Almost from the beginning arose the question of eligibility based upon criteria other than the study of agriculture.  It seems only natural that brother would follow brother and cousins might also matriculate to the same institution and be in the same course of study.  But, did their relationship with a brother of Alpha Gamma Rho give them an automatic bid to membership if they were otherwise eligible?  The answer from our beginning was No and has always been No.  Each man must stand on his own feet and his own credentials independent of the family relationship with an undergraduate or alumni member.  Of course, as one might expect, disappointments and even heartbreaks soon emerged as members voted their convictions with brutal honesty.  Petitions of mitigating circumstances or appeals for reconsideration followed next, but nowhere can it be found among the records that the National Fraternity ever acted to override a decision by the undergraduate brothers “selecting a new brother by choice.”

Eventually the same question applied to sons, nephews and grandsons.  There is still no automatic bid for a “legacy” in our constitution.  In spite of the disappointments felt by some brothers over cases of rejection, there are some wonderful stories of AGR families. 

There is a special bond that exists between brothers bound by the ties of the fraternity. Every brother feels a special connection between himself and the other men that are members in Alpha Gamma Rho. This is why the relationship between these men is called “brother.” When you are a member of the fraternity, you are like family with the other members. These close ties are evident in the friendships that are created within the bounds of the fraternity.

This tie can be even closer when brothers by nature decide to become “brothers by choice.” There are countless stories in Alpha Gamma Rho of generations of family members who have all taken the path of Alpha Gamma Rho. Even in the very early days of our history, brothers, sons, grandsons, uncles and nephews all took this path together:

On April 1, 1923 when Winson K. Lafuze was initiated as No. 133 of Delta Chapter, he became the fifth Lafuze brother in AGR. The first in this long line of notables was Nelson H. who was initiated June 5, 1911. The other three are Maurice S., initiated March 31, 1917, H. Lafuze initiated in January 1917 and Donald F initiated April 18, 1919. (History of Alpha Gamma Rho, 1971).

This set of brothers set a precedent for a long line of Alpha Gamma Rho “brothers” becoming brothers again.  Another amazing story of brothers that have been initiated in Alpha Gamma Rho is the story of the Toussaint Brothers of North Dakota:

Six Toussaint brothers, born and raised on a farm near Leonard, North Dakota, became AGR brothers at North Dakota State University, Epsilon Chapter. There are certain common threads that run through their lives and careers. All had leadership qualities – made evident by their participation and elected offices in AGR and numerous campus organizations. Several rose through the ranks during their stints of military service. The brothers have been active in church and civic affairs. Plus, all have been successful in their chosen professional careers. (S&S, Harvey, 1983).

It is stories like these that make members of Alpha Gamma Rho proud to be bound in brotherhood with men such as these. Not only did the ties of brotherhood through birth bind these men, but also they all had the privilege to be bound together for life with the ties of Alpha Gamma Rho.

The following was written by Jesse Hallowell, who was initiated into AGR in 1997, the next AGR brother in a long line of Hallowell men:

Walter Hallowell, a distant cousin, joined in 1936. Then, in 1939 my great uncle Joe Hallowell joined. His younger brother Penrose Hallowell, my granddad, joined in 1947. Next, my dad, Penrose Hallowell, Jr. joined in 1973, followed by his younger brother, my Uncle Jim Hallowell in 1974. I came along in 1997.

Being an AGR brought me closer to the men in my family. We love each other for many reasons, and now being able to share the genesis of our adult lives is one more. For three years I lay in my bed in the same room in the same house, at the same age as my distant cousin, two uncles, dad, and granddad had done. That’s powerful. (Interview, Jesse Hallowell)

When we set out to research and write this article, we had no idea what kind of response we would receive. We knew that there were many families within the AGR brotherhood, but we had no idea just how many were out there. What we found through our research is that the number of families that are brothers by choice and birth are outstanding. We had letters pouring in by the dozens describing the family legacies that have been made in Alpha Gamma Rho. Unfortunately, all of these family ties are too numerous to list in this history book.

When asking some of these family members what their experience in AGR as family members brought, the answers were always very similar: They carried on a family tradition in which the whole family could be proud. They wanted to share their experiences in Alpha Gamma Rho with other members of their family so that they too could experience the joy of brotherhood that exists within the fraternity. Alpha Gamma Rho helped make them into the men that they are today, and they are happy that more than one member of their family was able to share in this.