MEMORANDUM Date: To: From: Subj: June 14, 2013 The Executive Council of Phi Kappa Psi Michael

H. McCoy, Indiana Beta 1958 Report of the Historian A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about.
-- Woodrow Wilson, Virginia Alpha 1879

Here are some highlights of my activities as Historian since my Jan. 25 report. SHARING HISTORY Founders Day Speaking Engagements I was the Founders Day speaker at the Central Texas Alumni Association dinner in San Marcos, Tex., Feb. 23, at the Embassy Suites San Marcos Hotel, which drew a very large turnout and gave me an opportunity to experience the great hospitality Ive heard about. I particularly want to acknowledge the hospitality shown to me by the Associations Alan Kramer and his wife who hosted me at their San Antonio home and for Alans extensive escorted tour around San Antonio. It allowed me to see much more of the city than I did last summer during the Grand Arch Council there when time away from the GAC hotel was limited by my program activities. (Alan served as the host committee chairman for that GAC.) I first met Alan when he was initiated at Wisconsin Gamma and worked with him as Chapter Advisor, particularly when he was Chapter President. . I also was the Founders Day speaker March 1 at the Atlanta Alumni Association dinner at the Petite Auberge restaurant on N. Druid Hills Road. It was a particularly memorable event for me as I was able to meet and have time to talk with Frank Gleason. His military service during World War II in China and elsewhere has been featured in a book, a Hollywood movie, and in documentary videos. Given his age and the hour of the evening, I had not expected his being present. I also was thankful I was able to hear him recount some of his experiences during WWII to the group and to thank him personally for his agreeing to a two-hour recorded interview last fall conducted for the Archives of Phi Kappa Psi, covering his memorable wartime and Phi Psi experiences. My special thanks also to area alumni Mark Vande Kerkhoff, Richard Daley, and Flynn Brantley for their arrangements for my visit and their hospitality I received while I was in the city. (If readers of this report have an opportunity to attend the Central Texas AA and Atlanta AA Founders Days, I certainly would recommend your doing so.)

Social Media Phi Psi Archives on Twitter reached a milestone recently when it attracted its 1,000th (net) subscriber. Its also on pace to reach another milestone within the next month or so when its 4,000th message about Phi Psi history or related will be posted. An average of 129 messages is being posted a month this year and were adding an average of 33 (net) new subscribers a month. Some messages reach more than the subscribers, sometimes many more, when subscribers relay Phi Psi Archives messages to their own Twitter followers which can number in the hundreds and more. Most messages convey much more than the 140-character limit message since they include a link to other Web pages, documents large and small, photos, etc. One of the new features of Phi Psi Archives on Twitter since my last report has been the use of Twitter to distribute digital copies of individual articles from past editions of The Shield, usually on the anniversary date of the event. To date a majority of these copies (so far about 40 in number and each in the pdf format) have been Chapter chartering and installation reports, usually covering several pages with a handful of photos. Each of these links also is being entered into a new Archives Directory of Digital Documents record Ive created (so far containing just those shared via Twitter but whose coverage will be expanded). Eventually this information will be made available online for anyones use. This ease of quickly sharing of informative Shield articles from the past is an immediate benefit of having a Twitter presence. Another benefit is the ease Twitter offers to the co-managers of Phi Psi Archives behind-the scenes tracking of relevant tweets by others and otherwise discovering previously-unknown-to-me Phi Psi relevant historical resources. Just one example is tracking what individual Chapters are doing (most seem to have a Twitter account.) Another hidden benefit is its inspiring the creation of a permanent written record of all Phi Psi Archives tweets worthy of saving for reuse and organized by date and special directories, not only for digital documents but also a separate companion directory organized by subject, such as Chapter, and another for photos and videos of interest by subject. The directory of reusable tweets mentioned above began as a one- or two-page document; it now totals 160 pages and still is growing. It has become a rich resource. Another hidden benefit is, because of a desire to beef up these Twitter offerings beyond 140 characters, I am prompted to explore online for more background and information on many topics research it is unlikely I would have taken otherwise. In the process I sometimes am finding conflicts in our historical records and often new sources of yet more information. (I have begun compilation of a special list of history mysteries I run into during my research and which I am unable to resolve quickly. I can share it with anyone who would like to explore any of these mysteries and try to find a solution. One recent conflict that has been found is in the dates or approximate time of year of initiation of some of our 1852 members.) By the way, I recommend Historians in Chapters with Twitter accounts share Chapter history there on a regular basis, and begin developing their own permanent written record of all Tweets worth saving and reposting. That includes using Twitter and the tweet record format Ive developed to retain current Chapter history including that for events and happenings which 2

are only minutes old. I can provide a copy of the form format upon request. Contact me at mccoymh@chorus.net Artifact Display Ive also been conferring with Phi Kappa Psi Archivist Tim Tangen on plans for the display of the Gettysburg badge, in our Archives, at the upcoming Woodrow Wilson Leadership School. Its a Phi Psi badge found on the battlefield whose original owner then and now remains unknown and is presumed a casualty of that battle. WWLS will conclude almost on the eve of the 150th anniversary of the start of that terrible and terribly significant battle and thus the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the badge and perhaps the death of its bearer. Archives Publication The first Archives publication of 2013 was issued to coincide with the anniversary of the death May 23 of Phi Kappa Psi co-founder William Henry Letterman. It includes the text of his last letter and may be found at http://bit.ly/11fgWiY Online Archives Tim Tangen and I continue to explore options for storing online our digital archives, now that the file storage capacity of 100 MB available with our Phi Psi 150 Yahoo Group has been reached. He and I hope to confirm a solution when we meet at WWLS later this month. My goal is to make it possible for anyone to access the contents at any time, without the need for human intervention. . RESEARCHING HISTORY Another trip took place March 15-17 to Lexington, Ky., in response to an invitation I received from the Phi Gamma Delta Curator of Archives Towner Blackstock to their annual Archives Weekend at their national headquarters. I had visited the headquarters once before, in the late 1990s when I assumed the position of chairman of the Phi Kappa Psi 2002 Sesquicentennial Commission and wanted to learn about Phi Gamma Deltas 150th celebration four years earlier. On that visit, Phi Gam Executive Director William Martin welcomed Kent Owen and me (it was the first stop on my first Phi Psi road trip with my pledge Brother who knew then, and knows now, more than I about Phi Kappa Psi history). On my 2013 visit, Bill was the second person I met walking in the front door. I was pleased to renew that relationship and to have an opportunity to again thank Bill for his help to me years before. Also participating in his first Archives weekend was the National Historian of Sigma Nu, Bob McCully, giving us an opportunity to exchange ideas and information, as well. The Archives weekend (this was the fifth, as I recall) brings in undergraduate and alumni volunteers at their own travel expense to work as much as they can during the four-day event at Phi Gam headquarters on tasks chosen by the Curator. Most work from early morning into the late night hours, with food breaks, and the work can occupy up to 18-20 hours of a day for those with the stamina. Bob and I joined the crew, working on combing through individual Chapter records on file at headquarters and identifying those which could be tossed and those which should be kept for historical purposes. Along the way, I read some fascinating accounts of Phi Gam Chapter life in past years. I also had an 3

opportunity to explore their history museum and observe the photographing for documentation of numerous items then on display.. The trip also was of great value inasmuch as several items of value to our own history, including a digital copy of a personal photo album of early Washington & Jefferson students, assembled in our early history and including both Phi Gams and members of our Pennsylvania Delta. I also received on behalf of the Phi Psi Archives several hardbound books of history which will be good additions to our Archives, for future research and sharing. I submitted to our Executive Director Shawn Collinsworth a post-weekend report (15 pages, a good portion of those largely photos) of activities at the Archives weekend and my recommendations for possible application of what I learned to our Archives program.
Phi Gam photo and text: Archives Weekend was a success. Thanks to Indiana State, UNC-Wilmington, graduate volunteers, and historians of Sigma Nu and Phi Kappa Psi! with Joe Weist, Michael H. McCoy, Towner Blackstock, Eric Drumheller, Ed Gabe and JB Goll at International Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta. All names listed here are pictured, with the exception of Tim Hilliard and Ben Harper

Exploring Our Earliest History In recent weeks Jefferson College Historical Society historian Jim Herron and I have been active in an interchange of emails concerning new discoveries involving the early years of Phi Kappa Psi in Canonsburg. Weve been able to confirm the approximate and sometimes exact locations of several sites of significance to the Fraternity. Just one example is the site of the Second Grand Arch Council, the only one held in Canonsburg, which met there in 1856. We also located the site of at least one, and probably more, of the annual Pennsylvania Alpha endof-school dinners. We recently shared via Twitter and the Phi Psi 150 Yahoo Group an inspiring 1857 valedictory address at one of those functions. (You can read it at http://yhoo.it/10Axt0A) These finds further justify to me the production of a Phi Kappa Psi Tour Guide of Canonsburg and Washington, Pa.. the home of Pennsylvania Delta and now Pennsylvania Alpha. Im also more persuaded than ever that there is much more of our history to explore out there, much of it once known to us and forgotten.

D-Day Through a combination of circumstances in preparation for special D-Day anniversary messages, I was able to find more of the stories about several Phi Psis we know died in the Normandy invasion, as well asinformation about the death of yet another not on our modern-day list. I suspect there are still others to be found. Over time and it will take a lot of time -- I would like to record in one place the names and stories of every Phi Psi who died in service to our nation, in all wars. With all issues of The Shield now available online for searching, we have a great starting resource to explore. Veterans History Project The Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress collects first-hand accounts of men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces, beginning in World War I and continuing through the current conflicts. Of its 60,000 collections of oral history interviews, letters, diaries, memoirs, photographs, and original art work, over 5,000 are fully digitized. Unfortunately, the Project does not information about veterans' fraternity affiliation as a matter of course, thus making fruitless searches of its online database. However, Ive confirmed in any inquiry to the Project that heir librarians cans query their internal database which has much more robust search capabilities that their online database, to see if any of the veterans in their collection have mentioned belonging to Phi Kappa Psi. Ive now asked for and await that list, and also will pursue with Project officials the possibility of their routinely collecting fraternity affiliations and making that information searchable online. My goal is to explore the stories of these Phi Psi veterans, recognizing them by sharing selected ones, and encourage chapters to research their own alumni via this resource. In addition, I would use the results to help encourage other Phi Psi veterans to participate in this Library of Congress project. PROMOTING HISTORY My next trip will be to the Woodrow Wilson Leadership School on the Butler campus later this month when Tim Tangen and I will present a one-hour workshop on Saturday, June 29, on improving alumni/parent/school relations with an active history program. The most successful Chapter history programs are those which, in my view, help Chapters and alumni, parents, host schools, build and maintain connections in ways that inform, inspire, and reflect the values of Phi Kappa Psi. For alumni, this can be done by an interactive program which includes Chapter sharing of historical materials in its possession in a variety of ways and in alumni sharing photos, artifacts, memories, traditions, and in other ways with Chapters. For parents, learning more about the values, traditions, and past achievements of a Chapter and its alumni can increase their confidence in the decision by their son to join this fraternity. For host schools, a Chapters interest in exploring and showcasing its history and that of alumni also helps publicize in another way the value of the schools own archives as well as help to promote the school. Historical research into the lives of its past members by Chapters beyond that of the college also can be shared with the college. An additional benefit can be a 5

strengthening of ties undergraduate members have with the Chapter and Phi Kappa Psi, through deeper understanding of the legacy entrusted to them and which they can help build. This session will focus on a variety of ways a Chapter can establish these relationships or improve them where they already exist. Fraternally,

Michael H. McCoy Historian of Phi Kappa Psi