SITE UNDER REPAIR AND RENOVATION Last Updated: 11/09/2025
Your news, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Please send to illinicrows@gmail.com.
Phi Kappa Colony Disbanded
The Graduate Chapter and the National Fraternity made the difficult decision to disband the Phi Kappa Colony at the University of Illinois. The Building Association has secured a lease with DKE for the 2025-2026 school year, which should provide the cash flow necessary to keep the house in order.
Into The Chapter Eternal Donald Curtis Whitmore '59 (November 28, 2020) Obit-7868 Lawrence Stanley Grygienc '60 (September 17, 2023) Obit-7925 Don George Sanders '64 (January 31, 2024) Obit-7941 Ward Garrett Brown '78 (February 10, 2024) Obit-8055 Gerald (Jerry) Andrew Wilson '60 (March 12, 2024) Obit-7933 George William Lynch '79 (March 16,2024) Obit-8344 Michael R Robinson '78 (April 12, 2024) Obit-8067 Joseph John (Jay) McCook '57 (May 18, 2024) Obit-7526 William Joseph Sullivan '58 (May 18, 2024) Glenn Carl Johnson '67 (June 10, 2024) Obit-8307 Lloyd David Marquart '68 (July 6, 2024) Dennis Paul Galle '57 (August 9, 2024 ) Obit 7891 Robert Enos Campbell '49 (February 14, 2025) Joseph Myron (Michael) Trautman '55 (March 13, 2025) Obit-8009 Donald Edwin Morrison '62 (April 27, 2025) Obit-7707 Paul McKnight Deeley, Jr '50 (June 18, 2025) Obit-8265 Alvin William Reitz, Jr '62 (July 28, 2025) Kenneth Alan Bonnem '62 (August 20,2025) Obit-7943 Jeffrey Charles Danek '64 (September 19, 2025) Obit-7859 James Lloyd Anderson '62 (October 20, 2025) Obit-7918 We will all miss our Brothers in our individual ways. As we share the stories and recollections of how they lived their lives, realizing in word and deed, the Brotherhood of all Men, the memories are cherished as we commend their spirit to the Chapter Eternal. To share your memories, stories, and photos about our Brother, send in an email to illinicrows@gmail.com or mail to Site Administrator, 15806 Sorawater Dr, Lithia, FL 33547. Be sure to include your name, phone number in case clarification is needed. Comments may be edited for length and content. Sadly, every year, Phi Kappa Brothers pass into the Chapter Eternal. If you know of the passing of a Brother that is not already noted in The Brothers of Phi Kappa section, please send a brief note to illinicrows@gmail.com with the Brother's name, and when possible, the date of death and a contact address for the next of kin. Family members are always welcome and encouraged to donate a Brother's Badge and Phi Kappa photos and memorabilia to the Chapter Archives.
Council Minutes Rescued, Archived Minutes of Chapter Councils 929 (9/7/1976) through 1047 (8/29/1983) have been found and digitized. The Minutes from Council 861 (11/1971) through Council 928 (9/1976) and Minutes of all the Councils held after September 1, 1983 still need to be located to complete the Chapter’s history and the reconstruction of the Chapter Roster. Please look through your old papers and see if you have a copy of any of the missing Minutes, newsletters, photos or other memorabilia. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Brother Directory Updated. Since its founding in 1916, available records show that the Phi Kappa Chapter has initiated 1,197 undergraduate Brothers into the Resident Chapter plus 22 Brothers directly into its Graduate Chapter at the time the Chapter was founded. Thus, the Phi Kappa Chapter Roster currently numbers 1,219 Brothers. In addition, the Chapter welcomed 12 Brothers from other Phi’s when they transferred to Illinois and the Resident Chapter. Of these, 624 Brothers are presumed to be still living and are listed in the Chapter Directory. A number of these Brothers are among the “missing” and no doubt a number of the entries are out of date. Efforts to maintain and update the Directory are ongoing and extensive. If you know of the passing of a Brother or know a Brother has moved, please send an Email note to illinicrows@gmail.com. If you don’t have an exact postal address, even a state and/or city is helpful. And a current Email address is particularly appreciated. Brothers have a number of options on how much or how little information is included in their Directory listing. To aid in the maintenance of the Directory, Illinicrows periodically searches Social Media for Brothers. More at All Brothers…
Chimes Concert The Altgeld Hall Chimes celebrated its Centennial in 2020. Here is a Chimes Concert accompanied by the Marching Illini Band. Chimes Concert
Phi Kappa's First Day
Chapter history starts a little after 10 AM on May 30, 1916 in a rented hall on the Illinois campus. AXP's National President, Van Court Carwithen, aided by other National Officers and Brothers from existing Chapters began the formal Institution of the Phi Kappa Chapter as the 14th Chapter of Alpha Chi Rho and the initiation of the Chapter's Founding Brothers. It was a day-long ceremony, requiring two initiation teams, and it wasn't concluded until after 7 PM. Then everyone returned to the Chapter House where the newest AXP Brothers hosted the Institution Banquet as their very first activity as a Chapter. In the first and oldest piece of Chapter memorabilia, we have the original Program, signed by the Founding Brothers and guests. The evening began with Maraschino Oranges and concluded with Cigars. Check it out at 1916 Institution Banquet
Garnet & White Articles Indexed The Garnet & White (G&W) began publication in 1900 as a quarterly magazine of the National Fraternity of Alpha Chi Rho. A paper publication for most of its first century, it has evolved into a digital publication in recent years. Most issues of the G&W have been digitized and are available at: Garnet & White . More than 100 years of digitized files have been reviewed and the news and articles about the Phi Kappa Chapter and its Brothers are now indexed and available here at illinicrows.com. Take a trip down memory lane and relive your days on campus.