Samuel Zenas Ammen, the practical founder, played an integral role in establishing a ritual that parallels the depth of membership required to become an initiated member of Kappa Alpha Order. The S.Z. He was the youngest of nine children and at the age of eight he entered school. Samuel Zenas Ammen, Kappa Alpha Order's practical founder, was born in Fincastle, Va., October 22, 1843. Later, he would enter the Botetourt Male Academy in Fincastle where he received excellent academic standing. One new initiate was Samuel Zenas Ammen, a Master Mason. Kappa Alpha Order(KA), commonly known as Kappa Alpha or simply KA, is a social fraternity and a fraternal order founded in 1865 at Washington College in Lexington, Virginia.As of December 2015, the Kappa Alpha Order lists 133 active chapters, five provisional chapters, and 52 suspended chapters. Its environment had determined its nature. Samuel Zenas Ammen, one of the founders, has described the mission of the organization as: An Order of Christian Knights, pledged to certain ideals of character and achievement. Samuel Zenas Ammen, an 1866 initiate, who had fought in the war, is revered as a “Practical Founder.” Ammen’s “constant refinement of the ritual and creation of the constitution, by-laws, grip, symbols and regalia of the Order, along with his lifelong commitment,” afforded him that honor, according to the fraternity’s website. On January 19, 1907 (l to r) Samuel Zenas Ammen, JoLaneStern, William Nelson Scott, and Stanhope McClelland Scott,along with other Washington and Lee University alumni, gatheredto celebrate that 100 years had gone by since the birth of the South's great and beloved hero, General Robert E. Lee. Within one year, the order’s ritual would be expanded upon by Samuel Zenas Ammen, who was dubbed the “practical founder”. By the end of the spring 1866, the four founders had initiated seven additional members. He was the youngest of nine children and at the age of eight he entered school. Along with Alpha Tau Omega and Sigma Nu, the order represents a third of the Lexington Triad. As a member if Kappa Alpha, he developed a new ritual, constitution, bylaws, grip and symbols for the fraternity. At Southwestern, Kappa Alpha Order is a diverse group of men aiming for excellence inside the classroom and in the community at large as well. Kappa Alpha Order (KA), commonly known as Kappa Alpha or simply KA, is a social fraternity and a fraternal order founded in 1865 at Washington College in Lexington, Virginia.As of December 2015, the Kappa Alpha Order lists 133 active chapters, five provisional chapters, and 52 suspended chapters. Samuel Zenas Ammen, known as Kappa Alpha’s practical founder, was born in Fincastle, VA, on October 22, 1843. He was the youngest of nine children and at the age of eight he entered school. In the years that followed, the fraternity spread throughout the Southern United States, as well as other states such as California, Arizona and New Mexico. After gradually growing in size and strength, Epsilon Rho Chapter was awarded the Samuel Zenas Ammen Award by the KA National Office. The following year, KA initiated Samuel Zenas Ammen, a veteran of Lee’s army, whom the fraternity reveres as its Practical Founder. This banner text can have markup.. web; books; video; audio; software; images; Toggle navigation SAMUEL Z. AMMEN. Ammen awards are annually given to the top 20 (of 125 active) chapters in the Order, and is second only to the George C. … [2] Along with Alpha Tau Omega and Sigma Nu, the order represents a third of …