Ferdinand Society

“The Ferdinand Society is an organization of faculty and administrative staff associated with Portland State University. Its purpose is to promote fellowship, intellectual discussion, and association with leaders in all phases of Portland community life. Friendliness and a spirit of informality at its meetings are to be considered the essence of this Society.

The Society is created in the name of Ferdinand the Bull whose physical power, friendliness, curiosity, and love for the esthetic symbolize the purpose of this organization,” (from the “Constitution of The Ferdinand Society,” Portland, OR, March 8, 1979).

The Ferdinand Society was organized in 1956 by a group of faculty who felt there should be more social interactions among faculty outside of the academic setting. The group began to meet for a series of luncheons and would gradually expand. In 1959 the group, until then unnamed, formalized themselves as the Ferdinand Society.

The Ferdinand Society composed a constitution and established three types of officers: Matador, the presiding officer at meetings; Toreador, the program chairman who arranges meetings and presides if the Matador is absent; and the Picador, the secretary/treasurer. The original group was restricted to 16 members, four each from Humanities, Social Science, Science, and Administration. Over time membership was increased to 36 and by 1979 to 85 (15 each from Arts and Letters, Science, Social Science; 10 each from Business Administration and Education; 10 total from HPE, Social Work, and Urban affairs; and another 10 from Library, DCE, and others).

The Society held two types of meetings, first consisting of a minimum of eight luncheons per year, with no more than one per month. The second, the Junta -- made up of the three officers and two elected active members – carried out all on-going society business and met at least once but no more than three times per calendar year.

The Ferdinand Society met at least until 2008, though it is currently unclear if it remains ongoing.

From the guide to the Ferdinand Society Records, 1967-1979, (Portland State University Library)