The Early Years

As a part of the yearlong observance of our country's bicentennial year (1976), a brilliant celebration was held on the campus of historic William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia. This was a gathering of men and women who are members of the many Greek-letter organizations now so much a part of American college life. They met to recognize and pay tribute to the founders and founding of the original society, Phi Beta Kappa.

In the beginning, it was not the society that recognizes outstanding scholarship, which is its function today. It was simply a social, friendship group formed by some of the young men on that campus, for their personal enjoyment, probably to help ease the adjustment in a first experience of living away from home.

They formed a society which was to be secret to them, untouched by the somewhat overbearing supervision of the college authorities. They chose a name, developed a secret motto, a handshake, insignia...all the appurtenances that have since that day been associated with secret societies. For four years they enjoyed this existence, but involvement in the American Revolution stopped their activity.

Meanwhile other secret societies were formed in other colleges. They were even to be found in institutions of learning for young women, which were at that time more on the order of "finishing schools", perhaps, than highly academic institutions. As the nation grew and prospered, moving westward, and established colleges in its progress, the fraternal spirit was a part of the heritage, and it seems to have found a particular welcome in the colleges of the newly-emerging Midwest states.