7/27/2023 0 Comments Iota faternityThe speech was published in the first issue of The Teke in January 1908, and by November of that year, work was beginning on a new constitution. While there was some opposition at the time, the movement ultimately took hold, and by 1908, ΤΚΕ was well on its way to becoming a national fraternity in its own right. The powerful address called for an abandonment of the petitioning initiative and a new campaign to make ΤΚΕ into a national fraternity itself. McCauley delivered a blistering speech known as "Opportunity Out of Defeat". At the annual initiation banquet on October 19, 1907, speeches were made that both advocated and questioned the continued petitioning of Phi Delta Theta. In late 1907, ΤΚΕ was preparing to petition Phi Delta Theta once again at the 1908 convention when an event took place that would forever change the course of history for the fraternity. During the continuing struggle for acceptance from Phi Delta Theta, ΤΚΕ continued to grow stronger in its own existence. The Knights in turn unsuccessfully presented the petition at the 1906 convention in Washington, D.C. The Knights of Classic Lore gained the support of all Phi Delta Theta groups in the province, except for Wisconsin Alpha, Illinois Beta, and Missouri Alpha. If this support was achieved, then the charter would be granted to the group without any action from the convention. The second petition was presented at the Indianapolis convention of 1904, but it was withdrawn in an effort to gain unanimous support of all chapters in Phi Delta Theta's Zeta Province, which included Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The change in name was expected to create a better impression in future petitions to Phi Delta Theta. Simultaneously with the acquisition of the new house, the Knights also adopted the name Tau Kappa Epsilon. After renting rooms at several locations beginning in the spring of 1899, the Knights of Classic Lore finally acquired its first fraternity house, known as The Wilder Mansion, in September 1902. The Knights first petitioned Phi Delta Theta at its 1902 convention in New York, but efforts were unsuccessful. Prominent Phi Delt alumnus Richard Henry Little became a persistent sponsor for the Knights to petition Phi Delta Theta for a charter. The first public announcement of the Knights of Classic Lore appeared in the February 1, 1899, issue of the Argus, which is the student publication of Illinois Wesleyan University.ĭuring formation, the Knights of Classic Lore were trying to get the Illinois Epsilon chapter of Phi Delta Theta restored. Mental development would be emphasized by the study of classic literature at weekly meetings, and thus the new fraternity became known as the Knights of Classic Lore. The founders sought to be a different organization than the other fraternities at the time by establishing a fraternity where membership would be based on personal worth and character rather than wealth, rank, or honor. The purpose of the new organization was to be an "aid to college men in mental, moral and social development". On January 10, 1899, Charles Roy Atkinson, Clarence Arthur Mayer, James Carson McNutt, Joseph Lorenzo Settles, and Owen Ison Truitt met at 504 East Locust Street in Bloomington, Illinois, to draw up the first constitution for a new fraternity at Illinois Wesleyan University. Clockwise from top left: James Carson McNutt, Owen Ison Truitt, Clarence Arthur Mayer, Joseph Lorenzo Settles, Charles Roy Atkinson Famous Teke alumni that continued their involvement with the Fraternity include NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw, country music singer Willie Nelson, and U.S. Many chapters have active alumni associations that support philanthropic causes, mentor collegiate members, and host social events. While Tau Kappa Epsilon is primarily mentioned as a collegiate fraternity, the organization emphasizes that it is a "Fraternity for Life". As of spring 2023, there are 218 active ΤΚΕ chapters and colonies with over 297,000 lifetime members. Since its founding in 1899, Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity has never had an exclusionary or discriminatory clause to prevent individuals from joining and has instead admitted members based on their "personal worth and character". The organization has chapters throughout the United States and Canada, making the Fraternity an international organization. Tau Kappa Epsilon ( ΤΚΕ), commonly known as ΤΚΕ or Teke, is a social college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899, at Illinois Wesleyan University. North American collegiate fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon
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