Seven Society
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The Seven Society (founded circa 1905) is the most secretive of the University of Virginia's secret societies. Members are only revealed after their death, when a wreath of black magnolias in the shape of a "7" is placed at the gravesite, the bell tower of the University Chapel chimes seven times at seven-second intervals on the seventh dissonant chord when it is seven past the hour, and a notice is published in the University's Alumni News, and often in the Cavalier Daily. [1]
The formation of the society is only speculated. Some hold with the rumor that, of eight men who planned to meet for a card game, only seven showed up.[2] Students supposedly are "tapped" for admission during their third year and become members during their fourth year at U.Va. The most noted tradition of the society is the painting of the number "7" upon many buildings around the grounds of the University.
The group contributes financially to the University, announcing donations with letters signed only with seven astronomical symbols in the order: Earth, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Neptune, Uranus, and Venus. Saturn is not included. The Society gives large monetary donations and scholarships to the University each year in quantities that include the number 7, e.g. $777 or $1,777. Significant past gifts to the University include the Seven Society Carillon in the UVA Chapel, donated in memory of deceased members of the society, and given with the request that there should be a toll of seven times seven bells on the passing of a member.[3] In addition to granting spontaneous gifts, it sponsors an annual $7,000 graduate fellowship award for superb teaching.
The only known method to successfully contact the Seven Society is to place a letter at the base of the Thomas Jefferson statue inside the University's historic Rotunda.
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[edit] Seven Society at other colleges/universities
The Seven Society at the University of Virginia is not to be mistaken for the Seven Society, Order of the Crown and Dagger known to exist at The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is unknown whether or not a connection exists between the two societies. Likewise, connections have been alleged but unproven between the Mystic Seven Fraternity, of which the Hands and Torch "Temple" (chapter) was the Virginia outpost; the latter group appears to have merged with Beta Theta Pi at This group had indirect ties with the Mystical Seven Society founded in 1837 at Wesleyan University. The Mystic Seven Fraternity later merged with the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, with the Hands and Torch Temple becoming the Omicron chapter of Beta Theta Pi.[4]
[edit] Notable members
Several notable individuals whose Seven Society membership was disclosed at their death include:
- John Lloyd Newcomb, second president of the University of Virginia
- Edward Stettinius, Jr., secretary of state under Presidents Roosevelt and Truman[5]
- Adm. William F. Halsey [5]
- Frank Hereford, fifth president of the University of Virginia
[edit] References
- ^ Dabney, Virginius (1981). Mr. Jefferson's University: A History. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 305-306. ISBN 081390904X.
- ^ Cooper, Patricia (2003-09-04), “A Mark to Remember”, Cavalier Daily, <http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=16523&pid=1034>
- ^ Dedication of the Seven Society Carillon, 1957-1015, pp. 3, <http://books.google.com/books?id=rvPOHAAACAAJ&dq=%22seven+society%22+virginia&lr=>. Retrieved on 6 January 2008
- ^ Mystical 7: A History (HTML). Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
- ^ a b Johnson, Bill (1965-02-15), “Seven Society's Secret Still Secret”, Washington Post: C8
