| The
Early Years
During the spring of
1912, Albert Cross, a student in the department of civil engineering at
Penn, received a letter from Warren Cole, the international founder of
Lambda Chia Alpha, indicating that he had received Cross' name from a
mutual acquaintance and that he would like to form a chapter of Lambda
Chi Alpha at Pennslyvania. Cross liked Cole's idea and began talking
with some of his friends. One of these friends was John E. "Jack"
Mason, whom Cross had met in a French class that summer. Mason, who had
hardly been interested in existing fraternities at Penn, suggested to
another friend, Raymond Ferris, that they "take a shot at" establishing
a chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha.
Thus, with colossal nerve, Cross, Mason, Ferris, and five other men
dared to launch a fraternity chapter on a campus with an abundance of
long-established national fraternities. But with determination, Epsilon
Zeta began. Jack Mason, after being initiated, was not pleased with the
then-current ritual. After studying at the Grand Lodge of the
Freemasons in Pennsylvania, he authored the Fraternity's current
initiation ritual.
The chapter went on to experience many successful years. However,
interest waned after the second World War and the chapter fell dormant
in 1956.
Recolonization and Rechartering
 The Fraternity was recolonized at Penn in 1996
and in Fall 1997, the new Lambda Chi Alpha colony acquired its first
house at the University, a three story row home in a prime campus
location. It was perhaps a small milestone, but genuinely marked Lambda
Chi Alpha's return as a leading fraternity at Penn.
The colony was officially rechartered May 1, 1999 at the Palladium in
Philadelphia, PA. In attendance were Regional Director Paul Ainsworth,
Grand High Pi Brad Peabody and Grand High Kappa Ned Book.
Since chartering, the fraternity has has excelled in a variety of
capacities, providing over 75,000 pounds of food for local
Philadelphians, winning the Crawford C. Madeira Cup for Fraternity
Excellence in 2001 from the University of Pennsylvania, and winning
numerous awards from the General Fraternity over the years.
At present the Fraternity has 17 active members, 9 associate members,
and a growing alumni association.
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