Charter
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 18, 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 occasional 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.
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Famous quotes containing the word charter:
“When Britain first, at Heaven’s command,
Arose from out the azure main,
This was the charter of her land,
And guardian angels sung the strain:
Rule, Britannia! Britannia rules the waves!
Britons never shall be slaves.”
—James Thomson (1700–1748)
“The recent attempt to secure a charter from the State of North Dakota for a lottery company, the pending effort to obtain from the State of Louisiana a renewal of the charter of the Louisiana State Lottery, and the establishment of one or more lottery companies at Mexican towns near our border, have served the good purpose of calling public attention to an evil of vast proportions.”
—Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)
“Farewell! thou art too dear for my possessing,
And like enough thou know’st thy estimate:
The charter of thy worth gives thee releasing;
My bonds in thee are all determinate.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)