The collection of the Sphex Club, of Lynchburg, Virginia, includes minutes of meetings, the constitution and bylaws of the Club, a roster of its members, and a listing of Sphex papers presented by members and guests of the Club. In addition to this guide, the collection is outlined in more detail in “Sphex in the Jones Memorial Library,” Chapter VI of the Club history, The Sphex Club of Lynchburg, Virginia: The First One Hundred Years, 1910-2010, by James M. Elson.
Access Rights
Lectures delivered by members appear as papers in the Item Set. Papers are available in print at the library. Select papers have been digitized (including all papers delivered to the Club prior to 1952).
Authors retain copyright to their work. Papers may not be reproduced or reprinted without permission of the author and the library.
Sphex Club Minutes for the period starting September 11, 2025 through 2030. Minutes are added annually to this file as they are provided to the library.
Sphex Club Papers Held At Jones Memorial Library
Note - select papers, minutes, and other club documents have been digitized. Search for these under the "Sphex Club Papers" ITEM SET.
The Sphex Club of Lynchburg, Virginia, was organized on 5 October 1910. According to the constitution, the purpose of the organization was "to promote the intellectual and social culture of its members and to encourage philanthropic, educational and civic progress in the community."
According to a history of the organization compiled by William H. Barney, "the real reason for the club's founding was to give the academic community of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and the business and professional men of the city a forum on which they could meet for the exchange of interest and ideas."
The club, limited to a membership of 35, meets biweekly from fall until spring. An individual member of the club presents a paper at each meeting. Following the presentation, the paper is discussed by the members present.
The club also holds an annual meeting to which members may invite guests for dinner, for the presentation of a paper (usually by a prominent speaker) and for a general discussion of the paper presented.
The name of the club is said to be an acronym for Science, Philosophy, History, Education, and X "the unknown."
[William H. Barney, "A Short History of the Sphex Club," The Sphex Club Papers, Mss., MS1133, Jones Memorial Library, Lynchburg, VA.]
This collection contains organizational documents and meeting minutes of the club and papers presented by members on a wide range of topics.
Text of a lecture to the Sphex Club in Lynchburg. This paper discusses the evolution of medical education, emphasizing the impact of the Flexner Report of 1910 and the changes following the Libby Zion case in 1984. It highlights the rigorous training methods at Duke University and the shift towards more flexible hours and increased supervision in modern training programs. Key themes include the balance between educational rigor and physician well-being, and the ongoing challenges in medical education.
