Origin of the MIT Quarter Century Club
The Silver Club was founded in 1946 for women employees who had completed 25 years of service with the Institute. This Club included women from the faculty and all staffs. Activities were social in nature. The Quarter Century Club was founded in 1950 by a group of men from among the hourly personnel who had completed 25 years of service with the Institute. The purpose of the Club was to provide an opportunity for the members to meet and socialize. In 1970, the Membership was expanded to include faculty and all staffs. In 1974, the Clubs were merged into one Quarter Century Club for the entire Institute community.
Membership
The membership of the MIT Quarter Century Club consists of faculty and members of the academic, administrative, research, support, and service staffs with 25 cumulative years of benefits-eligible service time as determined by Human Resources.
Honorary Membership
Any member of the MIT community, including students and alumni, whose actions or deeds have proven to be beneficial to the quality of life and good fellowship of the Institute community may be eligible for Honorary Membership. No more than one Honorary Membership shall be awarded in any given year. To be chosen, a nominee must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Board. The nomination for an Honorary Membership must be submitted to the President in writing by January 1 in a given year, with a one-paragraph statement of the reasons why the person should be so named.