According to Calkins, transportation barriers kept the board laden with East Coast-based members. During Harvard's first three centuries, it would have been impossible for someone outside the Northeast to make it to a meeting every two weeks. The introduction of airplanes changed all that.

But even today, most of the Corporation members hug the Atlantic coast, working in Washington, D.C. or New York City.

Religious diversity is another consideration. Calkins recalls that about 30 years ago, the Corporation was excited about appointing its first Jewish member.

They were more than a little surprised when they discovered that John Blum, their new member, was Episcopalian. It was not until the second half of the 20th century that the Corporation actually included a Jewish Fellow--former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Henry Rosovsky '53.

Houghton emphasizes that whatever members' backgrounds are, the decisions of the body are made "as one."

Former President of the Board of Overseers Charlotte P. Armstrong calls the group "a very close-knit body."

"They have to look for congeniality among themselves," she says. "You're seeking a range of experience, and wanting people who will speak up and ask questions. In many ways, it's very like a corporate board. You don't just take everything for granted. That's really the essence of it."