Book and Snake or The Society of Book and Snake is a secret society for seniors at Yale University. It was established in 1863 and is the fifth-oldest secret society at Yale.

History

thumb|Book and Snake 1888 delegation

Sigma Delta Chi Society was established by students at the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale College on November 17, 1863, as a three-year society. The society secured rooms on the top floor of a building on College Street and Chapel Street where they held weekly meetings. When it outgrew that space, the society moved to the top floor of 953 Chapel Street. This name honored Lewis Bridge Stone, an early member of the society.

Like other landed Yale societies, Book and Snake built a meeting hall or "tomb" in 1901 that is only accessible to members and alumni. Book and Snake also converted to a senior society in 1933. Given to one or two junior faculty members annually, the Greer Award comes with funding for future research and is one of Yale's highest honors. According to the Yale Daily News, the society "has a party reputation, with a large number of athletes and fraternity and sorority members."

Symbols and traditions

Book and Snake uses a mix of ancient and esoteric symbols with meanings known only to its members. The Book and Snake's original badge was an open book displaying the Greek letters ΣΔΧ surrounded by a coiled serpent. It was worn on the member's tie. It is made of gold and is in size. It is long, wide, and feet high, including two stories and a gable. Its four Ionic pillars, carved from marble, support a triangle-shaped pediment across its front.

Previously, Book and Snake owned a chapter house and dormitory at Sheffield Scientific School known as the Cloister or Cloister Hall. A plaque honoring the society is on the first floor of the building.

Membership

Each year, Book and Snakes taps a delegation of sixteen members: eight men and eight women.

  • John Vernou Bouvier III (1914) – father of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
  • Nicholas F. Brady (1952)– former Secretary of the Treasury
  • Kathleen Cleaver (1984) – law professor and a founder of the Black Panthers
  • David Dellinger – pacifist and anti-war activist
  • Henry Ford II (1940) – former chairman and chief executive officer of the Ford Motor Company
  • Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. (1973) – literary critic, historian, Harvard professor
  • William A. Greene (1936) – head of the Crusade for Freedom campaign that funded Radio Free Europe
  • John Campbell Greenway (1895) – General, U.S. Army, mining executive, husband of Isabella Greenway
  • John Hays Hammond (1876) – mining engineer, Ambassador to Great Britain
  • Harry Gale Nye Jr. (1933) – industrialist, entrepreneur, and world champion sailor
  • Charles Rivkin (1984) – former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs
  • Bob Woodward (1965) – journalist, The Washington Post

See also

  • Collegiate secret societies in North America
  • List of senior societies

References

  • Book and Snake founders (photo), Yale Archives
  • Book and Snake Society presentation bowl (photo), Christie's