The Kappa Alpha Order Educational Foundation (KAOEF) is proud to announce the dedication of “The James R. Estes Bid for Brotherhood”, in honor of Former Knight Commander Estes, to honor his legacy and service. The announcement came at the most recent Bid for Brotherhood on July 23, 2026, at Mission Hills Country Club in Mission Hills, Kansas.
About Bid for Brotherhood
Bid for Brotherhood® (B4B) was started in 1998 in Kansas City, Missouri, by then Knight Commander James R. Estes as a way to combine an alumni event with a meaningful fundraising activity to raise money for KA’s educational and leadership programs with the hope that one day, the overall educational training programs will be available to all undergraduate KAs at no cost to them. This annual fundraising auction, since its inception, has raised over $2.3 million.
About Former Knight Commander James R. Estes
James R. Estes was initiated by Alpha Kappa Chapter at the University of Missouri in 1960. Former Knight Commander Estes comes from a long line of KA legacies that includes a grandfather, great uncle, father, two brothers, a son, and a host of other family members. Estes held many leadership positions while at Alpha Kappa, including serving as Number I in 1963. For twenty years, he served as Alumnus Advisor to Alpha Kappa and was elected Commander of the Henry J. Chiles Province in 1993. Former Knight Commander Estes was elected to the Executive Council in 1995 and named Senior Councilor at his first Executive Council meeting. Former Knight Commander Estes became the Order’s 36th Knight Commander in 1997 at the Convention held in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1998, he launched the annual “Bid for Brotherhood” auction to raise money for the Order’s educational programs. Following his term as Knight Commander, Estes served on the board of the National Interfraternity Conference and became the organization’s president in 2004. Professionally, Former Knight Commander Estes was engaged with real estate management. He is a former president of the Kappa Alpha Order Educational Foundation and currently serves as a trustee.
Past B4B locations:
| 1998 | Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City Downtown Airport |
| 1999 | Tampa, Florida (68th Convention) Mardi Gras World |
| 2000 | Richmond, Virginia Historic Tredegar Iron Works |
| 2001 | Savannah, Georgia (69th Convention Historic Savannah Station |
| 2002 | Albuquerque, New Mexico Hyatt Regency |
| 2003 | Tampa, Florida (70th Convention) Raymond James Stadium |
| 2004 | Austin, Texas Hyatt Regency Austin |
| 2005 | Lexington, Virginia (71st Convention) National Administrative Office at Mulberry Hill |
| 2006 | Kansas City, Missouri Plaza III Steakhouse |
| 2007 | San Antonio, Texas (72nd Convention) Sunset Train Station |
| 2008 | Louisville, Kentucky Louisville Slugger Museum |
| 2009 | Washington, D.C. (73rd Convention) J. W. Marriott |
| 2010 | New Orleans, Louisiana Bourbon House |
| 2011 | Phoenix, Arizona (74th Convention) Arizona Biltmore Resort, The Gold Room |
| 2012 | Memphis, Tennessee Chickasaw Country Club |
| 2013 | San Antonio, Texas (75th Convention) Charles Court |
| 2014 | Charlotte, North Carolina Bank of America Stadium |
| 2015 | Lexington, Virginia (76th Convention) Moody Hall, Virginia Military Institute |
| 2016 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma V2 atop Devon Tower |
| 2017 | St. Louis, Missouri (77th Convention) Busch Stadium |
| 2018 | Atlanta, Georgia College Football Hall of Fame |
| 2019 | New Orleans, Louisiana (78th Convention) The National WWII Museum |
| 2020 | Lexington, Virginia Virtual |
| 2021 | Phoenix, Arizona (79th Convention) The Arizona Biltmore, The Gold Room |
| 2022 | Austin, Texas Austin City Limits |
| 2023 | Orlando, Florida (80th Convention) House of Blues Orlando |
| 2024 | Nashville, Tennessee Hillwood Country Club |
| 2025 | Roanoke, Virginia (81st Convention) The Taubman Museum |
| 2026 | Kansas City, Kansas Mission Hills Country Club |
