For many of our members, the early days of Pi Alpha Phi is shrouded in a veil of mystery, myth, and confusion. To commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the Pi Alpha Phi charter, I would like to use this opportunity to shed some light on the origins of our great fraternity.
In 1928, three enterprising members of the Class of 1930 first conceived the idea to form a fraternity to serve the several hundred students of Chinese descent at the University of California, Berkeley. Wing C. Chan, from the Central California town of Oroville; Dong Wing Tom, from San Francisco; and Elmer Leong from Berkeley, did much of the preliminary work towards the formation of the Fraternity.
The three men had difficulty finding a home for their newly conceived organization. Discrimination was rampant against those of Asian descent. In some exclusive areas, including the neighborhoods surrounding the UC Berkeley campus, Asians were prohibited to rent or buy property.
The group eventually found Mary “Mother” Tusch, an elderly German immigrant sympathetic to their situation. She rented them a small, obscure cottage behind her home on Union Street. It was a pitching iron shot to the old Harmon Gym and Sather Gate.
It was at this cottage that the initial meeting took place. Dong Wing Tom was chosen as the Charter President. Wing C. Chan was elected Treasurer. Chack W. Chan became the first House Manager. George Y. Lee was elected Secretary. Elmer Leong was designated Student Counselor and Charter Historian.
As Charter Historian, it was Elmer Leong’s responsibility to name the fraternity. In keeping with the traditional practice of using Greek letters for all fraternities, he chose Pi Alpha Phi, which was derived from the initials of a Greek phrase, which loosely translated means: “To advance through brotherly ties, the thirst for learning”.
Soon afterward, the group rented a 5 room house at 2227 Union Street, the site of the existing ASUC Building. Three others were asked to join the group and moved into the house: George Y. Lee from San Francisco; Wing’s brother Chack Chan; and Tim S. Jang from the Sacramento Delta town of Courtland.
Several of the early symbols of the fraternity were agreed upon:
The six stars represent the six charter members.
The interlocked crescents represent the perpetuation of fraternal bonds.
The sword and book reminds us that although we are primarily scholars, the sword is the symbol of power. Combined with knowledge, working together in any common worthwhile goal, we have power.
“The Purpose of the Fraternity is to encourage higher scholastic achievements in the Light of Truth, and to promote that Bond of Brotherhood.”
On February 1, 1929, the six men signed their names in both English and Chinese onto the Pi Alpha Phi charter and became Founding Fathers of the fledging fraternity.
The Pi Alpha Phi Legacy was Born.
In 2003, Founder Tim Jang reminisced about some of the history of the fraternity.
Excerpts can be seen here:
Berkeley alumnus Richard Din has been researching the fraternity’s history and unearthing interesting stories and clues to the fraternity’s past. If you would like to learn more about this effort (or would like to assist him in this endeavor), please contact him at richard (dot) din (at) gmail (dot) com.