Discover the Heart
of Our Brotherhood
At the core of Alpha Tau Omega lies a foundation of sincere Christian principles.
The organization was founded at the Virginia Military Institute in 1865 by Otis Alan Glazebrook, a young Civil War veteran. His goal was to create a fraternity that would foster peace and brotherly love in a nation healing from conflict — and he did just that.
As a deeply religious individual, Glazebrook believed that younger men would be more motivated to forgive and unite with their Northern counterparts when inspired by Christian brotherhood. That belief became the heart of ATO.
The name came spontaneously.
It was inspired by Glazebrook’s observations of ancient church insignia and catacombs — specifically, the Tau cross, flanked by the Alpha and the Omega.
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
