F . D . Wickham Frank Dickenson Wickham ( March 21 , 1873 – October 29 , 1942 ) was an American colonel . He is known for assisting with the creation of the ritual of Kappa Kappa Psi band fraternity during his time at Oklahoma A & M College in Stillwater , Oklahoma . Early life and military career . Wickham was born in Gallatin , Missouri to General Joseph Alfred Wickham and Lucy Ordway Cunningham . He graduated from high school in 1889 and attended the University of Missouri , where he became a member of the Zeta Phi chapter of Beta Theta Pi , captain of the university battalion , and played on the baseball team . Wickham left the university in 1893 and enlisted with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in 1894 , where he served for three years . On June 25 , 1902 , Wickham married Myrtle Louise Logan . U . S . Army career . F . D . Wickham was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army and assigned to the 16th Infantry Regiment on June 27 , 1898 . Wickham was on duty with the 16th Infantry during the Spanish – American War , for which he received the Army of Cuban Occupation Medal ; and the 18th Infantry during the Philippine – American War , for which he received the Philippine Campaign Medal . In 1902 , Wickham transferred to the 12th Infantry Regiment by his request , and was promoted to captain on August 12 , 1903 . Captain Wickham was posted to the Mexican border at Nogales , Arizona during World War I in January 1916 , and for this he received the Mexican Border Service Medal . On May 15 , 1917 , Wickham was promoted to major , and on the fifth of August he was made a lieutenant colonel of infantry in the National Army . On May 11 , 1918 , he was promoted to colonel of infantry in the National Army . Wickham was the commandant of the Main Training Depot , Machine Gun Training Center at Camp Hancock , Georgia , from May 1918 to February 1919 . Oklahoma A & M College . In March 1919 , Colonel Wickham arrived at $ 3 , in Stillwater , Oklahoma , to serve as commandant of the college ' s Reserve Officers ' Training Corps . While at Oklahoma A & M , Wickham became acquainted with Major Bohumil Makovsky , director of the college regiment band . Makovsky introduced Wickham to A . Frank Martin , the regiment ' s band leader who was working with Makovsky and his fellow student William A . Scroggs to start a new band fraternity , Kappa Kappa Psi . Martin and Wickham collaborated to develop the fraternity ' s ritual , for which Wickham was honored with one of the first honorary memberships in the new fraternity at their first initiation in March 1920 . Wickham also gave a short speech on " The Future of Kappa Kappa Psi " at the initiation banquet . While at Oklahoma A & M , Wickham militarized the college band , the effects of which were that " the band has come in close touch with the [ military ] department and has functioned under its direction successfully . " After Oklahoma A & M . On the July 1 , 1920 , Wickham was promoted to colonel in the Regular Army and assigned July 6 to the 38th Infantry Regiment , and was transferred to Camp Pike near Little Rock , Arkansas . From there he was transferred to Fort Douglas , Utah , with the 38th Infantry , where he established the " Wickham Cup " in 1921 as an award for marksmanship . Wickham died October 29 , 1942 , in El Paso , Texas , and is buried next to his wife and son at Fort Bliss National Cemetery in El Paso .