KDR National History
Beyond Middlebury
From 1912 to 1919, Alpha Chapter evolved into the National Fraternity. In 1913, KDR added a second chapter at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Harold A. Severy, Alpha '09, who was a graduate student at Cornell, led the efforts to establish Beta Chapter on May 24, 1913. The twenty-three original members of Beta Chapter had a fine reputation that impressed the president of the New York State College for Teachers in Albany, New York (now SUNY Albany). Until 1915, the college did not accept fraternities. Beta Chapter was successful in establishing Gamma Chapter on June 10, 1915.
Soon after, John F. Hough, Alpha '14, graduated from Middlebury and moved to Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, to do graduate work. His dedication resulted in the establishment of Delta Chapter on February 22, 1917. They enlisted as their faculty advisor and honorary brother Dr. Frank C. Ewart, who later became National President. He agreed to join after he previously refused invitations to join other fraternities. Alpha Chapter's contingency impressed Dr. Ewart. He said,
If character building is the principle job of this Fraternity, it is probably different from the general run of them, and if here is a group of men that are banded together to carry on these ideals, I would like to help them.
Dr. Ewart helped Delta Chapter financially to purchase a house that he sustained almost by himself during the World War I years. He helped create the National Fraternity. Of this goal he stated,
Our job is essentially a missionary one. So far as our own membership is concerned, it is one of character building, but it must not stop with ourselves. We aim to seek the highest interest of our country also, and one concrete way in which we can do this is to establish other Kappa Delta Rho groups in other institutions, which shall foster and propagate these ideals in those communities.
The years of World War I brought many changes. Chapter houses closed and became boarding houses for Army units. The fraternity suspended the Quill and Scroll. Alumni support, however, sustained KDR until the end of the war. After the war, the chapter houses reopened, and life returned to normal. In 1919, Dr. Ewart helped establish Epsilon Chapter at Franklin College in Indiana.
(this information was obtained from www.kdr.com) KDR National Website