"Highest in Brotherhood, Greatest Ever Known"
Phi Kappa National Fraternity
A New Attitude
The 102nd National Convention of our great fraternity was held at the Biloxi Beach Resort in Biloxi, MS July 27th-30th, 2002. The event was a huge success and was a great end to a great year. During general assembly of the third segment of the second session the fraternity voted to expand the Executive Council office of Chapter Relations to also be responsible for all Ritualistic Affairs to ensure that the rituals are done properly and also aid in the collection of Pledge and Initiation Fees.
Aside from business, the fraternity had a great time playing Ultimate Frisbee, listening to bands, and just hanging out. At the banquet Saturday night Brother Steve Nelson, former National President, presented the redesigned Phi Kappa Hall of Fame plaque. The nearly five hundred pound bronze plaque was displayed during the entire banquet. This plaque, which is in the shape of the Phi Kappa Crest, holds the names of only the greats in Phi Kappa history. This was the first time the fraternity had seen the Hall of Fame in nearly five years.
Along with all of that,
Gerald Everett, Exalted Grand Master, opted to stay in office.
Despite all the years and hours he has given already to this fraternity,
he decided to stay for one more year.
Phi Kappa ruled Jackson, MS during the weekend of Conclave 2003, and it will be one that won't soon be forgotten. All chapters in attendance had great reports of the differences they were making within their chapters and communities. Also good discussion was relayed about different chapter’s policy on elections. Hopefully these measures will make all the chapters run a little bit smoother in the year’s to come.
Highlights of the weekend included an outstanding Little Sister Luncheon at Hooters, a "Harley-Davidson" speaker at the banquet, and a near fire in the lobby (we won't talk about that one). Everyone had fun dancing and singing along with the karaoke machine after the banquet, and sharing chapter stories and songs in the various hotel rooms up stairs. The Executive Council had a great time and hopes everyone had a great time also.
Phi Kappa's annual Convention was held on June 26th - 29th, 2003 at the Gulf Beach Resort in Biloxi, MS. This Convention was one of the biggest and best events Phi Kappa has seen in a decade. The banquet took place at the Crystal Ballroom in the Treasure Bay Casino and Resort. At the banquet we witnessed a few historic presentations with the addition of Dallas G. Flint, Richard Chenoweth, and Greg C. Carney to Hall of Fame, and witnessed Brother Gerald Everett shed a few tears as he stepped down after three years service as National President.
All the brothers of Phi Kappa were also greatly excited about the presence of past national presidents, Phi Kappa Hall of Fame members, and all around Phi Kappa greats, Dr. Jerome V. Reel, Jr. and Al Cain. This just added to the prestige of the audience that included several other past national presidents including: Richard E. Chenoweth (1972-1974), Steve Nelson (1976-1978), Roger Ishee (1978-1980), C. Greg Carney (1980-1981), and David Maxie (1998-2000).
Of course there was also a lot of fun to be had at Convention 2003. The weekend started out with a luau on the beach, mullet toss included. A talent show followed on the next night with a surprising slate of talent, and of course the entire brotherhood enjoyed shaking it on the dance floor after the banquet. Throughout the weekend all of the brothers had fun socializing with chapters and their little sisters from throughout the state. Hopefully, this event will rekindle some the great friendships among chapters that our fraternity has long been always known for.
Hattiesburg was the site for 2004's Conclave. On March 5th and 6th, representatives from all of the fraternity's chapters joined together to share ideas, receive officer training, and of course, have a really good time. One key bill was passed in the General Assembly, but the main focus of the weekend was to build relations among the chapters. Everyone enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of The Inn on the Hill, but also some extremely intense laser tag on Saturday night. All chapters showed much enthusiasm for the growth of their brotherhoods, and all expressed an interest in making 2004's Convention one of the most memorable in years.
The 104th Convention of Phi Kappa was recently held on the weekend of June 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 2004. The national event was planned by Nu Gamma and convened in Biloxi at the Gulf Beach Resort. Although the numbers were not as grand as the fraternity would have liked, much thought and discussion was put forward by the event's attendees about the future of Phi Kappa. Topics of discussion ranged from expansion to other cities, stronger officer training, better methods of communication, and generally what needed to take place to revive our numbers and participation in Phi Kappa. Elections were held for the Executive Council, and Phi Kappa reluctantly said goodbye to its past Exalted Grand Master Marc Turnage. However, with this departure came a new hope with the young, yet willing, new national officers. Much is expected from this group, and everyone in attendance seemed to agree that no other group could offer as much promise as the newly elected Council.
Besides general business, the usual socializing amongst chapters and the EC dominated the weekend. Everyone seemed to enjoy the nice weather and the company of their brothers (not excluding the Little Sisters in attendance). The Executive Council would like to thank all of those that attended and remind them all of the important topics discussed; let's make the rest of 2004 a year that will go down in the record books not just for Convention, but also for our fraternity's growth.
The Founding
(1900-1916)
The Early Years
(1916-1922)
Vital Expansion
(1922-1941)
The War Years
(1942-1946)
More Battles
(1947-1957)
The Golden Era
(1957-1960)
The Sixties
(1961-1969)
The Prosperous
Years
(1970-1974)
The Diamond
Anniversary
(1975-1979)
The Decade of
Determination
(1980-1989)
The Nineties
(1990-1997)
Covington and After
(1998-2002)
A New Attitude
(2003-the future)
The History
of Phi Kappa National Fraternity
By: Robert L. Pugh &
Frank Liddell (1900-1970)
Patrick D. Thrash (1970-1985)
William Kyle Ingle (1985-1993)
Gerald Everett and Brent McCarty (1993-2004)