Kappa Kappa Psi - Alpha Chapter

Oklahoma State University

Serving the OSU Bands and Striving for the Highest Since 1919

History Snippets

Snippet #9 - "Dedication of The Baton", taken from the April 1943 issue of The Baton.

Steve Nelson:  "The war is at full swing now.  It'll be another two full years before Germany surrenders and two and half until Japan surrenders.  The nation is totally at war and most of the college campuses are training grounds for service men.  Kappa Kappa Psi has pretty much come to a standstill as an organization.  Here is the dedication of the last issue to be published until 1946.......after the war is over.  As I read the other articles in this issue, it's not hard to get the feeling that this one was printed as a memorial to Kappa Kappa Psi itself.  It should have been easy to see that the very existence of the fraternity could have been snuffed out and not revived at the end of the war.  When National dropped to only $100 left in the bank, it ceased operation except for those things that Scroggs, Burke, A. Frank and others paid out of their own pockets.  We wouldn't have survived but for their generosity of over 20 years to that point."

Dedication of the April 1943 issue of the BATON

    The grand council of Kappa Kappa Psi, honorary band fraternity, wishes to hereby recognize the members of Kappa Kappa Psi who are now serving the various units of the armed forces of the United States throughout the world by dedicating this issue of the BATON to those who serve.

    With the first call to service, the members of Kappa Kappa Psi have responded in a most glorious way.  Many of the brothers have entered the various units of the armed forces and have been assigned to bands and musical organizations throughout the country.  Their training and experience in music has added greatly to the strength of our military bands.  In addition to this, many of the outstanding band directors of America have left commanding positions and offered their services as leaders of military bands in the service of their country.  They have offered this service voluntarily with the view of contributing their best to the nation they love.

    Every branch of service now claims the names of Kappa Kappa Psi men.  Many are in officers training and scores of men from every chapter have won their commissions and will be officers in the various organizations.  Some of the members have had a life long desire to enter aviation; consequently, their dreams are materializing and with their wings and their commissions, they have become potent factors in developing the greatest air force in the world.

    Others have enlisted in the Navy, many in the Marines, and several in the Coast Guard.  Letters come to national headquarters showing that members of Kappa Kappa Psi are doing special work in the way of entertainment and musical leadership toward the building of the morale of our armed forces.

    When the last pages of this war have been written and the name of heroes are engraved in the hall of fame, there will appear among the great, those boys of Kappa Kappa Psi who have carried the ideals of their fraternity into the service of their country and given their best that our nation may live and keep the things that have made America great -- Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.  It is to those men that this issue of the Baton is respectfully dedicated.