One in Heart and Purpose

ONE IN HEART AND PURPOSE

The Founders and the Founding of the Sigma Chi Fraternity

FIRST EDITION

Compiled & Edited by William P. Fleming, Jr., Ph.D.

Sam Houston State University 196521st Grand Historian

From the original manuscripts of

Dr. Joseph Cookman Nate, D.D.

Ohio Wesleyan University 1890

9th Grand Consul and 13th Grand Historian

with additional materials from theArchives of the Sigma Chi Fraternity

Published by the Fraternity in celebration of the 154th anniversary of the Founding of Sigma Chi, June 28, 1855

2009

One In heart.indd 1 5/26/2009 12:53:11 AM

© 2009 The Sigma Chi FraternityAll Rights ReservedPrinted in Chicago, IllinoisUnited States of America

The Sigma Chi Fraternity1714 Hinman AvenueEvanston, IL 60201847-869-3655http://www.sigmachi.org


The History TeamThe Grand Historians

Douglas R. Carlson

Minnesota 197319th Grand Historian

William P. Fleming

Sam Houston 196521st Grand Historian

Chairman:History/Archives

Eric B. Hansen

Cincinnati 198920th Grand Historian

History and ArchivesMichael Codina

Calif. San Diego 1993Vice-Chair: History-Archives

Merrill “Boz” PrichardIllinois 1948

Founder-Boz Prichard Fund†

Bryan Arciero McGill 2005 Henry Durham Kentucky 1953 Matt Hartley Cal.Poly(Pomona) 2003 Remi Mariano McGill 1983

Jack McDuffArizona 1951

Mike Scully William & Mary 2008 Jacob Wycoff

Western Conneticut 2008 Noah Phelps Northwestern 2008

Monuments and MemorialsGeorge HooperKansas State 1960

Chairman

K. Stephen Bailey West Virgina 1972 Robert Blinn, Jr. Purdue 1955 Dustin Buecker Miami(Ohio) 1992 Bryant Callaghan Cincinnati 1972 Craig Hedric Miami(Ohio) 1983 Todd Kagel Illinois State 1992

Kenneth Kvalheim South Alabama 1981 Samuel Mann Fresno State 1993 Barry McConnellWashington(Seattle) 1981 Lawrence Mentz Rensselaer 1968 Robert Petry Georgia Southern 1981 David Shields Penn State 1967

†Endowment fund established in 2005 to support history and archives projects.


The Executive Committee2007-2009

Robert H.W. Jones, IIIRensselaer 1973

Grand Consul

L. Wayne Tucker, Jr.Baylor 1985Grand Pro Consul

Dennis R. SantoliWestern Reserve 1967Grand Quaestor

W. Thomas Geddings, Jr.South Carolina 1985Grand Trustee Member

Keith J. KrachPurdue 1979Past Grand Consul

Grant T. MillsKentucky 2009 Undergraduate EC Rep.

Garnett W. HaubeltOklahoma 1969Grand Praetor Member

Jon P. MeinenBradley 2006

International Balfour Award Winner

Benjamin J. Pope MIT 2008

International Balfour Award Winner

Michael A. GreenbergIllinois Wesleyan 1982

Alumnus Member-at-Large

Brian G. PowellVirginia Tech 2008,

Undergraduate EC Rep

Michael H. DunnUtah State 1976

Executive DirectorStaff Support

Ex-Officio ParticipantsChuck Watson

Oklahoma State 1972Foundation Board of Governors

Rev. Francis J. “Skip” FlynnMiami (Florida) 1967

Grand Tribune


DedicationThe Sigma Chi Historian

William P. Fleming, Jr.

Theoldest,continuinginternationalofficeinSigmaChiisthatofthe Grand Historian.1 At the Ninth Grand Chapter, held at Neil House in Columbus,OhioonDecember26and27,1872,thefirstGrandHistorianwas appointed. He was our famed Brother Harry St. John Dixon, founder of Sigma Chi’s unique and historic Constantine Chapter on September 17, 1864. The Grand Historian, through the years, has created many varied historical documents and compilations, from directories and manuals, to histories and songbooks; he has contributed myriads of articles to the various publications of our fraternity; he has attended and participated in numerous chapter installations; he has conducted roundtable discussions on a small and on a grand scale with Brothers of all ages in many formats. He has been the keeper of our cherished history through our 150-plus years. The chapter historian plays a similar role in his chapter. As keeper of the archives of his chapter he has been charged to compile a scrapbook or chapter history of activities as well as protect and keep chapter historical records. He is also able to send chapter materials to the General Headquarters museum, which retains information on all Sigma Chi chapters. There are many others who are historians for Sigma Chi. Some of these individuals have titles—such as Grand Consul, Grand Trustee, Grand Tribune, Grand Praetors, Editor of the Magazine—and those who diligently work for the fraternity on a regular basis—such as the Executive Director, the Chairman of the Foundation, and those who work for the fraternity in many capacities. We are all interested in the history of our grand Fraternity and, as each of us becomes part of that history, it becomes more valuable to us. I cannot complete this brief section without mentioning an individual who is so crucial to our present endeavors to retain our historical records and treasures. Sigma Chi is extremely fortunate to have an archivist, Brother Noah Phelps, who has taken a keen interest in maintaining our memorabilia and historical information. He has categorized, digitalized, and protected all articles of importance to our fraternity so that all alumni and undergraduates—now and in the future—will have the ability to

1 The Fourteenth Grand Chapter formally established the first governing officers of the Fra-ternity: Grand Consul, Grand Pro-Consul, Grand Annotator, Grand Quaestor, Grand Tribune, Grand Custos. Some of these were later dropped and others added. Nate, Vol. III, p. 252.


One in Heart and Purposeiiunderstand what we stand for and have a better perception of our tenets and ideals. Brother Phelps is truly a grand archivist! I am privileged to be a listed among these men who have preserved our history through the years. These men have been elected or appointed as Grand Historian since 1872.

1. Harry St. John Dixon, Psi 1861 (1872-84)2. Charles A. Wightman, Omega, 1885 (1884-90)3. John T. McCutcheon, Delta Delta 1889 (1890-92)4. William C. Van Benschoten, Omega 1891 (1892-95)2

5. Robert Farnham, Jr., Epsilon 1898 & Rho 1899 (1895-97)3

6. Frank Crozier, Chi 1892 and Theta Theta 1894 (1897-99)7. Newman Miller, Alpha Pi 1893 (1899-1901)8. Fred A. Perine, Alpha Pi 1898 (1901-09)9. Earl D. Hostetter, Omicron Omicron 1911 (1909-15)10. Roy M. Harmon, Omicron Omicron 1911 (1915-17)11. Byron D. Stokes, Alpha Pi 1913 (1917-19)12. Willard C. Teague, Alpha Psi 1912 (1919-21)13. Joseph Chapman Nate, Alpha Iota 1890 (1921-33)14. Chester W. Cleveland, Kappa Kappa 1920 (1933-49)15. William O. Heath, Kappa Kappa 1923 (Sept-Oct, 1949)4

16. Bolon B. Turner, Epsilon 1922 (1949-55)17. Robert M. Collett, Mu 1914 (1955-71)18. Robert E. LeClerg, Gamma Chi 1952 (1971-81)19. Douglas R. Carlson, Alpha Sigma 1973 (1981-99)20. Eric B. Hansen, Zeta Psi 1989 (1999-2007)21. William P. Fleming, Jr., Epsilon Psi 1965 (2007-present)

This volume is dedicated to the historians of Sigma Chi who endeavored to preserve the legacy of our great brotherhood

through the ages.

2 See “Errata—Volume I” in Nate, The History of Sigma Chi, Volume III, p. 434. Nate had originally reported William T. Alden, Omega ’91 in Volume I, p. xi.

3 Ibid. Nate had originally reported William B. Ricks, Alpha Tau ’90 in Volume I, p. xi. 4 Collett in his Centennial History notes that Brother Heath “served briefly as Grand His-

torian” (Collett, p. 207). It is believed that this brief period was the time from Cleveland’s resignation as Editor of the Magazine and Grand Historian on September 19, 1949 (p. 447) to the election at the Chicago Grand Council on Oct. 24-25, 1949 of Bolon Turner (p, 448).


PrefaceBrothers,

Since Sigma Chi’s founding on June 28, 1855, we have revered those courageous seven who started the path on which over 280,000 men have since embarked. We all know the tale of the “Recalcitrant Six,” soon be to be joined by Lockwood, but on average, Sigma Chis know little of our founder’s lives after their college days. From the days of the founding to the loss of Founder Cooper in 1920 at 91 years old, we were blessed with a rich legacy of their courage, wisdom, integrity, high ambition, self control, courtesy, and fidelity. It is remarkable that we retain Cooper’soriginal Sigma Phi badge dating from the very day of our founding. The CooperbadgeservestodayasthesymbolofofficeofourGrandConsuland is used to transfer that signal honor at our biennial Grand Chapters. I can tell you from personal experience that your life changes (again!) when that badge is pinned on your chest. Joseph C. Nate, who served as our 9th Grand Consul (1899-1901), Grand Tribune, and several terms as our Grand Historian, began the writing of a series of fraternity histories having been authorized by the 29th Grand Chapter in 1909. These so-called “Nate Histories” were originally planned as a seven-volume series, each dedicated to a founder, with the series covering 1855-1925. We were fortunate indeed to have had Founders Caldwell (d.1912), Cooper (d.1920), Runkle (d.1916) and Bell (d.1919) alive during portions of the research and drafting. The untimely death of Brother Nate in 1933, stopped production after only four volumes. We believe that there were fewer than 2000 originals printed of each of the three physical volumes. Each volume was to include a short biography of the founder to which that volume was dedicated. Nate wrote all the dedication bios and shortened them for inclusion as each volume was released. At this writing, a complete Nate three-volume set in reasonable condition costs about $400 on the used-book market. This new volume collects those original Nate biographies of the founders and that of Brother Nate himself. After editing and collating by current Grand Historian Bill Fleming, past Grand Historian and Past Grand Consul Doug Carlson, and Archivist Noah Phelps, the 2007/09 Executive Committee has seen fit to underwrite the publishing of thatmaterial on a limited basis. Thus we are printing a First Edition of 2009 numbered volumes, of which 1855 (of obvious significance) will behardbound and 154 leather-bound (in recognition of the 154 years since our founding) for a total of 2009 volumes, equaling the year of its printing. Theproceedsof this editionare intended tofinance thecontinuationofour current history program that is currently known as the “The Sigma


One in Heart and PurposeivChi Historical Initiative.” Among the projects currently underway:

1. The archival scanning and reprinting of the original, but long out of print, Nate volumes I-IV. A searchable medium resolutionscan(.pdf)hasbeenmadebutisnotofsufficientquality for archival or printing purposes.

2. ThecompletionandprintingofthefinalthreeNatevolumesV-VII for which we have manuscripts from Nate in various stages of completion.

3. The writing and printing of the intermediary volume VIII, covering 1925-1955. You will recall that the Carlson History covers 1955-1980 and is effectively volume IX of the series. The Collette Centennial History (1955) is a summary edition and a highly readable volume covering 1855-1955. It leans heavily on Nate as a source.

4. The writing and printing of the next volume in the series, effectively volume X, covering 1981-2005. Grand Historian Bill Fleming is in the process of writing this volume.

5. The writing and limited printing of the “History of The Sigma Chi Ritual.” This will likely be a collaboration volume and will require security considerations of similar nature to our Ritual.

6. The cataloguing and preservation of Sigma Chi’s historical artifacts including many precious documents.

The completion of this project will take a number of years and many brothers, but it will never be easier to start than now. Sigma Chis derive great motivation from the lives and insights of our founders and in our desire to know them better, we commission this volume. A sincere thanks from the fraternity to all those who contributed so faithfully to this compilation, especially Brothers Nate, Fleming, Phelps and Carlson. Our principles, our mission, and our values are all expressed throughtheretellingofourfounder’slives.Mayeachofyoufindinspirationand stand in awe of their accomplishments. While James Parks Caldwell has been my personal hero for many years, I am certain that each of you will adopt a favorite after reading these biographies.

All Honor To Their Names! In hoc signo vinces,Bob Jones65th Grand Consul


IntroductionBell. Caldwell. Cooper. Jordan. Lockwood. Runkle. Scobey.

Their names are known by all Sigma Chis. We began reading aboutthemwhenwefirstpledgedourselvestoSigmaChi,knowingverylittle about them, but realizing that they began a fraternity which has become one of the most recognized in the world and one which has given each of us a multitude of friends and associates whom we treasure. The founders were like us when we started our college experiences: youthful, invulnerable, idealistic, competitive, strong, friendly, and possessed those characteristics we see in the brothers that surround us as we continue our Sigma Chi journeys.

Thepurposeofthisbookistoprovideadefinitiveresource of our Founding Brothers by bringing together various accounts of their lives so that they become as real to us as our chapters brothers. This project has been a challenging and rewarding experience for me. It started with the idea of compiling Brother Joseph C. Nate’s biographies of the founders into one volume so we could finallyhave these collected together. As the collection of materials progressed, there were other views of the founders, primarily from each other, that show the personal side of each for the other. The portraits painted of his fellow founders by Founder Runkle in “We Seven,” which begins the biographical section of this book, give us an intimate look at the other six, and when you read between the lines, show us much of Runkle’s personality and how he, as well as the others, interacted both individually and as a group.

Sigma Chis have always had a deep interest in the history of our fraternity. The early years of Sigma Chi have been captured in great detail and depth by Dr. Nate, a stalwart Brother who gave his many talents to our fraternity in so many ways—as Grand Consul, GrandHistorian,andparticipantonamultitudeofcommittees.Inthefirstfour volumes of Dr. Nate’s unparalleled History of Sigma Chi: 1855 to 1925 he vividly recalls the very moments of the birth of Sigma Chi and continues to discuss, in detail, the establishment of chapters throughout the yearsaswellasthechangesinthefraternitythroughoutfivedecades.Hisultimate goal was to produce seven volumes, each one dedicated to one ofour founders,encompassing thefirstseventyyearsofour fraternity’sexistence. He almost accomplished this feat!

Joseph Cookman Nate at the 1925 Grand Chapter.


One in Heart and Purposevi There has been keen interest in the reprinting of Dr. Nate’s histories. One of the charges of our 65th Grand Consul Bob Jones to your current Grand Historian is to investigate the completion of the Nate histories. Working with Brothers who are part of the History Commission and the archives committee, we have determined that the publishing of all seven volumes will be an undertaking that will take much more time than earlierexpected.OneprimarydifficultyincompletingDr.Nate’shistoriesis extremely challenging: to maintain the same perspective which he presents, for he lived much of the history he recorded. He also knew many of the individuals about whom he wrote, including four of the founders. Therefore, his histories contain an intimacy that no other Brother can exude with quite the same exuberance as he. When Dr. Nate discusses the changes in the ritual in the 1908-1910 period, he knows about them because he was on the committee which developed them. His reputation with the fraternity was unfathomable. His love for Sigma Chi was unquestionable. Therefore, completing his histories is an arduous but not impossible task; it will just take longer than anticipated. The first four volumes were published in 1922 (Volume I:Lockwood), 1927 (Volume II: Scobey), and 1929 (Volumes III: Jordan and IV: Caldwell in one binding). The three remaining unpublished volumes are in various stages of manuscript. Volume V (Runkle) is for all intents and purposes finished except for final documentation andselection of appropriate photographs. Volume VI (Bell)isnotascomplete;itstillneedsclarificationof some details and additional research in a few of the activities Dr. Nate wanted to include as well as documentation and photographs. Volume VII (Cooper) is only in the sketchiest of forms and needs much research. However, Dr. Nate had finishedthebiographiesofthefoundersbeforehisdeath in 1933. Since he had completed the biographies of the founders, and only four of them have been previously published in Volumes I-IV of his Histories, it was decided to publish, in one volume, the biographies of our seven founders along with Dr. Nate’s discussion of the founding of Sigma Chi found in Volume I since many Sigma Chis have not had the opportunity to read his rendition and the version on which many other paraphrased accounts are based. Therefore, this volume will be the initial step in republishing some of the historical manuscripts of Dr. Nate. Rather than presenting the biographies in the order in which the

The Nate History, Volume1, dedicated to Founder

Lockwood.


One in Heart and Purpose viifounders passed into the Chapter Eternal, as was Nate’s plan, they are presented in alphabetical order. As part of the biographies, the stories relatingtofivefounders’participationintheCivilWarareincluded;theseaccounts are in separate chapters in Volume II of The History of Sigma Chi entitled “Sigma Chi in the War,” which not only follow the exploits of the founders, but also many other brothers who fought on both sides of this historical event. Following the founders’ biographies are pages entitled “In His Words,” containing sometimes brief, sometimes longer expressions of the founders and their feelings about Sigma Chi.

The second part of this book focuses on the founding of Sigma Chi from several perspectives and genres: personal recollections from founders Jordan and Runkle; historical accounts from Grand Historians Nate and Robert M. Collett; the “outsider” perspectives from Samuel Hunt, a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and from Alfred H. Upham, former president of Miami University. Also included are two plays, one parody by Founder Lockwood and another by Pulitzer Prize winner Martin Flavin, written for the Centennial Celebration. Included are illustrations by Significant Sig and award-wining cartoonist

Milton Caniff depicting in another medium the founding of Sigma Chi. Although we are all familiar with the story, I believe you will enjoy the various outlooks on the establishment of our wonderful fraternity. I hope you enjoy this volume, which brings our founders together again. We can certainly see the diversity they possessed, the hopes and dreams they formulated as young men, the courage they possessed in defending their beliefs, the rich lives they led as leaders of men, the influences they obviously had on thousands upon thousands of collegemen, and the powerful legacy they left us in our never-ending quest for the WhiteCross.Perhapswhenyoufinishyouwillfindyourselfmorelikelyto refer to these seven Brothers as Tom, Jimmy, Dan, Ike, Will, Ben, and Frank, for that’s who they really were. In the words of Dan Cooper, they were truly “seven men—one in heart and purpose.”

William P. Fleming, Jr.Grand HistorianHuntsville, Texas2009

Robert Collett, 16th Grand Historian, circa 1955.


One in Heart and Purposeviii

Sigma Chis from Omega Chapter posed in front of their house at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois during the 17th Grand Chapter in Summer 1888.

INVITATION TO NON-SIGMA CHIS Everyone interested in history and curious about the genesis of an international organization is invited to be informed, entertained, and perhaps surprised by the individuals and events involved in such a creation. Sigma Chi was not established merely to have another fraternity: it was created on sound principles of friendship, justice, and learning and those concepts have remained the basis of the fraternity throughout its 154-year existence. Sigma Chi, arguably the most eminent college fraternity in the world, was conceived by seven college men, ranging in ages from fourteen to twenty-five,who rebelled against presumptive injustices and desiredfairness and decency in dealing with others. These men became leaders—lawyers, educators, generals, clergymen, businessmen—and held firmto the original tenets which they expected those who follow to emulate. Sigma Chis across the generations have received inspiration from these men and and have sought to emulate their standards. All persons are invited to participate in this experience.


One in Heart and Purpose ix

Acknowledgements

I would certainly like to thank several individuals for their help in compiling this book for your enjoyment. Thanks to Doug Carlson, Noah Phelps, Mike Codina, Eric Hansen, Karen Horn, the History Commission, andtotheGrandOfficers—GrandConsulBobJones,GrandProConsulWayne Tucker, Grand Quaestor Dennis Santoli—and to those Brothers in the Sigma Chi Foundation who are always encouraging endeavors such as this—Director Greg Harbaugh and to our Executive Director Mike Dunn. I would like to also thank a friend and colleague of mine—Mrs. Janet Fair—who is the best pair of “second eyes” I know. She has been a wonderful proofreader for this book.

NOTES ON THE TEXT1. Footnoting has been kept consistent with the format that

Dr. Nate used in the earlier histories even though modern documentation has been somewhat changed over the years.

2. Some small portions of Dr. Nate’s words have been expunged because they would be confusing in the current text. For example, he has written in places “in other parts of this volume,” referring to another part in one of his Histories; these statements or phrases have been omitted.

3. In some instances when words, phrases, and other wordings wereusedwhicharenowconsideredconfidentialbySigmaChi, they have been omitted and a relevant footnote has been provided.

4. Footnotes that I have inserted throughout the text are designated with “[N.B.]” to differentiate from those used by the original authors.

5. Historical texts used have been kept intact, except in a few instances where older words and phrases have been currently deemed insensitive.The intent of keeping historically accurate accounts is not intended to offend anyone.

6. At several points in the Nate biographies, I break the narrative to insert Nate’s description of the Founders’ Civil Warexperience.Thosesectionsareidentifiedwithafootnoteand the following graphic can be found at the beginning and end of those sections.


CONTENTSDEDICATION: THE SIGMA CHI HISTORIANWilliam P. Fleming

i

PREFACERobert H.W. Jones III

iii

INTRODUCTIONWilliam P. Fleming

v

PART I: THE FOUNDERS OF SIGMA CHI1 Prologue: We Seven

Benjamin Piatt Runkle

2

2 Thomas Cowan BellJoseph C. Nate

13

In His Words Thomas C. Bell

31

Colonel Thomas C. BellFrank Crozier

33

3 James Parks CaldwellJoseph C. Nate

41

In His Words James P. Caldwell

60

James Parks Caldwell Lieutenant of the Confederate States Army & Founder of Sigma ChiFrank Crozier

62

4 Daniel William Cooper Joseph C. Nate

70

In His WordsDaniel W. Cooper

82

5 Isaac M. Jordan Joseph C. Nate

88

In His Words Excerpt from Address to the Fifteenth Grand Chapter Isaac M. Jordan

100

6 William Lewis LockwoodJoseph C. Nate

105

In His Words William L. Lockwood

126

7 Benjamin Piatt Runkle Joseph C. Nate

130

In His Words Benjamin P. Runkle

158

True Manhood Benjamin P. Runkle

162


One in Heart and Purposexii Fraternity Extension Benjamin P. Runkle

174

Sigma Chi National Hymm Benjamin P. Runkle

180

Brevet Major-General Ben. P. Runkle Whitelaw Reid

181

Benjamin Piatt Runkle – Grand Consul Frank Crozier

183

At a Crossroads in HistoryBen Runkle and African American EmancipationFrank Crozier

188

8 Franklin Howard Scobey Joseph C. Nate

191

In His Words Franklin H. Scobey

204

Human SunshineA Tribute to Franklin Howard Scobey Benjamin P. Runkle

205

9 Epilogue: Summer Days of ’56 at Old Miami Benjamin P. Runkle

207

PART II. THE FOUNDING OF SIGMA CHI1 Memories of Miami

Benjamin Piatt Runkle212

2 The Founding of Sigma ChiJoseph C. Nate

215

Endnotes to Joseph Nate’s The Founding of Sigma Chi Franklin H. Scobey

233

3 A New Fraternity—Sigma ChiDissension in Delta Kappa EpsilonRobert M. Collett

239

4 The Devil’s RevengeWilliam Lewis Lockwood

250

5 Two Nights in 1855, a playMartin Flavin

261

6 The Founding of Sigma ChiExcerpt from Greek Meets GreekAlfred H. Upham

278

7 ΔKE Version of the Founding of Sigma ChiSamuel F. Hunt

281

PART III: IN THE SPIRIT OF THE FOUNDERS1 In Remembrance of the Founders: Monuments and Memorials

Excerpts from The Centennial History of Sigma ChiRobert M. Collett

286


One in Heart and Purpose xiii2 The Reynolds Address

Regarding the Founding of Gamma Chapter, Dec. 24, 1855Eric Hansen

295

An Address to Gamma ChapterJanuary 4, 1856Charles Reynolds

296

3 Harry St. John DixonConfederate Soldier and First Grand HistorianMichael Codina

301

Recollections of a Confederate PrivateHarry St. John Dixon

302

4 The Last Full Measure of DevotionSigma Chi’s Gold Star Honor RollNoah Phelps

336

The White Rose CeremonyThe Official Graveside Service for Deceased Sigma Chis

344

With Sacred Circle BrokenA Song for the White Rose Ceremony

347

The Chapter Eternal: A PoemRichard F. Hafer

348

5 In a Manner the Seven Founders Would Have CommendedThe Founding of the Order of Constantine with a list of its MembersWilliam P. Fleming

349

6 The Standard Held HighA List of the Significant Sigs

356

7 With An Expression of Fervant HopeThe Expansion of Sigma Chi with a List of Our Undergraduate ChaptersMike Dunn

365

8 The Grand Consuls of Sigma Chi 369

About the Author: Joseph Cookman Nate, DD

1 Biography of Joseph C. Nate Douglas R. Carlson

371

2 The Death of Dr. Nate Robert M. Collett

373

About the Editor: William P. Fleming, Ph.D.L. Wayne Tucker

376

About the Contributors377

The Sigma Chi Historical Initiative382


Part I

The Founders of Sigma Chi

“Seven men—one in heart and purpose; seven, the symbol of completeness but not of perfection.”

—Daniel William Cooperon the death of Thomas Cowan Bell,

leaving Cooper the sole surviving Founder of Sigma Chi,

February 5, 1919


We SevenBenjamin Piatt Runkle1

Togobackfifty-threeyearsandplaceoneselfinamentalconditionto portray, with any accuracy, the ways and works of one’s associates and

companions is a well nigh impossible task. That was a different age from this, and it seems a thousand years away. The ideas of men were of another sort from those of this imperial, commercial age. Steam had scarcely begun its wondrous work and the electric wonders of today were not even dreamed of. There was no mighty concentration of wealth. There were no millionaires and there were no suffering poor. If a man had forty thousand dollars he was rich, and more,

he was content. Today the man of uncounted millions is grasping for more, and no man is contented with what he has. Todaywehavemagnificent universities, vast piles of brick andstone filledwith thewondrousmodern inventions that are supposed tofurnish more brains where the so-called student has a few, and to grind out all sorts of specialists from every kind of material. It was different in that bygone time. We had the little brick college with its limited faculty, wretchedly poor in money but wonderfully rich in the treasures of human sympathy, in the love of their fellow-men, and in the beautiful classical culture of the olden time. Oh, my comrades and brothers, those were men thataboycouldlove.Thoseweremenwhosespiritsfilledtheveryairthatwe breathed and stirred within us mighty hopes and ambitions which, even if never realized, made us better, stronger, and more useful men. Not one of useverceasedtofeelthatmightymoldinginfluence.Ifanystrayedawayfrom those high and noble teachings he came back again, my brothers, with a penitent but earnest heart, to walk in the good old path again. I do not believe you young men can—I only wish you could—understand how we of those long agone days love that little college down among the Ohio hills, that holy spot with its golden memories of precious hours and loving hearts. A man is not strong because of what he knows, or thinks, or says, or does, but because of what he is. The faculty of that little college was the college. Those men were mighty, earnest, loving men of God.2 The Cross meant to them what it meant to the saints and martyrs of old, and they tried to teach the founders of this order what it was and what

1 Benjamin Piatt Runkle. Address given at Fifth Province convention in Chicago on De-cember 5, 1908. Reprinted in The Sigma Chi Quarterly, Vol. XXVIII, Feb. 1909, 123-131.

2 Dr. Nate devotes Chapter IV of Volume I of The History of Sigma Chi to “Student Life in Old Miami,” where he recounts many of the faculty who influenced the students. See pp. 85-100.

Benjamin Piatt Runkle


We Seven xviiit is, and is always to be. To those men we, the founders of this order, owe it that our ideals were pure and that we reached out, in our imperfect way, for the true, the beautiful, and the good. To those men you owe the birth of Sigma Chi, and in whatever memorial you may erect a tablet of enduring bronze should register their names. I said that we do not forget. No man of that day forgets. Sigma Chi or Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta, or Delta Kappa Epsilon, barbarian or Greek, they all remember Miami and remember with loving hearts and open hands. The august ambassador of this mighty nation amid the form and splendor of St. James remembers the mother that made him what he is, and gives freely of his wealth to further her interests. The President of the mighty republic did not, amid his high duties and the dignity of hismatchlessoffice,forget.Senators,governors,highchurchdignitaries,noted men of science, leaders in the world of learning, merchant princes, and professional soldiers, all alike remember and no call is made on them in vain. Strong and able men, through evil report and good report, through prosperity and adversity, have devoted their lives to that old college and today the results of their work is manifest to all men. The institution is taking her place among the leading colleges of the land. The wealth of the state is freely poured into her treasury; splendid buildings are rising on her beautiful campus; young men, the very bone, sinew, and brain of the state, are crowding to her gates; but, above all, and better than all, the spirit of the 50’s and the 60’s is alive and active in her halls. Miami of today is the Miami of old, rejuvenated, enriched, made strong and earnest for the continuance of the work that this republic needs—the making of good, strong men. And now what of the men who made the small beginning of the Fraternity that wears the matchless badge of the ages and gives ear to the teachings of the elder brother of mankind? The Sigma Chi, like all things else in this world, was the product of heredity and environment. The fathers and mothers of these founders were with one exception, the sons and daughters of the pioneers who cleared away the forests and, amid privations and hardships, laid the foundations of a great commonwealth. Those were strong and sturdy men, God-honoring, law-respecting men, the sort of men who might say, with the stern Scottish clansman, “Where McGregor sits is the head of the table.” Every one of these founders knew of the comforts, and the discomforts ofalogcabinwithitspuncheonfloor,anditsgreatopenfireplace.Theydid not all dwell in these primitive homes, but such were common where they passed their early youth, and each knew that there was, in that day,


The Founders of Sigma Chixviiibut slight social distinction between the dweller in the lowly cabin and the owner of the more pretentious brick structure. These were young freemenfilledwiththespiritofAmericandemocracy,andinsomerespectsfilledwith the socialistic instinct.WhenWillLockwood receivedaboxof fashionable clothing from his importer father in New York, it was at once parceled out, and the strange sight of blue jeans trousers and a cloth shanghai coat reaching nearly to the heels, gave variety to the landscape on the campus. A stovepipe hat over a gray shawl, with a pair of parti-colored trousers stuck into cowhide boots was no uncommon sight. Some hair wasliketheflowinglocksofAbsalom,somewaspatternedafterthestyleof John L. Sullivan. Yet they were not different from the rest of the 200 and odd students gathered from far and near. There were the Singletons from Mississippi, the Lowes and Halls from Iowa, the Pages from Oregon, the Berrys and Taylors from Kentucky, and samples of young American manhood from all over the land, with Ohio leading the count with the greatest number. The big eastern fraternities did not hesitate about granting chapter charters. We had the Delta Kappa Epsilon and the Alpha Delta Phi. But none of these were good enough or strong enough, or progressive enough—or at least something essential was lacking—and these young western enthusiasts proceeded to make others along lines drafted out of their own imaginations and sanctioned by their own judgments. So we have the three Miami fraternities that have covered the land and have made some of their then pretentious rivals look like small sums of the current coin of the realm.

Thomas Cowan Bell, great hearted and good hearted in civil life and a hero in battle, believed in securing the good things of this life and immediately dividing the same with his companions. He was a born expansionist, full of enthusiasm as a crusader. Naturally he was a leader and teacher of men. He was ambitious, but in no wise disposed to push his aspirations at the expense of his fellows. With restless energy, he had no sooner received his diploma than he commenced his life’s work only to be interrupted by

the thunder of the Confederate guns. Laying down his books he took up the swordandwefindhim,likewell-nighallgoodSigmaChis,intheforefrontof battle leading his command to victory and receiving the highest reward, recognitionforgallantryonthefield. The war ended, this young colonel laid aside his sword, turned his face toward the setting sun, and we next hear of him as the president of a collegeonthePacificslope—asortof“groundscout”oftheadvanceguardof the Sigma Chi. Colonel Bell contributed his full share to the work and

Thomas Cowan Bell


We Seven xixtotherulingspiritthatgavetheorderitsfirstimpetus.HeandCooperforsome reason, hidden in their secret souls, were closely knit together. They entered the Delta Kappa Epsilon together and side by side, left that order to become founders of the Sigma Chi. They were members of the same

literary society. In thought and sympathy and in the deep foundations of their being they were much the same sort of men, though in outward expression of the inward character they differed widely. They were distinct varieties of the same good fruit. Daniel W. Cooper was literally an Abou Ben Adam3 among his brothers—one that loved his fellow-men, and did them naught but good. To him more than to any other man is due the birth and early growth of the kindly and generous spirit of Sigma

Chi.Itishardtoaccountforhisdominantspirit,andhisinfluenceinthatlittle band. He was, and is, a man of God, honest, upright, and pure. In his intercourse with the rest of us he was as gentle and considerate as a woman. He never reproved; he never lectured. By common consent he was the head of the chapter, and no one thought of displacing him. His quarters were the resort of each one of us when in trouble, and there we found sympathy and convincing,becauseunselfish,advice.Differentfromeveryoneofus,hewalkedamongushonored, loved, looked-up-towithperfectconfidence.He taught us that the cross was holy and not to be looked on as common. He seemed to have in mind the words, “What God hath made clean call

3 This should read “Abou Ben Adhem.” Abou Ben Adhem was an Arab Muslim saint, made famous by poet James Henry Leigh Hunt (1784-1859), very popular during this the Founders’ college years. The poem, published in 1838, aptly portrays Founder Cooper. The poem, entitled “Abou Ben Adhen” follows: Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace, And saw, within the moonlight in his room, Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom, An angel writing in a book of gold:— Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, And to the Presence in the room he said “What writest thou?”—The vision raised its head, And with a look made of all sweet accord, Answered, “The names of those who love the Lord.” “And is mine one?” said Abou. “Nay, not so,” Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low, But cheerly still, and said “I pray thee, then, Write me as one that loves his fellow men.” The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night It came again with a great wakening light, And showed the names whom love of God had blessed, And lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest.

Daniel William Cooper


The Founders of Sigma Chixxthou not common,” and he was wont to say: “If you will go where you ought not to go, leave off the badge,” and this we did. In the fact that the firstcaseofdisciplineinthechapterwasforintoxicationatabanquetmaybeseenhisquietbutall-sufficientinfluence.ManyanhourdidIpassinhis room, and every minute was a benediction. Brother Cooper, in those days, though rich in spirit was poor in worldly goods, and his life and work contain a priceless lesson for such of us as think that the end of life is the attainment of material riches and worldly power. James Parks Caldwell was the son of a physician in a little village the nearest neighbors to which were the solemn and strange sect of the Shakers. Jimmie Caldwell was born with a wonderful brain and a strangely sensitive and delicate nervous organization. He was from his childhood one of the most lovable of God’s creations. Strong men whose lives have taken them far away from the memories of youth and who have become hardened to tender feeling and sympathetic sentiment, remember and love him to this day. Somehow, he seemed closely akin to all of us. Years ago I met in Europe a statesman engrossed in his great duties, burdened withtheweightofmanycaresandthefirstthinghesaidtomewas,“Whereis dear little Jimmie Caldwell?” And then he went on to tell me how when crossing the continent, from San Francisco to New York, he stopped for twodays on hisway tofind andgreet again that livingmemoryof hisyouth. I roomed with and cared for him for more than a year. Our holidays werespentinthefieldsandalongthestreams,oneofuscarryingagun,or fishing-rod, but Caldwell his copy of Poe or his Shakespeare. Hiscontributions, essays, poems, plays, and stories read in the literary hall, in the chapter meetings, and on Saturdays before the whole corps of students, were the most remarkable productions that I ever heard. Few of us escaped thepointedwitticismsthatflowedfromhispen,oreverlostthenicknamesthat he gave us in his dramas. He never seemed to study as other boys. What he knew appeared to be his intuitively. He could not parse the Greek and Latin, but he wrote Latin and Greek poetry, and he was more widely versed in literature, and more accurate in his knowledge, than any other student in the college. He always said that he hoped to sup sorrow with the wooden spoon that would be his on graduation day. I do not know whether or not he secured that trophy but he left the university with the respect and the whole-hearted affection of every soul from dear old Dr. Hall down to thejanitor.FromcollegehewentintoJudgeClark’sofficeinHamiltontostudy law. Afterward he drifted south and became a tutor in the family of Senator (and later Cabinet Minister) L. Q. C. Lamar. He was at Panola,

James Parks Caldwell


We Seven xxiMiss.—if I mistake not—when the Civil War broke out, and a Democrat, surrounded by southern Democrats, who doubtless loved him as everybody did, he entered the Confederate army. There he bore himself, consistently, as a soldier and a gentleman, energetic, brave, enthusiastic, devoted with unswerving faith to the cause he had made his own. Captured and cast into prison, he rejected the offer of freedom, on condition of deserting the South, with scorn, although it came from a northern soldier who loved him as a brother. Some years ago I met a distinguished man from Mississippi who knew him. He told me that Caldwell was the most highly cultured, the most deeply learned and, take him all in all, the most remarkable man that he had ever seen or of whom he had ever read. He graduated when barely sixteen years of age. Isaac M. Jordan—playmate of my boyhood, schoolmate forsevenswiftlyflowingyears, friend forlong and strenuous years of manhood, and always the incarnation of high resolves, boundless energy, lofty ambitions, gifted with untiring perseverance and ability that made success a certainty, how many dear and beautiful memories come into these sunset days, and make the life that is past seem not to have been lived in vain. Cut off in the prime of his manhood by what seems to us a cruel fate, he has left an example of what a strong will and determined purpose can accomplish. If ever there was a “self-made” man who had a high right to be proud of the making that man was Brother Jordan. He came to our little home village when perhaps fourteen years of age. His father was one of that matchless class of workers, an American mechanic. He was a cooper, and he taught his boys to make barrels, and the best of barrels, and so they learned to honor labor—not as the canting politician honors it—but in their hearts. When a new boy came to town of course, after the manner of boys, wehuntedhimuptofindofwhatstuffhewasmade.IfoundlittleIsaacnear the cooper shop and challenged him to play marbles. He informed methatheonlyplayed“forkeeps.”Weplayed,Iwithconfidence,hewithskill. He won all my marbles, lent them back again and again and won them again and again. At last he told me “to go somewhere and practice,” and we never played together any more. Then we tried boxing. It was without gloves—nakedfists—giveandtake.Ikeyhadlongarms,andindueseasonwebothhadnosebleed.Weceasedtofightoneanother,andtooktothefieldas companions in armsand fought everyotherboywecouldfind.While at Geneva Hall—a strict Covenanter academy—we fought many a terrificbattlewiththe“townies,”andmorethanoncewecarriedIkeJordanhome after he had fought, almost literally to the death, some bully, twice

Isaac M. Jordan


The Founders of Sigma Chixxiihis weight. In the classroom and literary halls at Geneva and Miami it was the same story, rivals with one another, allies against the rest of the world. When Jordan was in the village school some three years, his was a hard life. Rising every morning before the sun he worked in the cooper shop making barrels, and there Saturday found him pounding away like a veteran. When we went to Geneva his elder-brother Jackson Jordan, of Dayton, came to his aid, and stood by him until he graduated at Miami. Hewasworthyoftheconfidenceplacedinhimandhelivedtoreturnthekindness an hundred-fold. We went together to Geneva and from thence to Old Miami and were roommates for about a year. My father—a stern Presbyterian elder—who approved of Jordan, took us both there and placed us in a boarding-housewhichmade us long for the flesh pots ofWestLiberty.Our firstefforts in the Erodelphian Literary Society—Jordan’s an oration, mine an essay—brought us each a proposition to join the Delta Kappa Epsilon of whichWhitelawReidwas“it”withabigI.Jordan’sbidcamefirst,andI knew nothing of it. One evening Isaac got out an old single-barreled pistol, of which he was the owner, and proceeded to load it with ball. He then told me he must take some sleep for he was going out about midnight. Alarmed at this announcement, and wanting to be in any scrimmage that might be coming, I begged him to tell me what was in the air. He only said, “If anything happens to me you will hear of it,” and out he went. Nothing happened and in due season the rest of the founders walked the same path to the old negro church, piloted by the able Reid, and began our fraternity experience. A few months after this the election of the Junior orator and poet, the highest honors in the gift of the student body, came on, and the trouble that made Sigma Chi began. We, the future founders, had no comprehension of such a thing as a ticket set up for us to vote. As long as we were in college each one of us followed the dictates of his own will or conscience and voted for just the one that suited him, barbarian or Greek, brother or not. The following year, when the same election was held for our class, Jordan and the writer hereof were the leading candidates for orator and I beat him for the coveted honor one vote. He was chairman of the committee that managed the ceremonies. In front of the Davis House—our chapter house, though we did notknowit—wasagatefivefeetinheightandsolid.SomeonetoldJordanthat he could not jump over it. He said he could, tried it, caught his foot, andwasnearlykilled.Notsatisfied,hetrieditagainandsucceeded.Thiswas his character. Nothing was too lofty for his aspirations, nothing, to his vigorous mind, was impossible. He was wont to tell me in his working years that the burdens of life weighed heavily upon him. They do upon us


We Seven xxiiiall, but he showed no signs of faltering. He did everything with the same tremendous energy that he displayed when, during the siege of Cincinnati, I took him out of the trenches and put him on my staff. He showed that he would have made a splendid soldier, for he had all the qualities of a splendid man.

Franklin Howard Scobey—

How glorious is the sunshine after the nightly gloom,How beautiful the sunshine on the roses in their bloom,But he who carries sunshine in his heart where’er he goes,Gives human life more beauty far than sunshine gives the rose.

Frank Scobey, boy and man, was one of those whom everybody wants everywhere at the same time. Of all those that I have ever been closely associated with he was the brightest, the most cheerful, the sunniest. Do not understand that he was lacking in the strong qualities of manhood because he was loving and cheery. The sunshine is the most powerful agency of nature. The world were dead without it. But this brother was never gloomy; no clouds seemed to shadow his life; he

wasthesametoallatalltimes.Theelementofselfishnesswasasfarfromhis nature as light from darkness. He cared nothing for money as money and yet he was the closest friend and companion of the only one of the founders who exhibited much trace of the commercial instinct. Without Frank Scobey I do not believe that Sigma Chi would have succeeded and expanded and endured. We had our disappointments, our months of gloom, times when it seemed that we had no chance of success. Everyone was against us. But Frank Scobey was never discouraged. Always looking on the more hopeful side, his very smile and cheerful words of encouragement gave us new heart. Scobey did well whatever he undertook to do; stood high with the professors and was popular even with our enemies whose name was legion, and whose inimical activities were unceasing. He was never physically strong and his life ended early. Frank was a soldier in the Civil War and made an honorable record. After the war he became an editor, and a good one, founding the publication of which I believe Hon. Walter S. Tobey is the head. We may well wish that there were more Frank Scobeys in this work-a-day world of ours. William Lewis Lockwood: I have inverted somewhat the alphabetical order of these names because Brother Lockwood was not of

Franklin Howard Scobey


The Founders of Sigma Chixxivthe Delta Kappa Epsilon contingent that founded Sigma Chi. He was an allycalledinasthebattlegrewfierce.Hemadeupthemagicnumber,seven. He was chosen unanimously on the motion of Frank Scobey, who was always closer to him than any other of us all. He was different from each of the others. This difference was hereditary and was sharpened by environment. He was western born, but cultured, and had been partly educated in the East. His father was a merchant and importer. He was a slender, fair-haired, delicate-looking youth with polished manners, and was always dressed in the best of taste.When hefirst came toMiamiwondrous tales were told of his wardrobe, of his splendid dressing-gowns,andtheoutfitofhisquarters.Hewasrefinedinhistastes.Heknewsomethingaboutartandhadsomeunderstandingofthefitnessofthingsgenteel. We welcomed him into our circle. I understand why we wanted him. He could bring to our ambitious little band some things, mental and spiritual, that were sorely needed. But I do not understand why he so promptly responded to the call. Phi Delta Theta would seem to have been the most attractive, but it was not. He came to us, brought us all he had, and divided even his wardrobe, which seemed to be unlimited. Lockwood and the writer hereof designed the badge; that is to say, we furnished the ideas. Frank Baird, a Delta Kappa Epsilon who would not withdraw with us (though sympathizing with us), and since an artist of high renown, drew the design. I can see him now, Lockwood on one side and I on the other, working away over the drawing in that poor little, old room where Sigma Chi had her birth. I remember that we determined to have a cross—and we understood the meaning of the emblem. Lockwood knew, instinctively, the value and power of money. He was treasurer, andmanaged the business of the first convention and thefirst banquet.He had a shot bag in which he kept the coin, and I think he reported, at every meeting, how fast the sum was growing. All the expenses of the firstconventionwerepaidincashonthespot,andeverymemberoftheFraternity was present. Aftergraduating,LockwoodmarriedandnamedhisfirstboyFrankScobey, which was the natural thing to do. He became a manufacturer of cotton fabrics. I remember that he wrote me he was “now entering the race for a purse.” He was the only Sigma Chi to whom this idea occurred. He furnished the business spirit to the little band, and without it we must utterly have failed. The Civil War called him into the army and he forgot thepursuitofthedollartofollowtheflag.Hegreatlydistinguishedhimselfat the storming of Fort Wagner where he fell, grievously wounded. From

William Lewis Lockwood


We Seven xxvthis he never recovered and died a martyr to the cause. He shared our love while living, and tender memories follow him to the brighter world. IhavebeenaskedabouttheDavisHouse—ourfirstchapterhouse.Mrs. Davis was the aunt of Brother Bell and, being invited to her table, we soon learned that Bell was living on the fat of the land. Arrangements were accordingly made; two colored cooks were imported from Cincinnati, and wefilledthehousewithasmanySigmaChisasitwouldhold,theotherscamping round about among the neighbors. Board at that time was from one dollar and a half to two dollars per week, two dollars and a half being charged in one house where they boasted that the table conversation was “highly intellectual.” The bare cost of our table was near three dollars per week, and we lived high. The Sigma Chis have never got over the love of such living. Someone will ask what, since we were so unlike, held the little band together. The answer to this question is another. What holds Sigma Chi together now? What makes Ferris and Brumback, Nate and Harper, Runkle and Farnum, and thousands more that might be named, one in heart, ideals, and purpose? I answer: The spirit of the order—the spirit of fair play and a square deal, fraternal sympathy within the fold and an even opportunity for all outside. Finally, I want to say that I have seen, for a half century, all that is best and all the worst—if there is anything that is not good—in Sigma Chi. I am a member of other orders and I bear witness that all are love’s labor lost when compared with the Greek-letter fraternity. The association, the sympathy in trying times, the fraternal support have been invaluable. These have done what gold could not do though piled mountains high. SamuelClark,thefirstSigmaChithatdeathclaimed,isburiedinahumblecountry churchyard, and the cross, with its emblems, is carved on the stone that marks his resting place. I hope for no other emblem for myself. But let us not, while thinking of those who founded the order we love so well, forget what is due to the earnest, faithful, able brothers who preserved it in the days after the war and who developed it to its present magnificent proportions. Let their names appear, also, in thememorialwhich you erect. Let it be a hall of Sigma Chi fame, and let the names of those who have worked, and given, and toiled through all these years stand together, so that all that come after may know that it is worth while not only to labor and to wait but to labor and to love.

Founder’s images drawn by Milton Caniff, Ohio State 1930 for the Centennial celebration, 1955.


One in Heart and Purpose

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