For the last 90 years, ACU’s W Club has recognized young Christian women for academic excellence. On Saturday, W Club honored past and present members at the annual Silver Tea at the Swenson House.

Melanie Kirkland, junior political science major from Lubbock and secretary of the W Club, said an important purpose of the club is to “inspire young women to noble womanhood.”

All current W Club members are eligible for two scholarships, which are given at the end of every spring semester. Silver Tea helps support those endeavors.

“The purpose of Silver Tea is to raise money for our scholarship fund,” Kirkland said.

Silver Tea is exclusively for current members and alumni and provides a great opportunity for the women of W Club to get to know past members, network and form relationships, Kirkland said.

Natalie Knowles, junior interdisciplinary major in art and English and W Club historian, said this year’s Silver Tea had a great turnout.

Knowles said it takes exceptional determination to be a leader, in addition to excelling in academics, yet every woman in W Club exhibits these qualities; Silver Tea provides a way to recognize many of them.

W Club was organized in 1920 under the direction of Daisy McQuigg Sewell, wife of former ACU President J.P. Sewell. The purpose of W Club is to recognize female students with outstanding Christian character, high academic standing and who demonstrate abilities in leadership and service; it is one of only two organizations recognized at the Honors Chapel for academic achievement.

Today, W Club has about 175 members, many of whom are the second generation in their families to be members. For 90 years, these women have looked to Proverbs 31 and the “virtuous” woman in this chapter as a role model.

“I have been encouraged by our speakers and the wisdom they share, but mostly, I have enjoyed being with a group of women that love God,” Knowles said.