KDR National History
The Early Years
Before 1905, there were only three fraternities at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. Chi Psi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, and Delta Upsilon founded chapters on the campus before the Civil War. No new fraternities formed on the campus, until a large neutral group founded the Commons Club. In 1905, the Alpha Chapter of Kappa Delta Rho formed out of the Commons Club.
In the fall of 1904, George E. Kimball, president of the Commons Club, and two other members, Irving T. Coates and John Beecher, met in Room 14 of Old Painter Hall. They discussed the formation of a new, more closely knit fraternity group. The Commons Club was large and not very congenial for intimate relationships then. After several meetings, they approached seven other members of the Commons Club who were very enthusiastic about the idea. They were, Thomas H. Bartley, Pierce W. Darrow, Benjamin E. Farr, Gideon R. Norton, Gino A. Ratti, Chester M. Walch, and Roy D. Wood. On May 17, 1905, the ten men met as the charter members of Kappa Delta Rho Fraternity in Room 14 of Old Painter Hall.
The exact circumstances are impossible to recount with the passage of time, but there were setbacks from the beginning. The announcement of the birth of KDR occurred at a faculty meeting in the fall of 1905. Someone asked, "What is the name of the new frat?" The reply was, "Some Greek combination ending in Rho." Other remarks by the faculty indicated they thought KDR would have a "hard row," or a struggle to exist. It wasn't long before the faculty hoped that KDR would not pledge all the best men on campus.
Kimball, Walch, and Ratti met many times to draft a ritual, choose a motto, and write a constitution that fit the fraternity's ideas and ideals. Walch created our secret motto and password. Unlike other fraternities, the founders named the officers of KDR after Roman titles, instead of Greek Republic titles. They wanted to emulate the Romans' stern virtues. They also chose our motto, Honor Super Omnia - Honor Before All Things. Middlebury Blue and Princeton Orange became the fraternity colors, symbolizing justice and freedom. The founders appointed Ratti to design the coat of arms, since he had art experience. Then the founders focused on the ritual. Adopting a ritual caused a great deal of anxious thought. The founders intended the ritual to reflect the high ideals they wanted to follow.
With few revisions, the ritual has stood the test of time. The basic structure remains the same today. Subsequently, the red rose was adopted as the fraternity's flower and became the symbol of love and incorruption for the fraternity of Kappa Delta Rho.
During the first year, Delta Tau Delta sent a representative to the campus to discuss absorbing KDR into their fraternity. This came about because the founders considered joining a national fraternity. In the words of Kimball, "(We) decided that we preferred to 'paddle our own canoe' and took no further action in the matter."
The new fraternity suffered a severe blow the following fall when Beecher and Coates did not return to Middlebury. The chapter, however, received a great deal of help from Henry Harvey, a faculty member, who became the first honorary member. George E. Shaw, '10, was the first pledge.
In the beginning, there were no pledge classes or pledges, but delegations. In 1913, the fraternity attracted larger pledge classes of ten to fifteen men. The chapter used furnished off-campus meeting rooms for the secret conclaves, socials, and rush parties. During the summer of 1909, the chapter published the first issue of The Scroll. The first issue had a circulation of thirty copies for all the undergraduates, alumni, and honorary members. Due to a conflict over the name, the publication became the Quill and Scroll in 1924 and is still the official title of KDR's semi-annual fraternity magazine. From a 1910 issue, one can get an idea of what kind of social life the early KDRs enjoyed.
On April twenty-third we gave a 'Social Evening' in the frat rooms, and, as a change from the usual card party and dance, we started off the evening by giving a farce entitled 'An Economical Boomerang.' This lasted about a half-hour and all seemed to enjoy it very much. Following this, Bro. Davison gave a reading entitled 'The Fourth at Mellenville.' Then the floor was cleared and dancing was enjoyed until 11:30 when refreshments were served. A few songs and yells and a walk home in the moonlight completed the evening's entertainment.
An annual event was the Frat Ride. Following exams, the brothers and their dates went to nearby Silver Lake for lunch and spent the day. Returning by train, they went to the fraternity rooms and danced until midnight. There was always a close association between alumni and undergraduates in those days. The alumni frequently outnumbered the undergraduates at the Frat Ride and the Initiation Banquet held in the fall. The chapter held the banquet at The Brandon Inn several miles from Middlebury. Everyone went by train to the inn and returned by train the following morning. The fraternity colors decorated the rooms. Roses adorned the walls and tables. The evening went on with entertainment by the brothers, the reading of letters from alumni, and toasts from seniors and alumni. The toasts usually began and ended on a serious note.
Although traditional activities are no longer the same, they were mild by today's standards. But, the camaraderie is difficult to equal. The fun of KDR happened within a framework of self-discipline that seems unequaled today. The processes that one learns on his own creates inward peace and satisfaction. Then one is better able to help brothers with their problems and deficiencies. You learn a little more about other people, and you allow the same opportunity for your brothers.
The founders' primary aim was to attain true standards of manhood and brotherly love. These were not merely high-sounding ideals, but guidelines for life. The "Plain Virtues" of unpretentiousness, sincerity, and humility culminated in a high regard for each other's welfare. They were not egocentrics who sought false images of hypervirility or alcoholic capacity. Following and living the ritual ideals was the test of manhood. Our motto, Honor Before All Things, helped them with their success.
The early conservative members had four criteria for membership:
- membership is not an occasion for snobbishness or preference;
- personal censorship of speech;
- loyalty to college, church, and fraternity; and
- abstinence from alcohol and tobacco.
The 1917 Constitution stated the principles of the early fraternity.
The primary focus of the fraternity shall be the promotion of good fellowship among its members and the advancement of truth, justice, and virtue, as exemplified by our Latin motto: Honor Super Omnia.
and
It is the faith of the Fraternity that its worth may ever be shown by the lives of its individual members.
The founders realized that KDR would rise or fall on the desire of the members to seek higher ideals, or be satisfied with the status quo. Our challenge is to live up to and uphold these high ideals.
(this information was obtained from www.kdr.com) KDR National Website