The History of Alpha Beta
The Alpha Beta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi was founded May 31, 1929, ten years after the organization was started by William A. Scroggs in 1919. At this time, our founding members are unknown, but their passion for serving the university bands is the reason why our chapter is here today.
The Alpha chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, founded in 1919 at Oklahoma A&M College
In the 1930s, our chapter and many others across the United States briefly disappeared due to world and nation wide events, and resurfaced a few years later, but not nearly as strong as they once were. In 1969, both the Kappa Kappa Psi chapter and the Tau Beta Sigma chapter folded due to apathy and financial need, and rejoined into a smaller organization known as Wayte’s Guild, which disbanded in 1976. In 1977, the Alpha Beta chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi reactivated and nationally, Kappa Kappa Psi became a co-ed organization.
The National Intercollegiate Band Program
The first National Intercollegiate Band, 1947
This ensemble is an experience that is open nationally for any college musician , regardless of their affiliation with Kappa Kappa Psi or Tau Beta Sigma. The National Intercollegiate Band Program was founded in 1947 by brother Dr. F. Lee Bowling, who was the Kappa Kappa Psi Grand President from 1941 to 1947. The first performance of this Intercollegiate Band was at one of the first jointly held national conventions for Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. One of the reasons why this band program was so important to Dr. Bowling was because it provided a service project for Kappa Kappa Psi on a national scale and served as a way for collage aged musicians to meet each other even if they went to school across the country from each other.