Kappa Beta Pi
Kappa Beta Pi | |
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ΚΒΠ | |
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Founded | Autumn 1908 Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois |
Type | Professional |
Affiliation | PFA (former) |
Emphasis | law |
Scope | International United States Canada United Kingdom France China |
Colors | Turquoise blue and Old gold |
Flower | Yellow Tea Rose |
Publication | Kappa Beta Pi Quarterly (former) |
Headquarters | Silver Spring, Maryland United States |
Kappa Beta Pi (ΚΒΠ) is a Legal Association which was formerly a professional law sorority in the United States.
History[]
Kappa Beta Pi was founded at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois in Autumn of 1908. Its Founders were:[1]
- Mrs. Alice Craig Edgerton
- Mary A. Sellers
- Claire L. Gleason
- Phyllis M. Kelley
- Nettie Rothblum
- Charlotte Doolittle
- Mrs. Alice A. Prince
- Anna Knabjohann
- Sue M. Brown
- Mrs. Katherine S. Clark
The sorority was incorporated in Illinois on December 15, 1908.[2] This date is celebrated by chapters as Founders' Day. The organization was the first legal sorority in the U.S., that is, the first such group designed in the support of the legal profession.[3]
Since 1925, admission of new chapters has been limited to American schools that met the requirements for membership in the Association of American Law Schools, or to schools on the approved list of the American Bar Association, along with those foreign law schools meeting equivalent requirements.
In 1927 its first international chapter was formed, Omicron chapter, in Paris, France. This was later followed by chapters in London, England, in West Germany, in Shanghai, China, several in Canada, and one in the US Territory of Puerto Rico.
At the 1973 convention, the name was changed to Kappa Beta Pi Legal Association International. At the May 1976 convention in Columbus Ohio, all references believed to indicate a restriction of membership to women were removed, and is now properly referred to as a legal association, not a sorority.
The association has been a member of the Professional Fraternity Association.[1]
Traditions and Insignia[]
The badge is a monogram with the Κ jeweled and superimposed over the letters Β and Π, which are embellished with scroll work. The pledge pin is an irregularly shaped shield enameled in Turquoise and old gold.[1]
The coat of arms places a field of Turquoise blue in the upper left, while the lower right field is white. Devices, the Open Book, and Scales are rendered in gold. The Knight's Helmet is shown proper, that is, in the natural color, shown full face with the visor open and is of steel with silver ornaments. The helmet symbolizes the protection of the law, and inspires chivalrous conduct.[4]
The flower is the Yellow Tea Rose.
The colors are turquoise blue and old gold.[5]
The official song, To Kappa Beta Pi was written in 1941 by Alice Craig Edgerton.
The organization publishes a quarterly, called The Kappa Beta Pi Quarterly, one edition annually in an esoteric form, called The Secret Bulletin.
A fifty-year history was also written by Ms. Edgerton, who served as its first Grand Dean, or president, and published by the organization.
Chapters[]
The chapter roll of Kappa Beta Pi Legal Association.[1] Chapters in italics are dormant. Chapters in bold are active. Those unknown are in plain text.
- 1908 - Alpha - Chicago-Kent Law
- 1915 - Beta - Northwestern University
- 1916 - Gamma - DePaul University
- 1916 - Delta - Chicago
- 1916 - Epsilon - American University
- 1916 - Zeta - John Marshall Law, Chicago
- 1916 - Eta - University of Texas Law
- 1917 - Theta - Kansas City
- 1917 - Iota - California (dormant between 1945–46)
- 1920 - Kappa - Yale University (dormant 1929)
- 1920 - Lambda - Detroit
- 1920 - Mu - Detroit Law (dormant between 1939–59)
- 1920 - Nu - George Washington University
- 1921 - Xi - Michigan
- 1921 - Omicron - National Law (school merged with George Washington)
- 1921 - Pi - Washington (MO)
- 1921 - Rho - Iowa
- 1921 - Sigma - Cornell (dormant 1939)
- 1921 - Tau - Boston
- 1921 - Upsilon - Syracuse
- 1921 - Phi - Illinois
- 1921 - Chi - Oregon
- 1921 - Psi - Wisconsin, Madison
- 1923 - Omega - University of Southern California (dormant 1949)
- 1923 - Alpha Alpha - John Marshall Law, Cleveland
- 1923 - Alpha Beta - Minnesota (dormant in 1958)
- 1924 - Alpha Gamma - Southwestern, Los Angeles
- 1924 - Alpha Delta - Buffalo
- 1924 - Alpha Epsilon - Chicago-Kent Law (school closed in 1935) [6]
- 1924 - Alpha Zeta - Marquette University
- 1924 - Alpha Eta - Hastings Law (dormant in 1957)
- 1924 - Alpha Theta - Loyola, Chicago
- 1925 - Alpha Iota - St. Louis
- 1925 - Alpha Kappa - Creighton
- 1925 - Alpha Lambda - Nebraska (dormant 1942-1951[7]
- 1925 - Alpha Mu - Osgoode, Toronto, Canada
- 1926 - Alpha Nu - Ohio State University
- 1926 - Alpha Xi- University of Oklahoma
- 1927 - Alpha Omicron - Paris, France
- 1930 - Alpha Pi - Tulane
- 1931 - Alpha Rho - Alabama
- 1931 - Alpha Sigma - Denver
- 1931 - Alpha Tau - North Dakota
- 1932 - Alpha Upsilon - West Virginia University
- 1932 - Alpha Phi - University of Arizona
- 1934 - Alpha Chi - Columbia (dormant 1938-57)
- 1940 - Alpha Psi - Southern Methodist
- 1940 - Alpha Omega - Drake
- 1940 - Beta Alpha - London, England
- 1946 - Beta Beta - Missouri (dormant 1950-51)
- 1946 - Beta Gamma - Columbus Law (DC)
- 1946 - Beta Delta - San Francisco
- 19xx - Beta Epsilon - ? [8]
- 1947 - Beta Zeta - Shanghai (China)
- 1948 - Beta Eta - South Dakota
- 1949 - Beta Theta - Miami (FL)
- 1949 - Beta Iota - Emory (dormant 1952-53)
- 1950 - Beta Kappa - Virginia
- 1952 - Beta Lambda - St. Mary's San Antonio
- 1953 - Beta Mu - Georgetown
- 1954 - Beta Nu, West Germany
- 1955 - Beta Xi - Houston
- 1956 - Beta Omicron - Toledo
- 1958 - Beta Pi - Boston Law
- 1960 - Beta Rho - Kentucky
- 1962 - Beta Sigma - Seton Hall
- 1962 - Beta Tau - Rutgers (dormant 1970)
- 1963 - Beta Upsilon - Howard University (dormant 1974)
- 1963 - Beta Phi - Fordham (dormant 1970)
- 1963 - Beta Chi - Kentucky (dormant 1971) [9]
- 1964 - Beta Psi - Puerto Rico (dormant 1973)
- 1966 - Beta Omega - Ohio Northern
- 1966 - Gamma Alpha - Colorado (dormant 1972)
- 1967 - Gamma Beta - Franklin (OH) (dormant 1973)
- 1967 - Gamma Gamma - University of Arkansas
- 1967 - Gamma Delta - Arkansas, Little Rock
- 1968 - Gamma Epsilon - New Brunswick, Canada (dormant 1973)
- 1970 - Gamma Zeta - Mississippi
- 1971 - Gamma Eta - Texas Tech
- 1972 - Gamma Theta - Pitt (dormant 1973)
- 1972 - Gamma Iota - Duquesne (dormant 1973)
- 1973 - Gamma Kappa - Windsor, Ontario, Canada
- 1974 - Gamma Lambda - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. Baird's Manual Foundation, Incorporated. 1991. pp. V–79–81.
- ^ An image of the handwritten cover letter with which the Articles of Incorporation were given back to the sorority by its founders, many of whom signed the gift, is in the Kent Law archives. Accessed 7 Sept 2020.
- ^ According to organizational papers from the Eta chapter at the Texas School of Law, accessed 7 Sept 2020.
- ^ William Raimond Baird (1968). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. G. Banta Company. pp. 545–546.
- ^ William Raimond Baird (1977). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. G. Banta Company. pp. 535–537.
- ^ Two Chicago-Kent Law chapters are listed, the Alpha chapter and Alpha Epsilon chapter. The relationship between the two is not noted in Baird's.
- ^ Looks like a typo in Baird's, which showed it installed in 1945. Assume this is 1925, to match alphabetical order.
- ^ Appears to have been an unassigned chapter name.
- ^ Baird's list shows two "Kentucky" chapters, in Beta Rho and Beta Chi.
- Professional legal fraternities and sororities in the United States
- Student organizations established in 1908
- Legal organizations based in the United States
- Former members of Professional Fraternity Association
- 1908 establishments in Illinois