ALTOONA'S UNIVERSITY CLUB
Educational Association Is Only Six Years Old, But Has an Enviable Record.
ALSO HAS BEAUTIFUL HOME ON TWELFTH AVENUE
Following is the tenth in a series of articles on the history of Altoona societies:
The University club, one of Altoona's proudest possessions in the line of associations, will soon reach its sixth anniversary. The club has a beautiful home on Twelfth avenue, between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets, and enjoys wide favor locally. As it is composed of university men, it is probably the banner club of the city intellectually. Since its inception it has done much to promote interest in higher education.
The University club was organized about December 1, 1905, as a fraternity, the name of which is Nu Kappa Sigma. The local branch was called the Beta chapter. The organization was perfected in the Central Trust building by the election of William Hahman as president and R. Max Lewis as secretary-treasurer. Five men joined the chapter on that memorable first night and from the foundation they laid has grown the University club of today. The charter members are: Dr. S. Lloyd McCarthy, R. Max Lewis, Dr. C. M. Bowles. William Hahman and H. S. VanScoyoc. The Nu Kappa Sigma, of which the local chapter was a branch, was founded ten years ago in Philadelphia, with Alpha chapter as the first branch.
Beta chapter was destined for a brilliant career in Altoona, for within six years the club has grown until it is recognized as one of the best established institutions in the Mountain City. From a membership of five it has grown until it now has 105 members. The society was not in existence two years until it moved into its present commodious home. which was first occupied on October 24, 1907.
The club numbers in its membership the graduates of forty-eight institutions of learning, not only in the United States, but in England, Australia, Germany, France and Sweden. Practically all the great colleges of the United States are represented in its membership, and the club has proved a great boon to the college graduate who has come to this city a stranger and has found employment in the Pennsylvania railroad shops and offices or elsewhere. Through the club's agency he has been able to meet men of the highest standing and has been made to feel perfectly at home.
The club last year showed that it takes a great interest in the Altoona high school, when permanent prizes for an annual senior oratorical contest were established. The first contest was held at the end of last term by a number of the students of the school and the prizes were awarded by prominent judges. The establishment of the contest worked as a great incentive to many of the young men to take up public speaking and the club was instrumental in making permanent the recently established course in public speaking in the school.
Not only in this but in many other ways has the club been of direct benefit to the people of the city at large. Members of the University club have been behind some of the greatest educational moves in recent years.
In addition to its work in the interests of education, the University club has offered many social features that compel admiration. Its members have been frequently entertained in the club house and many amusements have been offered. The house has been the scene of several big receptions given by college students to high school boys, for the purpose of interesting the latter in getting college educations.
Many of the most prominent professional and businessmen in the city are members of the University club and have lent their untiring efforts to make it a success. It is one of the most unique societies in a city that is famous for the number of associations it has. Altoona is not what might be termed a "college town," for there is no university nor big college near it, and while institutions like the University club may be common in some places, even one is more or less of a rarity here.
The club exchanges membership privileges with the University club of State College, the Engineers' society of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, and the Houston club, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Following are the present officers of the local club: President, William Hahman; vice president, Julian Millard; secretary, H. S. VanScoyoc; treasurer. W. H. Hughes; directors, Dr. M. E. McConnell, A. W. Berkman, Rev. Father Morgan M. Sheedy, LL. D., Superintendent of Public Schools Henry H. Baish, and E. L. Rafter.
That the University club is destined for a great future stands to reason. It filled a long-felt gap when it was established here and has done much for the good of the city since it has been founded. It is no doubt responsible to a large degree for the great increase in the number of Altoonans attending colleges and universities, this increase being particularly noticeable this year. The club in the last few years has shown no abatement in the enthusiasm that always exists when a society is new, but, on the contrary, has been more active than ever. It is felt that the association will continue its activity and will always remain one of the best organizations the city knows.
Altoona Tribune, Altoona, Pa., Wednesday, October 25, 1911, page 5