Revitalization Period

Revitalizing Pi Lambda Phi

By 1908 three students at Columbia, Max Frank, Moritz Jagtndorf, and Joseph Hyman, gained permission to use the name Pi Lambda Phi at their school. Soon they realized they could not stand alone and by 1910 they had converted the fraternity Sigma Iota at NYU into the Gamma chapter. Chapters then began to appear rapidly. Cornell was added in 1911, Pennsylvania in 1912, Michigan in 1913, Pittsburgh in 1913, Lehigh in 1915, and Steven's Institute of Technology in 1916. Finally by 1917 Pi Lambda Phi had returned to Yale, the founding site.

Central Government

In 1916 a group of alumni organized a convention to establish a central governing body of Pi Lambda Phi. The result of this convention was a new national constitution which is similar to the one used today. By 1920 Pi Lambda Phi had established an annual Summer Conference and an annual Convention in December to discuss the business of the fraternity. In 1924 the "Knights of the Cavern" donated $1,640 to an Endowment Fund for Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. The fund was established to assist chapters with financial issues and to create scholarships.

Phi Beta Delta

In 1941 Pi Lambda Phi joined with its first fraternity, Phi Beta Delta. Both fraternities had a strong belief in non-sectarianism and emphasized scholastic achievment. This merger was especially important to Pi Lambda Phi because it allowed them to have a presence in the west. After the merger Pi Lambda Phi consisted of 33 chapters. After the merger Pi Lambda Phi started placing the prefix of states before chapter designations, added the Phi Beta Delta star to the chapter pin, and the name of the fraternity magazine was changed from "The Frater" to "The Tripod".

Beta Sigma Tau

In November of 1960 Pi Lambda Phi merged with Beta Sigma Tau. Only 3 of their active chapters were added to Pi Lambda Phi and they included Ohio State University, Ohio Weslehan University, and Baldwin Wallace College. Unfotunately only Baldwin Wallace College survived past the early 60s.

Beta Sigma Rho

Finally on December 12, 1972 Pi Lambda Phi merged with its third and final fraternity, Beta Sigma Rho. Today Founders Day is celebrated on March 21st, to honor those fraternities that merged. Also after this merger the national office was relocated from New York City to Norwalk, Connecticut.

Modern Era

In 1995 the 100 year anniversary of Pi Lambda Phi was celebrated. While Pi Lambda Phi continues to struggle through the issues all fraternities face, they remain truthful to the original views and beliefs of the founders. The fraternity has enjoyed success throughout the years and can only hope that the success continues.