The history of the Yale University landscape is often characterized by its Gothic spires and the cloistered nature of its senior societies; however, few organizations occupy a space as unique as the Aurelian Honor Society. Established in 1910, the society was born from a desire to bridge the gap between the disparate factions of the student body, specifically within the Sheffield Scientific School. While it began with an aim for transparency and university service, the passage of time and its inclusion among the "landed" societies of New Haven have imbued it with the same aura of mystery that surrounds its peers like Skull and Bones or Scroll and Key. This book explores the objective history of Aurelian, tracing its evolution from an honor-bound collective to a fixture of the Yale social elite.

The organization was originally conceived by Lindell T. Bates and Loomis Havemeyer, two seniors who recognized that the fragmentation of the student body hindered the potential for unified leadership. At the time, the Sheffield Scientific School was separate from the Academic College, and its Greek system often fostered divisiveness. The Aurelian Honor Society was intended to be an antidote to this tribalism; it sought to gather the most capable seniors together regardless of their fraternity affiliations. By focusing on seven core areas of excellence, Scientific, Athletic, Literary, Oratorical, Executive, Scholarship, and Religious, the founders hoped to create a "single body radiating light" across the entire university.