A Cooperative Association of Artists, Writers, & Students of the Humanities
Established 1967
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the Griffoun Society shall be to promote the Arts and Humanities for the cultural enrichment of our community (Houston and Harris County first of all, then Texas, and ultimately the World) by means of artistic and literary salons, discussion groups, lectures, colloquia, book fairs, public readings, art exhibitions, camera and sketchbook outings, museum field trips, and publishing.
Membership Open to All Adults
Membership in the Griffoun Society is open to any adult without regard for sex, race, religion, lifestyle, or other superficiality. There is no fee to join, and dues are not collected. To become a member, all you have to do is ask. Then give us, please, your contact information (as much as possible). You can do that in person, by phone, or on the CONTACT page of this site.
We do ask, however, that every new member commit to observing our long-established tradition of gifting our club library with a lovingly chosen book upon joining (also in celebration of one's every birthday and in honor of all special events in one's life). It is a good idea to check with the club's librarian (Odette Lapahie) to determine if a book you mean to present is already in our collection.
Before the great fire of 2009, the Griffoun Society Library was one of the finest in the world for the Arts and Humanities. We should very much like to see it returned to its former greatness.
The Griffoun Chronicle
In 1967 a group of nine individuals began meeting weekly for coffee and conversation at a soda fountain in the Griffin Building in North Dallas not many blocks from the SMU campus. Initially, they discussed the books of Robert Rimmer; then they moved on to the science-fiction novels of Robert Heinlein. This little group eventually came to be known casually as the Griffin Roundtable. A few of the original members left the group and were replaced by newcomers. Gradually, the focus of the group expanded to include art, photography, music, dance, and drama. In 1968, the Griffin Roundtable sponsored its first ever art exhibition in Turtle Creek Park.
Then in 1971, Griffin Roundtable relocated to Austin, Texas, and changed its name to the Gryphon Society. However, when it was learned that a debate club at Oxford University in England was already using that name, the Austin group decided to change their spelling to an even more archaic form. And so it was that the Gryphon Society became the Griffoun Society.
So popular and successful was this club that within a very short time, they were able to acquire a clubhouse with studios, a dormitory for eight models, classrooms, a library and reading room, a gym, and a small public room. By the end of the century, membership exceeded two hundred. A fire in 2001 damaged the clubhouse, but repairs were made, and it seemed as though the club would survive. Another fire in 2009, totally destroyed the clubhouse building, and membership fell off to about what the club had started out with in 1967.
Twelve years have now passed since that disastrous fire, and the Griffoun Society has been re-established in Houston, Texas. On June 3, 2021, the Griffoun Society became a Texas non-profit corporation.
Read our Statement of Purpose at the top of this page, and if the Griffoun Society sounds like a club you'd enjoy being a part of, then please consider membership. We're a friendly bunch and we'd love to have you join us. We need your talent, your enthusiasm, and your participation.
Club Traditions
The Griffoun Society has a long-standing tradition of welcoming non-conformists. Alternative lifestyles, utopian experiments, and non-traditional approaches to education and criminal justice are subjects of great interest to many of our members. Valued by all our members are creativity, imaginative problem-solving, originality, and a willingness to change whatever seems not to be working. It is, therefore, hardly surprising that NA beer, alcohol-free wines, and even zero-proof spirits are made available at all our events for those who, for whatever reason, choose not to imbibe intoxicating beverages.
