Grand Chapter is the body of living members who were ever initiated into Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, without distinction to class of membership (undergraduate, alumni, or honorary) or geography. By statute, a meeting of the Grand Chapter is held annually or bi-annually in order to conduct fraternity business, elect new officers, update members of initiatives enacted since the last Grand Chapter, and to recognize the achievements of members. Each meeting is referred to as a distinctly numbered Grand Chapter. Affectionately called a conclave (or "Konklave" or simply "Klave"), the four-day celebration also affords members an opportunity to fellowship with new initiates, renew old bonds, and network with other members the fraternity.
Etymology[]
The concept of a conclave is not unique to Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. Many Greek-letter organizations convene similar meetings, as do masonic lodges, religious orders, and secret societies. The concept is adopted from the papal conclave, a meeting convened by the College of Cardinals to elect a new Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope. The term conclave is derived from the Latin con + clavis, meaning locked chamber "with key" and it reflects the cardinal electors being locked in seclusion until a new pope is elected.
Next Meeting[]
The most recent Grand Chapter meeting was the 83rd Grand Chapter held in Orlando, Florida, at Rosen Shingle Creek, one of the largest full-service convention hotels in Central Florida.
The next Grand Chapter Meeting will be the 84th Grand Chapter Meeting in 2019 to be held in Philadelphia, PA. This will be the first return of the Grand Chapter Meeting to the Northeastern Province since 1995.
History[]
The following is a summary of the fraternity's Grand Chapter meetings and the results of Grand Polemarch elections.
| No. | Date | Location | GP No. | Grand Polemarch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | May 1911 | Bloomington, IN | First | Elder Watson Diggs |
| Second | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| Third | Dec 1913 | Indianapolis, IN | - - | Elder Watson Diggs |
| Fourth | Dec 1914 | Champaign, IL | - - | Elder Watson Diggs |
| Fifth | Dec 1915 | Iowa City, IA | - - | Elder Watson Diggs |
| Sixth | Dec 1916 | Columbus, OH | Second | Irven Armstrong |
| Seventh | Dec 1917 | Indianapolis, IN | - - | Irven Armstrong |
| Eighth | Apr 1919 | Chicago, IL | - - | Irven Armstrong |
| Ninth | Apr 1920 | Champaign, IL | - - | Irven Armstrong |
| 10th | Dec 1920 | Philadelphia, PA | - - | Irven Armstrong |
| 11th | Dec 1921 | Cleveland, OH | Third | George F. David II |
| 12th | Dec 1922 | Chicago, IL | Fourth | W. Ellis Stewart |
| 13th | Dec 1923 | Louisville, KY | - - | W. Ellis Stewart |
| 14th | Dec 1924 | St. Louis, MO | Fifth | Earl B. Dickerson |
| 15th | Dec 1925 | New York, NY | - - | Earl B. Dickerson |
| 16th | Dec 1926 | Washington, DC | - - | Earl B. Dickerson |
| 17th | Dec 1927 | Detroit, MI | Sixth | Archie A. Alexander |
| 18th | Dec 1928 | Indianapolis, IN | - - | Archie A. Alexander |
| 19th | Dec 1929 | Durham, NC | - - | Archie A. Alexander |
| 20th | Dec 1930 | Philadelphia, PA | Seventh | A. Moore Shearin |
| 21st | Dec 1931 | Kansas City, MO | - - | A. Moore Shearin |
| 22nd | Dec 1932 | Charleston, WV | - - | A. Moore Shearin |
| 23rd | Aug 1933 | Chicago, IL | Eighth | Jesse Jerome Peters |
| 24th | Dec 1934 | New York, NY | - - | Jesse Jerome Peters |
| 25th | Dec 1935 | St. Louis, MO | Ninth | Theophilus M. Mann |
| 26th | Dec 1936 | Washington, DC | - - | Theophilus M. Mann |
| 27th | Dec 1937 | Cleveland, OH | - - | Theophilus M. Mann |
| 28th | Dec 1938 | Detroit, MI | 10th | James E. Scott |
| 29th | Dec 1939 | San Antonio, TX | - - | James E. Scott |
| 30th | Dec 1940 | Kansas City, MO | - - | James E. Scott |
| 31st | Dec 1941 | Indianapolis, IN | 11th | Carl R. Johnson |
| 32nd | Dec 1942 | Chicago, IL | - - | Carl R. Johnson |
| 33rd | Dec 1943 | St. Louis, MO | - - | Carl R. Johnson |
| 34th | Dec 1944 | Louisville, KY | 12th | Augustus Parker |
| 35th | Dec 1945 | Columbus, OH | - - | Augustus Parker |
| 36th | Dec 1946 | New York, NY | - - | Augustus Parker |
| 37th | Dec 1947 | Los Angeles, CA | 13th | J. Ernest Wilkins |
| 38th | Dec 1948 | Detroit, MI | - - | J. Ernest Wilkins |
| 39th | Dec 1949 | Nashville, TN | - - | J. Ernest Wilkins |
| 40th | Dec 1950 | Kansas City, MO | 14th | Frank M. Summers |
| 41st | Dec 1951 | Indianapolis, IN | - - | Frank M. Summers |
| 42nd | Dec 1952 | Cleveland, OH | - - | Frank M. Summers |
| 43rd | Dec 1953 | Chicago, IL | 15th | W. Henry Greene |
| 44th | Dec 1954 | Washington, DC | - - | W. Henry Greene |
| 45th | Dec 1955 | Columbus, OH | 16th | C. Rodger Wilson |
| 46th | Dec 1956 | Atlanta, GA | - - | C. Rodger Wilson |
| 47th | Aug 1957 | Los Angeles, CA | - - | C. Rodger Wilson |
| 48th | Dec 1958 | Detroit, MI | - - | C. Rodger Wilson |
| 49th | Dec 1959 | Philadelphia, PA | - - | C. Rodger Wilson |
| 50th | Aug 1961 | Bloomington, IN | 17th | Richard B. Millspaugh |
| 51st | Dec 1962 | Toledo, OH | - - | Richard B. Millspaugh |
| 52nd | Aug 1964 | San Francisco, CA | 18th | Thomas Bradley |
| 53rd | Dec 1965 | Boston, MA | - - | Thomas Bradley |
| 54th | Aug 1967 | St. Louis, MO | 19th | Ernest H. Davenport |
| 55th | Dec 1969 | Baltimore, MD | - - | Ernest H. Davenport |
| 56th | Aug 1970 | Charlotte, NC | 20th | William T. Carter |
| 57th | Dec 1971 | Houston, TX | - - | William T. Carter |
| 58th | Aug 1973 | Miami, FL | 21st | Elbert E. Allen |
| 59th | Dec 1974 | Las Vegas, NV | - - | Elbert E. Allen |
| 60th | Aug 1976 | New Orleans, LA | 22nd | Hiliary H. Holloway |
| 61st | Dec 1977 | Denver, CO | - - | Hiliary H. Holloway |
| 62nd | Aug 1979 | Chicago, IL | 23rd | Oliver S. Gumbs |
| 63rd | Dec 1980 | Atlanta, GA | - - | Oliver S. Gumbs |
| 64th | Aug 1982 | Detroit, MI | 24th | Robert L. Gordon |
| 65th | Dec 1983 | Louisville, KY | - - | Robert L. Gordon |
| 66th | Aug 1985 | Washington, DC | 25th | Randall C. Bacon |
| 67th | Aug 1986 | Indianapolis, IN | - - | Randall C. Bacon |
| 68th | Aug 1988 | Dallas, TX | 26th | Ullysses McBride |
| 69th | Dec 1989 | Los Angeles, CA | - - | Ullysses McBride |
| 70th | Jul 1991 | Orlando, FL | 27th | Robert L. Harris |
| 71st | Jul 1993 | Nashville, TN | - - | Robert L. Harris |
| 72nd | Aug 1995 | Philadelphia, PA | 28th | Ronald R. Young |
| 73rd | Aug 1997 | Detroit, MI | - - | Ronald R. Young |
| 74th | Aug 1999 | Atlanta, GA | 29th | Howard L. Tutman, Jr. |
| 75th | Aug 2001 | Cleveland, OH | - - | Howard L. Tutman, Jr. |
| 76th | Jul 2003 | Charlotte, NC | 30th | Samuel C. Hamilton |
| 77th | Aug 2005 | St. Louis, MO | - - | Samuel C. Hamilton |
| 78th | Aug 2007 | Minneapolis, MN | 31st | Dwayne M. Murray |
| 79th | Aug 2009 | Washington, DC | - - | Dwayne M. Murray |
| 80th | Aug 2011 | Indianapolis, IN | 32nd | William Randolph Bates Jr. |
| 81st | Aug 2013 | Houston, TX | - - | William Randolph Bates Jr. |
| 82nd | Aug 2015 | New Orleans, LA | 33rd | Thomas L. Battles, Jr. |
Updates[]
If you have an update to this page, please send an email to the Nupepedia Project Team