Richard T. Feller
28th Knight Commander
Alpha Rho–West Virginia University, 1937
Richard T. Feller was born on March 14, 1919. He was initiated by Alpha Rho in 1937, Feller was Hamilton Province Commander from 1950 to 1954 as well as a preceptor of its Court of Honor. A faculty member of the Officers’ Training School in its early years, he conducted the pilot Regional Advisor program in 1952. Feller also wrote the first pledge education manual and helped write the first Number I’s handbook. He chaired the the Ritual Committee for six years and lectured on the customs of the Order for more than two decades. An officer of the Fraternity Housing Corporation, he was elected to its board in 1952, serving as treasurer and general manager until 1969, when he was chosen as executive vice president. He remained in that capacity until 1971. Four years later he began a two-year term as FHC board president. He also was elected preceptor of the Feller Province Court of Honor in 1975 and was inducted in the Mikell Court the following year. Feller was first elected to the Kappa Alpha Executive Council in 1961. He was Senior Councilor from 1965 to 1967, then was reelected to that position in 1969 and became Knight Commander in August 1971. A Convention was held each year that he was Knight Commander as he presided over the Special Convention in 1972 where the Convention made drastic changes to Kappa Alpha Law and formally removed all membership restrictions. As Canon Clerk of the Works of the Washington National Cathedral, Feller significantly furthered the completion of one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world. He died on April 6, 2003.