“N” is for the National Beta Club. Dr. John Harris West, a faculty member at Wofford College, founded the National Beta Club in 1934. Reared on a farm and aware of the privations of his day, Harris worked to develop youth for effective leadership and achievement. His high standards and goals were fashioned after Phi Beta Kappa and the Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs. The first club was formed at Landrum High School in Spartanburg County. He knew achievers made “A”s and “B”s, and hence chose BETA [B] as the name for his organization. Within a year there were 75 chapters in four states. As of 2005, the National Beta Club, headquartered in Spartanburg, had more than 417,000 members and five million alumni in the United States, the Bahamas, Germany, Guam, Puerto Rico, Russia, and the Virgin Islands.
“N” is for the National Beta Club
