A Serendipitous Discovery

In 2008 brother Ron Decker ’55 made an extraordinary discovery: He found boxes of chapter records that he, as chapter president, had removed from 6 South Avenue’s attic more than fifty years ago. The house was having major repairs done that summer, and he wanted to store them for safekeeping.

The records date back to even before the Cornell chapter’s founding in 1869, and chronicle the organization of the chapter, the construction of the first chapter house, the devastating fire of 1909, the construction of the existing structure and scores of other events in the history of the chapter. They offer biographic snapshots of nearly 50 years of brothers.  They offer a unique glimpse of college life more than a century ago.

After reviewing them, it’s safe to say you will agree: Few fraternities at Cornell have as rich a history.

Visit the Archives