History of the Kappa Mu Chapter:
The Kappa Mu Chapter of Kappa Sigma was founded May 2, 1969. The local fraternity Kappa Phi Delta decided getting national support would help further the success of the chapter at Tennessee Technological University and throughout the country. The Kappa Sigma International Fraternity picked up the aspiring fraternity and turned it into a colony. May 2, 1969 was des
ignated Kappa Sigma Day in Cookeville. A parade in the honor of the campus' first nationally recognized social fraternity was held downtown. The mayor also gave the brothers a key to the city. A tradition among chapters of Kappa Sigma is to relay a baby bottle to the newest chapter. The tradition was started in 1966 in honor of the Theta Chi Chapter at Tri-State and Theta-Omicron at Muskingum. The bottle has traveled over 110,000 miles to more than 120 chapters. The bottle arrived from the Kappa Lambda chapter at Shippensburg State College in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania on May 2, 1969. The bottle was sent the next day to University of South Alabama's Kappa Nu chapter in Mobile, Alabama. At homecoming in 2000 the chapter’s long term house at 525 North Walnut caught fire. The house which dated from around the turn of the century was lost but the Alumni of the chapter rallied to fund the construction of a new house. The current house opened in 2002. It currently houses 14 brothers, and serves as a home-away-from home for all brothers of the Kappa Mu chapter. History of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity:
Over 600 hundred years ago at the University of Bologna in Italy, a group of students formed a society for the mutual protection of its members against the unscrupulous governor of the city, Baldassare Cossa. The leader of the society was Manuel Chrysaloras, a Greek scholar that taught at the University. This group designed secret words, forms, and signs- a ritual- the Legacy of Kappa Sigma. Sometime in the late 1860's 2 friends were traveling in Italy when their guide mentioned to them, "My colors fade...for want of wearers" with the hope that these 2 friends would continue the order in the United States. On a chilly December evening in 1869, 5 friends and brother met in William Grigsby McCormick's room at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia in 46 East Lawn and drafted the constitution of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. For many weeks the bonds of friendship had drawn these five together; now the need became clear for a formal structure to contain their feelings. Thus, not only did the Founders formalize their friendship, but they also created a fraternity steeped in the traditions of the past and dedicated to the Pursuit of Learning. The new brothers recorded their bond in an Oath which set forth the ideals and principles for all true Kappa Sigma's today. Today, Kappa Sigma comprises over 315 chapters and colonies in both the United States and Canada, with over 17,000 undergraduate brothers. Kappa Sigma is the largest fraternity with over 255,000 members initiated in its history. The list of initiates is not only long, but also distinguished. Notable alumni are present in every conceivable profession and are making great impressions on the American landscape. It is evident from Kappa Sigma's past that the Fraternity is focused on being the top such organization in the nation through building an educated brotherhood of young men with the leadership skills necessary to succeed in all aspects of life.
