Phi Kappa Nu (ΦΚΝ) was a local Fraternity on the campus of Howard College (now Samford University). Phi Kappa Nu was created in 1919 when six men with similar ideas and morals came together at Howard and formed a local fraternity. Brother George A. Neely (a student at Howard) wrote the ritual and Brothers James J. Bell, Bolivar B. O'Rear, Walter G. Pledger, Dewey H. McMeans, and J. Ford Robinson designed the brother’s badge.
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Phi Kappa Nu forms Theta Kappa Nu
In 1924 Phi Kappa Nu joined with ten other local fraternities across the country to form the new national fraternity Theta Kappa Nu. This merger would take place in Spring Field Missouri at Drury College in Missouri Alpha’s chapter house. This was odd location because it was not centralized with the other 10 chapters. Howard's Phi Kappa Nu was designated Alabama Alpha of Theta Kappa Nu. Neely's ritual was adopted by the new national fraternity. The Phi Kappa Nu brother's badge was slightly modified to reflect the new letters, but the design lived on as the Theta Kappa Nu brother's badge. The national fraternity with roots at Howard has been called the nation's fastest growing fraternity, chartering more than 40 chapters within the first two years.
Theta Kappa Nu Merger
Theta Kappa Nu merged with Lambda Chi Alpha in 1939 in what was known as the largest fraternity merger in history to this day. The signing of the official merger document was hosted at Howard college’s Theta Kappa Nu’s Alabama Alpha chapter in East Lake, Alabama. The chapter then became the Theta Alpha Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha. This chapter designation signified the Howard chapter as the first precedence of the Theta Kappa Nu chapters in the merger. The brother's badge that originated at Howard as Phi Kappa Nu’s badge became the basis of the Lambda Chi Associate Pin and Neely's ritual became the basis of the Lambda Chi Associate Member Ceremony.