Kappa Beta Pi
# Kappa Beta Pi

Kappa Beta Pi (ΚΒΠ) is a Legal Association which was formerly a professional law sorority in the United States.

## History

Kappa Beta Pi was founded at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois on December 15, 1908. Its Founders were:

| Mrs. Alice Craig Edgerton Mary A. Sellers Claire L. Gleason | Phyllis M. Kelley Nettie Rothblum Charlotte Doolittle White Mrs. Alice A. Prince | Anna Marie Knabjohann Buck Sue M. Brown Mrs. Katharine S. Clark |
| - | - | - |

The sorority was incorporated in Illinois on December 15, 1908. This date is celebrated by chapters as Founders' Day. The organization was the first legal sorority in the U.S., that is, the first such group designed in the support of the legal profession.

Since 1925, admission of new chapters has been limited to American schools that met the requirements for membership in the Association of American Law Schools, or to schools on the approved list of the American Bar Association, along with those foreign law schools meeting equivalent requirements.

In 1927 its first international chapter was formed, Omicron chapter, in Paris, France. This was later followed by chapters in London, England, in West Germany, in Shanghai, China, several in Canada, and one in the US Territory of Puerto Rico.

During the first half of the 20th century, the Sorority published lists of law firms that would hire women, and those which resisted. It also published catalogs of female judges and lawyers serving in the field.

At the 1973 convention, the name was changed to Kappa Beta Pi Legal Association International, and from this juncture is now properly referred to as a legal association, not a sorority.

At the May 1976 convention in Columbus Ohio, all references believed to indicate a restriction of membership to women were removed.

Kappa Beta Pi had been a chartering member of the Professional Panhellenic Association, and thus became a member of the Professional Fraternity Association (PFA) when the PPA merged with the Professional Interfraternity Association. Later, Kappa Beta Pi resigned from the PFA.

Some records of the organization's headquarters were provided to the Denver Public Library, which reports 17 boxes of materials spanning from 1930 to 1979.

The last known address for this Legal Association was either in Silver Spring, MD (per Baird's) or in Omaha, NE (Guidestar). As of November 2021, Guidestar reports "no activity for some time". The organization may be defunct.

## Traditions and Insignia

The badge is a monogram with the Κ jeweled and superimposed over the letters Β and Π, which are embellished with scroll work. The pledge pin is an irregularly shaped shield enameled in Turquoise and old gold.

The coat of arms places a field of Turquoise blue in the upper left, while the lower right field is white. Devices, the Open Book, and Scales are rendered in gold. The Knight's Helmet is shown proper, that is, in the natural color, shown full face with the visor open and is of steel with silver ornaments. The helmet symbolizes the protection of the law, and inspires chivalrous conduct.

The flower is the Yellow Tea Rose.

The colors are turquoise blue and old gold.

The official song, To Kappa Beta Pi was written in 1941 by Alice Craig Edgerton.

The organization publishes a quarterly, called The Kappa Beta Pi Quarterly, one edition annually in an esoteric form, called The Secret Bulletin.

A fifty-year history was also written by Ms. Edgerton, who served as its first Grand Dean, or president, and published by the organization.

## Chapters

The chapter roll of Kappa Beta Pi Legal Association. Chapters in italics are dormant. Chapters in bold are active. Those unknown are in plain text.

* 1908 - Alpha - Chicago-Kent Law
* 1915 - Beta - Northwestern University
* 1916 - Gamma - DePaul University
* 1916 - Delta - Chicago
* 1916 - Epsilon - American University
* 1916 - Zeta - John Marshall Law, Chicago
* 1916 - Eta - University of Texas Law
* 1917 - Theta - Kansas City
* 1917 - Iota - California (dormant between 1945 and 1946)
* 1920 - Kappa - Yale University (dormant 1929)
* 1920 - Lambda - Detroit
* 1920 - Mu - Detroit Law (dormant between 1939 and 1959)
* 1920 - Nu - George Washington University
* 1921 - Xi - Michigan
* 1921 - Omicron - National Law (school merged with George Washington)
* 1921 - Pi - Washington (MO)
* 1921 - Rho - Iowa
* 1921 - Sigma - Cornell (dormant 1939)
* 1921 - Tau - Boston
* 1921 - Upsilon - Syracuse
* 1921 - Phi - Illinois
* 1921 - Chi - Oregon
* 1921 - Psi - Wisconsin, Madison
* 1923 - Omega - University of Southern California (dormant 1949)
* 1923 - Alpha Alpha - John Marshall Law, Cleveland
* 1923 - Alpha Beta - Minnesota (dormant in 1958)
* 1924 - Alpha Gamma - Southwestern, Los Angeles
* 1924 - Alpha Delta - Buffalo
* 1924 - Alpha Epsilon - Chicago-Kent Law (school closed in 1935)
* 1924 - Alpha Zeta - Marquette University
* 1924 - Alpha Eta - Hastings Law (dormant in 1957)
* 1924 - Alpha Theta - Loyola, Chicago
* 1925 - Alpha Iota - St. Louis
* 1925 - Alpha Kappa - Creighton
* 1925 - Alpha Lambda - Nebraska (dormant 1942-1951
* 1925 - Alpha Mu - Osgoode, Toronto, Canada
* 1926 - Alpha Nu - Ohio State University
* 1926 - Alpha Xi- University of Oklahoma
* 1927 - Alpha Omicron - Paris, France
* 1930 - Alpha Pi - Tulane
* 1931 - Alpha Rho - Alabama
* 1931 - Alpha Sigma - Denver
* 1931 - Alpha Tau - North Dakota
* 1932 - Alpha Upsilon - West Virginia University
* 1932 - Alpha Phi - University of Arizona
* 1934 - Alpha Chi - Columbia (dormant 1938–57)
* 1940 - Alpha Psi - Southern Methodist
* 1940 - Alpha Omega - Drake
* 1940 - Beta Alpha - London, England
* 1946 - Beta Beta - Missouri (dormant 1950–51)
* 1946 - Beta Gamma - Columbus Law (DC)
* 1946 - Beta Delta - San Francisco
* 19xx - Beta Epsilon - ?
* 1947 - Beta Zeta - Shanghai (China)
* 1948 - Beta Eta - South Dakota
* 1949 - Beta Theta - Miami (FL)
* 1949 - Beta Iota - Emory (dormant 1952–53)
* 1950 - Beta Kappa - Virginia
* 1952 - Beta Lambda - St. Mary's San Antonio
* 1953 - Beta Mu - Georgetown
* 1954 - Beta Nu, West Germany
* 1955 - Beta Xi - Houston
* 1956 - Beta Omicron - Toledo
* 1958 - Beta Pi - Boston Law
* 1960 - Beta Rho - Kentucky
* 1962 - Beta Sigma - Seton Hall
* 1962 - Beta Tau - Rutgers (dormant 1970)
* 1963 - Beta Upsilon - Howard University (dormant 1974)
* 1963 - Beta Phi - Fordham (dormant 1970)
* 1963 - Beta Chi - Kentucky (dormant 1971)
* 1964 - Beta Psi - Puerto Rico (dormant 1973)
* 1966 - Beta Omega - Ohio Northern
* 1966 - Gamma Alpha - Colorado (dormant 1972)
* 1967 - Gamma Beta - Franklin (OH) (dormant 1973)
* 1967 - Gamma Gamma - University of Arkansas
* 1967 - Gamma Delta - Arkansas, Little Rock
* 1968 - Gamma Epsilon - New Brunswick, Canada (dormant 1973)
* 1970 - Gamma Zeta - Mississippi
* 1971 - Gamma Eta - Texas Tech
* 1972 - Gamma Theta - Pitt (dormant 1973)
* 1972 - Gamma Iota - Duquesne (dormant 1973)
* 1973 - Gamma Kappa - Windsor, Ontario, Canada
* 1974 - Gamma Lambda - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
