24th Conclave • Aug 31-Sept 2, 1955 • Cincinnati, OH

The Cincinnati Conclave, held from August 31 through September 2, 1955, was decribed in the Journal as a “doozie on wheels.” At previous Conclaves, resolutions to change membership qualifications were “heavily defeated.” That did not happen in Cincinnati, where delegates dug in and wrestled with the membership issue. As a result, legislation restricting membership to white males of Christian birth was removed from the bylaws, appeasing many members. However, the restrictions remained in the ritual for another 4 years. As Uncle Billy looked around the convention, amazed at the chapters represented and the hundreds of loyal SigEps in attendance, he said, “Fifty years ago, we just thought we were building an organization to help a few of us.” Now eighty-two years old, Uncle Billy still kept an office in national headquarters. Sigma Phi Epsilon was his life. This would be Uncle Billy’s last Conclave.