The Philolexian Society of Columbia University
Eugene Williams
Won the 1938 Philolexian Prize for prose with an essay on jazz, founded Jazz Information, and recorded the sessions that began the New Orleans revival.
From Notable Alumni · Foundation editorial
Won the 1938 Philolexian Prize for prose with an essay on jazz, founded Jazz Information, and recorded the sessions that began the New Orleans revival. Philolexians tend to inspire each other. Witness the beat generation, the great books movement, the golden-age Hollywood writers’ room, and the postwar New York publishing renaissance. It happened with the jazz scene as well. On 1 June 1938 the Spectator reported that the Philolexian Prize for prose had gone to Eugene Williams (CC 1938) for an essay called "The Elements of Jazz." The poetry prize went the same evening to Ralph de Toledano, the Society's former president. The judges were Theodric Westbrook and Dr. Jacques Barzun, instructor in history, himself a Philolexian, who would go on to write Berlioz and the Romantic Century. It is not obvious that any other undergraduate prize awarded in America that year had a jazz essay in it, still less one judged by a future historian of French Romantic music. Fifteen months later Williams and de Toledano (later co-founder of National Review and its jazz columnist), along with fellow Class of 1938 alumnus Ralph J. Gleason (later co-founder of Rolling Stone and co-founder of the Monterey Jazz Festival), founded Jazz Information, mimeographed in the back room of Milt Gabler's Commodore Music Shop on East 42nd Street. It was the first American magazine purely about jazz. In 1942 Williams went down to New Orleans and recorded Bunk Johnson, the trumpeter who had been out of music for a decade and had no teeth; the records set off the New Orleans revival and the long argument that came with it. Williams was dead at twenty-nine, which is why he is the least famous man in this section and arguably the most consequential.
Vital
- Full name
- Eugene Williams
Columbia & the Society
- Columbia
- Class of 1938 (Columbia College)
- Society role
- newly elected vice-president [Spec, 1938-02-16]
- Society role
- wrote Jester article; elected vice-president [Spec, 1938-02-17]
Works (8)
- 1938 “The Elements of Jazz” · Philolexian Prize for Prose, judged by Jacques Barzun
- 1939 Jazz Information (co-founder and editor) · Jazz Information, Inc., NY
- 1940 “New Orleans Clarinets: 2 — Edmond Hall” (with Herman Rosenberg) · Jazz Information, vol. 2, no. 2
- 1940 “Omer Simeon” (with Herman Rosenberg) · Jazz Information, vol. 2, no. 1
- 1941 “A History of Jazz Information” · Jazz Information, vol. 2 (Nov. 1941), 93–101
- 1942 Bunk Johnson's Jazz Band (producer & liner notes) · Jazz Man Records
- 1946 Circle Records (co-founder, with Rudi Blesh & Harriet Janis) · Circle Sound, Inc., NY
- 1946 “New Orleans Today” (with photographer Skippy Adelman) · In Rosenthal & Zachary, eds., Jazzways
Primary sources
The Columbia Daily Spectator
1934-12-14 Philolexian Plans Dramatic Reading Of Poetry, Plays [ARTICLE] elected to the Society
Philolexian Plans Dramatic Reading Of Poetry, Plays Preliminary plans for a poetry recital were discussed at last night's meeting of Philolexian Society. The dramatic reading, which will b© held sometime in March, will follow the precedent set by last year's recital, which raised a storm of controversy. After the meeting had been called to order by Schuyler Lawrence '3 6, president, Eugene Williams '37 and Kelvin Van Nuys '3B were elected to the Society. Lawrence then called on Treville Latouche '37, vice-presi-dent, to outline his plans for the recital. In additioif to the facts already mentioned, Latouche said that he wanted to include some French poetry and playlets in the form of pantomimes, reading being done behind the curtains Lawrence then appointed Latouche chairman of a recital committee. The question of speakers for the last three meetings of the semester came up, and…
1935-02-20 MEMBER'S NOVEL READ TO PHILO Book of Graham Singer Deals With Mad Dilletantes 2 NEW MEN ELECTED Society Seeks to Take Over Boar's Head Functions wrote short story "Meditation on Corruption"
MEMBER'S NOVEL READ TO PHILO Book of Graham Singer Deals With Mad Dilletantes 2 NEW MEN ELECTED Society Seeks to Take Over Boar's Head Functions An entire novel, written by Graham P. Singer '35, was read before a session of the Pl.ilolexian Society in the Student Board room last night. The novel, "Fish Out of Water," presents a cross-section of various exotic social cycles. Following a Thorne Smith vein, the book deals with the eccentricities of a fire chief named Joe who finds himself out of place in the modern world. Two short stories, "The Buckboard" by Herman Gund '3SJ and "Meditation on Corruption" by Eugene B. Williams '37, were also read as part of the society's literary program. "Buckboard" portrays a "child's first disillusionment with his parents. Robert Lax '3B and Albert Field j '3S were elected members after a consideration of manuscripts prepared by them. Lax has…
1938-02-16 Philo Elects Officers newly elected vice-president
Philo Elects Officers Ralph de Toledano '3B was elected president of Philolexian, the Campus literary society, at a meeting held last night. Newly elected vice-president of the organization is Eugene Williams '3B. Barry Ulanov '39 was chosen secre-tary-treasurer. A subsidiary group of the society was formed under the name of the Swing Club, now open to general membership. All students interested in joining the new organization should get in touch with any of the new officers.
1938-02-17 Student Forum wrote Jester article; elected vice-president
Student Forum To the Editor of The Spectator: O Thomson! Thou art mighty yet 1 Thy spirit walks abroad .... In a recent article in Jester, Mr. Eugene Williams '3B, analyzed the present state of intellectual stagnation on the Campus. In part, he said of the Philolexian Society that it ". . . formerly an index of Columbia intelligentsia, is near extinction at the end of a three-year fall, and nothing—not even a Left Wing Poetry Group—comes to replace it." We have been privileged to witness the replacement of this do-nothing regime. This morning's Spectator indicates that Mr. Williams' baggy young eyes have at last divined a solution for this deplorable state of affairs. A group of persons under the grave misapprehension that they constituted the Philolexian Society of Columbia College, at a meeting in the Jester office on the evening of February 15, elected Mr. Ralph de…
1938-06-01 Two Seniors Win Philolexian Prize Toledano Awarded Honors for Poetry; Williams, Prose won prose prize
Two Seniors Win Philolexian Prize Toledano Awarded Honors for Poetry; Williams, Prose The 1938 Philolexian Prizes for excellence in prose and poetry have been awarded by the Philolexian Society, one of the three oldest college literary organizations in America, to Eugene Williams '3B of New York City and Ralph Toledano '3B of New York City. Williams, who is former managing editor of Jester, Campus humor magazine, received the prose prize for an essay on "The Elements of Jazz." Toledano, former president of the Philolexian Society and editor of Jester, won the poetry prize for a twenty-eight line poem entitled "Primavera." A graduate of Fieldston School, he has been active in the Columbia College Dramatic Group and is a member of the Boar's Head Poetry Society. Judges for the prize competition were Dr. Jacques Barzun, instructor in history, and Theodric Westbrook. instructor in Greek…
1938-06-01 Columbia College Students Win Twenty-seven Academic Honors prize winner
Columbia College Students Win Twenty-seven Academic Honors Twenty-seven prizes, consisting of medals, cash awards, and scholarship rooms, have been won by Columbia College students for the academic year of 1937-1938. David Schwartz, Valedictorian of the Senior Class, won the Albert Asher Green prize of $5O be- < stowed annually upon the Senior with the highest scholastic record. The Richard H. Fox Memorial Prize goes to Joseph W. Roberts '3B; the Charles H. Bjorkwall Memorial Prize to Lawrence A. Brewer '3B; the Edward Sutliff Brainard Memorial Prize of $5O to Philip K. Bondy '3B, and the Charles M. Rolker Prize of $4O to Howard W. Westphal '3B. Alumni Prizes have been won by John F. Bateman '3B and Stanton F. Leggett '3B, while Vincent A. Grasso '3B, has been awarded the "Columbia Lion for Leadership." Approximately $2OO will go to Richard M. Cohn '39 and Paul M. Marcus '4O, who…
The Annals of the Philolexian Society (1912)
The Annals of the Philolexian Society (1912) Leaf / page 51
Named in The Annals of the Philolexian Society (1912) at the referenced leaf.
The Foundation's research archive
PHILOS, AS RECALLED BY MR. & MRS. WALTER SCHAAP AND CHARLES ROBERTSON
blue tick and red dagger; a scribbled-out word follows the name, then a struck-out word, then 'SUICIDE' · Confidence: CERTAIN
External references
Community-maintained record
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