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The Oberlin Alumni Fund :: Recognition Societies
The total sum of all gifts to any purpose during a given fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) counts for gift club membership. Any gift will qualify the giver as a member of a giving society, as detailed below.
The Crimson and Gold ($1 – $99)
In 1889, a faculty committee chose the College’s colors – cardinal red and mikado yellow – from the family coat of arms of John Frederick Oberlin. Over the years, the original colors evolved into today’s familiar crimson and gold.
The Peter Pindar Pease Society ($100 – $249)
Peter Pindar Pease (1795-1861) was the Oberlin colony’s first settler. He arrived by ox wagon with his wife and five children on April 19, 1833, to help clear lands given to John J. Shipherd by Titus Street and Samuel Hughes of New Haven, Connecticut. In 1834, Pease was named a charter member of the Oberlin College Board of Trustees. He also served as a deacon of First Church.
The Historic Elm Society ($250 – $499)
With its massive roots anchored in good soil, the Historic Elm became a symbol of Oberlin’s heritage. The Elm witnessed the growth of the College and community for more than 130 years. Four generations of Oberlin students enjoyed its shade while courting spouses, studying texts, and discussing the issues of the day.
The Arthur Tappan Society ($500 – $999)
Arthur Tappan (1786-1865), a wealthy New York merchant, was deeply committed to abolition. One of Oberlin’s earliest major philanthropists, he made a substantial contribution in 1835 that saved the fledgling Oberlin Collegiate Institute from bankruptcy. This financial backing came with one stipulation: that Oberlin admit students regardless of color.
The Antoinette Brown Blackwell Society ($1,000 – $1,832)
The first woman ordained into the regular Protestant ministry, Antoinette Brown Blackwell (1825-1921) was dedicated to the causes of abolition, prohibition and women’s rights. She graduated from Oberlin’s Ladies Department in 1847 and enrolled as a “resident graduate” in the Theological Seminary, which refused to enroll women officially. Her numerous writings include "Shadows of Our Social System" (1855); "The Physical Basis of Immortality" (1876); and "The Social Side of Mind and Action" (1915).
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The John Frederick Oberlin Society ($1,833 and above)
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