The Greater Milwaukee Association of Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha of Wisconsin was organized in
1954. Its predecessors can be traced to the first meeting of "The Phi Beta Kappa Alumni in
Milwaukee" on November 24, 1916. With 55 charter members, the group adopted a constitution
and issued a handbook. This group flourished until the 1920s. In 1954 some who had been
members of this original group joined with others to form the Greater Milwaukee Association.
In 1957 the association formed the Milwaukee Phi Beta Kappa Foundation, Inc. to serve as a
nonprofit corporation to receive donations and award scholarships. The association sought
official chartering by the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa in 1964. The group sponsored
biannual programs. They also worked to make possible the chartering of the Zeta Chapter of
Wisconsin at Marquette University in 1971 and the Eta Chapter at UW-Milwaukee in 1974. For a
list of past officers, see the draft for the 1986 handbook in the "Secretary's Records,
1984-1985" folder.
