THIS DAY IN VIRGINIA HISTORY
Click image for larger view.
December 05, 1950
Phi Beta Kappa Celebrated Its 174th Anniversary
In 1776 five students at the College of William and Mary founded Phi Beta Kappa, one of the nation's earliest undergraduate academic honor societies. The parent society chartered branches at Yale in 1780 and at Harvard in 1781 before disbanding because of the Revolutionary War. Those branches carried on the traditions of Phi Beta Kappa. The William and Mary organization reformed in 1851, but dispersed once again during the Civil War. It reformed in 1893 and continues at the college today. This program describes the ceremonies held at William and Mary marking the 174th anniversary of the society's beginning.
![Phi Beta Kappa: One Hundred and Seventy-Fourth Anniversary of the Alpha of Virginia, Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall, <em>The College of William and Mary, December 5, 1950, 8:15 P.M.</em> [program], LJ75.P29 W7 1950, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.](/docs/12-05-1950_080345-01.jpg)
![Phi Beta Kappa: One Hundred and Seventy-Fourth Anniversary of the Alpha of Virginia, Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall, <em>The College of William and Mary, December 5, 1950, 8:15 P.M.</em> [program], LJ75.P29 W7 1950, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.](/docs/12-05-1950b_080345.jpg)