Phi Kappa Phi-OSU Chapter Records, 1914-2002

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Phi Kappa Phi. Oregon State Chapter.
Title
Phi Kappa Phi-OSU Chapter Records
Dates
1914-2002 (inclusive)
1924-1990 (bulk)
Quantity
5.5 cubic feet, (9 boxes, including 2 oversize boxes), (3 microfilm reels)
Collection Number
MSS PhiKappaPhi-OSU
Summary
These records were generated by the OSU Chapter of the Honorary Society of Phi Kappa Phi. They document the origins and development of the group, the yearly process of the selection of pledges and members, sponsorship of the Biology Colloquium lecture series, and the awarding of fellowships and scholarships by the chapter. The OSU Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi was established in 1924.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Series IV contains samples of scholarship/fellowship applications with confidential student information. These materials are subject to review by OSU Archives Staff prior to researcher access.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Established in 1897, the Honorary Society of Phi Kappa Phi was founded to honor academic achievement through offering membership in the Society to the top ten high percent of a college senior class. Organized at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi was envisioned to be a national organization with no specific affiliation to any one academic field or discipline and had grown steadily to encompass 275 chapters in the U. S. and the Philippines by 1996.

The OSU Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi was established in 1924 and was the 35th chapter to be chartered. Prior to the establishment of Phi Kappa Phi, a local honorary organization, the Forum Society, operated at OSU from 1914 to 1924. Many of the members of the Forum Society were initiated into Phi Kappa Phi when the earlier club dissolved in 1924. With its primary focus as an honorary society, the OSU Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi has over the years organized a number of annual initiation ceremonies and honorary accolades. From 1936 to 1975, the chapter held two annual ceremonies, one in the Fall and one in Spring, to induct new members. Candidates for initiation were usually selected and invited to an earlier ceremony, the Junior Honors Accolade, to consider membership in Phi Kappa Phi. Any returning student in their junior year with a 3.25 GPA or above was invited to the Junior Honors Accolade. A ceremony honoring freshman academic achievement was also held annually for several years. Among the traditions associated with initiation include picnics held at Tunison Park, a 7.5 acre parcel of timbered land near Avery Park that the chapter agreed in 1960 to lease to the City of Corvallis for park development.

In addition to initiation activities, the OSU Chapter has played a prominent role in organizing forum discussions and sponsoring lectures on campus such as the Biology Colloquia series. Administratively, the OSU Chapter was influential in the establishment of resident student counselors in campus living groups. In 1965, the OSU Chapter hosted Phi Kappa Phi's 25th National Convention. As of 1982, 9,055 students, faculty, and alumni had been invited to pursue membership in the OSU Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

These records were generated by the OSU Chapter of the Honorary Society of Phi Kappa Phi and document the origins and development of the group, the yearly process of the selection of pledges and members, sponsorship of the Biology Colloquium lecture series, and the awarding of fellowships and scholarships by the chapter. Materials pertaining to the Forum Honor Society, a local honor society which preceded the establishment of Phi Kappa Phi at Oregon State, can also be found in this collection. Given differences in the seriesdesignations between the paper and microfilm records in this collection, the microfilm reels are described separately below and in the inventory. The paper records are organized into 10 series: I. Membership; II. Correspondence; III. Minutes; IV. Committees; V. Administrative; VI. Newspaper Clippings; VII. Brochures/Flyers; VIII. Book; IX. Photographs; and X. Scrapbook.

Series I consists of records relating to chapter membership and includes lists of active members and prospective student and faculty candidates for membership, samples of membership registration cards, sign-in sheets for chapter events, correspondence and minutes relating to the annual initiation ceremonies, and brochures of the initiation and awards ceremonies. Primarily consisting of correspondence, series II documents interaction between the chapter and the national office, members, and prospective pledges. Included in this series are circular/form letters to members and pledges concerning initiation ceremonies, lectures, and officer elections. Among the subjects addressed in the correspondence are the Biology Colloquium, national conventions, junior honor societies in high schools, the Phi Kappa Phi song, Tunison Park, the 65th anniversary of the chapter, petitions for new chapters, and letters of support regarding the establishment of the OSU chapter.

The minutes in series III are from annual, business, and executive committee meetings of the chapter. The committee records primarily contain correspondence and reports generated by committees involved in chapter administration and activities, including the evaluation of fellowship/scholarship applicants, chapter investments, student candidates for initiation, lecture presentation, and the nomination of officers.

Series V consists of reports, manuals, pamphlets, and correspondence relating to the chapter's budget, administrative procedures, and ceremonial structure. Included among the items in this series are: the OSU chapter charter, annual chapter reports, constitutions and bylaws, initiation ritual guidelines, budget reports, reports from the national office, procedural handbooks, and materials pertaining to the Forum Honor Society.

The newspaper clippings, cut from the Barometer and the Corvallis Gazette-Times pertain to the chapter's annual initiation ceremonies, chapter officers and members, the Biology Colloquium and other lectures sponsored by Phi Kappa Phi. The brochures and flyers contain general information about the history and structure of the OSU chapter as well as lectures and other events sponsored by the chapter. Copies of the Phi Kappa Phi newsletter for the chapter and national organization can also be found in this series. Series VIII is a book, In Pursuit of Excellence: The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi: 1897-1971, by Edward Shriver.

The photographs depict the 1986 national Phi Kappa Phi convention and J. Kenneth Munford, past President of the OSU Chapter, receiving a plaque for his service to Phi Kappa Phi as national President (1968-1971). Munford is also pictured in the photos of the convention receiving honors from OSU chapter president Susan Stafford. The scrapbook contains various materials covering the years 1924 to 1951 and includes newspaper clippings, photographs, the petition creating the chapter, Honor Convocation programs, and a flyer with the Phi Kappa Phi song. There is also a newspaper clipping from the Barometer on the establishment of the Forum Honor Society in 1914. There are two series in the microfilm records: I. General Subject File and II. Yearly Records. Both series contain administrative handbooks and brochures, correspondence, lists of potential student and faculty initiates, reports, minutes, and newspaper clippings pertaining to the annual awards and initiation ceremonies, the Biology Colloquium and other lectures sponsored by the chapter, national Phi Kappa Phi conventions, and candidates for scholarship and fellowship awards.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Phi Kappa Phi -OSU Chapter Records, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Given differences in the series designamtions between the paper and microfilm records ni this collection, the microfilm reels are described separately.

The paper records are organized into 10 series: I. Membership; II. Correspondence; III. Minutes; IV. Committees; V. Administrative; VI. Newspaper Clippings; VII. Brochures/Flyers; VIII. Book; IX. Photographs; and X. Scrapbook.

There are two series in the microfilm reocrds: I. General Subject File and II. Yearly Records. Series I is organized by topic, while Series II is arranged in chronological order.

Processing Note

These records were previously designated as Record Group 165, and were transferred to the Manuscript Collection in June 2000.

Related Materials

In addition to the records of Phi Kappa Phi, the Archives has materials from other honorary societies with chapters at OSU, including Epsilon Pi Tau (Industrial Arts and Vocational Education), Omicron Nu (Home Economics), Sigma Xi (Science), and Xi Sigma Pi (Forestry). The papers of several former Phi Kappa Phi OSU Chapter Presidents can also be found in the Archives: Willibald Weniger, Edwin T. Reed, E. B. Lemon, Francois Archibald Gilfillan, and J. Kenneth Munford.

The papers of J. Kenneth Munford, former chapter president and president of the national office (1968-1971) contain a more extensive set of Phi Kappa Phi newsletters and other OSU chapter materials.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Paper RecordsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Series I: Membership
1924-2002
Box
1
Active Member Lists
1924-1948, 1951-1981, 1986-1987
1
Chapter Member List
a single list with all members to 1982
1924-1982
1
Charter Member Lists
list of the members pledged in the first year of the chapter
1969
1
Faculty Elections to Phi Kappa Phi
1931-1943
1
Fall Initiation and Banquet
1936-1958, 1960-1965
1
Fall Initiation and Junior Accolades
1968-1975
1
Freshman Honors Awards
1930-1947
1
Honors and Awards Convocation
1927-1965
1
Initiate/Candidate/Nomination Lists
1924-1970, 1982-1986
1
Initiate/Candidate/Nomination lists
undated
1
Junior Honors Accolade
1952-1967
8
Junior Honors Accolade Posters
apx 20x24 in.
1949-1950
2
Junior Honors Accolade
1976-1989
2
List of Phi Kappa Phi Officers
1929-1981
2
List of Chapter (all U.S. chapters) Advisors, Presidents, Secretaries
1936
2
List of Special Membership Levels and Awards
1988
2
Membership Cards (samples)
1990, 1993
2
Membership Pledge Sign-in Sheets
1943-1952
2
Membership and Response Card Samples
1924-1971
2
National Membership Directory
1927
2
OSU Employee Membership Lists
1986-1988
2
Phi Kappa Phi Alumni Lists
1933
2
Phi Kappa Phi Chapters in the U.S. (partial list)
undated
2
Point System for Evaluation of Student Activities
1943
2
Presidents of Phi Kappa Phi
1936-1956
2
Sneak Day Picnic
1928-1955
2
Spring Banquet and Initiation
1935-2002
2
Winter Initiation Ceremonies
1967-1971
Series II: Correspondence
1920-1992
Box
2
Biology Colloquium
1939-1991
2
Chapter Banner Design
1980
2
Circular and From Letters Sent to Members and Pledges
1924-1954
3
Circular and Form Letters Sent to Members and Pledges
1955-1986
3
Establishment of the Chapter/Petitions
1920-1924
3
Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration
1973-1974
9
Circular Letter-Membership Form
1954
3
General
1924-1990
4
Junior Honor Societies in High Schools
1927
4
Munford, J. Kenneth
1984
4
National Convention
Box
4
Nashville, Tennessee
1927
4
Des Moines, Iowa
1929
4
St Louis, Missouri
1935
4
Indianapolis
1937
4
Columbus, Ohio
1939
4
Madison, Wisconsin
1962
4
Corvallis, Oregon
1965
4
Orono, Maine
1971
4
East Lansing, Michigan
1986
4
Charlotte, North Carolina
1992
4
Regional Convention
Box
4
Portland, Oregon
1987
4
National Secretary
1924-1933, 1949-1975
4
Petitions of Support for New Chapters
1925-1951
4
Phi Beta Kappa Chapter at OSU
1986
4
Phi Kappa Phi Journal
1967
4
Public Relations
1987-1988
4
Sixty Fifth Year Anniversary Events and Update of History
1988-1989
4
Society Motto Rewording Controversy
1987
4
Song for Phi Kappa Phi
1926-1927
4
Tunison Park
1949-1989
8
Three Maps with directions to the Forum Tree in Tunison Park
apx 20x24 in.
1924-1946
Series III: Minutes
1924-1988
Box
4
Annual Chapter and Board Meeting Minutes
1924-1988
4
Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
1940-1985
Series IV: Committees
1924-1994
Box
4
Alumni Membership Committee Report
1927
4
Awards Committee
1986-1987
4
Committee Membership Lists
1932-1976
4
Committee on Candidates Report
1942-1943
4
Committee on Election Procedures and Student Pledges Report
1946
4
Committee on Publications
1969-1970
4
Condon Lecture Committee
1983-1984
4
Distinguished Lecture Committee
1978-1987
4
Emerging Scholar Faculty Award Committee
1987-1990
4
Endowment Fund Committee
1940-1941
4
Faculty Nominations Committee
1927-1952, 1966, 1972-1987
5
Faculty Nominations Committee
1988-1990
5
Faculty/Staff and Alumni Nominating Committee
1988
5
Fellowship Committee
1986-1994
5
Fellowship and Scholarship Committees
1932-1957, 1963-1985
5
Finance Committee
1924
5
Investment Committee
1932-1969
5
Lecture Program Committee
1941
5
Nomination of Officers Committee
1940-1986
5
Report: Possible Reduction in Initiation Fees
1934
5
Scholar Selection Committee
1980
5
Scholarship Committee
1985-1992
5
Student Pledge Committee
1937-1941
Series V: Administrative
1918-1989
Box
5
Accounting Ledgers
1924-1941, 1947-1948
5
Annual Chapter Reports
1927-1942, 1944-1965
5
Budget Reports
1923-1988
5
Bylaws-National
1972-1986
5
Bylaws-OSU Chapter
1964-1987
8
Certificate of Charter for Oregon State College Chapter
framed
1924
5
Chapter Supplies and Forms Packets from the National Office
1986-1989
5
Commencement Breakfast Speech Guidelines
undated
5
Constitutions-National
1924-1966
5
Constitutions-OSU Chapter
1962-1969
5
Constitutions-OSU Chapter Amendments
1933-1972
9
Expenditure/Receipt Ledgers
apx 20x24 in.
1948-1949/1952-1953
5
Election Procedure Guidelines
undated
5
Forum Honor Society
1918-1924
5
Handbooks
1967, 1972, 1989
5
Manual of Instructions for Officers and Ritual
1930-1933
5
Manuals for Chapter Secretaries
1930-1968
5
Presidents' (OSU Chapter) Duty Lists
1980-1986
9
Reports of the National Secretary
1927-1929/1931-1933
5
Ritual of Initiation
1924-1983
5
Ritual of Initiation: Instructions for Officers at Ceremonies
undated
Series VI: Newspaper Clippings
1928-1991
Box
5
Biology Colloquium and Other Lectures
1941-1955
5
Initiation Ceremony and Junior Accolade Announcements
1928-1991
5
OSU Chapter Officers and Members
1968-1988
Series VII: Brochures/Flyers
1933-1988
Box
5
Brochures
1933-1986
5
Flyers
circa 1985
5
Flyers for Lectures Sponsored by Phi Kappa Phi
undated
5
Newsletters, (both OSU Chapter and National)
1969-1970, 1986-1988
5
Phi Kappa Phi Materials from Other Colleges
1932, 1958
Series VIII: Book
1971
Box
5
Book: In Pursuit of Excellence: The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi: 1897-1971, Edward Shriver
1971
Series IX: Photographs
1986
Box
6
National Convention, Michigan State University
1986
6
J. Kenneth Munford receiving honors for service to Phi Kappa Phi as National President

negatives only
undated
Series X: Scrapbook
1914-1951
Box
7
Scrapbook
apx 12x17 in.

Microfilmed RecordsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Series I: General Subject File
1931-1956
Reel Folder
1 1
Spring Picnic
1 2
Presidents and Committees
1 3
Elections - Procedures
1 4
Finances
1 5
Freshman Honor Awards
1 6
Committee Lists
1 7
Pledge Convocation and Banquet
1 8
Annual Calendars of Events
1 9
Fall Initiation Banquet
1 10
Ritual
1 11
Membership Lists
1 12
Constitution
1 13
Spring Initiation Breakfast
1 14
Pledging Date
1 15
Elections - Potential Undergraduate Members - Finals
2 16
Lecture Programs
2 17
Freshman Honors Awards Follow-ups
2 18
Chapter Meetings
2 19
National Fellowship
2 20
Notices
2 21
Biology Colloquium
1939-1941
2 22
Potential Faculty Members
2 23
Executive Committee
2 24
Committees
1939-1940
2 25
Convention Reports
2 26
Elections - Potential Graduate Members
2 27
Spring Convocation and Banquet
2 28
Dr. Kofoid's Address
2 29
Exchange Scholarships
2 30
Fall Pledge Luncheon
2 31
President's Correspondence
2 32
Mr. Vietti
Series II: Yearly Records
1928-1962
Reel
2
1928-1931
2
1939-1940
2
1941-1943
2
1946-1955
3
1956-1957
3
1959-1962

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Biology--Congresses--Oregon
  • Greek letter societies--Oregon--Corvallis

Personal Names

  • Munford, James Kenneth.

Corporate Names

  • Biology Colloquium.
  • Forum Honor Society (Oregon Agricultural College)
  • Oregon State College. Societies, etc.
  • Oregon State University. Societies, etc.
  • Phi Kappa Phi. Oregon State Chapter

Geographical Names

  • Tunison Park (Corvallis, Or.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographs.
  • Scrapbooks.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Schriver, Edward O., 1931- (creator)