The Tau Beta Pi Association, national engineering honor society, was founded at Lehigh University in 1885
by Dr. Edward Higginson Williams, Jr., "to mark in a fitting manner those who have conferred honor upon their
Alma Mater by distinguished scholarship and exemplary character as undergraduates in engineering, or by their
attainments as alumni in the field of engineering, and to foster a spirit of liberal culture in engineering
colleges."
Working alone he conceived an organization, gave it a name, designed its governmental structure,
drew up its constitution, prepared its badge and certificate, established its membership requirements, and
planned all the necessary details for its operation including the granting of chapters and the holding of
conventions.
The parent chapter, named Alpha of Pennsylvania, existed alone until 1892 when Alpha of Michigan was founded
at Michigan State University. Since the founding of the Michigan Alpha chapter, Tau Beta Pi has grown
steadily; there are now collegiate chapters at 225 institutions, charted alumnus chapters in 59 cities, and
a total initiated membership of more than 453,000.
Mr. John Wallace joined the faculty in the fall of 1986 after he retired from Georgia Tech. He immediately
set about forming a local honor society. However, when he contacted Tau Beta Pi they said that Mercer
could not have a chapter until we had been accredited, which in those days was not imminent. So Mr. Wallace
formed a local honor society called Pi Beta Tau that had pretty much the same qualification requirements as
Tau Beta Pi. And so things stood for a number of years.
The School of Engineering was first accredited in the summer of 1990. But, efforts were not made to join
Tau Beta Pi at that time. Mr. Wallace retired in the spring of 1993, and Mr. Jack Mahaney became the faculty
advisor when the fall quarter began. The Pi Beta Tau chapter contacted Tau Beta Pi soon after and asked
about becoming a chapter. Tau Beta Pi worked with us, visiting and holding an on-site inspection in the
spring of 1994. Finally, Barry Hilton and Mr. Mahaney attended the national convention in the fall of
1994, held in Buffalo. There they petitioned Tau Beta Pi for a chapter and the petition was accepted.
The Georgia Beta chapter was installed in February of 1995, with Executive Director James D. Froula and Vice
President William Beans attending and taking part in the initiation and installation ceremonies.
Since then we have carried on as a chapter. Notable achievements include winning the Secretary's Commendation
twice and the Chapter Project award once. The Bent now outside of the school was purchased in the fall of
1997. As it was then unfinished, the chapter members spent some months smoothing and polishing it, and it was
installed out front in December of 1998. The brick work surrounding it was provided as a gift by Mr. Chris
Sheridan and one of his masonry contractors.