The Alpha Kappa Story
Founded as Omega Phi, January 1924
Chartered as Phi Kappa Tau, June 4, 1927
The idea for a new fraternity at Washington State was concieved by a group of engineering students during the winter of 1923-1924. Chester Calbrick was the first president, and Homer J. Dana was the first faculty member and became the first advisor. The group chose the name Omega Phi because the two letters were used in electrical calculations. A ritual was designed from pieces of other fraternity's rituals that friends were willing to reveal. A first house was rented at 1718 A Street in the summer of 1924, and two years later the fraternity obtained a mortgage to buy a former Delta Delta Delta Sorority house at 300 Colorado.
In 1927, the local petitioned Phi Kappa Tau, and upon approval, the installation took place in the parish house of the local Episcopal church. In 1938, the Alpha Kappa chapter moved into its newly constructed home at 607 California Street (since changed to 715 NE California). Advisor Homer J. Dana oversaw the construction and financial affairs of the chapter. While the house was rented out during World War II and Professor Dana was in military service, Mrs. Dana ran the corporation.
Soon after the war, the thirty-two man house was jammed with forty-five brothers, and in 1955 four lots adjacent to the chapter house were purchased for further expansion. Eventually, the two closest buildings were demolished to provide for a yard and parking spaces. The remaining two buildings were used as "senior annexes" until the mid 1990's when one was sold to retire old debt and the other is currently used as a rental property to increase revenue for the Omega Phi House Corporation. The original Omega Phi house sits right across A Street from the chapter and currently houses the Union of Christian Brotherhood.
Alpha Kappa Chapter celebrated it's 75th Anniversary in 2002 and held a celebration in the fall of 2003 in honor of our 80th year on the Washington State campus since Omega Phi was created in the fall of 1923.
Alpha Kappa won the Phi Kappa Tau Hap Angelo Award in 1985 as the Most Improved Chapter in the Fraternity and was a finalist for the Maxwell Award in 1986. Homer J. Dana, who served as the first Chapter Advisor from 1923 until 1971 and as the Chairman of the House Corporation from 1923 through 1967, became the 12th recipient of the highest Fraternity honor - the Palm Award - in 1952. In addition, Alpha Kappa has had a Shideler Award winner as the most outstanding graduating senior in Greg Stangle in 1980 and a Borradaile Alumnus Award winner for oustanding accompishment in their field of endeavor in Wes Stock in 1974 who was a major league baseball player and coach.
On campus, two buildings are named after Alpha Kappa members. Dana Hall is named for Homer J. Dana '27, and Todd Hall - the largest academic classroom building on campus - is named for C.C. Todd '27. Among the many accomplishments on campus, Alpha Kappa is most proud of it's string of having a Phi Tau recognized as the Senior of the Year for four consecutive years from 1991-1994 in John Thulen, Mike Harlan, John Bailey, and Lincoln Pirkle. Greg Stangle also won the award in 1980.
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