Philadelphia (PA) Alumni

Philadelphia (PA) Alumni was chartered on May 25, 1922. It was first alumni chapter established in the state of Pennsylvania, the first in the Eastern Province, and the fourth of the fraternity. Jurisdiction over the chapter was transferred to the Northeastern Province, upon its establishment in 1930. Founder John Milton Lee, who had previously chartered Lambda at Temple University, was amongst the guiding forces in establishing Philadelphia (PA) Alumni. The chapter can be found online, as well as on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, YouTube, and Google Plus.

## Leadership

### Officers

The board of directors of Philadelphia (PA) Alumni is comprised of the following officers, who were elected in May 2016, and were installed at the subsequent chapter meeting:

 First Vice Polemarch
 Second Vice Polemarch
 Keeper of Records
 Keeper of the Exchequer
 Strategus

### Meeting Schedule

Philadelphia (PA) Alumni meets on the third Wednesday of every month at the Philadelphia Achievement Center (for brothers only) from September through June of the following year. All members of the fraternity are welcomed to attend. The meeting starts at 7:00pm sharp. The dress code, business attire, is strictly enforced.

## History

### Early History

Founder John Milton Lee, a veteran of the First World War, served as a first class gunner with the 349th Field Artillery unit. Upon returning to civilian life, he settled in Philadelphia where he partnered with Edward Smyrl (Epsilon, 1916) to establish a chapter at Temple. They initiated three pledge classes in February 1920, April 1920, November 1920 to achieve sufficient membership to sustain the undergraduate chapter, Lambda. A year later, they petitioned the newly-formed Eastern Province to establish a local alumni chapter. The request was authorized in 1921, allowing for a charter to be awarded on May 25, 1922.

### Charter Members

The 11 charter members of the Philadelphia (PA) Alumni are comprised of one founder of the fraternity, an alumnus of Epsilon, and nine alumni of Lambda. They were John Milton Lee (Alpha, 1911), Edward H. Smyrl (Epsilon, 1916), Felton L. Brown (Lambda, 1920), Harry E. Ashley (Lambda, 1920), Bernard C. Calloway (Lambda, 1920), George W. Clinton (Lambda, 1920), Benjamin H. Dillard (Chapter, Year), Norman L. Glenn (Lambda, 1920), William E. Griffin (Lambda, 1920), Alvin S. Hawks (Lambda, 1920), and Cornelius G. Wooding (Lambda, 1920).

### Past Polemarchs

Founder John Milton Lee served as the chapter's first polemarch until an election could be held in June 1922, after which John P. Turner (Lambda, ???) took office. The five most recent chapter polemarchs were:

 Robert N. Hunter, Jr
 Bruce B. Rush
 Craig C. Chisholm
 Jeffrey G. Thompkins

For a complete list of past polemarchs, visit Philadelphia (PA) Past Polemarchs.

## Fraternal Contributions

Philadelphia (PA) Alumni has made significant contributions toward the advancement of the fraternity. Among its membership have been an executive director of the fraternity's international headquarters, two recipients of the Laurel Wreath Award, four recipients of the Elder Watson Diggs Award, seven Northeastern Province Polemarchs, 11 recipients of the Northeastern Province James M. Kidd Service Award, and several Grand Chapter and Northeastern Province officers. The chapter has hosted three Grand Chapter Meetings (1930, 1959, and 1995), and five Northeastern Province Council Meetings since 1950. The chapter was instrumental in establishing Lambda (Temple University, 1920), Gamma Omega (Cheyney State University, 1950), Delta Eta (University of Pennsylvania, 1952), and Kappa Gamma (West Chester State University, 1980) as well as alumni chapters in Wilmington, Delaware (1947), Norristown, Pennsylvania (1986), Chester, Pennsylvania (1988), and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (2005).

## Organization

### Governance

Philadelphia (PA) Alumni provides oversight over **Epsilon, Lambda, Gamma Omega, Delta Eta, and Kappa Gamma**, on behalf of the **Northeastern Province Polemarch.** It is also the primary point of contact for fraternity activity at Lincoln University, Temple University, Cheyney State University, the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, St. Joseph University, LaSalle University, and West Chester State University.

## Updates

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