Sagamore Honor Society
Encyclopedia
The Sagamore Society is the most exclusive honor society for men at Washburn University
. Sagamore is not as controversial or as secretive as Yale's Skull and Bones
but its members are known to include a governor, a member of Congress, two Army generals, and several judges, doctors and corporate CEOs.
The Society was conceived in 1911-12 by six students Cecil Lowe, Ralph Lemon, Warren J. Crumbine, Rees Hughes, Ben Franklin, and Henry O'Brien along with faculty advisor Professor Frederick L. Foster. Foster and Washburn president F.K. Sanders were the first honorary members. In the early years, membership was confined to six new men each spring but over the years as the University has grown the limit has expanded to 18. Sagamore selects members who exemplify the values of community/university service, leadership, scholarship and good moral character. Sagamore also selects a limited number of honorary members who have in the same spirit made outstanding contributions to the university community. Since 1912, just over 1,000 members, called braves, have been accepted into the organization’s circle.
According to the group’s website, Sagamore was organized by student leaders to promote the University's welfare by emphasizing superior intellectual, social and moral values in student life. The society’s purpose is twofold: first, to promote the general good of Washburn University by emphasizing high intellectual, social and moral standards in student life; and second, to bind together men who accept leadership in these matters.
Sagamore and NONOSO, the honor society for women at Washburn, donated a fountain to the school in 1968. The Sagamore - NONOSO Fountain was dedicated in 1968 and is located in front of White Concert Hall. To raise funds for the project, the groups conducted several events including an auction and talent show.
Washburn University
Washburn University is a co-educational, public institution of higher learning in Topeka, Kansas, USA. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,400 undergraduate students and...
. Sagamore is not as controversial or as secretive as Yale's Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
but its members are known to include a governor, a member of Congress, two Army generals, and several judges, doctors and corporate CEOs.
The Society was conceived in 1911-12 by six students Cecil Lowe, Ralph Lemon, Warren J. Crumbine, Rees Hughes, Ben Franklin, and Henry O'Brien along with faculty advisor Professor Frederick L. Foster. Foster and Washburn president F.K. Sanders were the first honorary members. In the early years, membership was confined to six new men each spring but over the years as the University has grown the limit has expanded to 18. Sagamore selects members who exemplify the values of community/university service, leadership, scholarship and good moral character. Sagamore also selects a limited number of honorary members who have in the same spirit made outstanding contributions to the university community. Since 1912, just over 1,000 members, called braves, have been accepted into the organization’s circle.
According to the group’s website, Sagamore was organized by student leaders to promote the University's welfare by emphasizing superior intellectual, social and moral values in student life. The society’s purpose is twofold: first, to promote the general good of Washburn University by emphasizing high intellectual, social and moral standards in student life; and second, to bind together men who accept leadership in these matters.
Sagamore and NONOSO, the honor society for women at Washburn, donated a fountain to the school in 1968. The Sagamore - NONOSO Fountain was dedicated in 1968 and is located in front of White Concert Hall. To raise funds for the project, the groups conducted several events including an auction and talent show.
Notable Members and Year of Initiation
Through the years the members of Sagamore have gone on to distinguish themselves further enhancing group's reputation. The organization's members include a governor, a member of Congress, two Army generals, and several judges, doctors and corporate CEOs.- 1913 - Brig Gen Howard S. SearleBrig Gen Howard S. SearleBrigadier General Howard Sanford Searle was responsible for rebuilding the Kansas Army National Guard after World War II and leading the response to two major natural disasters, the Great Flood in Kansas City in 1951 and the tornado that destroyed much of Udall, Kansas in 1955.-Biography:Searle...
- Assistant Division Commander, 35th Infantry Division - 1913 - David Neiswanger - President of Neiswanger Co. Inc., a real estate firm; President of the Topeka Chamber of Commerce; Instrumental in bringing Forbes Field, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and the Veterans Administration Hospital to Topeka; Chairman of the Washburn University Board of TrusteesWashburn UniversityWashburn University is a co-educational, public institution of higher learning in Topeka, Kansas, USA. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,400 undergraduate students and...
; Chairman of Menninger FoundationMenninger FoundationThe Menninger Foundation was founded in 1919 by the Menninger family in Topeka, Kansas, and consists of a clinic, a sanatorium, and a school of psychiatry, all of which bear the Menninger name. In 2003, the Menninger Clinic moved to Houston. The foundation was started by Drs. Karl, Will, and... - 1916 - Colonel Harwood O. Benton – Recipient of the Distinguished Service CrossDistinguished Service Cross (United States)The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
in World War I - 1917 - Brig Gen Arthur S. ChampenyArthur S. ChampenyBrigadier General Arthur Seymour Champeny is the only American to earn the Distinguished Service Cross in three different wars...
– Only man in U.S. history to receive the Distinguished Service CrossDistinguished Service Cross (United States)The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
in three separate conflicts (World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and KoreaKorean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
) - 1918 - William Menninger, MD - Co-Founder of the Menninger Clinic
- 1922 - Howard B. Myers, PhDHoward B. MyersHoward B. Myers, PhD was an American statistician and economist who held executive posts with several agencies during the New Deal. His work was key in developing the techniques used to measure unemployment....
- Statistician and economist who developed the technique for measuring unemployment, served in senior positions in several New DealNew DealThe New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
agencies - 1928 - Judge Raymond A. Trapp - District Court Judge, Kay County, OklahomaKay County, OklahomaKay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 48,080. Its county seat is Newkirk. The largest city in Kay County is Ponca City.-19th century:...
- 1928 - Justice Henry F. MasonHenry F. MasonHenry F. Mason was a politician and justice of the Kansas Supreme Court.-Biography:Mason was born Henry Freeman Mason on February 17, 1860 to Lemuel and Lucy Mason in Racine, Wisconsin, United States. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1881...
- Kansas Supreme Court Justice - 1929 - Warren W. ShawWarren W. ShawWarren W. Shaw was a judge, a member of U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower's staff during World War II, a representative in the Kansas House of Representatives and the 1956 Republican nominee for Kansas governor....
- Member of the Kansas House of RepresentativesKansas House of RepresentativesThe Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
(1951–1957); Candidate for Kansas Governor (1956); member of the Washburn Athletic Hall of Fame - 1930 - Judge Ozell M. TraskOzell Miller TraskOzell Miller Trask was a United States federal judge.Born in Wakita, Oklahoma, Trask received an A.B. from Washburn College in 1931 where he was a member of the Kansas Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta and initiated into Sagamore, Washburn's most exclusive honor society. Trask was a finalist for...
- Appointed by President Nixon as a Federal Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (1969–1984) - 1936 - Delbert Roskam - President of Cessna Aircraft (1964–1975)
- 1937 - Justice Alex M. Fromme - Kansas Supreme CourtKansas Supreme CourtThe Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Lawton Nuss, the Court supervises the legal profession, administers over the judicial branch, and serves as the state court of last resort in the appeals...
(1966–1982), former president of the Kansas Bar AssociationKansas Bar AssociationThe Kansas Bar Association is a voluntary, non-profit bar association for the state of Kansas with the headquarters located at 12th and Harrison St. in Topeka. The KBA has approximately 7,000 members and was founded in 1882.- Membership :... - 1942 - John F. Kilmartin, Jr.John F. KilmartinJohn Francis “Jack” Kilmartin, Jr. was the chief executive officer of Mervyn’s Department Stores.-Family and Education:...
- Former chairman and CEO of Mervyn's Department StoresMervynsMervyns was an American middle scale department store chain based in Hayward, California. It carried national brands of clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, and housewares. Many of the company's stores were in shopping malls...
(1978–1986) - 1947 - Terry McAdam - Beloved Washburn mathematics and statistics professor, recipient of the University's Distinguished Service Award, author of "Very Much Alive" (1955) describing his life as a paraplegic
- 1948 - Judge E. Newton Vickers - Kansas district courtKansas District CourtsThe Kansas District Courts are the state trial courts of general jurisdiction in the U.S. state of Kansas. The Courts have original jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases, and jury trials are held in the Courts...
judge (1962–1992), probate and juvenile court judge (1956–1962) - 1957 - Merle Blair – "Voice of Washburn Sports" (1961–1981); Chairman, Washburn Board of Regents; president and CEO of Topeka Area Chamber of Commerce; Member of the Washburn Athletics Hall of Fame
- 1957 - Judge Jan Leuenberger - District Court Judge, Shawnee County, KansasShawnee County, KansasShawnee County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. Its most populous city, Topeka, is the state capital and county seat. The county's population was 177,934 for the 2010 census...
- 1958 - Arthur J. Carruth, JrArthur J. Carruth, JrArthur J. Carruth, Jr. was a leading newspaperman and civic leader in Kansas for more than five decades.-Education:...
- Kansas Newspaperman and chairman of the Washburn Board of Regents (1941-1962) - 1959 - Franklin K. "Buzz" Crews – Chief Investment Officer, Beech Aircraft
- 1960 - Karl Menninger, MDKarl MenningerKarl Augustus Menninger , was an American psychiatrist and a member of the famous Menninger family of psychiatrists who founded the Menninger Foundation and the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas.- Biography :...
- Co-founder of the Menninger Clinic - 1960 - James S. Maag - Kansas House of RepresentativesKansas House of RepresentativesThe Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
(1969–1976) - 1961 - Daniel A. Holt - Former director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum
- 1964 - George Greenwood - Chairman of the Board, Topeka Savings Association
- 1973 - J. Anthony Ware, MD - Vice president, cardiovascular research, Eli Lilly and CompanyEli Lilly and CompanyEli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
; formerly the Olson professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of MedicineAlbert Einstein College of MedicineAlbert Einstein College of Medicine is a graduate school of Yeshiva University. It is a not-for-profit, private, nonsectarian medical school located on the Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus in the Morris Park neighborhood of the borough of the Bronx of New York City... - 1973 - Dr. Charles S. Joss
- 1976 - John H. Stauffer, Jr. - Chairman and CEO of Title Midwest, Inc.
- 1977 - Arthur A. Fletcher - Chairman of the National Black Chamber of CommerceNational Black Chamber of CommerceThe National Black Chamber of Commerce was incorporated in 1993 by Harry Alford and Kay DeBow, who in 2011 continue as President/CEO and Executive Vice President, respectively. Harry Alford is also a Board member of the United States Chamber of Commerce. It is organized as a 5013 corporation and...
, former director of the United States Commission on Civil RightsUnited States Commission on Civil RightsThe U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is historically a bipartisan, independent commission of the U.S. federal government charged with the responsibility for investigating, reporting on, and making recommendations concerning civil rights issues that face the nation.-Commissioners:The Commission is...
and the former executive director of the United Negro College FundUnited Negro College FundThe United Negro College Fund is an American philanthropic organization that fundraises college tuition money for black students and general scholarship funds for 39 private historically black colleges and universities. The UNCF was incorporated on April 25, 1944 by Frederick D. Patterson , Mary... - 1980 - Justice Harold S. HerdHarold S. HerdHarold Shields Herd was a Kansas Supreme Court justice , minority leader in the Kansas State Senate , mayor of Coldwater, Kansas and an officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II....
– Kansas Supreme CourtKansas Supreme CourtThe Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Lawton Nuss, the Court supervises the legal profession, administers over the judicial branch, and serves as the state court of last resort in the appeals... - 1981 - Jack H. Brier - Kansas Secretary of State (1978–1987)
- 1982 – Jim SlatteryJim SlatteryJames Charles Slattery is an American politician and was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from Kansas.- Early life and career :...
- Kansas House of RepresentativesKansas House of RepresentativesThe Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
(1973–1979); U.S. Representative from 2nd District of Kansas (1983–95); Candidate for Kansas Governor (1994), Candidate for U.S. Senate (2008) - 1982 - Greg BrennemanGreg BrennemanGregory D. Brenneman is the Chairman of CCMP Capital, a private equity firm. Most recently, Brenneman had served as president and CEO of CCMP-owned Quiznos Sub, a fast-food sandwich chain. Brenneman also serves on the board of directors of The Home Depot, Inc...
- Chairman of CCMP Capital, a private equity firm; former president and CEO Quiznos Subs, member of the boards of The Home DepotThe Home DepotThe Home Depot is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services.The Home Depot operates 2,248 big-box format stores across the United States , Canada , Mexico and China, with a 12-store chain...
and Automatic Data ProcessingAutomatic Data ProcessingAutomatic Data Processing, Inc. Automatic Data Processing, Inc. with about $10 billion in revenues and approximately 545,000 clients, is a provider of business outsourcing solutions. ADP offers a range of human resource, payroll, tax and benefits administration solutions...
, former President and Chief Executive Officer of PwC ConsultingPricewaterhouseCoopersPricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
, former CEO of the Burger KingBurger KingBurger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
corporation, former President and COO of Continental AirlinesContinental AirlinesContinental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
, former partner Bain and Company - 1982 - Alfred M. Landon - Governor of KansasGovernor of KansasThe Governor of the State of Kansas is the head of state for the State of Kansas, United States. Under the Kansas Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Kansas executive branch, of the government of Kansas. The Governor is the...
(1933–1937), Republican nominee for president (1936) - 1984 - Ken Calwell - Chief marketing officer of Wendy's InternationalWendy's InternationalWendy's International, Inc. is the parent company of Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers. It also owns 70 percent of Cafe Express. The Tim Hortons chain was spun off by Wendy's into a separate company in September 2006. The Baja Fresh chain was sold in October 2006. On September 15, 2008, the...
, former executive vice president of Domino's PizzaDomino's PizzaDomino's Pizza, Inc. is an international pizza delivery corporation headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America. Founded in 1960, Domino's is the second-largest pizza chain in the United States and has over 9,000 corporate and franchised stores in 60 countries and all 50 U.S.... - 1985 - Harry J. Middleton, Jr. - Executive director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library
- 1987 - Mike Racy - Vice president, National Collegiate Athletic AssociationNational Collegiate Athletic AssociationThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
, head of Division II athletics - 1988 - Emergy Fager - Founder and Chairman of the Board, CoreFirst Bank & TrustCoreFirst Bank & TrustCoreFirst Bank & Trust is a community bank headquartered in Topeka, Kansas. Commerce Bank & Trust changed its name to CoreFirst Bank & Trust in order to differentiate itself from other Commerce Banks, both in Kansas and nationwide. Since the name change, CoreFirst has operated under three...
- 1993 - Jack Dicus - Chairman of Capitol Federal
- 2009 - Garret Love - Kansas State Senator, Rhodes Scholar nominee
External links
- Sagamore Society - official website
- List of Sagamore Members (as of 2002) - the list of Sagamore members published on the University's website