On November 1, 1938, the UT Alpha Association of Phi Beta Kappa received its charter from the National Council of Phi Beta Kappa. The National Council had authorized, in 1937, the issuance of charters, upon application, to duly qualified alumni members of the various chapters. The Alpha Association was granted the charter on September 28, 1938, for the region of Knoxville and vicinity. The first president was Dr. A. W. McWhorter, professor of classics, and the group initially had 39 members. Beginning in the 1950s, the group honored outstanding liberal arts students at an annual lecture and banquet. The association was subsumed into the UT Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1965.