1964–65 Volume 89 No 1–5 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

OUR TRINITY OF LOYALTIES!By Ray E. Blackwell, Alumni Secretary/^jjIS^J^^^^tmk.^^^L ^ ^K^^J^^.J^^^^SL.. m^MV^L'Jr^ ^ ^ WILSONMORRISON..^-sr-.-..'^^ 1t^vvLgK^^^B^^k^DRAKEThe annual Founders Day season challenges eachPhi to review those loyalties to which he pledgedlife-long faithfulness at the time he embraced tenetsso clearly enunciated by the "Immortal Six."Throughout the United States and Canadaspeakers at fraternity functions will extol the valuesin Phi Delta Theta membership. They will urge us allto rededicate ourselves to the Fraternity . . togive even greater loyalty. Loyalty to what?Of course the basic loyalty of each Phi is to the precepts of Christian living: thefull development of our talents, the giving of ourselves to others in the deepest meaningof friendship, the patterning of our lives upon the life of Him whose birth ourFounders had just observed. This is the one loyalty without which all others aremeaningless.From an organizational point of view, however, what are our loyalties? At the timeof our initiations did we not each assume a "trinity of loyalties"?aEvery Phi has a basicloyalty to his own chapter,and if membership in PhiDelta Theta were limited toone's chapter, it would beworth while. We are proudof our chapter. We praise it. . . defend it. . . but do wesupport it with our energies,time, and money?Because Phi Delta Theta issomething more importantthan any one chapter, eachPhi owes a loyalty to theGeneral Fraternity. Eachchapter contributes itsstrength to and draws itsstrength from the largerbody.Still a third loyalty exists:loyalty to the AmericanCollege Fraternity Tradition,a rich tradition datingback to 1776 which PhiDelta Theta shares withother great fraternities.These three basic loyalties are so closely relatedthat it is impossible to have one without the others.As the fraternity tradition is strengthened. Phi DeltaTheta is made stronger; as Phi Delta Theta becomesstronger, each chapter is given greater potential.At this 1965 Founders Day season let us recognizeour "trinity of loyalties" and renew our pledges ofsupport to our chapter, our Fraternity, and the fraternitysystem!LINDLEYROGERS