Founder Byron Kenneth Armstrong was born on April 8, 1892, in Westfield, Indiana, and enrolled at Howard University in 1909. There, he formed a close friendship with Elder Watson Diggs and transferred with him to Indiana University in 1910. Armstrong earned an A.B. degree from Indiana University in 1913, an M.A. from Columbia University in 1914, and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1940. He played a key intellectual role in the founding of Kappa Alpha Psi. Armstrong later served as a professor and dean at several universities, dedicating his life to higher education.