LOS ANGLES CHAPTER BACKGROUND
Lambda Alpha was established November 5, 1930 as a land economics fraternity at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. It started as the Ely Chapter in honor of Richard T. Ely, Professor at Northwestern University. It remained a single chapter fraternity until 1949, when the New York Chapter was established. The Los Angeles Chapter was the second Chapter to be formed in 1955.
Both the New York and Los Angeles Chapters were started by former Ely Chapter members who had transferred to these cities. In the case of the Los Angeles Chapter, it was
Ed Johnson (Ely, 1931)
Otar Aamodt (Ely, 1946)
Henry Babcock (Ely, 1933)
Fred Case (Los Angeles, 1955)
who were the organizers and the Ritual Officers at the inaugural initiation April 1955. Ed Johnson became the first President of the Los Angeles Chapter. For more information, see Formation of the Los Angeles Chapter.
On April 15, 1955 at the University Club in Los Angeles, CA, twenty initiates became members, officially establishing the Los Angeles Chapter. They were:
Henry Beaumont, Charles Bennett, Milton Breivogel, R. Douglas Burrows, Fred Case, Stiles Clements, Joe Crail, Neill Davis, J. Howard Edgerton, Ernest Englebert, James Gillies, Victor Gruen, Charles Lauve, Thomas Lowe, Preston martin, Belden Morgan, Le Roy Owen, Leland Reeder, William Schroll, and Charles Shattuck. (see image below)  Standing - Preston Martin, Thomas Lowe, J. Howard Edgerton, Ernest Engelbert, James Gillies, Joe Crail, Stiles O. Clements, Charles B. Shattuck, Charles B. Bennett, Neill Davis, William R. Schroll
Sitting - Victor Gruen, Henry G. Beaumont, Henry A. Babcock, Edward L. Johnson, Otar M. Aamodt, Fred E. Case, Milton Breivogel, Charles W. Lauve, LeRoy D. Owen
The Los Angeles Chapter got off and running right away, and on October 13, 1955 they held another initiation inducting four additional initiates:
Eugene Conser, Ernest Loebbecke, John Quinn, and Arnold Wilkin.
Thanks to Donald A. Pehrson, 1988-1989 LAI President and 1983-1984 LA Chapter President, and to Edward L. Johnson, founding President of the LA Chapter, for this historical information.
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