The Alumni Issue of the Recorder lasted eighteen years, and its contents contributed substantially to Alpha Chi’s historical record. This was not initially a goal of the Alumni Issue. From the first number in 1997, editors found it hard to attract enough of the kind of articles they hoped to emphasize—scholarly products written in a non-specialist’s style. Therefore, efforts to get good content had to expand. The result was a journal that increasingly drew on Alpha Chi’s public life, such as notable achievements of its member institutions, presentations by its convention speakers, and the experiences and wisdom of its honored alumni.

Every issue contained one or more pieces submitted by Alpha Chi members or faculty from Alpha Chi schools. The range covered numerous disciplines. Some selections were winning submissions for the Pryor Fellowship for alumni or graduate students. For example, the cover of the 2004 issue featured watercolor by a fellowship recipient, and in the next issue the cover art and an article with additional art works were by an alumni presenter at the 2005 national convention.

Toward the end of the Alumni Recorder run, the editor discovered a technique that enticed more readers to offer submissions. At the suggestion of Dr. Terrell Tebbetts of Lyon College, a veteran chapter advisor and former member of the National Council, brief essays were invited on the topic “What Have You Been Reading Lately?” Sixteen chapter advisors responded with pieces short enough that all could be published. Over the next five years, other topics elicited similar personal responses from sponsors and members, extending a series that both imparted information and evoked emotion.