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The FF Fraternity Centennial 1910-2010
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The FF Fraternity Centennial 1910-2010
Fraternities were an American College invention. They had their heydays in the first half of the 20th century. It is a mixture of male bonding, college drinking party and antics, and shades of a secret society (like the Free Masons). In olden days membership is by invitation and must go through an initiation procedure involving physical punishment and ritual which on rare occasions can result in accidental death. Members of a fraternity are known to each other as brothers. Chinese students studying in America during that period formed their own fraternities for mutual support. There were all together four Chinese fraternities – Alpha Lambda or AL, Rho Psi, PL, and the only one not using a Greek name as tradition dictated, the FF Fraternity. As college fraternities fall into disfavor beginning in the 70s, they disappeared one by one. Among the four Chinese fraternities, only FF and PL are still functioning to the best of my knowledge. FF is in fact more active and vibrant than ever. She has morphed from a college student organization into a social network among the educated Chinese Diaspora of the world. The minimal requirement for membership is that the person must have studied abroad in the US or Europe for at least one year. Branches of the Fraternity (called Lodges by tradition) currently exist in Boston, New York, Ann Arbor, Washington DC, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angles, Hongkong, and Singapore. In a sense, FF is an elitist organization because of her exclusivity of membership currently numbers about 800 living members. Among her more illustrious members are the famed Chinese diplomat Wellington Kuo, the architect I.M. Pei and the well known Asian business person Victor Fung. Otherwise, members are generally well established professionals – lawyers, doctors, technologists, professors, and entrepreneurs. I joined FF in 1951, have many of my lifelong best friends as FF brothers, and are always warmly received whenever I travel to another city where FF brothers reside and lodges exist. The annual new year eve party of the Hongkong lodge is often considered to be the HK social event of the year.
In any case, for an organization to have survived and flourished for 100 years is an accomplishment. Thus, preparations were started two years ago for a centennial reunion and celebration in New York City during July 2-5 2010. The multiday event consisting of a visit to the year old Museum of Chinese-Americans, a formal black tie gala dinner featuring several Chinese-American performers and comedians, an evening river cruise and BBQ on the Hudson river to watch the biggest independence day fireworks displays in the US, and finally a set of amateur comedy skits by all participating lodges in the Caroline comedy club in Times Square. The last event is an FF tradition where brother young and old dressing up in all kinds of costumes and making fun of each other and themselves with inside jokes and fraternal history only members know. Indeed FF members work hard and play hard. There was also a keynote speech and panel discussion by Bro. Victor Fung on the future role of the Chinese Diaspora. All in all a most memorable three days.
Here are some photos of the events
1. Historic 1910 picture of the founding of FF Fraternity at Trinity College Hartford, CT
2. Same picture at the same place 99 years later (I was in front row center on account of seniority among those brothers present )
3. 1951 FF Reunion group picture when I was initiated (second from right in front row. It will be sixty years before I get to be seated in the front row again in FF group pictures)
4. 2010 Gala Black Tie dinner at NY Hilton
5. FF Borthers doing the traditional Conga Line dance at the gala
6. There were 11 pairs of Father-Son FF members at the Centennial (I was fourth in the front row with son Adrian (initiated 1995) behind me.
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