During the year 1909-1910, two small groups of men became intrigued with the idea the friendship acquired during the collegiate days should be bound together through some means for the remainder of one's life.  The desirable qualities that one gathered from those around him should be interchanged for more than the mere two or three years of collegiate association.

Neither of these groups had any inkling of the existence of the other until the opening of the school term the following year when providence interceded to bring together these men.  One of these groups based their linking together on the idea that a social club was the solution to their problem.  The other group felt that a fraternity was the correct solution.  With the contact of these two groups, it was immediately evident that neither could get along without the other and the union was made.

On October 10, 1910, during a lunch period, a hurried conference was held between the two groups in a deserted lecture hall.  The spirit of the organization was so installed in the eight original gatherers that another meeting was arranged for that very afternoon after school hours.

At five o'clock that afternoon, a determined group of young men met in Central Park to hold a lengthier discussion and see the plans that they had dreamed of approach reality.

The problem of the moment appeared to be finding a meeting room but this was settled quickly with an appeal to the school for permission to use an empty lecture hall.  That appeal was granted.

The first regularly recorded meeting was called to order in the library of the Department of Pharmacy, Columbia University, on Friday afternoon, October 19, 1910.  Four additional men, two of whom later dropped out, were invited to the meeting.

These ten founders of Tau Epsilon Phi were Robert L. Blume, Julius M. Breitenbach, Charles M. Driesen, Ephriam Freedman, Leo H. Fried, Harold Goldsmith, Samuel Greenbaum, Julius Klauber, Israel Shwartz, and Julius J. Slofkin.

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