Founders paddle for Iota Phi Theta fraternity at Morgan State College

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A wooden Founders Paddle from the Iota Phi Theta fraternity at Morgan State College. Paddle is not proportioned like a functional paddle. Grip is rounded, and the shaft is extremely short. The blade of the paddle is the majority of the paddle's body. A light brown strip of leather is strung through a hole at the center of the grip and tied in a knot. Text and depictions etched horizontally on the paddle (paddle is meant to be oriented with the grip and shaft at the top, and the blade of the paddle at the bottom). All etched text is painted(?)/colored black. The Iota Phi Theta logo is etched at the top, just below the throat of the paddle, then below reading [I/F/T] written diagonally down towards the right. Below the greek letters reads [BUILDING A TRADITION,/NOT RESTING UPON ONE/ALBERT HICKS/LONNIE C. SPRUILL, JR./CHARLES BRISCOE/CHARLES BROWN/LOUIS HUDNELL/CHARLES GREGOARY/ELIAS DORSEY, JR.

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