On December 10, 1904, a meeting of the loyal Nu Phis was held at Simon Fogarty’s home at 90 Broad Street in Charleston, South Carolina. Seven men attended the meeting, Andrew Kroeg, Simon Fogarty, Harry L. Mixson, Anthony Pelzer Wagener, Thomas F. Mosimann, Theodore “Teddy” Barnwell Kelley and James Fogarty. The men were students at the College of Charleston and had grown up in the area surrounding the school. After being betrayed by the other Nu Phis whom they had strived to form a brotherhood with, they decided to name their new fraternity Pi Kappa Phi.
Over the course of the next year, the men continued to build on the foundation they had laid for Pi Kappa Phi at 90 Broad Street that night, establishing a constitution, holding meetings, recruiting new members and continuing to establish themselves at the college. On December 10, 1905, Mixson’s mother cooked a special meal to celebrate the anniversary of Pi Kappa Phi and the first successful year of the Fraternity.
Now, men of Pi Kappa Phi still come together each year to commemorate the anniversary of Pi Kappa Phi’s founding, known as Founders’ Day. Whether hosting a formal event, sharing a dinner or offering a space for an informal gathering of brothers, many alumni chapters and associations offer opportunities for men of Pi Kappa Phi to come together in celebration of our founding and another successful year of brotherhood. We hope that you are able to celebrate Founders’ Day with us this year, commemorating the night when Pi Kappa Phi was born, while also looking to the future of the Fraternity.