Founding

The High Council through the Supreme Magus noted that on April 4, 1918, a Charter was issued by the High Council of the Society to Samuel Poyntz Cochran to form Texas College of S.R.I.C.F. The Charter, according to the records of High Council, was lost in transit, but Texas College was set to work on February 2, 1919. (See LUX, the Official Journal of the North Carolina College, Volume II, Part II, 1934, at page 64, edited by John Raymond Shute, II, IX°.) A duplicate Charter for Texas College was issued as the original had been lost in the mails (Id. at page 67).

Samuel Poyntz Cochran was advanced to the VIII° and IX° (Id. at page 70) and was appointed Chief Adept Ad Vitam of Texas College of the Society (Id. at page 64). At a Convocation of the High Council on September 17, 1918, in Boston, Massachusetts, Frater Samuel Poyntz Cochran was selected as Seventh Ancient of the Society. At a Convocation of the High Council in Boston, Massachusetts on September 20, 1921, Samuel P. Cochran was advanced to Fourth Ancient (see The Rosicrucian FAMA, Volume III, No. 2, Fall-Winter 1968 at page 19). On December 27, 1933, at a Convocation of the High Council in Boston, Massachusetts, Samuel P. Cochran was advanced to Primus Ancient (LUX, Volume II, Id. at page 69).

John Leonard Stephens, VIII°, was identified on December 27, 1933 as the Secretary and the Treasurer of Texas College (Id. at page 70) and was advanced to the VIII° on September 13, 1932 (Id. at page 78). Thirty-five Fraters were known to be admitted to Texas College prior to 1982 and were assigned College numbers 1 through 35. (See New Jersey College Historical Digest, March 31, 1932.) Only 28 of the 35 original members can be identified at this point in time.

Reconstituted

By letter dated August 19, 1981, Supreme Magus Laurence E. Eaton, IX°, stated: "It would appear that Texas College is still in recess and subject to reactivation upon the receipt by me of a petition from three Fraters in good standing and a college of our High Council or one in amity with it."

Preceding the Annual Convocation of the High Council, Oklahoma College of S.R.I.C.F. was convened on February 19, 1982, in the Hotel Washington in Washington, D.C., for the purpose of admitting James M. Willson, Jr., to the First and Second Order of the Society.

On Saturday, February 20, 1982, Societas Rosicruicana in Civitatibus Foederatis held its Annual Convocation of the High Council in the Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C. Fraters Reese L. Harrison, Jr., Orval R. Rose, and James M. Willson, Jr., all having been advanced to the VII° in Oklahoma College, petitioned the High Council to call Texas College S.R.I.C.F. from recess to labor, pursuant to Section 28 of the Constitution of the Society.

The petition to call Texas College S.R.I.C.F. from recess to labor was accompanied by a statement from James M. Willson, Jr., Grand Master of Masons in Texas, to the effect that he had no objection to and consented to Texas College S.R.I.C.F. being called from recess to labor.

The High Council voted unanimously to call Texas College of the Society from recess to labor and voted unanimously to advance James M. Willson, Jr., to the VIII° and IX° Grades the Society, and Reese L. Harrison, Jr., and Orval R. Rose to the VIII° Grade of the Society.

The High Council appointed James M. Willson, Jr., as Chief Adept Ad Vitam of Texas College, Reese L. Harrison, Jr., as Celebrant of Texas College, and Orval R. Rose as Secretary.

The fee of $75.00 as prescribed in Section 25 of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society was paid for the Charter and the High Council issued two Charters for Texas College. A Charter was issued in the name of Samuel Poyntz Cochran as Chief Adept, since the original Charter had been lost in transit in 1918. The Charter was reissued in the name of James M. Willson, Jr., as Chief Adept on the 20th day of February 1982, in calling the Texas College of the Society from recess to labor. The Charter in the name of Samuel Poyntz Cochran and the Charter in the name of James M. Willson, Jr., both as Chief Adepts, were double framed together, so that both Charters could be displayed together.

Celebrant Reese L. Harrison, Jr., VIII°, was requested by James M. Willson, Jr., to accept the appointment of Chief Adept, IX°, which had been tendered by the Supreme Magus. Celebrant Harrison declined the appointment and requested the Supreme Magus to appoint James M. Willson, Jr., as Chief Adept IX° because James M. Willson, Jr., had become the present-day Samuel Poyntz Cochran of Texas Freemasonry. Celebrant Harrison was then a District Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas serving James M. Willson, Jr., as Grand Master of Masons in Texas.

Beginning in 1982 Fraters in Texas College have been assigned College numbers beginning with No. 36. Fraters and the College number assigned on February 19, 1982 were as follows:

36 Reese L. Harrison, Jr.

37 Orval Richard Rose

38 James McCrorry Willson, Jr.

On March 7, 1982, John E. Jack Kelly was admitted to the VII° and was assigned College No. 39 in Texas College. On May 6, 1982, twenty-six Neophytes or Aspirants were admitted to the VII° in Texas College and were assigned College numbers 40 through 65. The then Secretary General of the High Council, John Philip Berquist, IX°, and the then Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts was present on May for the admission of twenty-six Neophytes into Texas College.

Frater Reese L. Harrison, Jr. was appointed Fourth Ancient of the High Council for four one-year terms from 1994-1998.

Frater James McCrorry Willson, Jr. was elected Supreme Magus of the High Council of the Society for a three-year term and presiding 1995-1998.

The Texas College has continued to meet semi-annually at various Texas locations under the supervision of Chief Adepts James McCrorry Willson (1982-1992), Reese L. Harrison, Jr. (1992-2007), Lawrence Eugene Tucker (2007-2017), M. Boyd Patterson (2017-2018), and Jack M. Harper, II (2018-present). In 2019 Chief Adept Jack M. Harper, II was appointed to the office of Director of Ceremonies in the High Council Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis.