THE RAVEN'S CLAW

The Raven's Claw is an all male senior honorary society still in effect today. It was founded at Dickinson in 1896, making it the first of three honorary societies unique to Dickinson College; the other two societies, in order of founding on campus, being Skull and Key in 1909 and Wheel and Chain in 1924. Raven's Claw membership is limited to seven senior men who are selected by the seven previous members. The new members are chosen based on a variety of factors. These include campus leadership, a solid academic record, and athletic participation. New members are inducted in a "Tapping Ceremony" which is held on the "Old Stone Steps of Old West." The ceremony is traditionally conducted during commencement weekend. They are called "claws" or "white hats", denoting the white caps they wear to signify unity and loyalty. In 1934 it consisted of seven student members and two faculty advisors. The advisors were Wilbur Norcross and Gilbert Malcom. The students were Wesley Day, John Fowler Jr., George Hansell, Lloyd Hughes, Benjamin James, Charles Kennedy, and William Mark. The young men were members of Sigma Chi, Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, Phi Sigma Epsilon, and Phi Kappa Sigma fraternities, representing a very diverse group of men on campus and showing no signs of bias or exclusiveness outside of the secretive Raven's Claw society. They were and are a very loyal group as was witnessed by the societies 100th anniversary celebration in 1996. The festivities had a huge turnout with the attendance of members from classes as far back as the 1920's. Claw class of '34 member Benjamin James served as co-chair of the planning committee of the 100th anniversary celebration. All in all, the group is very loyal and has been a part of Dickinson's history for over 100 years.

Last updated: October 28, 2003