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Torch Honor Society
Secret society at Yale University, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Torch Honor Society, also known as Torch, is a student secret society at Yale College that was initially established in 1916 and reformed in 1995.[1][2] Its members include former president George H. W. Bush and William F. Buckley Jr.[3][4]
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History
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Two seniors at the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale College established the Torch Honor Society on March 8, 1916.[1][5][6] However, the establishment of the group was kept secret until December 20, 1916.[7] It was formed as an honor society to recognize the achievements and merit of undergraduate students.[1] Its ideals were "enlightening leadership and beneficent service".[1] The founders selected a charter class of ten men from the junior class and two professors.[1][6] These charter members were recruited based on both literary and athletic prominence.[6] The group secured rooms in Strathcona Hall.[8]
The society continued to recruit or tap ten juniors each spring but eventually expanded its number to fifteen.[1][2] Selection for membership in Torch became "one of the most important extracurricular campus honors".[9] In 1915, society members began to advocate for a student-edited publication for science and engineering.[10] The result was The Yale Scientific Magazine which first published on May 3, 1917.[10] The society was incorporated in the State of Connecticut on January 21, 1922.[11]
In January 1950, Torch started a controversial campaign to reduce the emphasis on sports at Yale and other Ivy League schools.[2] The society disbanded in the 1960s.
Torch Honor Society was reestablished as a secret society for seniors in 1995.[1] Unlike most of Yale's secret societies, it is non-landed and does not own an off-campus building.[12] The society met on the 4th floor of Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall (SSS), across from Aurelian Honor Society, but was banned from this space for damaging university property in 2005.[12] It now meets off campus in the Yale-China Association building on Temple Street.[12]
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Symbols
The society's badge consists of an uplifted torch, representing devotion to its ideals and its allegiance to Yale University's motto Lux et Veritas (Light and Truth).[1] The torch is backed by a broad circle that represents comradeship and equality in mutual endeavors. On top of the torch is the Roman numeral X, representing the original ten members.[1]
The society's motto is Simus Lux Obscuro in Mundoor or "Let us be Light in a Dark World".
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Members
Historically, Torch selected or tapped a delegation of ten juniors each spring.[1][9] Because it was an honor society, Torch could tap members of other societies or fraternities.[1] The society occasionally selected Yale faculty or graduates for honorary membership.[1]
After its reformation In the 1990s, the society started selecting sixteen members for each delegation during "Tap Night" with the other secret societies.
Notable alumni
- William P. Buckley Jr. – author and commentator[4][13]
- George H. W. Bush – former president of the United States[14][3]
- Raymond C. Clevenger – judge[15]
- Harry B. Combs – aviation pioneer, airplane manufacturer, and author[16]
- Bradford Dillman – actor[17]
- William H. Donaldson – former United States Under Secretary of State[18]
- William Henry Draper III – venture capitalist[19]
- Alfred Whitney Griswold – historian and educator[20]
- William Rogers Herod – president of International General Electric Company and vice president of General Electric[21][22]
- Robert Maynard Hutchins – president and chancellor of the University of Chicago and dean of Yale Law School[23]
- Carl Kaestle – historian[24]
- Tony Lavelli – professional basketball player[25]
- Cord Meyer – Central Intelligence Agency official[26]
- Irving S. Olds – lawyer[27]
- Francis Warren Pershing – businessman, military officer, and son of General John Pershing[28]
- William C. Plunkett – politician[29]
- Cyrus Vance – United States Deputy Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Army, and General Counsel of the Department of Defense[30]
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See also
References
Further reading
External links
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