Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, Incorporated () is the largest professional pharmaceutical fraternity in the world with more than 6,000 student members and more than 87,000 alumni members. It was founded in 1879 at Russell Military Academy in New Haven, Connecticut as the Society of Kappa Psi.
History
The Society of Kappa Psi was founded on May 30, 1879, at the Russell Military Academy in New Haven, Connecticut as an academic society for college preparatory schools. The society's founder was Franklin Harvey Smith. An additional chapter was formed at the Cheshire Military Academy in Cheshire, Connecticut in 1879. While these two early units failed, another chapter formed at Hillhouse Academy of New Haven, Connecticut in 1894.
However, the founders of these chapters, many having graduated and entered college, sought a collegiate level re-establishment of the order. Representatives, now alumni without an active chapter from these three early prep school chapters formed a grand chapter called Alpha chapter on December 10, 1895, deeming it an essential step for rebuilding the fraternity and for expansion nationally. These men, reforming the organization as Kappa Psi Fraternity chartered its first collegiate chapter, Delta, at the University of Maryland in the fall of 1898 when former members of the Hillhouse chapter entered that school in the study of medicine. Others, who had opted for the study of pharmacy, formed a Gamma chapter at the College of Pharmacy at Columbia University in that same year. A third group of advancing students formed the Beta chapter at the University College of Medicine in Richmond, Virginia, in 1900. It merged with Phi Delta on January 26, 1918. Theta Kappa Psi later struggled; it would go on to merge with Phi Beta Pi in 1961, but this union was again dissolved in 1992. A single chapter carries on the Theta Kappa Psi name today.
Kappa Psi Fraternity would later be incorporated under the name of Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity. The Central Office of Kappa Psi is located in Richardson, Texas.
Notable members
- Leasure K. Darbaker, bacteriologist and professor of pharmacognosy and bacteriology at the Pittsburgh College of Pharmacy
- John Shostak, Connecticut House of Representatives and Mayor of Norwalk, Connecticut
- R. C. Williams, assistant surgeon general with the U.S. Public Health Service, with rank of rear admiral
See also
- Professional fraternities and sororities
- Rho Chi, pharmacy honor society