In April of 1914, the Los Amigos club formed
a national fraternity at the University of California
in Berkeley. That fraternity is Alpha Kappa Lambda.
Today AKL has chapters located coast-to-coast of
the United States. The Fraternity has over 22,000
initiated members and has granted charters on 76 campuses.
National History of Alpha Kappa Lambda
The Fraternity of Alpha Kappa Lambda has a proud history that dates to the early part of the 20th Century. This organization has weathered the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, two world wars, the Great Depression, the turbulent 60's and all the days in between.
Our Ideals and Ritual are timeless.
Through the years we have had many great men join our brotherhood. A fine history of men, events, and traditions has emerged. We hope this page will give you some insight into the world of Alpha Kappa Lambda. We hope in the future to provide much more information from our archives, members, and chapters.
Our Founding
Los Amigos was born out of the need--the need of Christian men for a place to live and study that was within their means. Several students attending the University of California at Berkeley in 1906 discussed the possibility of forming a house club where they might live together as men and brothers, helping each other, encouraging each other, and perhaps living more economically than they could separately.
The earthquake that devastated San Francisco that year delayed the formation of the club for a time, but in 1907 the idea was brought up again among Charles Booth, Harry Osborne, Joseph Taylor and Gail Cleland while they were attending a YMCA Conference together at Pacific Grove, California.
There they made plans to begin Los Amigos, a house club named from the Spanish translation of "The Friends." These men were joined in 1907 by William Barnum, Harold Savage, Oscar Perrine, Herman Bergh, Leonard Day, Allen Kimball, and Ludwig Rehfuess.
"When we organized Los Amigos as a house club . . . house clubs and fraternities were dime a dozen. They came, they lived for a few months or a few years, then they went out of existence again. But Los Amigos did not go out of existence," recalled Gail Cleland.
Cleland continues, "And seven years later . . . in response to the suggestion of Benjamin Ide Wheeler, the President of the University of California, we organized our house club as a national fraternity of one chapter."
Past National President William B. Herms (Alpha) described the origins of Alpha Kappa Lambda in THE LOGOS in 1925: "Distinguished scholars contributed to the building of the new Fraternity. (President Wheeler) gave advice and encouragement, Professor Charles Mills Gayley and Professor James T. Allen suggested the name 'Alpha Kappa Lambda' and the motto 'Alethia Kai Logos'."
The founders of Los Amigos were a diverse group, but they all had the common desire for studious living in their college environment and continued integrity after their formal education concluded.
On April 22, 1914, a formation banquet was held in the Hotel Shattuck in Berkley, with members of the new Fraternity and many guests from the community of the University of California in attendance.
Alpha Kappa lambda became the first Fraternity to be founded on the West Coast, indeed west of the Rocky Mountains! Besides being born in the West and spreading east, Alpha Kappa lambda was unique in another way.
"Of particular novelty is statement that the Ideals of the Fraternity are to develop the 'social, intellectual, moral, and religious welfare of it members, (and) to foster and encourage among its members Christian principles, service, higher education, culture, and refinement'," reported The Berkeley Gazette (April 27, 1914) a few days following the formal installation of the Alpha Chapter of Alpha Kappa Lambda.
The Oakland Examiner, in reporting the founding of Alpha Kappa Lambda, said, "Alpha Kappa Lambda was launched with a membership of forty-three and has the hearty sanction of a number of the foremost members of the faculty. The membership comprises largely the roster of Los Amigos Club, an organization which has often ranked first in scholarship standing in the annual reports of the University of California. It is considered significant that many prominent members of the faculty not only endorsed the new fraternity, but assisted in its formation."
The eleven founding members were "typical" college men in many ways, yet atypical in their desire to foster brotherhood, scholarship, and service. Their legacy lives on today in chapters across the nation.
The AKL Badge
The Official Badge of the Fraternity is made of ten carat gold, and is set with eleven whole pearls. Among other principles, the eleven pearls represent the original founders of the Los Amigos Club. The badge is worn only on collared shirts, sweaters, or suit vests, and in the traditional position over the heart. The badge may only be worn by initiated members of the Fraternity.
The Coat of Arms
During the 1914-15 school year, a committee was appointed to establish insignia for the new fraternity. Among those who served on the committee were Robert I. Daley and Bryant Hall. As Brother Hall recalls:
"We discussed the general ideas first. It was soon agreed that both Los Amigos and the new Fraternity should be represented by a design, and especially that there should be something to symbolize the place of origin, for we were much impressed by the fact that no other fraternity had ever been founded on the West Coast. Many ideas were suggested and discarded but the idea of the sun setting two 'headlands' won unanimous approval. A commercial artist familiar with the many complex rules of heraldry made many subsequent sketches, finally arriving at the accepted design."
The painted original of the Coat of Arms remains, and is one of the treasured possessions of the Fraternity. Members are encouraged to explain the heraldic symbols and insignia to non-members. We are quite proud of our Coat of Arms or "crest" as it is sometimes referred.
The Motto of Alpha Kappa Lambda
The motto of The Fraternity of Alpha Kappa Lambda is "Alethia Kai Logos," which in Classical Greek means "The Truth and the Word."
"The motto is a symbolic statement of our Ideals. We are seekers after Truth, the highest Truth, if you please . . . And the Word, which again lends itself to interpretation," explains Past National President William B Herms (Alpha).
In addition, Herms continues, "Somebody has said, 'This is the Logos of Alpha Kappa Lambda--Service.' Or fully stated, our motto means 'Devotion to God through Service to Man.' It is abstract enough for any philosopher, and is meaningful to us all."
Gail Cleland, one of the founders of Los Amigos, said, "What is the signifigance of our motto . . ? As Plato suggested, an Ideal is permanent thing, but as Aristotle supplemented, (an Ideal) is effective in the actual world of reality only as it becomes embodied in a concrete expression in the life of a man or an institution. As we (explained) to President Wheeler, 'We don't want to preach Christianity, we want to live it'."
The Yellow Rose
The Souvenir de Claudis Pernet, described as a tantalizing yellow rose was adopted as the Fraternity's Official Flower at the 6th National Conclave in 1927, because "it was not expensive, and its deep golden color matched well with the colors of AKL." The flower was a popular rose in early 1900's. While the Souvenir de Claudis Pernet itself is no longer widely grown, it has many hybridized descendants. The rose was originally bred by a famous French rose-breeder, Joseph Pernet-Ducher, who named the rose after one of his sons who died in World War I.
Gamma Zeta Chapter History
Georgia Alpha Colony at the University of Georgia came to form long before the actual pinning of its first pledges on May 12, 1994. The birth of Alpha Kappa Lambda at the University of Georgia was not a spontaneous or planned event. In a sense, it was more an evolutionary process.
The formation of Georgia Alpha Colony began in Marietta, Georgia over the Christmas holiday in 1993. One evening, brothers Steve Harding and Ben Fisher proposed the idea of starting a fraternity different from the normal, stereotyped Greek organization currently in existence at UGA to Steve Preiss, the future first president. It was an idealistic and potentially arduous concept; however, Preiss was sparked by the thought of establishing a unique fraternity and began sharing thoughts on the fraternity with some of his closest friends. Looking back, Steve reflects, "At the time, the mere thoughts of starting our own fraternity seemed out of the question. [It seemed that] There was too much work involved and a certain element of luck. But life is no fun without taking a few risks."
After returning to school, Steve called a meeting with ten of his friends on January 24, 1994, to discuss the idea of his new non-Greek business/social fraternity - The Aristocrats. The group was to invest money in the stock market and begin a monthly magazine publication to generate income. The initial money was to come from membership dues with revenues generated providing capital for social events. The proposal was approved and elections for officers were held. Steve Preiss was elected President, John Ulam Treasurer, and a Bid Committee of Ben Fisher, Brent Bagwell, Steve Leone, and Steve Preiss was formed.
The group continued to meet every Monday at Oglethorpe House study lounge. On April 10, 1994, the Aristocrats took a camping trip and baptized themselves in a ceremony of brotherhood. The uniting of the Aristocrats was complete.
Not long after the formation, some national fraternal organizations became very interested in the group and the possibility of expanding to The University of Georgia. After a couple of rejections by the brothers to different groups, an official representing The Fraternity of Alpha Kappa Lambda, Jamison Johnson, contacted Steve Preiss. Jamison had heard about the group from some associates and phoned to set up a meeting with Steve. Steve was excited about Jamison's pitch and the two met on May 10, 1994. At the meeting, Jamison offered an enticing presentation to the Aristocrats, and after deliberation among the men, the Aristocrats agreed to sign on with Alpha Kappa Lambda. Two days later, on May 12, eight of the original Aristocrats: Steve Preiss, Jeff Davala, Doug Schutt, John Ulam, Jason Perrone, Steve Leone, Ben Fisher, and Mike House were pinned as pledges. Preiss was elected as first President, Jeff Davala Vice President, John Ulam Treasurer, and Jason Perrone Rush Chairman.
After getting pinned, the newly formed colony pulled in ten men within a two week period before finals. On May 28, 1994, seven of the original Aristocrats (minus Mike House, Chad Saleeby, and Marshall McCart) were initiated as brothers of AKL at Auburn University.
Before the onset of Georgia Alpha's first official quarter at UGA, the group was up to 17 men. The Alpha Pledge Class consisted of Michael House, Corey Bailey, Matt Painter, Scott Eaton, Jason Chappell, Scott Massengill, Juancho Daccach, and Will Hunter.
The 17 brothers were determined to have an impressive fall quarter and ultimately achieved their goals, recruiting 11 new men. The Beta Pledge Class consisted of William Zeigler, Joseph Greco, Rad Ethridge, Joe Sce, Ian Liebold, Tim McAdams, Ryan Startt, Brian Frost, J. Wallace, Eric Meyer, and Brandon Zimmerman. These pledges were pinned on September 17, 1994. The quarter was a memorable one, consisting of date nights, socials, and brotherhood. Elections were held in November as a formality. All of the officers kept their positions and some newly motivated brothers took their places on committees.
For the remainder of the year, Georgia Alpha was able to expand to 33 men. The Gamma Pledge Class, pinned on February 6, 1995, consisted of Scott Allen, Kevin Rein, Bill Wileman, Mario Paranhos, and Ashley Giles. They were initiated on March 18. Winter quarter saw the first annual Aristocrat Ball, to honor the tradition which started the fraternity. In spring, our first big philanthropic events took place, the Brothers' Date Auction and the first annual Spring Spikefest Volleyball Tournament.
Over the summer of 1995, a lot of work needed to be done. Brothers Joe Greco and Billy Zeigler, to emerging leaders in the fraternity, took it upon themselves to draft local bylaws and put the business side of the group in order. In addition, these two men, with the help of their experienced brothers, put on rush events and began the transition into the executive office.
Fall quarter 1995 saw the first major transition of officers as well as another impressive rush period. The ten member Delta Pledge Class consisted of Shawn Kalfus, Steve Harding, Eric Sender, Matt Sayre, Mike Petlovany, Chris Fisher, Ryan Strohm, Mike Fischer, Curt McMichael, and Kevin Bailey. These men were pinned on October 4 and were initiated on November 11, 1995. Elections were held on November 13. The office of the presidency was highly contested between Joe Greco and Aristocrat Jeff Davala. In a close tally, Greco won the Presidential seat. His first order of business was to appoint Davala as Chief of Staff, understanding that Jeff's experience would be invaluable. Bill Zeigler was elected Vice President, Bill Wileman Treasurer, Brian Frost Secretary, and Steve Preiss Rush Chair.
Greco was indeed correct when he said that the most important time in the fraternity's life was upon us. Talk to chartering began circulating as the group grew to 43 men in winter quarter 1996. The five man Epsilon Pledge Class consisted of Dave Bochniak, Shon Duren, James Casey, Brent Rae, and Brian Messer. These brothers were pinned on February 16 and initiated on March 9, 1996. Georgia Alpha also gained a transfer from George Mason University, Dave Al-Khazraji. Winter 1996 also saw the second Aristocrat Ball as well as the second Brothers' Date Auction. Winter also presented itself as Georgia Alpha's second consecutive quarter as leaders in GPA among fraternities on campus with a 3.29.
Heading into spring, the 49 men were able to pull in another four pledes, in addition to strengthening brotherhood between existing members. The Zeta Pledge Class consisted of Jason Faklaris, Jeremy Gilbertson, Damon Dougherty, and Casey Reeves. Spring saw Georgia Alpha's two year anniversary on May 28, 1996 and was celebrated in appropriate fashion.
Finally, the word was received that the Georgia Alpha Colony would indeed receive their charter and the date of November 9, 1996 was chosen. The final pledge class of founding fathers, Eta, was initiated the night before chartering. The class consisted of George Collings, Chip MacDonald, Noah Kahn, Erez Sternberg, Matt Hilley, Jason Stroup, Andrew Santamaria, Charles Greco, and Sean Yovan. The long anticipated day had finally arrived. Friends, family, and brothers from around the country gathered at the Classic Center for the chartering ceremony. All of Georgia Alpha Colony's hard work culminated in the moment that National President Bill Porter presented Joe Greco with the charter. Georgia Alpha Colony was now officially the Gamma Zeta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Lambda. Following the presentation of the charter, 61 brothers signed their name to it. The following men, whose impressive reputation, high, honor, and strong brotherhood built the foundation for Gamma Zeta, and will always be remembered as our founding fathers (in scroll order):
Steven Fredrick Preiss
Jeffrey Christopher Davala
Douglas Brian Schutt
John Barrett Ulam
Jason Perrone
Steven Joseph Leone, Jr.
Benjamin Reed Fisher
Micheal Richard House
Marshall Benson McCart
Chad Mattew Saleeby
Corey Matthew Bailey
Matt Painter
Kenneth Scott Eaton
Jason Patrick Chappell
Scott Carey Masingill
Juancho Daccach
William John Zeigler, Jr.
Joseph Samuel Greco III
Thomas Radford Ethridge III
Joseph Samuel Sce II
Ian Marc Liebold
Timothy Aaron McAdams
Brain Christopher Frost
Ryan Franklin Startt
Jesse Larry Wallance, Jr.
Eric Joseph Meyer
Brandon Wells Zimmerman
Scott Allen
William Micheal Wileman
Kevin Micheal Rein, Jr.
Mario Paranhos
Ashley Terrrell Giles
Shawn Noah Kalfus
Stephen Scott Harding, Jr.
Eric Ryan Sender
Matthew Jason Sayre
Micheal James Petlovany
Ryan Andrew Strohm
Christopher Smith Fisher
Curtis Wayne McMichael III
Michael Fisher
Kevin Bailey
David Al-Khazraji
James William Casey
James Brian Messer
Brent Micheal Rea
Shon James Duren
David Matthew Bochniak
Jeremy Gilbertson
Jason Micheal Faklaris
Casey McBride Reeves
Damon James Daugherty
George Evan Collings
John Chip Macdonald
Noah David Kahn
Erez Gabriel Sternberg
Matthew Payne Hilley
Jason Alexander Stroup
Andrew Rahial Santamaria
Charles Thomas Greco
T. Sean Yovan
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