Brief History of the founding of Massachusetts Delta
The following passages are taken by William C. Levere’s "The History of the
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity", Book 2, pages 279-285.

Charles W. Dyer, a student at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, had taken preparatory work at Williston Seminary, and there had been a member of a society based on friendship. When he entered the polytechnic institute and formed new friendships, he felt the charm that a bond would add, and in the memory of his Williston society experience made this a conviction. There was in Worcester Polytechnic at this time, a young Japenese, Gompei Kuwada, a member of an honorable Japanese family. He was the son of a Japanese physician, who had been the first to translate an English medical work into Japanese, and had been made by the emperor a member of the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest honor conferred in that country. Few students who have attended Worcester Polytechnic have been as popular as Kuwada, between whom and Dyer there existed a strong friendship. Dyer confided to Kuwada the idea of organizing a fraternal society to include their intimates and found him a willing lieutenant. Their confidence was then extended to Nathan Heard and Arthur C. Comins, who gave their allegiance to the cause, and with it the earnestness and enthusiasm which such a project needs to carry it through. As one by one the originators added to their numbers, and the new society became strong enough to make its public bow, it became necessary to formulate its policy, for the fraternity system was at the time decidedly unpopular at Worcester Polytechnic, although fraternities were not under the ban, for a chapter was maintained at the institute by Phi Gamma Delta. While it was the sole purpose of the new organization to establish at the school another Greek-letter fraternity, it was the belief of the men who made up its membership that the times were unpropitious, and so, to gain the end they sought and not suffer the penalty they did not deserve, they resorted to subterfuge. Arthur C. Comins, in a sketch of the chapter published subsequently in the Record, has so adequately described this period of the history of the society that we quote:
"The members of the pioneer society from which sprang Massachusetts Delta decided the wisest course would be to form a club, apparently non-secret, of a social character, and conducted in such a manner and to include such a class of men that, eventually, it would win the respect and confidence of the entire student body. Then, and apparently as an afterthought, should the society fulfill its mission and resolve itself, if possible, into a chapter.

"This plan proved to be an eminently wise one, and was successful in every respect. In the fall of 1892 the society announced itself as the Tech Co-operative society, floated $400 worth of bonds, hired and furnished a tenement, and ostensibly conducted a co-operative housekeeping concern with a secondary social feature. All members were required to sign the constitution, thereby agreeing not to divulge the object of the society, and, moreover, promising ‘to strive constantly by conduct and work to maintain for the society the best and highest standard and reputation possible, and to labor zealously for its welfare and advancement.’ That no feeling of suspicion toward it might be aroused by outsiders, it was furthermore understood that society connections were not to be at all binding in school politics, and that no members were to nominate another for an office in an institute organization.

"The result of this broad policy demonstrated its wisdom. The members of ‘T. C. S.’ had a practical monopoly of the offices and honors of the senior class and of the institute, and during the first year or two of its history no instance occurred of opposition to a ‘T. C. S.’ man because of his society; on the contrary the latter was a recommendation.

"The year of 1892-1893 was very successful. By rigid economy and good business methods ends were made to meet, and the society was firmly established. In the middle of the year a simple but pleasant reception was given to the members of the faculty. An amusing thing in connection with their first social function was the presence of an elderly and much respected professor who grew very enthusiastic over the society and its quarters. The same professor, a short time before, had declined to be present at a similar occasion under the auspices of Phi Gam, because, forsooth, he did not approve of secret societies.

"The fact that the real object of the society was to be maintained a secret caused much circumlocution. It was necessary, first of all, to know whether a possible candidate was favorable to Greek-letter fraternities, or whether he had deep-rooted anti-goat ideas. Hence, whenever a name was suggested as that of a student desirable for membership, a committee was appointed to ‘edge’ him and it became the duty of the edging committee to learn without his seeing the plot, his ideas on things Hellenic."


The success of the society and its popularity decided its members to discard their secret policy and boldly seek recognition from a national fraternity. They heard of Sigma Alpha Epsilon through a member who had met H.C. Burger, and in the fall of 1893, two Worcester boys,
who were students at Harvard and had been initiated by Massachusetts Gamma, came to the chapter with proffers to aid them in obtaining a charter from Sigma Alpha Epsilon. These Harvard S.A.E.’s were George A. Davis and Charles T. Tatman and their personal friendship with most of the Worcester Polytechnic men was so close that they had a strong influence with them. George A. Davis and his brother Edwin H. Davis, together with Tatman, Howard P. Nash and Virgil L. Johnson, of Pennsylvania Omega, were all in the law school at Cambridge at this time, and it was the habit to gather in the rooms of the Davis boys in Walter Hastings’ Hall and there was done much of the planning which won the Worcester club for S.A.E. Arthur C. Comins, of the local, had been graduated at Worcester Polytechnic in the spring of 1893, and had entered Harvard where he was taking postgraduate work. The negotiation with the Harvard group of S.A.E.’s, who were working up to the affiliation of the local with the national, were henceforth conducted through Comins. An interesting story is told of Comins seeking the advice of a fellow student, Herbert C. Lakin, who was not then a member of the national fraternity. Lakin knew nothing of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and he urged Comins neither to enter the fraternity himself nor allow his club to do so. Fortunately, Comins did not stop in his investigation of Sigma Alpha Epsilon here, but continued and was soon satisfied that his friend Lakin’s judgement was not based on complete knowledge. And so he brought the two together. Lakin, to his own surprise, knew better later, and in 1894 he was initiated by Massachusetts Gamma.

Massachusetts Delta, as the new chapter at Worcester Polytechnic was to be called, received its introduction to Sigma Alpha Epsilon at one of the famous New England events known as "Auburndale." It was also the occasion of the New England celebration of Founder’s Day, although the ceremonies were held on March 10th instead of the 9th. The initiation was the largest up to that time ever held by the fraternity. The new chapter presented twenty-two neophytes, and in addition to these Massachusetts Beta-Upsilon had five, Massachusetts Iota-Tau six, and Massachusetts Gamma five; or thirty-nine in all. The fraternity began to realize that New England was S.A.E. territory after all, and the cry against extension in that direction was satisfied forever. The three Massachusetts chapters, the members of Connecticut Alpha and the sixteen candidates of these chapters arrived in Aubrndale Saturday afternoon. The usual gay procession to the hotel was a feature, the hurdle races for the benefit of the girls of Lasell Seminary were gone through, and the twenty-two charter initiates of the new chapter, arriving in a great bus from Worcester, were added to the division of the procession which was receiving all the attention. The members of the new chapters were Charles W. D. Dyer, Arthur C. Comins, Nathan Heard, Charles M. Allen, William H. Larkin Jr., Edward W. Davenport, Walter J. Denny, Charles Baker Jr., Harry L. Cobb, George W. Heald, Helon B. McFarland, Eugene B. Whipple, Frank E. Wellington, William O. Wellington, James B. Mayo, George A. Denny, Charles A. Harrington, George C. Gordon, George S. Gibbs, William H. Cunningham, Frank E. Congdon, Henry N. Smith. Gompei Kuwada, the bright young oriental who with Dyer had been an original mover in the formation of the local, was in far away Japan and could not be initiated, but his services had been too generous and fruitful for the fraternity to forget and a special dispensation was issued making his initiation as a charter member possible at a later day. Six years later, he returned to the domicile of his old chapter and was initiated May 1, 1900. The installation of the new chapter was conducted by Massachusetts Gamma, and ties which were formed that day between the two chapters have never been broken. No other two chapters in the fraternity, with the exception of Virginia Sigma and Virginia Theta, have been so closely allied as Massachusetts Gamma and Massachusetts Delta. The initiation of the neophytes from the three established chapters was conducted in each case by their respective chapters. Each of them felt an especial distinction, for were they not being made S. A. E.'s at a celebration of the Founders' Day of the fraternity, and on the occasion of the birth of a new chapter as well? They were justified in their pride, and that they may not be forgotten as having participated so prominently in these memorable happenings, we make haste to set down their names: Massachusetts Beta-Upsilon, John E. Canning, Everett M. Hill, Adelbert E. Foutch, Battelle McCarty, Edward L. Kittridge; Massachusetts Iota-Tau, Luzerne S. Cowles, Frankline H. Davis, Harry W. Dyer, Lonville E. Emerson, Daniel P. Abercrombie, Howard H. Burdick; Massachusetts Gamma, Charles S. Barrell, William J. Pelo, Edwin W. Smith, Maurice E. Ginn, Burton J. Berry. The banquet which followed the installation and initiation ceremonies saw ninety-two S.A.E.'s at the board. It was an auspicious beginning for Massachusetts Delta, and the chapter has lived up to it in the years which have followed. It was the first chapter in New England to own its house. Province Alpha has had some able leaders from the chapter, among whom are Robert C. Allen and Charles F. Davis, who have served as province president, and the following Massachusetts Delta men have been vice-president of the province: James B. Mayo, Gilbert Bloss, Frederick K. Hill, Charles F. Davis, and Richard J. Clancy. In one of his chapter letters Burnett Wright, who was correspondent in 1905, wrote: "Strong in numbers and closely knit by fraternal love, the brothers of Delta chapter are a unit for its advancement." These few words are a history of the chapter in epitome, and its splendid strength during all the years of its life is explained by them.

Back to History