University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Alpha of Idaho, Phi Beta Kappa records
Alpha of Idaho, Phi Beta Kappa
MG 061
MG061
2.5 cubic feet
1921-1980
Correspondence, minutes, financial material relating to the establishment and activities of the chapter. Some publications of the United Chapters as well as publications about the society.
English
.
1/1-2
2/84
From 1912 to 1916 faculty members who were Phi Beta Kappa members were engaged in a futile attempt to obtain a charter for the university. Then, on November 3, 1921, this group plus members of the community who were also Phi Beta Kappa members formed the Phi Beta Kappa Club for the purpose of obtaining a local charter. In 1923 this club was expanded to include honor students and its name was changed to the Alpha Society. Perseverance, hard work, and a lot of letter writing finally paid off when, on September 8, 1925, Professor G. M. Miller, President of the Alpha Society, received the following telegram: "Charter granted with handsome majority. [signed] Oscar M. Voorhees, Secretary."
The society is composed of faculty and local residents who were elected by their undergraduate institutions for membership. These in turn elect to membership a small number of juniors and seniors with high grade point averages in the College of Letters and Science, these are called Members in Course. Alumni of the University who have had distinguished careers are eligible for election as Alumni Members and scholars associated with the university, but not holding membership from their undergraduate institutions can be elected as Honorary Members.
The papers of the Idaho Alpha chapter span the years 1921 to 1980.
The material includes correspondence, both incoming and outgoing, relating to membership, initiations, and other society matters, several editions of the local chapter by-laws, including material relating to the by-law controversy of 1941-1942, lists of members and also lists of those juniors and seniors considered for membership, and minutes of meetings from 1926-1936 and 1958-1959, as well as minutes and other material relating to the Alpha Society. The financial records include the annual report to the United Chapters, key orders, bank statements, canceled checks, and invoices, mostly from the United Chapters. There are photographs of Members in Course for 1955 and 1961, and some Phi Beta Kappa publications, addresses, and delegate manuals for conferences.
The material in this record group was originally stored in large letter transfer boxes, with some items in folders, some in envelopes, and some loose. The material was sorted by record type and original folder headings, if present, were retained. Since there did not appear to be either an alphabetical or chronological order within individual folders the material was arranged chronologically by year only in cases where a strict chronological order was not important, e.g. letters accepting membership in the society, but where a logical progression was important, a strict chronological order was formed. The major exception to this are correspondence folders 1 and 2 which were originally alphabetical and have been left in that order.
Correspondence dealing with the writing and amending of the chapter by-laws has been retained in the Constitution & By-laws series; likewise, financial correspondence is with the records of the secretary-treasurer.
Due to personnel changes in the office of secretary-treasurer the same types of records will be found in different folders, i.e. one maintained a separate folder for key orders-while another included these with the correspondence.
Additional materials were added in 2025 under Series IX: Records. Some materials were discarded due to confidentiality.
The Records of the local Phi Beta Kappa chapter were donated to the University of Idaho Library in the late 1960's by the society.
Additional materials were found in Special Collections and Archives and accessioned in September 2018.
Collection is open for research.
FOR PHOTOS Photographer, "Title," date. Collection name, object ID. University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, Moscow, ID.
FOR DOCUMENTS Author, Description or "Title" of item, date. Collection name, collection number, box, folder. University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, Moscow, ID.
Phi Beta Kappa. Alpha Chapter, University of Idaho
Greek letter societies--Idaho--Moscow--Records and correspondence
Business records
Idaho
Colleges and Universities
Series I. Correspondence
1915-1964
A-Z
127 items
1915-1916
1/1-2
256 items
1920-1925
1/3-5
Election to Membership - Form Letter
2 items
undated
1/6
Acceptances (Alumni)
156 items
1926-1953
1/7-9
Acceptances (Members in Course)
229 items
1926-1953
1/10-12
Arrangements for Initiations
231 items
1926-1953
1/13-15
Memberships and Initiations
56 items
1936-1964
1/16
Dr. Church's file on Alumni
16 items
1927-1963
1/17
With Dr. Voorhees
86 items
1925-1933
1/18
Incidental with members
76 items
1926-1950
1/19
With Other Groups
79 items
1926-1947
1/20
Cognate Organizations
17 items
1926-1938
1/21
Phi Beta Kappa Speaker & Visiting Scholar Program
114 items
1935-1961
1/22
Committee on Elections
113 items
1931-1932
1/23
Candidates for Charters
82 items
1926-1937
1/24
WSC Application for Charter
48 items
1926-1929
1/25
Conferences & Conventions
48 items
1926-1941
1/26
Circular letters to Chapter Officers
76 items
1926-1959
1/27-28
The American Scholar
42 items
1931-1953
1/29
Sesquicentennial Endowment Fund
57 items
1923-1927
1/30
Defense Fund
11 items
1939-1941
1/31
Phi Beta Kappa Associates
6 items
1937-1944
1/32
Other Correspondence
16 items
1931-1960
1/33
Series II. Constitution and By-laws
1925-1964
United Chapters
7 items
1925-1955
1/34
U-I Chapter, Correspondence
29 items
1925-1964
1/35
U-I Chapter, drafts of By-laws
16 items
1928-1964
1/36
The Controversial By-laws at the Bottom of the Crisis of 1941-1942. 1940-1943
48 items
1/37
Series III. Membership
1926-1966
United Chapters Committee on Methods of Election. Reports
3 items
1946-1964
2/38
Membership Committee File
17 items
1936-1964
2/39
Candidates for Election
50 items
1936-1966
2/40
Lists of Members
26 items
1926-1965
2/41
Series IV. Minutes
1926-1959
Minutes
123 items
Feb. 1926 - May 1936
2/42-44
Minutes
10 items
1958-1959
2/45
Series V. Other Papers
1921-1964
Papers relating to Idaho's Membership
8 items
1925
2/46
U of I Installation Programs
10 items
1926-1964
2/47
Installations - Other Chapters - Invitations
27 items
1930-1953
2/48
Phi Beta Kappa Book Award
7 items
1953-1961
2/49
Promotion of Scholarship, Comments of members
18 items
1940
2/50
Consideration of Rituals
8 items
1954-1955
2/51
Alpha Society
59 items
1921-1926
2/52-53
Inland Empire Phi Beta Kappa
36 items
1921-1941
2/54
Series VI. Financial Records
1925-1967
Chapter Annual Reports
16 items
1938/1939-1953/1954
2/55
Correspondence with United Chapters Secretary
129 items
1931-1955
2/56
Key & Membership Certificate Orders
10 items
1956-1965
2/57
Membership Card Stub Books
3 items
1926-1932
2/58
Bank Books and Early receipts
9 items
1925-1965
2/59
Bank Statements, Invoices, etc.
187 items
1957-1967
2/60-70
Cash Journal
12 items
1962-1966
2/71
Check stub and deposit books
5 items
1955-1966
2/72
Series VII. Photographs
1955-1961
Group picture with negative (for Gem)
2 items
1955
2/73
Group picture (Walt Johnson Photo)
1 item
1961
2/74
Series VIII. Publications
1906-1963
Association Bulletin
5 items
1933-1937
2/75
Chapter Bulletin
17 items
1931-1937
2/76
The Key Reporter
2 items
1952-1955
2/77
Phi Beta Kappa Bulletin
4 items
1955-1959
2/78
Phi Beta Kappa Key
1 item
October 1915
2/79
Phi Beta Kappa Laws and Practices
1 item
1933
2/80
Publications about Phi Beta Kappa
7 items
1906-1963
2/81
Phi Beta Kappa Addresses
10 items
1936-1959
2/82-83
Delegate's manuals to triennial councils
5 items
1934-1955
2/84
Series IX: Phi Beta Kappa Records
Correspondence
40 items
Correspondence for registration, keys, and other miscellaneous fees.
1966-1977
3
84
Phi Beta Kappa Sophomores
6 items
Materials related to 1981 honors students.
1981
3
85
Membership
19 items
Materials related to membership dues and fees and awards banquets.
1961-1977
3
86
Financial Records (I)
48 items
Financial records including fees and dues, and correspondence on payments.
1973-1980
3
87
Financial Records (II)
7 items
Financial records including payment records and ledgers.
1953-1969
3
88
Ledger (I)
1 items
Ledger from 1926 to 1951 for the Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Chapter at the University of Idaho.
1926-1951
3
89
Ledger (II)
1 items
Ledger from 1971 to 1980 for the Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Chapter at University of Idaho.
1971-1980
3
90