The Story of Alpha of Texas

As Phi Beta Kappa celebrates its centennial, it remembers its own history amidst a growing university and the greater social change of an industrializing and expanding country. Recounted in 100 years of minutes are: the modest meetings held by the founding twelve in the first 30 years, political debates through the 50's, which defined Phi Beta Kappa's identity in its relationship with Austin and a greater American community, a changing of the guards through the 70's, struggles with stagnation, and its perseverance, reclaiming in the 90's and noughts the vigor, enthusiasm, and commitment to excellence of its founding.

1905 to 1930

The yellowed paper still carries the ink of the October 14th entry in 1904, marking the first meeting of Austin's twelve charter members to establish a constitution at President Mather's home. From the early intimate meetings held at residences, and the dark smudged longhand of Secretary Primer, emanates an energetic pioneering spirit: discussions that "caused some merriment," the early member nominations in their slanted script, coded with markings, and the first record of the success of the new member banquet in 1908, to the personal credit and hospitality of Dr. Benedict.

What is perhaps most striking about these early minutes is the partnership of this individual enthusiasm with the organization's national prestige. One has only to scan quickly through the records to find a list of signatures that would represent a tour of the University's oldest and most important buildings and the legacies that their namesakes left to the Austin academic community.

In this spirit, on the 2nd of February, 1908, under the pointed arches of room 71, Phi Beta Kappa rose beyond its founding charter with 79 new members and the dedication to continuing to write Austin's personal history into the legacy of its Greek letters.

1930 to 1955

Having expanded eligibility to include candidates for the B.S degree, by 1939 the Alpha of Texas was fully coeducational, with 20 men and 19 women being elected. As the specter of war loomed, such distinguished students as Frank Erwin were elected and their excellence was celebrated on the eve of Pearl Harbor at the banquet held on 6 December 1941.

In the last stages of the war in 1945 the chapter honored Admiral Nimitz with honorary election and took an ever more active role in the university and the nation. On Feb 15, 1945 the chapter defended academic freedom resolving: "Such a [liberal] education can be imparted only by a faculty which is imbued with the ideal of selfless devotion to the search for truth through scholarship, and which feels that it may pursue this ideal in the spirit of freedom of teaching and research - in a word, of academic freedom."

Throughout the 1940s, under Presidents Calhoun, Parlin, Battle and Burdine, the Alpha of Texas defended and championed the excellence of UT and of Texas universities both locally and nationally.

1955 to 1980

The years preceding the post-war boom in America ushered in an era where ideology, more than ever, underlay the discourse of both academia and society. Change was certainly in the air as America came to terms with both the fatalism of the atomic bomb and the contradictions of superpower diplomacy and The University of Texas chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was certainly no exception. These turbulent years would herald the passing of the torch from the old guard of the University who had seen the chapter through two World Wars and the Great Depression. Academic heavyweights with names now inevitably linked to the now historic buildings of the 40 acres, Dr W.J. Battle, H.H. Ransom, Dr. Carlos E. Casteneda and Dr. John Aldine Burdine all received memorial recognition from Phi Beta Kappa for their past services to the chapter. Dr. Battle, "whose long interest in Phi Beta Kappa was well known," was the very first honorary member to be elected to the chapter in 1893. A long standing and internationally respected Professor of Greek, upon Battle's death in 1955 the chapter aided in establishing a permanent membership for the University of Texas at the American Academy in Rome in his name. Harry H. Ransom and Dr. John A. Burdine, both of whom served as chapter presidents during their long and distinguished tenures at the University, were also honored for their services to both the University and Phi Beta Kappa as professors and accomplished administrators.

Fortunately for the chapter, however, new leadership continued to expand and modernize the University chapter, reforming the chapter bylaws to engage the troublesome questions of transfer hours, empowering an Executive committee to tackle the dilemma of worthy candidates going unrecognized, as well as establishing an annual award to recognize the most outstanding of chapter electees. Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Texas was also honored throughout this period by a long list of respected scholars who presided as speakers at its annual election banquet. In 1964 the speaker was James I. McCord, President of the Princeton Theological Seminary as well as a former UT graduate student and native-born Texan, as well as by noted physicist Dr. I.I. Rabi a few years later. These speakers highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of Phi Beta Kappa, inviting leading thinkers in the humanities, the sciences and the arts to speak before the year's elected members.

1980 to 2005

With the proliferation of honor societies on campus and the growing number of members accepted as juniors, the Alpha of Texas Chapter increasingly found itself confronted by what became known simply as the "perennial question" - how to increase chapter visibility and infuse a "new energy" into the organization. In the 1980s, the chapter focused its efforts on sponsoring speakers who lectured on such diverse topics as "Energy, Environment, and Society" and "The Russian Avant-garde."

In the 1990s, the perennial question continued to be debated by Alpha of Texas officers, but a new concern also emerged - how to ensure the recognition of the scholastic achievements of other qualified Texas universities by the national Phi Beta Kappa organization. In 1991, the Alpha of Texas chapter launched a spirited defense of Southwestern University in Georgetown that played a crucial role in their 1995 recognition. In 1997, University of Texas supported the efforts of Texas A & M University that led to their chapter's creation in 2004. As for the "perennial question," in 2000, the alumni chapter of Austin sponsored a new "research" scholarship to be given to a member elected as a junior working on an honor's thesis, and in 2003, the Alpha of Texas chapter instituted a "special honors" award for outstanding new members as well as teacher's excellence award. This new momentum culminated with the chapter's celebration of its one hundred year anniversary on February 5, 2005 with the president, provost and deans, as well as students, alumni and friends of the chapter as we begin our second century.