Something's Missing

Since graduating from UM in 1956, I have enjoyed reading the Montanan. However, I am bothered by an omission from campus.

Share

Categories: Alumni , Campus

Since graduating from UM in 1956, I have enjoyed reading the Montanan. However, I am bothered by an omission from campus.

Montana and Alaska are the only states with no chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, our national honor society established in 1776.

Yes, I know UM has other honor societies, but none with the vintage and prestige of Phi Beta Kappa. Notice in any obituary, if the deceased was part of this fraternity, it is duly noted among other accomplishments. During his or her lifetime, the same individual had the privilege of belonging to a local chapter wherever he or she lived.

Look at Montana’s neighboring states and their year of establishment of Phi Beta Kappa: University of Idaho, 1926; University of North Dakota, 1914; University of South Dakota, 1926; and University of Wyoming, 1940.

Each year we send intelligent graduates to other states. Among other achievers – no more successful than ours – ex-Montanans go without the Phi Beta Kappa key merely because their home state has not established a chapter. Is this a type of discrimination? Why don’t we remedy it immediately?

A Phi Beta Kappa chapter at UM would have avoided the embarrassment I experienced a couple of years ago. An earnest fundraiser phoned me, and after I made my donation, she asked, “Do you have any questions about the University?” I responded with my perennial, “Does UM have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa?” She quickly retorted, “No, but we do have Phi Delta Theta.”

Thank you.

Richard Woods ’56, Chicago

The Montanan would like to thank the following people for recently donating to the magazine: Ruth Hoffman, J.K. Egen-Smith, Margaret L. Herbert, T.M. Powers Jr., Robert Alley, Ethel Byrnes, Julie Burk, Burt Ballentine, Matt Mulligan, Tom Fulton and Gayle Fuetsch.

comments powered by Disqus