Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity Celebrates 50 Years of Partnership with St. Jude

INDIANAPOLIS – Today Tau Kappa Epsilon marks 50 years of partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

October 23, 1971 is a special day in the rich heritage of Tau Kappa Epsilon. On this day TKE began its partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by hosting a fundraising event on the campus of Indiana University during homecoming. 

Frater Nicholas A. Maloof, was an initiator of the partnership at Indiana University in 1972. In reflecting upon this critical anniversary, he noted, “I believe that these next 50 years together, can and will be far more brilliant, precedent-setting and prolific than the first 50, as TKE undergrads and alumni continue to team up to give of our time, our talents and our treasure to the miraculous works being done at St. Jude, for the children of St. Jude, all over the world.” Currently, TKE is in the midst of a 10-year commitment to raise $10 Million for our philanthropic partners. 

In 2019, former Grand Prytanis Christopher T. Hanson proudly announced our most ambitious fundraising campaign yet by declaring,“It is a great honor to share with you our next step in helping to achieve Frater Danny Thomas’s dream that ‘no child should die in the dawn of life.’ Today, we make history. Today, we dedicate ourselves to building a better world by making the largest commitment by any men’s fraternity to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Today, we officially begin our campaign to raise $10 million over the next ten years for the children of St. Jude.”

Our latest and largest commitment to St. Jude, will name the Bone Marrow Transplantation and Research Labs Floor. Bone marrow transplantation is part of standard treatment for certain types of diseases, including acute myeloid leukemia and treatment-resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The bone marrow transplantation program at St. Jude is one of the largest pediatric programs in the world.

This year TKE celebrated its long-standing commitment to St. Jude at its 61^st Conclave in grand style by hosting a St. Jude No More Cancer Rally. 

The Offices of the Grand Chapter are proud to commemorate this day that sparked a dedicated partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and honored the dream and vision of Frater Danny Thomas.