Early History (1945-1970s) Of The Association
HISTORY OF THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF PHI BETA KAPPA by Jean De Sales Bertram, President 1963-1965
The Northern California Association of Phi Beta Kappa developed from the Santa Clara Valley Association of Phi Beta Kappa which was formed in 1945 and was chartered in 1946 as Gamma Association of California. The original organization included Burlingame, Campbell, Los Gatos, Redwood City, San Jose, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Saratoga, and Sunnyvale. In 1947 the Phi Beta Kappa Northern California Graduate Association was chartered and by September, 1961, the Northern California Association of Phi Beta Kappa included members from the following twenty counties: Amador, Alameda, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solana, Sonoma, Stanislaus, and Yolo.
Scholarship awards (always a major activity of Phi Beta Kappa groups) were made in Northern California as early as 1941. At that time a few members gathered to recognize deserving high school students not only for high scholarship, but also for competence in athletics, participation in social activities, and evidence in constructive leadership. Under this program certificates were awarded to individuals, and plaques were given to the high schools with honor graduates. A Scholarship Loan Fund was established in 1956 and worthy students could apply directly to the Association. As the loans were repaid, assistance was provided to other applicants. During the 1960's loans were granted only to graduate students. Later, contributions from members augmented the fund until the Association was able to offer scholar-ships instead of loans. These scholarships were donated to specific institutions each year, sometimes with the stipulation that names be submitted to the Association's scholarship committee for selection and sometimes with permission for the university or college to choose the recipient.
Annual meetings at which a distinguished lecturer gave a scholarly address were a regular event in most years since the founding of the association. By mid 1960 additional meetings were arranged so that members could enjoy sharing cultural events in various communities.
A roster of members was first published in 1965 and contained a listing of 1,033 members. The second was distributed in 1974 to 1,016 members and the third in 1977 had a listing of 824. Our 1980 roster is mailed to you herewith.
Through the generous contributions of members, the Association established its first awards for Excellence in Teaching in the 1970's. At the annual meeting on May 12, 1979, awards of $500 each were presented to Professor Charles F. Hagar, San Francisco State University, and to Professor David E. Logothetti, University of Santa Clara. Honorable mentions were given to Professor Lawrence Nathan and to Professor Christian Van den Berghe, both faculty members of the University of Santa Clara.
Note to Members:
The information reported in this history was gleaned from the Association’s files, from interviews with past presidents, and through the generous and diligent efforts of Maude Volandri, who searched through her old files. We anticipate that readers of this history whom we have not contacted will come forward with corrections and additional information, and we welcome your assistance in expanding these historical notes so that the next roster may contain a more extensive narrative of the history of our association.
Jean De Sales Bertram