Oak Club

The Oak Club is an all-male undergraduate social club at Harvard College.

History

The Oak Club descends from the Harvard chapter of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, first established in 1890. In 2005, undergraduate members of the Harvard chapter voted to privatize and renounce a national affiliation, officially reincorporating as The Oak Club.^[1] The original clubhouse at 396 Harvard St. is now the Ikeda Center,^[2] while a later rendition of the clubhouse at 82 Mt. Auburn St. is now owned by the Fly Club after a merger between it and the D.U. Club, which had also separated from the original Delta Upsilon chapter.^[3]

Unlike the other eight all-male final clubs at Harvard College, the Oak does not currently own real estate in Harvard Square, but hosts member events in Cambridge and Boston, as well as frequent outings throughout New England.

Notable Alumni

Alumni of The Oak and of its predecessor Delta Upsilon chapter at Harvard include:

• George R. Stobbs, 1899, United States House of Representatives
• Joseph P. Kennedy, 1912, Ambassador to Great Britain and Kennedy family patriarch
• James B. Conant, 1914, president of Harvard University, ambassador to West Germany, and distinguished chemist
• Robert Benchley, 1913, American humorist and winner of 1935 Academy Award for Best Short Film
• Thomas H. Eliot, 1928, United States House of Representatives
• Joseph Losey, 1929, film director
• Selamawi Asgedom, 1999, renowned author and speaker
• Roberto Patino, 2006, screenwriter known for Cut Bank, Sons of Anarchy and Prime Suspect.
• David Sengeh, 2010, prosthetic sockets pioneer^[4]

References