In fall 1987 the Stewards issued a letter detailing campus traditions to the incoming Freshman class; the letter included an image of a key, the society's logo. In February 1988, the First Stewards Society was publicized when it announced the members had disbanded. The group at the time was an all male society made up of students in leadership positions and advised by Rev. Joseph T. Durkin. Following this, a number of the former members abdicated their leadership positions, including the student government president and the editor-in-chief for The Hoya, due to a large amount of student backlash. John Courtin, an executive director for the Georgetown Alumni Association claimed to have been aware of the group but only claimed to have limited participation. Internal documents from the Stewards would refer to this period of time as "The Great Unpleasantness."
