Alpha Phi Delta Foundation
Chapter Histories - Kappa Chapter
Kappa Chapter in General
Kappa Chapter is Founded: 1922
On November 1, 1922, our Kappa Chapter was installed at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Kappa Chapter was the furthest west chapter in the Fraternity when it was chartered. Its isolation caused some discontent were a few of the early members, so much so that six of them chose to abandon their Chapter, and form a local fraternity. The Grand Council, appalled at their actions, officially expelled those six men and removed them permanently from our roles, striking their names from all documents. Kappa Chapter was a strong chapter from its founding through the early years of World War II. Kappa Chapter closed its doors in 1943, during World War II, as its final members on campus either graduated or were drafted into military service. Following its closure, the Chapter was never reactivated; its lifespan was 1922-1943. Pictured above are our Iota Chapter members in 1926.
The Kappa Chapter House
Above is a murky, but only extant image, of the Kappa Chapter house that was in use through the 1920s and 1930s. The House was located at 2126 Cornell Road, Cleveland, Ohio -- right across the street from the main campus buildings. This placed the Chapter in a key position right by campus in a property that any fraternity would desire. With the closure of the Chapter the house reverted to private ownership. As the University expanded after World War II, the street the house was on became part of the University proper. The site on which the Kappa Chapter house was located is now home to the Case Western Reserve University campus parking facility.
Kappa Chapter - Individuals
Dr. D.A. Macedonia
Grand Consul 1946-48
Kappa '29
Domenic Anthony Macedonia was born in Steubenville, Ohio, on October 8, 1909, to Giovanni and Annunziata Macedonia. Starting his undergraduate studies at Carnegie Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh, he soon transferred to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. There, he was initiated into the Kappa Chapter of Alpha Phi Delta on February 16, 1929. After graduation, he did post-graduate studies at Ohio State University's College of Medicine; he graduated with a degree in ophthalmology in 1935 and went into private practice in Steubenville in 1938.
“Doc Macey,” as he was affectionately known, would become a driving force on the district and National scene of the Fraternity. Serving as Sixth District Governor from 1939 to 1945, he was one of the small group of dedicated brothers who tirelessly held the Fraternity together over the war years. In 1945, he served as Grand ProConsul and as Grand Consul from 1946-1948. During his Grand Consulship, the Fraternity met the postwar era with confidence and renewed spirit. In 1951, he was awarded the Outstanding Alumnus Award. He served as chairman and member of the National Housing Fund for many years.
Active in many civic and charitable works, Dr. Macadonia received many honors in his lifetime. The greatest bestowed upon him was in 1952 when His Holiness Pope Pius XII made him a Knight Commander, with Star, in the Order of Saint Gregory the Great. The formal knighting was performed by His Excellency John King Mussio, Bishop of Steubenville, on June 22, 1952.
In 1955, Bishop Mussio awarded Dr. Macedonia again, this time with the Carita Medal, to acknowledge his many charitable works. In 1967, the Republic of Italy bestowed the Cross of Chevalier of Merit on him for his “professional, church and civic leadership in fostering better American-Italian community relations.”
Married to the former Olga Cincione of Columbus, Ohio, the Macedonias had five children: Rita Marie, Annetta, Joseph John, Domenic, and Patrick. All the boys became brothers of the Fraternity.
Brother Macedonia died of a heart attack on February 26, 1968, at age 59. He died one day after attending the 1968 Midyear Meeting of the Executive Committee in New York City and served as a guest speaker at the Third District’s Annual Communion Breakfast. Those events were the venue for his last fraternal appearance.
His funeral was Solemn Requiem Pontifical High Mass celebrated by the Most Rev. John Mussio, Bishop of Steubenville. Macedonia was laid to rest at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Steubenville, Ohio.
Joseph Gambatese
First Outstanding Alumnus Award Winner (1940)
Kappa '31
In 1940, the Grand Council established the first three National Awards of the Fraternity -- Outstanding Alumnus Award, Outstanding Undergraduate Award, and Most Improved Chapter Award. Beta Beta (Manhattan) won the first Most Improved Chapter Award, and James Paccione won the first Outstanding Undergraduate Award. But, the first Outstanding Alumnus Award winner haled from Kappa Chapter: Joseph M. Gambatese.
Brother Joseph Michael Gambatese was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 25, 1912. After graduating from high school, he entered Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. There, he became friendly with the Brother of Alpha Phi Delta and was initiated into the Fraternity in 1931. He was very active in his Chapter and in many student clubs and organizations.
After graduating in 1934, Gambatese became a very active alumnus brother in the Cleveland area. Additionally, he was on the staff of The Kleos from 1934 until the end of the decade, writing his "Western Winds" columns covering news from the Chapters in Ohio (Xi, Kappa, and Beta Zeta). Soon after graduation, he joined and took a leadership role in the Cleveland Alumni Club. He was a leader in the Club in 1940 when he won the Outstanding Alumnus Award that year. In later years, after moving to the Washington D.C. area, he would become a founding member of the National Capital Alumni Club.
A resident of Cleveland, Gambatese served as a reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper. He was also the author of eight true detective stories that appeared under his signature in True Detective Magazine and Master Detective Magazine from 1938-1941. He later became a columnist working in newspapers and magazines. He edited the 17th annual edition of Golf Guide, a small paperback recognized as one of the handiest and most helpful books published on golf.
He worked in Cleveland until 1943, when the U.S. efforts in World War II gave him an opportunity to work for the Federal government in a war-related post. This occurred in 1943 when Gambatese moved to Washington and began serving as the National War Labor Board Information Director. In 1946, with the war over, he was hired by the McGraw-Hill Publishing Company as the Labor Editor for its Washington Bureau, where he worked for many years.
In his personal life, Brother Gambatese married Elizabeth (Betty) Antonelli in 1934. Betty had served as the Women's Activities Chairman for the 1940 National Convention. They were married for just shy of 50 years when she passed away on November 27, 1984, at 72. Brother Gambatese passed away on February 7, 2004, at 91.