Haverford Union records

The Haverford Union was a society formed by Alfred Percival Smith (Class of 1884) in 1909, designed to foster connections between Haverford alumni, undergraduates, and faculty. As described in the Haverford Bulletin, “The Haverford Union is an organization of alumni and students for the promotion of social fellowship. The home of the Union is a large and attractive building supplied with reading rooms, recreation rooms, sleeping rooms for visiting alumni, and a large assembly hall.” Members of the Union paid yearly dues of $1.00 to $2.50 or a lifetime fee of $50. After its first year, the Union had 250 members.

The Union Auditorium hosted the Annual Meeting of the Alumni Association, along with rehearsals for various musical groups such as Glee Club and Mandolin Club. Union also housed the offices of The Haverfordian and the Haverford News. Faculty, alumni, and undergraduate members of the Union could meet in the Union building to study in the Reading Room, play billiards in the Billiard Room, play chess in the Club Room, or drink cocoa and eat crackers together in the winter months. The Union provided an even ground for alumni, faculty, and undergraduate students to interact. The Union also hosted lectures and events with guest speakers. Visitors of the Union hailed from many different states.

The Haverford Union was governed by a governing board from 1909-1919. The board was elected annually and included undergraduate, faculty, and alumni representatives, along with a president, secretary, treasurer, assistant secretary, and assistant treasurer. In 1920, the Union Governing Board transferred the responsibility of care of the building to The College. Smith, The Union’s founder, tried and failed to reverse this decision, believing the care of the Union should rest in a committed governing board.

Though the purpose of the building has changed, the Union’s home still stands on Haverford’s campus and is currently known as Union Building.