Descriptive Summary
Scope and Contents of the Collection
Organization and Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Ken Smith Nu Alpha Phi Collection
Dates: 1923-2010
Collection number: PC.0027
Extent:
8.3 Linear Feet
(4 document boxes, 3 record cartons, 3 flat storage boxes, 2
oversized flat storage boxes, 1 rectangular lidded box)
Repository:
Claremont Colleges. Library. Special Collections, The Claremont
Colleges Library, Claremont, CA 91711.
Abstract: The collection contains Nu Alpha Phi
memorabilia, such as photographs, scrapbooks, and banners; copies of the Oak Leaf
newsletter; member correspondence; biographical files; fraternity histories and
reminiscences; and planning documents regarding Nu Alpha Phi events, scholarships, and
programs.
Physical Location: Please consult repository.
Language of Material: Languages represented in
collection: English
Administrative Information
Access
Collection open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to reproduce or to publish must be submitted in writing to
the Archives.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Ken Smith Nu Alpha Phi Collection (PC-0027). Pomona College
Archives, Special Collections, The Claremont Colleges Library, Claremont, California.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Nu Alpha Phi Alumni Association, 2012; Gift of Nu Alpha Phi members, 2014;
Transfer from Pomona College Alumni Relations, 2015.
Accruals
Additions to the collection are not anticipated.
Biography / Administrative History
Nu Alpha Phi was founded in 1921, becoming Pomona College's fourth fraternity, following
Kappa Delta (1901), Sigma Tau (1912), and Phi Delta (1915). Organized by a small group of
students, the idea of a fourth fraternity was met with approval by President James
Blaisdell and faculty members George Sumner and Dr. Frank Brackett assisted in advisory
capacities in the fraternity's founding process. Nu Alpha Phi's first official group
meeting took place in Smiley Hall on March 21, 1921 and included ten members–two faculty
and eight undergraduates. A second meeting was held the next day on March 22, 1921 to
elect officers, appoint a committee to draft a constitution and by-laws, and to design a
pin insignia. The initials Nu Alpha Phi were adopted as symbols relating to a Greek motto
of friendship. The construction of a fraternity cabin in the Camp Baldy region was next
explored, following the tradition of the other three Pomona College fraternities who had
cabins in the area. While a suitable location was not found at Camp Baldy, Nu Alpha Phi
members were able to acquire property in nearby San Dimas Canyon and cabin construction
was completed in spring of 1922. Nu Alpha Phi's first female members were initiated in
1977, marking a transition to becoming a co-ed organization. In the early 2000s, Nu Alpha
Phi opened its membership beyond Pomona College to any student within the Claremont
Colleges Consortium. Nu Alpha Phi was disbanded in 2016.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Ken Smith Nu Alpha Phi collection contains materials related to the Pomona College
Greek-letter organization with a focus on its history, members, and events. Among the
collection contents are histories of Nu Alpha Phi, biographical files of Nu Alpha Phi
members from 1932 to 2009, and issues of the Oak Leaf newsletter from 1930 to 2003. The
collection includes numerous planning papers focusing on Nu Alpha Phi-sponsored and Pomona
College events such as Camperoo, Rush Week, and Alumni Day, as well as organizational
documents like meeting minutes, articles of incorporation, and scholarship materials. A
substantial portion of the collection also includes memorabilia and photographs related to
Nu Alpha Phi, including scrapbooks, banners, fraternity paddles, and photographs of its
members, the Nu Alpha Phi Cabin, and other events.
Organization and Arrangement
The collection is organized into the following five series:
- Series 1: Memorabilia, 1931-2010 and undated
- Series 2: Biographical files, 1932-2009 and undated
- Series 3: Oak Leaf, 1930-2003
- Series 4: Planning papers, 1923-2003 and undated
- Series 5: Photographs, 1924-2002 and undated
Folders are arranged alphabetically by file name in Series 2 and chronologically by date
range in Series 3.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library’s online public access catalog.
Subject Terms
Pomona College (Claremont, Calif.)
Alumni and alumnae
College students
Greek letter societies
Genre and Form of Materials
Biography
Ephemera
Newsletters
Photograph albums
Photographs
Scrapbooks
