Sagamore of the Wabash
Encyclopedia
The Sagamore of the Wabash is an honorary award created by the state
of Indiana
during the term of Governor Ralph F. Gates
(1945 to 1949). A tri-state meeting was to be held in Louisville
with officials from Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky
. Aides to Gates learned that the governor of Kentucky
was preparing "Kentucky Colonel
" certificates for Gates and Senator
Robert A. Taft, who was representing Ohio. The Indiana delegation decided to create an appropriate award to present in return.
The term sagamore was the term used by Algonquian
-speaking American Indian
tribes of the northeastern United States
for the tribal chief
s. The Wabash
is the "State River" of Indiana and major tributary
of the Ohio River
. Each governor since Gates has presented the certificates in his own way. Until 2006, the award was the highest honor which the Governor of Indiana bestows, a personal tribute usually given to those who rendered distinguished service to the state or to the governor.
Among those who have received Sagamores have been astronauts, presidents
, ambassadors, artists, musicians, politicians, and citizens who have contributed greatly to "Hoosier
" heritage. The Sagamore award has been conferred upon both men and women. There is no official record of the total number presented, as each governor has kept his own roll; just as each has reserved the right to personally select the recipients. Some individuals have received the award more than once; for example, Indiana University
chancellor
Herman B Wells
was so honored six times.
designated another state honor, named the Sachem
Award. He determined it would be awarded to only one person each year. The first recipients were former Purdue University
basketball player John Wooden
(2005 retroactively), and the former president of the University of Notre Dame
, Theodore Hesburgh
(2006).
Announcing the new award, Daniels stated:
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
during the term of Governor Ralph F. Gates
Ralph F. Gates
Ralph Fesler Gates was the 37th Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1945 to 1949. A lawyer and veteran of World War I, he is credited with returning his party to power after the Ku Klux Klan scandal in late 1920s that led to years of Democratic dominance of the state government during the...
(1945 to 1949). A tri-state meeting was to be held in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
with officials from Indiana, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. Aides to Gates learned that the governor of Kentucky
Governor of Kentucky
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of government in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Fifty-six men and one woman have served as Governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once...
was preparing "Kentucky Colonel
Kentucky colonel
Kentucky colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Commissions for Kentucky colonels are given by the Governor and the Secretary of State to individuals in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to a community, state or the nation...
" certificates for Gates and Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Robert A. Taft, who was representing Ohio. The Indiana delegation decided to create an appropriate award to present in return.
The term sagamore was the term used by Algonquian
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
-speaking American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes of the northeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for the tribal chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
s. The Wabash
Wabash
Usually refers to or is related to the Wabash River in the Midwestern United States. Wabash may also refer to:Geographical features:* Wabash, Indiana* Wabash County, Illinois* Wabash County, Indiana* Wabash Valley Seismic ZoneOther:...
is the "State River" of Indiana and major tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. Each governor since Gates has presented the certificates in his own way. Until 2006, the award was the highest honor which the Governor of Indiana bestows, a personal tribute usually given to those who rendered distinguished service to the state or to the governor.
Among those who have received Sagamores have been astronauts, presidents
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, ambassadors, artists, musicians, politicians, and citizens who have contributed greatly to "Hoosier
Hoosier
Hoosier is the official demonym for a resident of the U.S. state of Indiana. Although residents of most U.S. states typically adopt a derivative of the state name, e.g., "Indianan" or "Indianian", natives of Indiana rarely use these. Indiana adopted the nickname "Hoosier State" more than 150...
" heritage. The Sagamore award has been conferred upon both men and women. There is no official record of the total number presented, as each governor has kept his own roll; just as each has reserved the right to personally select the recipients. Some individuals have received the award more than once; for example, Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
Herman B Wells
Herman B Wells
Herman B Wells was the 11th president of Indiana University. He served the university in a variety of capacities, most notably as president and as chancellor. He was pivotal in the development of Indiana University into a world class institution of higher learning.- Early life :Herman B Wells was...
was so honored six times.
Recipients of the Sagamore of the Wabash Award
The Sagamore of the Wabash Award does not have an official list of the number of Sagamore of the Wabash awards presented, but below is a partial list of notable recipients:- Dr. Mike Schatzlein, MD, MBA, 2010
- Thomas McDermottThomas McDermott, Jr.Thomas Matthew McDermott, Jr., is the 20th mayor of Hammond, Indiana, USA, Indiana's 6th largest city. He took office on January 1, 2004, the first elected government office he has held....
, Jr. Democratic Mayor of Hammond, Indiana 2004-Present, 2005 - Robbie L. Floyd, African American, First Female Sheriff's Deputy, Lake County, Indiana, 2004
- Richard T. Doermer, 2004
- David B. Becker: founder, President, and CEO of First Internet Bank, 2004
- Dorothy Runk MennenDorothy Runk MennenDorothy Runk Mennen , was a pioneer in the creation of a voice curriculum for the university training of theatre actors and professional performers...
, 2003 - Herbert A. Pigman, Rotary International General Secretary 1979-1986, 1993 & 2003
- Ellsworth Perin Scott of Madison Indiana, 2001
- Mary Jane Barker Beaman Phillippe, 1991 & 1999
- Len Clark, contribution to broadcasting, 1996
- Robert Sheldon (R. Sheldon) Duecker: 1988 by Gov. Robert Orr; an ordained elder and bishop of The United Methodist Church
- Ryan WhiteRyan WhiteRyan Wayne White was an American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States, after being expelled from middle school because of his infection. A hemophiliac, he became infected with HIV from a contaminated blood treatment and, when diagnosed...
, 1987 - Eugene Gigli, (Gene Gigli): Vietnam Veteran and Civil Servant of Indianapolis, Indiana, 1993
Sachem Award
On March 3, 2006, Governor Mitch DanielsMitch Daniels
Mitchell Elias "Mitch" Daniels, Jr. is the 49th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana. A Republican, he began his first four-year term as governor on January 10, 2005, and was elected to his second term by an 18-point margin on November 4, 2008. Previously, he was the Director of the...
designated another state honor, named the Sachem
Sachem
A sachem[p] or sagamore is a paramount chief among the Algonquians or other northeast American tribes. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms from different Eastern Algonquian languages...
Award. He determined it would be awarded to only one person each year. The first recipients were former Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
basketball player John Wooden
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
(2005 retroactively), and the former president of the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, Theodore Hesburgh
Theodore Hesburgh
The Rev. Theodore Martin Hesburgh, CSC, STD , a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, is President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame. He is the namesake for TIAA-CREF's Hesburgh Award....
(2006).
Announcing the new award, Daniels stated:
"True greatness is rare, and implies more than just accomplishment. Hoosiers believe that character counts, too, that the kind of life you live matters as much as the achievements you’ve racked up. The Sachem will be reserved for those who led by moral example as well as successful action."
Additional awardees
- 2010 - Ralph Trine
- 2009 - Elinor Oström, the Arthur F. Bentley Professor of Political Science at Indiana University, co-founder of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic SciencesNobel Memorial Prize in Economic SciencesThe Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, commonly referred to as the Nobel Prize in Economics, but officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel , is an award for outstanding contributions to the field of economics, generally regarded as one of the...
. - 2008 - James M. Hammond, III, President/CEO, Indiana Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Inc.
- 2007 - PhilanthropistPhilanthropistA philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
Jane Blaffer Owen
See also
- Great FloridiansGreat FloridiansGreat Floridian is a title bestowed upon citizens in the state of Florida by the Florida Department of State. There were actually two formal programs...
- Kentucky colonelKentucky colonelKentucky colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Commissions for Kentucky colonels are given by the Governor and the Secretary of State to individuals in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to a community, state or the nation...
- Nebraska AdmiralNebraska AdmiralNebraska Admiral is Nebraska's highest honor, and an honorary title bestowed upon individuals by approval of the Governor of Nebraska, a landlocked U.S. state. It is not a military rank, requires no duties, and carries with it no pay or other compensation...
- Rhode Island CommodoreRhode Island CommodoreRhode Island Commodore, formally Commodore of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is Rhode Island's highest honor, and an honorary title bestowed upon individuals by approval of the Governor of Rhode Island. It is not a military rank, requires no duties, and carries with it no pay...
- WabashWabashUsually refers to or is related to the Wabash River in the Midwestern United States. Wabash may also refer to:Geographical features:* Wabash, Indiana* Wabash County, Illinois* Wabash County, Indiana* Wabash Valley Seismic ZoneOther:...