The Phoenix – S K Club is an all-male final club at Harvard College, sometimes referred to as The Phoenix or The P.S.K. The society traces its earliest roots to 1897, forming from the amalgamation and reorganization of the Sphinx, Kalumet, and Phoenix Clubs. The Phoenix – S K clubhouse is located at 72 Mt. Auburn Street in Cambridge.
| The Phoenix – S K Club | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1897 Harvard College |
| Type | Final club |
| Affiliation | Independent |
| Status | Active |
| Scope | Local |
| Chapters | 1 |
| Nickname | The Phoenix, The P.S.K. |
| Headquarters | 72 Mt. Auburn Street Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 United States |
History
editThe Phoenix – S K Club is an all-male final club at Harvard College that formed from the amalgamation and reorganization of the Phoenix, Sphinx, and Kalumet clubs.[1][2]
Phoenix Club
editThe Phoenix Club was formed in 1902 by a group of men who were members of Theta Nu Epsilon, a national sophomore society formed as an offshoot of Yale University's Skull and Bones.[3] The Alpha Iota chapter of Theta Nu Epsilon at Harvard College was chartered in 1895.[2] The members of T.N.E. organized the Phoenix Club for residential and dining purposes, yet still maintained ties as the Alpha Iota chapter to the rest of the society until 1913 when there was a division in that society. It is not known when members of the Phoenix Club ceased to meet as members of Theta Nu Epsilon.
Starting in 1902, the Phoenix Club occupied a series of houses, starting with the John Hicks House at 64 Dunster Street, then in 1906 it moved to 97 Mt. Auburn Street, then in 1920 it moved again to the northeast corner of Winthrop and Holyoke Streets.
Sphinx Club
editThe Sphinx Club grew out of a small secret society founded in 1897. Originally known by several names, in 1900, almost all the members of this organization joined together to form the Sphinx Club, located at 1172 Massachusetts Avenue, then 55 Mt. Auburn Street. In 1903, the Club moved to 72 Mt. Auburn Street, the current site of the Phoenix—S K Club.
Kalumet Club
editThe Kalumet Club was started by members of the Harvard chapter of Beta Theta Pi,[4] Many in the class of 1900, occupied a small house on the current Harvard Lampoon building site on Mt. Auburn Street. In 1900, the Club was formally organized as the Kalumet Club and moved to 1178 Massachusetts Avenue. In 1901 it moved to 104 Mt. Auburn Street, then three years later it moved again to 44 Church Street, where it remained until its amalgamation with the Sphinx in 1914.
S K Club
editThe adoption of the Inter-Club Agreement and other conditions made the union of these two Clubs desirable, so in 1914, members of both clubs voted that their undergraduate memberships should join the new S K Club. Construction was begun on a new clubhouse on the site of the Sphinx house at 72 Mt. Auburn Street, and the Kalumet house was employed in the meantime. The new building formally opened on April 1, 1916.
The Phoenix – S K Club
editIn 1925, negotiations for the amalgamation of the Phoenix and the S K were started, and in January 1925, undergraduate bodies of both clubs voted their approval. A new club, The Phoenix – S K, was formed, which occupied the S K clubhouse at 72 Mt. Auburn Street. With time, due to changing conditions within the university, it became advantageous for The Phoenix – S K to be classified as a final club, so on May 24, 1930, the Club became final.
Clubhouse
editThe Phoenix – S K clubhouse is at 72 Mt. Auburn Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[5] It was built in 1915 for the SK Club on the site of The Sphinx Club clubhouse that was acquired in 1903. The SK Club first occupied the house on April 1, 1916.
Membership
editThe Phoenix – S K Club has been noted for the diversity present within its membership.[6][7]
Activities
editThe club has been a hotspot for celebrities and Boston's local sports team members to participate in Harvard's nightlife.[8] In April 2011, American musician and DJ Steve Aoki performed at the club.[9] In February 2015, the club came back under the spotlight when pictures of New England Patriots players Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, and several other teammates purportedly partying at the Phoenix - S K Club house following their Super Bowl XLIX victory surfaced on social media.[10]
On December 6, 2022, French Pianist Sofiane Pamart performed at the club.[11]
Notable members
edit| Name | Initiation year | Notability | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Akpan | 2010 | Professional soccer player and two-time All-American first-team selection | |
| Gaspar G. Bacon | 1908 | President of the Massachusetts Senate and Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |
| Robert L. Bacon | 1907 | United States House of Representatives | |
| Hunter Bigge | 2021 | Professional baseball pitcher | |
| William Richards Castle Jr. | 1900 | United States Assistant Secretary of State, United States Under Secretary of State, and U.S. Ambassador to Japan | |
| Philip Core | 1973 | Pioneer of gay art and writing | |
| Viet D. Dinh | 1990 | United States Assistant Attorney General (2001–2003), architect of the Patriot Act, and former chief legal and policy officer of Fox Corporation | |
| Jeffrey D. Dunn | 1977 | President and CEO of Sesame Workshop | |
| Buddy Fletcher | 1987 | Founder of Fletcher Asset Management; impeached as president of The Phoenix – S K Club | |
| Christopher Ford | 1989 | Former United States Assistant Secretary of State and Special Assistant to the President | |
| Frederik X | 1993 | King of Denmark and Count of Monpezat | |
| Michael K. Frith | 1963 | Artist and television producer, former executive vice president and creative director for Jim Henson Productions | |
| Lawrence Golub | 1980 | Founder and CEO of Golub Capital | |
| Ryu Goto | 2011 | Concert violinist and child prodigy | |
| Benjamin Apthorp Gould Fuller | 1900 | Philosopher and academic | |
| Noah Gray-Cabey | 2016 | Television actor and pianist known for his roles in My Wife and Kids and Heroes | |
| George Gund II | 1909 | President of Cleveland Trust Bank (1941–1962), the predecessor of KeyBank | |
| Kris Kobach | 1988 | Kansas Attorney General | |
| Chris Lambert | 2003 | Professional Sprinter, represented Great Britain in the 2004 Olympic Games | |
| Abbott Lawrence Lowell | 1877, honorary | President of Harvard University from 1909–1933 | |
| Anand Mahindra | 1978 | Chairman of Mahindra Group | |
| Eric Mindich | 1988 | Youngest partner in Goldman Sachs history and founder of Eton Park Capital Management | |
| Thomas L. Monahan III | 1988 | CEO of Heidrick & Struggles; former CEO and president of DeVry University | |
| Samuel Eliot Morison | 1908 | Rear Admiral of the United States Navy, historian, and three-time Pulitzer Prize Winner | |
| Edwin Outwater | 1993 | Conductor and music director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music | |
| Leverett Saltonstall | 1914 | 55th Governor of Massachusetts | |
| Eduardo Saverin | 2006 | Co-founder of Facebook | [12] |
| Theodore Sedgwick | 1971 | U.S. Ambassador to the Slovak Republic | |
| Kaleil Isaza Tuzman | 1996 | CEO of KIT digital who was featured in the documentary film, Startup.com | |
| Kosaku Yada | 2007 | CEO of Westbrook; Chairman of Just Water by Jaden Smith |
Controversies
editIn 2003, the club was the subject of unsubstantiated allegations of animal cruelty.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Tisch, Jessica, "History final: The story and lore of Harvard's unique social organizations", The Harvard Independent, November 29, 2001 (archived 2007)
- ^ a b Christopher Kylin. "Theta Nu Epsilon Society - History of the Harvard Chapter". thetanuepsilon.org. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012.
- ^ "A History of Wesleyan College Fraternities" The Wesleyan Review, May 1990
- ^ Morse, William Gibbons (1941). Pardon my Harvard Accent. Morse Farrar & Rinehart. Page 294. Also reference in Shepardson, Francis W. (1930). The Story of Beta Theta Pi. George Banta Publishing Co. Page 123.
- ^ Cambridge Historical Commission, "City of Cambridge, Landmarks and Other Protected Properties" Archived 2010-06-05 at the Wayback Machine, 2009.
- ^ Pham, Elyse D., "A Diversified Debauchery", The Harvard Crimson, Thursday, April 08, 2021
- ^ The Social Network. 2010. Event occurs at 00:01:31.
The Phoenix is the most diverse.
- ^ Milord, Joseph., "The Patriots Raged With Harvard Kids At A Party And Broke A Girl's Arm (Photos)", Elite Daily, Friday, February 06, 2015
- ^ @steveaoki (14 April 2011). "Harvard university tweeting continues. Doing the phoenix with the Phoenix S Club. Eduardo where u at now http://plixi.com/p/92420709" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Wenerd, Brandon., "Did The Patriots Party At A Harvard Final Club Last Night?", BroBible, Monday, February 02, 2015
- ^ Pamart, Sofiane., @sofianepamart (December 13, 2022). "Los Angeles was my last gig of the tour this year. I would like to thank each of you that came to my concerts. What an unforgettable debut tour in 15 different countries" – via Instagram.
- ^ "Flag Stolen From Phoenix, S.K. Club | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ Morris, Laura A., "Phoenix Accused Of Animal Cruelty", The Harvard Crimson, Monday, December 08, 2003