, 1922.
Meanwhile, the fraternity would receive valuable help and inspiring leadership from local Bethlehem pastor, Rev. William I. McGarvey. Since none of the existing members had fraternity experience, McGarvey was a valuable asset in developing the fledgling group into a true fraternity in its early days. McGarvey would additionally secure the help of Rev. Michael Andrew Chapman in writing Theta Kappa Phi’s ritual, who was an Episcopal priest as well as a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Bard College. The basics of Theta Kappa Phi’s ritual are still used in Phi Kappa Theta’s ritual today, while McGarvey’s effort for Theta Kappa Phi have seen him recognized as the fraternity’s fourth founder, alongside Concilio, Carr, and Bobbin.
Theta Kappa Phi would continue to expand to other colleges and universities in the surrounding region. By the time the merger came about in 1959, Theta Kappa Phi maintained 24 open and active chapters across the United States.
The merger, called a union of relative equals, took place on April 29, 1959.

## Symbols

* Publication - The Sun of Theta Kappa Phi
* Badge - Shield displaying upon black enamel the letters Θ, Κ and Φ in gold over a golden heart. All this was mounted on a gold shield bordered with crown-set pearls, and four rubies in the form of a cross.
* Pledge button - Shield of white, bordered with a gold chain enclosing a golden sun.
* Colors - Red, Silver and gold
* Flower - Columbine

## Chapters

Chapters of Theta Kappa Phi were as follows. Chapters and colonies in bold were active at the time of the merger, those in italics were inactive:
| Name | Chartered | Institution | Location | Status | Notes |
| Alpha | October 1, 1919 | Lehigh University | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Pennsylvania Alpha chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Beta | March 24, 1922 | Penn State University | University Park, Pennsylvania | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Pennsylvania Beta Gamma chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Gamma | May 9, 1922 | Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Ohio Gamma Theta chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Delta | May 12, 1923 | University of Illinois | Champaign and Urbana, Illinois | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Illinois Beta Delta chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Epsilon | May 9, 1924 | University of New Hampshire | Durham, New Hampshire | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became New Hampshire Epsilon chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Zeta | April 9, 1925 | Ohio Northern University | Ada, Ohio | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Ohio Zeta chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Eta | June 25, 1925 | City College of New York | New York City, New York | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became New York Eta chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Theta | June 1, 1927–1931 | Cornell University | Ithaca, New York | Inactive | Renamed New York Theta chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Iota | May 22, 1932 | Temple University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Pennsylvania Iota chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Kappa | January 4, 1934 | University of Oklahoma | Norman, Oklahoma | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Oklahoma Kappa chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Lambda | November 10, 1935 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester, Massachusetts | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Massachusetts Lambda chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Mu | November 29, 1936 | Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri Mines) | Worcester, Massachusetts | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Missouri Mu chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Nu | May 2, 1937 | Oklahoma State University | Stillwater, Oklahoma | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Oklahoma Nu chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Xi | April 14, 1938 | Louisiana State University | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Louisiana Xi chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Omicron | May 4, 1941 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Lafayette, Louisiana | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Louisiana Omicron chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Pi | April 10, 1948 | St. Louis University | St. Louis, Missouri | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Missouri Kappa Kappa chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Rho | October 23, 1948 | Mississippi State University | Starkville, Mississippi | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Mississippi Rho chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Sigma | March 13, 1949 | Boston University | Boston, Massachusetts | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Massachusetts Sigma chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Tau | April 10, 1949 | Saint Francis University | Loretto, Pennsylvania | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Pennsylvania Tau chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Upsilon | May 21, 1949 | University of Missouri | Columbia, Missouri | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Missouri Kappa Upsilon chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Phi | December 4, 1949 | Kent State University | Kent, Ohio | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Ohio Phi chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Chi | April 15, 1951 | University of Mississippi | Oxford, Mississippi | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Mississippi Chi chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Psi | December 11, 1954 | Northern Illinois University | DeKalb, Illinois | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Illinois Psi chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| Omega | May 18, 1957 | University of Detroit Mercy | Detroit, Michigan | Merged, ΦΚΘ | Became Michigan Omega chapter of ΦΚΘ |
| SJS Colony | 1953–1954 | San Diego State University | San Diego, California | Inactive | Did not charter with ΦΚΘ |
| UW Colony | 1954 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | Madison, Wisconsin | Absorbed, ΦΚΘ | Joined Wisconsin Lambda chapter of ΦΚΘ |