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Beta Psi Chapter History
The Beta Psi chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity was founded on December 14th, 1903. The original founders were known as the “Five Friends and Brothers” consisting of:
Frank Vettor Taylor
Arthur Roy Turpening
John Ruskin Slattery
Ralph Marion Van Dorn
Winfred Lee Lewis
At the very date of December 14th, 1903 at approximately 1:51 p.m. the Five Friends and Brothers were notified by Western Union Telegram of Beta Psi’s official acceptance into the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. This notification was received in the original meeting place of the Beta Psi Chapter, the basement of the Neptune Theater, where one of the earliest fraternities was founded at the University of Washington.
The need for a house was apparent and in 1905 the members moved into a house on 50th referred to as “the castle.” There the Beta Psi Chapter laid down the foundations for becoming one of the best fraternities on the University of Washington campus by following the values and principles handed down to us by our forefathers originating from Bologna, Italy in 1400.
In 1926, the members moved into a house on 21st. At this house the members focused heavily on recruitment and building a stronger brotherhood. Most older alumni are familiar with this house, spending many years of their lives centered around the four pillars of the Kappa Sigma fraternity: leadership, scholarship, fellowship and service.
In 1974, Beta Psi relocated into our current location at 4543 18th Ave. Our house is in between our sister sorority Chi Omega and another sorority Delta Zeta.
As years went by, the amount of members began to fall resulting in a reorganization of our chapter by national headquarters in 1998. At one point the house consisted of only 4 members. But in less than a decade this Beta Psi Chapter of Kappa Sigma has been revitalized and continues to grow in numbers currently consisting of over 55 members, has collected over $15,000 this year alone in philanthropies, and has obtained one of the top GPA’s among all of the fraternities in the University of Washington. The current house also underwent a remodel in 2004, when the entire front side of the house was redesigned. Just this year, many different projects have undergone such as remodeling the kitchen, repainting the dining room, and building a new deck.
With all of the adversities this Beta Psi Chapter has overcome, the members have developed an even stronger brotherhood and continue to grow as one of the leading fraternities on campus.
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