Theta Nu Epsilon Society - History of the Union Chapter

The Theta Nu Epsilon Society.

The Gamma Chapters at Union College.

There were two chapters at Union College, one founded in 1874, the second in 1925. They were actually entirely different entities, and not the latter a restablishment of the earlier.

The first chapter was the Gamma Chapter, the third chapter of the society. It was organized informally from between 1874 to 1877. It became duly chartered as a chapter in 1878. The Gamma Chapter was a very strong one, and the Gamma was a was the organizer of the original Conventions, the first governing organization of Theta Nu Epsilon. In May, 1885, the Gamma Chapter sent invitations to all the chapters to hold a convention. The convention was passed on by chapters far from the upstate New York region, and eventually the series of conventions caused a response against those conventions from chapters in different regions of the country.

The Gamma Chapter in 1926.

The chapter was a stalwart in the traditions of the society, and although it participated in the creation of the United National, it later withdrew. It is not known how long it lasted.

In 1925, a local full fraternity chapter which was just a few years old, Phi Nu Theta, became a chapter of Theta Nu Epsilon, (under a T.N.E. national which now affected to be a regular college fraternity). The chapter did continue through the thirties, and was only shut down during World War II. There was an effort to restart the chapter in 1946, and alumni committes and some meetings were held, however these attempts were unsuccessful.

One former Phi Nu Theta member, Henry Kelly, quickly rose to become a national officer in Theta Nu Epsilon in the thirties, and eventually by WWII, Kelly became the National President of the Society. In the 1990’s, Kelley was recognized by the Alpha Chapter and named the Hornorary National President until his death.