SIGMA NU HISTORY
Sigma
Nu's past is a proud and colorful one. Founded by three cadets at the Virginia
Military Institute in a period of civil
strife known as the Reconstruction, Sigma Nu represented a radical departure
from the times. The system of physical abuse and hazing of underclassmen
at VMI led James Frank Hopkins, Greenfield Quarles, and James McIlvaine Riley to
form the "Legion of Honor" which soon became Sigma Nu
Fraternity. So, amidst a backdrop of turmoil, North America's first
"Honor" fraternity was established.
The Founders
The story of Sigma Nu began during the
period following the Civil War, when a Confederate veteran from Arkansas
enrolled at the Virginia
Military Institute in Lexington Virginia. That cadet was James Frank Hopkins,
and it is to him and two of his classmates that Sigma Nu owes it's
existence. When Hopkins enrolled at VMI, the south was in a state of turmoil and
just beginning to recover from the devastating military defeat it had
suffered. The Virginia Military Institute was highly recognized for its
civil engineering program, and the South badly needed to repair its bridges and
railroads. At the Institute cadets suffered, not only because of the
ravages of war and a disrupted homelife, but because of the system of physical
harassment imposed on lower classmen by their fellow students in the upper
classes.
Hopkins had experienced military
subservience during the war, and was willing to tolerate a reasonable amount of
constraint intended to induce discipline. However, Hopkins was unwilling to
accept any amount then being allowed at VMI. Not one ounce of hazing was he
willing to suffer and he was doggedly adamant about eliminating it.
Hopkins soon was joined by two classmates
and close friends who were also equally unhappy with the hazing situation.They
were Greenfield Quarles, from Arkansas, a Kentuckian by birth, and James
McIlvaine Riley from St. Louis, Missouri. These
three men began a movement to completely
abolish the hazing system at VMI. Their efforts climaxed on a moonlit October
night in 1868, presumably following Bible study at the superintendent's home,
when the three met at a limestone outcropping on the edge of the VMI parade
ground. Hopkins, Quarles and Riley clasped hands on the Bible and gave their
solemn pledge to form a brotherhood of a new society they called the Legion of
Honor.
The vows taken by these three Founders
bound them together to oppose hazing at VMI and encouraged the application of
the Principle of Honor in all their relationships. That the founders should
adopt Honor as a guiding principle was a natural move since a rigid code of
Honor was already an established tradition of the VMI Corps and Cadets. The
Honor system at VMI required each cadet to conform to the duty imposed by his
conscience that each act be governed by a high sense of Honor.
Sigma Nu Announced
Although Sigma Nu Fraternity began
in October 1868 as the Legion of Honor, its existence was kept secret until the
founders publicly announced their new society on the first day of January 1869,
the accepted birthdate of Sigma Nu. What a New Year's celebration it must have
been for cadets who could not go home for the holidays! In those days the
Institute did not close for "breaks" as we know them. It suspended
classes only for the day on such occasions as Christmas and New Year's.
The Fraternity's spiritual birth, however,
occurred in 1866, the year the Founders entered VMI, when Frank Hopkins first rebelled
against hazing at the Institute. Still, the Founders did not create Sigma Nu
with any feeling of animosity toward others; rather they were prompted by
the impulses of sympathy and affection for all people which underlie abiding
peace and contentment. They had experienced enough hate and destruction
all during and after the War. They wanted to end all abuses, and they knew
it would not come easily. It was never an issue of who won or lost the War. It
was only an issue of winning the peace.
The Legion of Honor society in its first
year assumed the outward aspects of a college Greek-letter organization. The
organizaton kept its original name secret but was recognized publicly as Sigma
Nu Fraternity. It was soon to win the respect of all.
The new Fraternity needed an
identifying symbol, and the Founder Hopkins designed a Badge for the members to
wear on their uniforms. That Badge was patterned after the White Cross of the
French Legion of Honor, which was worn on the uniform of a favorite professor of
Hopkins. The Badge was first introduced in the spring of 1869. Keeping with the
Founders' decree, the Badge has remained unchanged ever since, except in size
and the raised center. Even today, the collegiate Commander's Badge, and the
Badge of the Grand Officers remain identical to Hopkins' original Badge. When
the first slate of Officers was
chosen, Riley, the most popular, was elected
Commander and Hopkins the Lieutenant Commander. Typically, Hopkins, the epitome
of humbleness, was delighted that "Mac" Riley was chosen leader. It
gave Hopkins "the doer," thinker, planner, along with
Quarles who had similar talent, more of an opportunity to concentrate on
solidifying ol' Alpha before he graduated in 1870. By the 1869 commencement, the
group had grown to fifty-one members.
Sigma Nu Expands
Expansion began for Sigma Nu in 1870
after the graduation of the Founders, when the mother chapter at VMI, then known
as Chapter I, approved the establishment of a chapter at the University of
Virginia. Later, a permanent numbering system established a Greek-letter
designation for chapters. Thus, Chapter I became Alpha and the University of
Virginia chapter became Beta.
Sigma Nu established a chapter at
North Georgia Agricultural College in 1881. One of the men instrumental in the
chartering of the North Georgia chapter was John Alexander Howard. He was
blessed with rare intellect and considerable talent for writing.
That talent led him naturally to
newspaper work. Howard read widely and in his reading discovered Baird's Manual
of American College Fraternities. He read that book until he was familiar
with all national fraternities. His study of other fraternities prompted
him to examine shortcomings of his own fledgling Fraternity. At this time Sigma
Nu was still using the
Roman numeral designation for chapters.
Howard felt that the Fraternity should adopt a Greek-letter designation
according to the founding date of the chapter. Thus, his own chapter at
North Georgia became Kappa. Howard's main contribution was the
founding of The Delta for the
magazine's title to symbolize the geographic relationship of the three existing
chapters of the Fraternity at that time, Alpha, Lambda and Kappa. The
first edition of The Delta was published in April 1883 and contained sixteen
pages.
First National Convention
The year following the publication
of The Delta witnessed another important milestone for Sigma Nu. That event was
the First National Convention, which met at the Maxwell House Hotel in
Nashville, Tennessee, July 9-10, 1884. The person responsible for the
First National Convention was Isaac P. Robinson (Lambda, Washington and Lee).
Robinson felt that a meeting of alumni and collegiate representatives was
imperative because of a need to update the constitution, revise procedures and
coordinate efforts. The Sigma Nu convention later became known as Grand
Chapter. It is held every two years and serves as the legislative body of
the General Fraternity.
Another event in 1884 which had a
major impact upon the Fraternity was the establishment of Nu Chapter at the
University of Kansas. During the first fifteen years of its existence,
Sigma Nu was primarily a southern fraternity, and the decision to establish
Nu Chapter was to be the first step in a radical expansion program. Nu
chapter was to be the first step for Sigma Nu. Eugene L. Alford of Lambda
was instrumental in the founding of Nu Chapter.
Two charter initiates of Nu who became
very influential in Sigma Nu in later years were Perlee Rawson Bennett and Grant
Woodbury Harrington. Bennett served the Fraternity as Grand Recorder for many
years and in 1890 was elected Regent. He presided over the Sixth, Seventh,
Eighth, and Tenth Grand Chapters. Harrington became editor of The Delta and
Grand Recorder. For eight years (1886-1894) he had almost total responsibility
for the administration of the Fraternity. Other early members of Nu Chapter were
the Sears brothers, William H. Sears, Clarence H. Sears and Walter James Sears,
who also
became influential in Sigma Nu affairs. Their
brother, Lorin Beecher Sears, attended Ohio State University where no chapter of
Sigma Nu existed at the time. Walter was so interested in having Lorin initiated
into the Fraternity that he entered Ohio State University, founded Beta Nu and
became its first initiate; Lorin became its second. Walter Sears devoted much of
his lifetime to Sigma Nu, but his name will be remembered best for his beautiful
prose work, "The Creed of Sigma Nu."
The Move West
Leland Stanford University opened in
1891. Among its first students was Carl Lane Clemans, who had founded Chi
Chapter at Cornell Chapter at Cornell College in Iowa. C lemens was
determined to open a chapter on the West Coast, and he recruited enough
men to charter Beta Chi Chapter at Stanford in November 1891. Beta Chi's fame
soon spread to Berkeley, and Clemans went there to help organize Beta Psi
in February 1892. Sigma Nu opened the Northwest to Greek letter organizations
when Gamma Chi was chartered at the University of Washington in 1895,
earning the Fraternity kudos throughout the Greek
community for its "Northwest
conquest." For almost four years Sigma Nu was the only college fraternity
in the Northwest, having been the first to establish a chapter not only in
the State of Washington, but also Montana and Oregon. Beta Iota at Mount
Union was chartered by Walter James Sears in 1892. Three years later Beta Iota
initiated Albert Hughes Wilson, to whom Sigma Nu owes a great debt.
"Bert" Wilson served as Regent, but his most noteworthy achievement
was in expansion. Wilson established more chapters than any other member
of the Fraternity, thirty-two in all, and he is generally credited with
helping develop Sigma Nu into a
geographically representative organization. Brother Wilson was the exemplar of
interfraternity spirit as well, being chiefly responsible for the founding
of Alpha Sigma Phi men's fraternity. As an aside, it should be noted that Brother
Wilson C. Morris (Beta Iota, Mt. Union) is given credit by Sigma Tau Gamma men's
fraternity as being the driving force behind its founding while the
collegiate Brothers of Delta Theta Chapter, Lombard (Knox) College assisted
greatly with the founding of Alpha Xi Delta women's fraternity.
Headquarters
Established
Having active chapters in each section of
the country, Sigma Nu was now in every sense a national fraternity. Expansion
proceeded at an orderly rate, and by 1915 there was a need for a centrally
located administrative offices with full-time officers.Heretofore, the various
Sigma Nu officers maintained their files and records at their own homes or
places of business. Fire hadonce destroyed many of the Fraternity's records, and
there was a lack of coordination in general. Following the Denver GrandChapter
in 1915, the High Council approved the establishment of the central
administrative system first proposed by Regent
Francis V. Keesling (Beta Chi, Stanford). The
plan, adapted by Walter J. Sears, converted the High Council onto a board of
directors elected by the Grand Chapter; all
executive and administrative duties previously exercised by members of the High
Council and committees were lodged in a single official - the General Secretary
(now Executive Director) - appointed by the High Council and subordinate to its
direction. Indianapolis was selected as the location of the Fraternity's
headquarters, and on November 1, 1915 the General Offices were opened there
temporarily in the Lemcke Annex before moving into the main
building. Bixby Willis (Lambda, Washington
and Lee), a past Grand Treasurer of Sigma Nu, was employed as the first General
Secretary. In 1926 the central office was moved to the Illinois Building in
Indianapolis. Indianapolis served as the Fraternity's headquarters for forty-two
years, during which time fifty-five new chapters were added to the roster of the
Legion of Honor.
Founders Join Chapter Eternal
Founder James Riley, who had served
ten years (1869-79) as the Fraternity's first Regent, entered the Chapter
Eternal on May 6, 1911, in St. Louis, Missouri. Members of the Fraternity
carried his remains to a burial plot purchased in Bellefontaine Cemetery
by the St. Louis Alumni Chapter in fraternal affection for the Founder. The life
of James Frank Hopkins ended on December 15, 1913, and he was laid to rest
in the village cemetery at Mablevale, Arkansas, beside his sweetheart from cadet
days and devoted wife, a native Lexingtonian, Jennie Barclay Hopkins. In
1920 an impressive memorial was dedicated at the
gravesite. Greenfield Quarles, the only
Founder still living, offered a tribute to Alpha 1:
The love of our Brother for his
fellow man was only excelled by his love of God. His example has instilled into
the hearts of us all the principles which guide us now, and these
principles will go down in future generations for all time. His life has
been an inspiration to all youth. All that was mortal of Brother Hopkins lies
buried here; but his immortal spirit will live forever.
Six months later, the last of the
three Founders was taken from the living contact with the Fraternity. Judge
Greenfield Quarles entered the Chapter Eternal at his home in Helena,
Arkansas, January 14, 1921. He had lived a life of noble service.
Formation of Sigma Nu Foundation
In 1945, Brother William P. Yates (Beta
Rho, Pennsylvania), inspired the formation of the "Sigma Nu Inc.,
Educational Foundation" with a handsome bequest. Its name was changed in
recent times to the "Sigma Nu Educational Foundation, Inc." The
foundation has been instrumental in assisting collegiate members with financial
aid supplements, and the General Fraternity in the development of the LEAD
Program, (LEAD is an acronym for leadership, ethics, achievement, development).
The Foundation continues to support the exclusively educational programs of the
Fraternity.
Return to Lexington
Even before Sigma Nu's first central
office was organized in Indianapolis, some dreamed of the day when the
Fraternity would have an appropriate shrine at Sigma Nu's birthplace, but
it took nearly four decades before the first step was taken. That step was
the appointment of a Headquarters Committee in 1954. It compared rent with
ownership and ultimately recommended the later in a college town where a
Sigma Nu chapter thrived. Inevitably Sigma Nu history and tradition pointed to
Lexington.
Regent James W. Bradley (Epsilon
Epsilon, Oklahoma State) and his High Council took the historic step in 1957,
purchasing without mortgage or lien a singularly appropriate property, a
large, a large home ideally suited for conversion and development.
The land, conveniently located on the highest
hill in the corporate limits of Lexington, Virginia, and on a
seven-and-one-half-acre tract
overlooking VMI and Washington and Lee University, enjoys the Blue Ridge
Mountains as a backdrop to the east and the
Allegheny Mountains to the west. The land was
originally owned by the son of General Frances H. Smith, the first superintendent
of VMI, who inspired Hopkins in the founding of Sigma Nu; the house, built by
the grandson of Superintendent Smith, came to Sigma Nu directly from the
Smith family. Milton L. Grigg, a renowned Virginia architect and participant in
the famous Williamsburg Restoration, was contracted to restore the
building. The Headquarters facility was occupied in 1958 and officially
dedicated June 9, 1960.
Sigma Nu Centennial
On January 1, 1969, Sigma Nu reached
its one-hundred-year milestone. In the year that followed, it marked that event
with a series of Centennial dinners at 36 locations throughout the country
and with pilgrimages to the gravesites of the three Founders and the
first editor of The Delta. Then on Sunday, June 15, a Centennial Convocation was
held in Lexington. Two beautiful new wings of the Headquarters
building were dedicated, one housing the Sigma Nu Museum and the other the
Fraternity's Honor Library, the later to be dedicated in tribute to
former Executive Secretary Richard R. Fletcher, who had long since earned
the moniker "Mr. Sigma Nu." Sigma Nu in its 100th year had come a long
way from its founding. At the century mark it had issued 164 charters of
which 143 chapters were alive and flourishing. Of the nine other truly national
fraternities older than Sigma Nu, only three had more initiates. Sigma Nu
owned 110 chapter houses providing living accommodations for more than
3,500 students. All this had been accomplished solely through the
appeal of its principles - without false claims or specious promises,
without merger, without honorary members. Every chapter had earned its own way
by applying integrity in both purpose and method.
Sigma Nu Celebrates Its 125th Year
Well into the Fraternity's second century,
Sigma Nu continued its dramatic growth. Today, the number of initiates is nearly
200,000; the number of chapters approaching 250. Many of the Fraternity's
chapters have initiated more than a 1,000 members, with a large number topping
1,500 and several exceeding 2,000.
Among the many significant achievements
during the past decade has been the addition of adjacent properties in
Lexington, Virginia, known as the Ethical Leadership Center, owned by the Sigma
Nu Educational Foundation, Inc. Particularly noteworthy is Sigma Nu's
interfraternity leadership in risk reduction and risk management matters
followed by the introduction of its unique LEAD Program, one of the most
meaningful educational initiatives ever undertaken by a college fraternity. In
addition, the transfer of ownership of the Fraternity's Headquarters property,
known as the Sigma Nu Headquarters Shrine, to
the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation,
Inc. has enabled alumni gifts to assist in its restoration and preservation, so
as to relieve the burden of upkeep on future generations of collegians.
Finally, in celebration of the
Fraternity's 125th anniversary, the Foundation undertook construction of a third
wing to the Headquarters Shrine
as well as a Pathway of Honor of engraved bricks, which provides an opportunity
to celebrate the life of
each Sigma Nu. The Pathway of Honor
will meander throughout the Lexington properties. A special "Pilgrimage to
the Rock" was one of the memorable highlights of the 56th Grand Chapter
held in Washington, DC, in August 1994.
For a century and a quarter Sigma Nu
chapters have shaped the man of integrity. Their challenge for the future is to
focus efforts and energies anew
to the fuller realization of the great mission set by our Founders - to build
Men of Honor, ethical leaders for
society based upon the concept of the
Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God. Indeed, Sigma Nu may be on the threshold
of the era of its greatest achievement as it enters the 21st Century.
Taken from The Legion of Honor. Copyright 1994 Sigma Nu
Fraternity Inc.