User:MadDogWest/Gamma Phi

The Gamma Phi Society was a secret society founded in 1903 in Norman, Oklahoma. It ceased to exist as a local society when it became affiliated with Beta Theta Pi in 1907.

The Founding
The first meeting of the Gamma Phi Society was in the Spring of 1903. This meeting was not though of as a fraternity or secret organization, but just a group of five men quickly assembled together. The five men joined together upon hearing of a wrecked Sante Fe Freight train in Norman, Oklahoma who had a freight full of bananas. The railroad officials sent word to the University that bunches of bananas could be had at a very low rate. The five men: Roy Kingkade, Tom B. Matthew, Bob Severin, A. Maxwell Alden, and Jay T. Conway, accepted the proposition and tried to eat the bunch of bananas at one sitting. The five men met in a one story house across the street from the McFarlin Memorial Church.

The five men had such a good time in their fellowship that Tom B. Matthews suggest that the group organize and make something permanent and constructive. It was then suggested that the group be made into a secret organization, or a fraternity. At that time, there were no local or national fraternities on the University of Oklahoma campus. The five men decided on the name "Good Fellowship." Founder Tom B. Matthews had been studying Greek and the name "Gamma Phi" was chosen due to the phonetic sounds of the "G" and "F."

Seeking a National Face
Soon after selecting a name, the men entertained the thought of affiliating themselves with a national fraternity. The men approached a Prpfessor Humphreys of the University's English Department, who was a member of Alpha Tau Omega. While the Gamma Phi's were eager to petition this fraternity, they decided to investigate their options before making a decision. Faculty members began approaching the men of Gamma Phi suggesting that they affiliate with said faculty's own fraternity. Another such professor was Dr. Bynum, a professor of German, who suggested that the men affiliate with his fraternity, Kappa Sigma.

It was at this time that the men learned of Dr. David Ross Boyd who was the President of the University at the time, and a member of Beta Theta Pi. Professor J. S. Buchanan, a Professor and Head of the Department of History, was also a member of the fraternity. Both shared the ideals of Beta Theta Pi with the men, who were sold on the idea.

Petitioning to Join Beta Theta Pi
It was in the spring of 1904 that the men petitioned Beta Theta Pi to join their ranks. Fearful that the fraternity men of the east would see them as "Wild and Wooly" Oklahomans, who were Indians and Cowboys, the men decided to have their pictures taken in dress suits. Of course, none of the young men owned a dress suit, nor had they ever. Further, it was discovered that there were no stores where they could purchase a suit in all of Norman. Fortunately for the small band, they were able to obtain suits from Dean Buchanan and one of his associates in which they could take the pictures, switching in and out of the two suits. It was in this same year that another group of men on campus petitioned the Kappa Alpha Order to join, and were successful, becoming the first national fraternity on the campus.

The original 1904 petition was a "very crude three or four page type-written affair." While the petition gave some insight to the University and the State of Oklahoma, it paled in comparison to the petitions that Beta Theta Pi had been receiving. The first petition came back and the men were turned down. Professors of other fraternities redoubled their efforts to sway the men to join their fraternities, but the Gamma Phis were insistent upon joining Beta Theta Pi.

For the next few years, the men would continue to petition Beta Theta Pi for a charter unsuccessfully. In the summer of 1906, Dean Buchanan and Ray Kingkade were sent to the Beta Theta Pi General Convention in Estes Park, Colorado to bring the petition. Even with the support of some of the Kansas Betas and their in-person presentation, the Gamma Phis were--yet again--turned down.

In the coming spring, the Gamma Phis paid for a Texas Beta by the name of Dick Wall, and a Kansas Beta to come down and look the chapter over. While the Texas Beta dismissed the chapter with an adverse report, the Kansas chapter gave the Gamma Phis their endorsement. The Gamma Phis, at that time, were living in a two story frame house sitting on the corner of Apache and Webster streets in Norman. The house was owned and maintained by a Mrs. Worthington, and it was suspected that the less than impressive structure of the house contributed to the Texas report.

Petition: Accepted
It was finally, in 1907, at the 68th General Convention of Beta Theta Pi in Niagara Falls, New York that the men were granted a charter. The new chapter of Beta Theta Pi was allowed to retain the name "Gamma Phi" as their chapter name. It was, in the most part, due to the petitioning and oration of Mr. E. R. Perry, Northwestern '00 that the charter was granted due to his forceful plea to the convention.

The installation of the Gamma Phis into the larger Beta Theta Pi took place on the evening of October 18th, 1907, in the Masonic lodge hall in Norman (at that time, upstairs over one of the stores on Main street). The Gamma Phis were thoroughly examined by a committee on their knowledge of Beta History, and then "handed over" to the Kansas University to be initiated. The members who were initiated is as follows:


 * Chester E. Dutton
 * Jay T. Conway
 * Earle Warren Ratcliff
 * Owen Ellsworth Acton
 * James Leman Waller
 * Newell Dulin Menifee
 * Earl Briggs Johnston
 * John Vernon Walling
 * Robert Peyton Calvert
 * Frank Ray Rollow
 * William Alexander Thompson
 * Jay Guy Hardie
 * Frederick Randolph Williams
 * Earl E. Sneed
 * W. King Larimore
 * Tom B. Matthews
 * A Martin Kingkade
 * J. LeRay kingkade
 * John Wallace Perry
 * Clarence Dunn Storm
 * John C. Darling
 * Gilbert Garrand Caudill
 * Sardis Ray Hadsell
 * Carlton Weaver

Betas who took part in their initiation are as follows:


 * E. R. Adams, Kansas '04
 * R. U. Barker, Indiana '01
 * J. W. Woodford, Kansas '05
 * F. B. Burtford, Virginia '06
 * Professor J. S. Buchanan, Cumberland '85
 * J. W. Ratcliff, Central '06
 * W. W. Hyams, North Carolina '00
 * Professor Felgar, Kansas '01

The men spent the rest of the night devoting themselves to singing Beta songs, with the occassional interruption by Judge Tisdel, who very often wanted to know "Who was Pater Knox." The men all attended the annual Kansas-Oklahoma football game the following day in Norman, where the stars of the game were right half Acton of O.U., and right half Forter of K.U.--both who were Betas. The group then took the train to Oklahoma City to attend a banquet. It was not until 3:00 AM when the evening ended with sixty Betas singing the Beta Doxology.

Today
Today, the Gamma Phi chapter of Beta Theta Pi is still upheld on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. It is currently the largest chapter of Beta Theta Pi, sporting 160+ active members.

Source
"50 Years of Gamma Phi". Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. February 23, 2010 .