Pi Kappa Phi

The colony elected officers, kept careful minutes, and prepared itself for national evaluation. Leaders like Bob Hood rose to prominence, setting organizational standards that shaped the chapter’s future. 

A four‑day initiation sequence commenced February 14–17, 1963. On Thursday, the soon‑to‑be Founders took written exams from national officers. On Friday, they faced oral examinations at the First Presbyterian Church, questioned by Pi Kappa Phi’s highest-ranking leaders. Friday evening brought a formal dinner at the Greenville Country Club. Saturday, February 16, 1963, stands as a defining moment in Beta Phi history. With Mu Chapter from Duke performing the ritual, fourteen young men became the inaugural members of Beta Phi. That evening at the banquet, National President John W. Deimler presented the official charter to Archon Bob Hood before an audience of dignitaries, including Mayor Charles King and ECC President Leo Jenkins. 

The Move to Hooker Rd. (1970)

In 1970, with the help of alumni like A.B. Stallworth, the fraternity purchased the house at 803 Hooker Road, a ranch‑style property with room to grow. The Hooker Road house experienced heavy wear, declining neighborhood conditions, and a destructive fire caused by the basement heating system. Despite these setbacks, the chapter continued, but by the late 1970s, it faced serious financial instability, leadership strain, and the broader national pressures reshaping fraternity life. The turning point came through alumni intervention. Meetings throughout Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Greenville mobilized support. In 1981, the Beta Phi Alumni Chapter was officially chartered, establishing a structure for long-term sustainability.

Their fundraising, dedication, and belief in the chapter culminated in the construction of a new fraternity house, completed in 1988 and dedicated in February 1989.