National History
Our long-established tradition of brotherhood was established in 1929 at the University of California, Berkeley. The fraternity of Pi Alpha Phi was founded by six unique individuals:
Mr. D. Wing Tom
Mr. Wing Chan
Mr. Elmer Leong
Mr. Chack Chan
Mr. Tim Jang
Mr. George Lee
Mr. Wing Chan was elected as the first President of the fraternity. Mr. D. Wing Tom served as the Vice President and Mr. Elmer Leong as the Secretary. They wanted to establish an organization that would be based on the bonds of friendship, mutual experience, academic excellence, and brotherhood. The name Pi Alpha Phi was derived from the initials of the Greek phrase meaning:
“To advance through brotherly ties; the thirst for learning.”
During this era, traditional Greek fraternities legally discriminated against all men of color. Since they were banned from joining a traditional Greek fraternity, the Founding Fathers wanted to ensure that Asian Awareness would always be an important part of the fraternity.Pi Alpha Phi is the first Asian American interest fraternity. Since the founding of Pi Alpha Phi, our Fraternity has flourished with active chapters at campuses throughout the nation.Today, the basic premise of the Fraternity remains largely unchanged. With brotherhood as our immutable asset, the lifelong bonds that we develop extend far beyond the university setting. Although the Fraternity is open to individuals of all ethnic backgrounds, it still retains its Asian American character. The basic goals of brotherhood achieved through shared experience, friendship and academic excellence remain unaltered. Although the organization evolves from generation to generation, the underlying vision and heart of the Fraternity is as solid today as it was for six young Berkeley men in 1929.
Mr. D. Wing Tom
Mr. Wing Chan
Mr. Elmer Leong
Mr. Chack Chan
Mr. Tim Jang
Mr. George Lee
Mr. Wing Chan was elected as the first President of the fraternity. Mr. D. Wing Tom served as the Vice President and Mr. Elmer Leong as the Secretary. They wanted to establish an organization that would be based on the bonds of friendship, mutual experience, academic excellence, and brotherhood. The name Pi Alpha Phi was derived from the initials of the Greek phrase meaning:
“To advance through brotherly ties; the thirst for learning.”
During this era, traditional Greek fraternities legally discriminated against all men of color. Since they were banned from joining a traditional Greek fraternity, the Founding Fathers wanted to ensure that Asian Awareness would always be an important part of the fraternity.Pi Alpha Phi is the first Asian American interest fraternity. Since the founding of Pi Alpha Phi, our Fraternity has flourished with active chapters at campuses throughout the nation.Today, the basic premise of the Fraternity remains largely unchanged. With brotherhood as our immutable asset, the lifelong bonds that we develop extend far beyond the university setting. Although the Fraternity is open to individuals of all ethnic backgrounds, it still retains its Asian American character. The basic goals of brotherhood achieved through shared experience, friendship and academic excellence remain unaltered. Although the organization evolves from generation to generation, the underlying vision and heart of the Fraternity is as solid today as it was for six young Berkeley men in 1929.
University of North Carolina Charlotte History
The long-awaited establishment of Pi Alpha Phi at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, started merely as a dream, but resulted into a reality with thirteen founding fathers of different race and ethnic backgrounds:
Mr. Son Hoang
Mr. Travis Le
Mr. Ken Hong Saur
Mr. Hoang Le
Mr. Anthony Vy
Mr. Don Nguyen
Mr. Robert Mady
Mr. Hing Fu
Mr. Kevin Dang
Mr. Arnold Huynh
Mr. Kevin Truong
Mr. Nick Bowles
Mr. Victor Yan
Though the thirteen founding fathers had different reasons for joining, they all shared one dream; to bring the first Asian-American interest fraternity to our campus.
In the spring of 2011, a few founding fathers banded together to form BIGAPE, which stands for Brotherhood Interest Group Asian Pi Alpha Phi Expansion. In the fall of 2012 the founding fathers entered their journey towards their goal. With the leadership of Mr. Tai Nguyen and Mr. Jimmy Nguyen of the Nu Chapter at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the founding fathers reached their goal on January 19, 2013. After two years of growth, respect, and common bonds of friendship, Pi Alpha Phi was established at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Mr. Son Hoang
Mr. Travis Le
Mr. Ken Hong Saur
Mr. Hoang Le
Mr. Anthony Vy
Mr. Don Nguyen
Mr. Robert Mady
Mr. Hing Fu
Mr. Kevin Dang
Mr. Arnold Huynh
Mr. Kevin Truong
Mr. Nick Bowles
Mr. Victor Yan
Though the thirteen founding fathers had different reasons for joining, they all shared one dream; to bring the first Asian-American interest fraternity to our campus.
In the spring of 2011, a few founding fathers banded together to form BIGAPE, which stands for Brotherhood Interest Group Asian Pi Alpha Phi Expansion. In the fall of 2012 the founding fathers entered their journey towards their goal. With the leadership of Mr. Tai Nguyen and Mr. Jimmy Nguyen of the Nu Chapter at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the founding fathers reached their goal on January 19, 2013. After two years of growth, respect, and common bonds of friendship, Pi Alpha Phi was established at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.