1. Membership from among those who are prepared to realize, in word and deed, the Brotherhood of all men.
2. The insistence on a high and clean moral standard.
3. The paramount duty of Brotherly love among members.
4. Judgment not by externals, but by intrinsic worth: no one is denied membership in Alpha Chi Rho because of race, creed, or nationality.
The Reverend Paul Ziegler was a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, CT in 1872. In the 1890s, he wanted to send his son, Carl Ziegler to that same school. Early on, Carl became friends with two other men, William Rouse and Herbert Sherriff. These men were not invited to join Paul's old fraternity Beta Beta. This prompted Reverend Ziegler to write our first exoteric manual. It was 6 pages of printed material. This short manual put forth the purpose, beliefs, and ideals of Alpha Chi Rho. It was accepted on January 1, 1895. This was the birth of Alpha Chi Rho. This first chapter was made up of our founding fathers: Paul Ziegler, Carl Ziegler, William Rouse, Herbert Sherriff, and William Eardeley. The four undergraduate brothers exchanged vows of brotherhood in Northam Towers at Trinity. This first chapter was named Phi Psi.
By the time Carl and Herbert graduated graduated in 1897, there were 17 brothers. That made them one of the largest fraternities at Trinity. They included some of the top students and athletes the school had to offer. The first chapter hall was a rented room at Trinity, and offered a meal plan. After leaving Trinity, Carl and William were living in New York. They wanted to start the expansion of AXP, and approached a man from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. Three men started the Phi Chi chapter there, making it the second chapter. William then went to the University of Pennsylvania and met with a student by the name of Howard Long. Together, they formed the third chapter, Phi Phi.
By the end of 1900, there were five chapters, a national magazine named Garnet and White (after the primary colors of AXP), and held a national convention. In 1903, the National Council was formed, consisting of graduate brothers in charge of running the fraternity as a whole. The first national president was Henry Blakeslee. He helped to form Alpha Chi Rho into what it is today. He served as president until 1908. The fraternity motto became "Slow but sure", referring to the expansion. By 1909, there were 11 chapters. Although small, they attended the first meeting of the National Interfraternity Council, and have remained an active member ever since.
World War 2 drained the colleges of men, and chapters had to turn in their charters due to lack of members. However, Alpha Chi Rho was able to stay alive through the war through the work of the national president, Robert B. Stewart, the national secretary/national director Wilbur "Curly" Walden, and the continued publication of the Garnet and White. After the war was over, men returned home. Through the GI Bill, more men than ever wanted to attend college. This boosted greek membership, and brought fraternities back to their previous luster.
Fraternities were seen as "The Authority" during the 1960s and 1970s. Due to this, membership dropped significantly, and growth slowed. By the 80s, however, the wounds were healed. On August 20, 1983, Robert B. Stewart National Headquarters was established in Neptune, NJ. This gave a permanent center for Alpha Chi Rho. In 1989, the fraternity adopted a risk management policy. This allowed chapters to purchase liability insurance at reasonable rates.
After over 100 years, Alpha Chi Rho has come a long way. It's beliefs have remain practically unchanged, and brothers continue to live by the landmarks. It has grown incredibly fast in such a short time, currently with over 40 active chapters.
The year was 1917. Expansion efforts for Alpha Chi Rho had switched gears and began to focus on schools with athletic teams in the same conference. The Phi Lambda Chapter was formed at the Pennsylvania State University and soon began occupying the present Crow House at 425 Locust Lane, here in State College.
The Phi Lambda Chapter also was home to Fred Waring, inventor of the Waring Blender and benefactor of Waring Commons in West Halls. Brig. General William G. Pagonis led the largest logistic force in history as Norman Schwartzkopf's top leader during the First Gulf War. He currently heads the Supply Chain of the highly successful Sears, Roebuck, and Co. as CEO and the President of Logistics. Robert G. Schwartz was also a Phi Lambda Crow; he currently serves as the Chairman of the Board for the MetLife Insurance Company. In addition, we boast dozens of doctors and lawyers, some of whose letters of recommendation written for our recognition by the Pennsylvania State University Interfraternity Council can be found in this very proposal. Throughout our tenure at The Pennsylvania State University Brothers of the Chapter have served as Executive Board Members, including President of the Interfraternity Council. We have a strong and active record of involvement with this school and its Interfraternity Council.
Unfortunately despite our rich history, four years after completing what now stands as the house of Sigma Alpha Mu, the Phi Lambda Chapter lost its National Charter due to mounting debts. We never fell into bad standing with the Interfraternity Council, however, a rare achievement these days in the Council. The Pennsylvania State University was for five years without the Crows. Then, in the year 2000, Tim Brodeur and his friends decided that five years without the Crows at Penn State was five years too long. Tim's father had begun a local fraternity himself at his Alma Mater Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. That local fraternity in the 1970's became the Delta Sigma Phi Chapter of the National Fraternity of Alpha Chi Rho. The Brodeur legacy in Alpha Chi Rho is legendary. In 2001 Phi Lambda became an official Colony of Alpha Chi Rho. Only two years later, the hard work of determined individuals resulted in our official reinstatement into the Interfraternity Council of Penn State on April 7th, 2003.