in 1927, overcrowding at the university led the philos to agree to vacate their space in college hall in exchange for temporary quarters in houston hall until more class space could be found. houston hall was not an ideal location: space constraints and building policy, especially the 11:30 p.m. curfew, severely limited philo traditions. as a result, society membership decreased, a trend further exacerbated by the outbreak of world war ii, when houston hall was taken over by the u.s. navy of part of its officer training programme, and former philo rooms were requisitioned for storage. the society had dwindled to a single member, hilary putnam, who tried to preserve the philomathean customs and arranged informal meetings in members' apartments. after the war, the society held more formal meetings and grew in membership, but it was not until 1951, under the direction of moderator charles fine ludwig, that the old pre-war customs were revived. ludwig re-acquired the philomathean archives and reintroduced academic attire, consistent meeting minutes, a regular literary exercise, and an official lecture series, among many other philomathean customs. ludwig also established the tradition of philo's graduates, or "senior members", participating in the society's activities and taking an ongoing interest in the welfare of the society.