Tau Beta Pi (Colorado Gamma Chapter) Records

Tau Beta Pi is the oldest honorary engineering society and the second oldest honors society in the United States, beginning at Lehigh University in 1885. When Phi Beta Kappa honorary society began restricting membership to liberal arts students, the head of the mining department at Lehigh University Edward H. Williams Jr. launched an honors society for students of technical subjects.

The University of Denver chapter of Tau Beta Pi, Colorado Gamma, was installed in 1954 after a 1952 petition by the "Tau Beta Society." This group formed in 1950 with the ultimate goal of chartering. The Colorado Gamma chapter of Tau Beta Pi was active on campus until 1975 when the College of Engineering closed (later re-opening under a different name).

The official insignia of Tau Beta Pi is The Bent, in the shape of a trestle or load-bearing part of a bridge. Originally, the Bent was made as a key to wind watches, and was the named given to the national Tau Beta Pi magazine. Tau Beta Pi began as a male-only society, but began granting membership to women in 1969. Another honorary engineering society, Sigma Tau, merged with Tau Beta Pi in 1974.