Retired Col. William Hammond really started something when he pledged Kappa Alpha Psi, then the only black fraternity at Indiana University, in 1946.
Later his two brothers and a son pledged the fraternity. A grandson is expected to join soon.
On Wednesday, Hammond will meet thousands of his fraternity brothers, past and present, in Bloomington, Ind., for ceremonies marking the fraternity's 100th anniversary.
"To go back where it started, I wouldn't miss it for anything," said Hammond, 83, a retired Army pharmacist who lives in Fort Lauderdale.
Bobbie Brooks, 42, president (called polemarch) of the West Palm Beach alumni, and a number of other South Florida Kappas will join the trek to Indiana. Also, commemorations will take place locally throughout the week.
There is a lot of fun as well as tradition associated with being "Nupes," as Kappas are also called, for their secret motto "Phi Nu Pi." The frat is known for "stepping with Krimson and Kreme," which has to do with moving rhythmically and brandishing red and white canes at extremely lively competitions.
But belonging has a serious side: Members pride themselves on achieving in all endeavors. They make their presence felt by guiding youths, doling out scholarships and caring for the elderly in their communities.
Famous alumni include Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain, Arthur Ashe, Daniel "Chappie" James, who was the first African-American four-star general, and civil rights activist Ralph J. Abernathy.
There are no shortcuts to Kappa-hood, and it doesn't matter who you are. When there was discussion in 2008 about making Barack Obama a Kappa, members insisted "he had to come through the fraternity the right way," said Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Bobby DuBose. "There is no honorary."
The fraternity is the first black Greek organization founded west of the Appalachian Mountains that is still in existence. It was started in 1911 by 10 black Indiana University students who had met with hostility because of their race.
Kappa undergraduate chapters are chartered at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Nova Southeastern University in Davie, and 17 other campuses in Florida.
The Florida A&M University chapter is serving an indefinite suspension for a hazing incident in which two fraternity members were convicted of a felony and sentenced to prison in 2007. After four nights of hazing that included hard strikes with a wooden cane, the 20-year-old pledge wannabe had to seek medical treatment.
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