Cross & Crescent

Lambda Chi Alpha had barely 3,000 total initiates in 1919, when something began stirring in Alabama that 20 years later would forever change the face of our pledge/associate member pin.

The Shape of Things to Come

A local fraternity, christened Phi Kappa Nu, was founded at Howard College in Birmingham, Alabama. The school is now called Samford University.

Of the five founders, only James J. Bell (Samford) is listed in the 2003 Lambda Chi Alpha Alumni Directory. The names of the other four — Bolivar B. O’Rear (Samford), Walter G. Pledger (Samford), Dewey H. McMeans (Samford), and J. Ford Robinson (Samford) — are all but lost to history.

When Theta Kappa Nu was formed in 1924, Phi Kappa Nu’s four-triangle badge and its ritual were adapted for use by the new national fraternity.

The ritual, originally written by George A. Neely (Samford) served Theta Kappa Nu for 15 years, and eventually formed the basis of Lambda Chi’s Associate Member Ceremony.

Surprisingly, Lambda Chi Alpha’s pledge ceremony prior to the 1939 union with Theta Kappa Nu consisted of little more than taking the Obligation of an Aspirant and signing a form.

Also at this time, the Theta Kappa Nu badge was combined with Lambda Chi’s pledge pin. The October 1939 issue of the Cross & Crescent, reporting extensively on the recent merger, was already making reference to the old “before the union” pledge button.

No Easy Task

The Emblems and Ritual Committee at the time was chaired by William D. Hope (Michigan 1940) and included John E. Mason (Pennsylvania 1913).

Although the task of combining the two emblems may sound easy, it was not.

Simply placing the Gothic arch over the Theta Kappa Nu badge all but obscured the central triangle. Two possible solutions included making the central triangle larger, or eliminating it altogether. The latter option was tried first.

Pledge buttons consisting of only three triangles are known to exist, with at least one example residing at our Headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. The triangles are undersized and do not meet at a common point in the center. These pins were made by L.G. Balfour and used the same threaded post as on previous pledge buttons.

Cause for Confusion

Our history at this point gets rather confusing. Four designs can be seen in the picture accompanying this article.

Figure 1 shows the pin actually produced, although not at 7/16 inch, but at 3/8 inch. Figure 2 was supplied to Baird’s Manual and published in three consecutive editions from 1940 through 1957. Figure 3, with its wider arch, is not thought to have been used. Figure 4 was pictured in the 1940 Paedagogus.

The central triangle, significantly enlarged and temporarily borderless in design, was soon restored. No fewer than three depictions of the new pledge button appeared in the 1940 Paedagogus –- all different. But the practice of enameling requires an edge, so the borderless version was not actually produced.

It would be nice to say the Fraternity settled on a standard design, but variations in proportion continued throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

Closely following the changing trends in men’s fashion, even the back of the pin evolved. In the 1940s, the new pledge button used a threaded screw back and disk, so it could be worn on coat lapels. Later, a hinged pin with safety clasp, similar to those used on official badges, allowed the pin to be attached to a button-down shirt in the 1950s and 1960s.

By 1970, the standard back consisted of a sharp spike, secured with a butterfly, or military style, clutch back. These were more economical to manufacture, less prone to breakage, and perfect for T-shirts. Today, a longer, spring-loaded, clutch back holds the pin in place.

One last pattern bears mentioning. Just as extreme brother badges, such as the “White Elephant”, have been designed, so, too, have extreme new member pins.

Sporting a greatly exaggerated central triangle and looking about as dangerous as a Chinese throwing star, it was illustrated in Baird’s Manual from 1963 to 1977. It is doubtful this “Hulk” was ever actually produced, and there have been no reports of injury.

Relishing the History

Despite the many permutations our new member pin has undergone, it remains one of the most beautiful and meaningful in the fraternity world.

As stated in the Paedagogus, “The associate member pin has had a most interesting history because it embodies the official badge of Theta Kappa Nu as well as the original pin of Lambda Chi Alpha.” Most interesting, indeed.

The next time you pick up one of these little gems, consider for a moment all that has gone into its development, and perhaps give a nod to a man in Pennsylvania named Mason, and a man in Alabama named Bell.