By George Greenia
On Tuesday, November 17, Alpha Chapter of Virginia at the College of William & Mary hosted our twice-yearly Salon. Key holders from faculty and staff and newly elected members in course gathered to discuss our institution’s past and how to curate the symbols that we inherit from previous generations. There are many emblems of Southern and Confederate pride around campus, including in our chapter’s Apollo Room, a replica of the space in the historic Raleigh Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg where ΦBK was founded in 1776. The students who will be inducted on December 5, 2015, confronted our problematic heritage with insight and a commitment to advancing a greater awareness of ΦBK’s past and fresh directions for the future.
For more information about the ΦBK Chapter at William & Mary and their up-coming activities, visit their website.
Top Left: John Heath, the first president of Phi Beta Kappa. Above: The Apollo Room in Colonial Williamsburg’s reconstructed Raleigh Tavern. Five students from the College of William & Mary met here 1776 to form the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
George Greenia (ΦBK, Marquette University, 1975). Greenia is a Professor of Hispanic Studies at the College of William & Mary and a recipient of 2015 ΦBK President’s Award.