46 East Lawn.

The argument could be made that I was once upon a time "fratastic," in pride for my fraternity if not in dress alone. I could make myself "fratty" with the best of them and still sport some croakies and rainbows on a regular occasion.

But after graduating from Rhodes, I slowly began to wean myself from the world of Kappa Sigma. Even now in graduate school, I tell folks I am Greek but don't spend too much time dwelling on the good ole days of my time in the fraternity.

I'm at UVA this weekend for a conference with my students and being on campus reminded me of Kappa Sigma because UVA is where it all started. 46 East Lawn (see photo). You see, it was at 46 East Lawn on December 10, 1869 that five students at UVA: Wiliam Grigsby McCormick, George Miles Arnold, John Covert Boyd, Edmund Law Rogers, and Frank Courtney Nicodeums established the first American chapter of Kappa Sigma and became forever known at the Five Friends and Brothers. I went by and saw the room today and standing outside the door staring up at the plaque on the wall flooded me with memories of my fraternity experience. It was a great feeling.


I found out from a UVA student that it is one of 7 rooms on the Lawn that are endowed rooms and are not part of housing selection (Edgar Allen Poe also has a room near the Lawn but it's set up in museum style and no one occupies it). 46 East Lawn is occupied each year by a current upperclass Kappa Sigma at UVA and supposedly, the room has not been updated as much and still features most of the original architecture and flooring and has Kappa Sigma memorabilia hanging on the wall. I considered going back to knock on the door to see if the guy was home and willing to let me take a peak but ended up deciding against it.

The room is just one of many on the Lawn surrounding the Thomas Jefferson Academic Village/Rotunda. They were the first dorm rooms at the University. Each room has its own wood burning fireplace but there is no central heating or air and the students must walk outdoors to reach the bathroom (I imagine it can be pretty chilly in the winter...) Still, the rooms are highly coveted and walking along the coordiors on a gorgeous day like today, I can understand why. I also now know where J Crew goes to shoot its magazine covers. I have never seen so many "models" out on the Lawn throwing frisbees, playing with dogs, or sipping mimosas. Not a bad life if you ask me...

UVA is beautiful and I feel really lucky and blessed to get to check out the campus. Perhaps one day, I may be so lucky to find myself working for such a reputable institution. But in the meantime, I'm content with reading on the Lawn and thinking about the glory days of Kappa Sigma...

AEKDB.