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Cap and Skull is a senior-year coeducational honor society at
Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
, founded on January 18, 1900. Admission to Cap and Skull is dependent on excellence in
academics An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
,
athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
, the
arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...
, and
public service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...
. The organization considers
leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...
and
character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
as factors for membership. Using these criteria, only 18 new members were selected each year.


History

On January 18, 1900, 10 members of the senior class of
Rutgers College Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
assembled in the
Chi Psi Chi Psi () is a fraternity consisting of active chapters (known as "Alphas") at 33 American colleges and universities. The mission of Chi Psi is to create and maintain an enduring society which encourages the sharing of traditions and values, res ...
Lodge to form the Cap and Skull organization. Drawing inspiration from
Skull and Bones Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...
and
Quill and Dagger Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University. It is often recognized as one of the most prominent societies of its type, along with Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key at Yale University. In 1929, ''The New York Times'' stated ...
, Yale and Cornell's senior class honor societies, Cap and Skull aimed to form a Rutgers honor society. The 10 founders drew up a Cap and Skull constitution and adopted a code of secrecy and the motto, ''
Spectemur agendo Spectemur Agendo is a Latin motto meaning ''Let us be judged by our acts''. Sources It comes originally from Book XIII of Ovid's Metamorphoses where it is attributed to the hero Ajax: ''Denique (quid verbis opus est?) spectemur agendo! '' which is ...
''. To ensure the exclusivity of the organization, selection of a new member required a unanimous vote of the current members. In the first two decades, no more than 80 men joined the organization.


First World War

The 1920s found the college recovering from the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and the Skulls began to reexamine their selection criteria to increase membership. Under the new system, each leadership position and honor on campus was awarded a points value, and students with the highest cumulative value were selected for induction into Cap and Skull. In 1923, in response to the growing student body, the number of members to be tapped each year was fixed at 12 and a tri-fold criteria for selection was established. # Activities, athletic and campus # Scholarship # Character and service to Rutgers


Second World War

With the onset of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, many members of the Rutgers community left college to serve in the military. Only ten members were selected in 1944, and no one was tapped in 1945. In October 1945, members of the administration who were also Cap and Skull members were asked to make nominations for the class of 1946. Cap and Skull resumed the traditional 12-member selection in 1948.


50 year anniversary

On January 31, 1950, an all-day gala celebration was held in honor of Cap and Skull's golden anniversary – the first of the 10-year reunions that are still held today. The golden anniversary celebrated the 440 men selected as members of the society during those first 50 years.


Demise and rebirth

Through the 1960s, sweeping social changes occurred. Organizations such as Cap and Skull, came under scrutiny. In 1969, Cap and Skull graduated its last class. Though Cap and Skull ended in 1969, the alumni of Cap and Skull retained their ties and the underlying need for the organization remained. In 1981,
Rutgers College Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
students again discussed the need for an organization or honor that would recognize leadership contributions made by members of the senior class. Cap and Skull re-emerged in 1982, and a reunion was held to celebrate the tapping of new members.


Centennial 2000

In 2000, the 100th anniversary of Cap and Skull, a large gala event was held and members donated a large endowment for an annual scholarship to Rutgers students. Also in connection with the centennial, a web site was launched and author William B. Brahms, a society member compiled a detailed history with full biographies of all inducted members of the first 100 years. It was privately printed by the society, but is available at the Rutgers University Special Collections and Archives. The history presented here is from Brahms' research.


Current status

Today, Cap and Skull represents many of the diverse organizations on campus and is now composed of undergraduate students from any of the university's reorganized schools. Formerly only members of
Rutgers College Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
(which had become co-educational in 1972) and Rutgers College affiliates from the School of Pharmacy, Engineering, and Mason Gross School of the Arts were tapped. In November 1990, the Cap and Skull Room was formally leased, solidifying Cap and Skull's physical presence on campus. The appointed room features old photographs and several display cases filled with Cap and Skull memorabilia.


Notable members

* Richard H. Askin - CEO of
Tribune Entertainment Tribune Entertainment (formerly Mid-America Video Tape Productions, WGN Continental Productions, Tribune Productions and Tribune Entertainment Company) was a television production and broadcast syndication company owned and operated by Tribune Br ...
and president of
Samuel Goldwyn Television Samuel Goldwyn Television was the American television production/distribution division of The Samuel Goldwyn Company. Formed in 1979 by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., the company's best-known series was the competition series '' American Gladiators'', which ...
* Al Aronowitz - writer, influential behind-the-scenes 1960s culture-broker, friend of Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, Amiri Baraka and George Harrison * Walter W. Austin - CEO of
Raleigh Bicycle Company The Raleigh Bicycle Company is a British bicycle manufacturer based in Nottingham, England and founded by Woodhead and Angois in 1885. Using Raleigh as their brand name, it is one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world. After being acqui ...
* Samuel G. Blackman - first reporter to break the
Lindbergh kidnapping On March 1, 1932, Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. (born June 22, 1930), the 20-month-old son of aviators Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, was abducted from his crib in the upper floor of the Lindberghs' home, Highfields, in East Am ...
story. Held top news-editing position with the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
* John Joseph "Jack" Byrne Jr. - chairman and GEO of GEICO, which he pulled from the brink of insolvency in the mid-1970s, later served as chairman and CEO of
White Mountains Insurance Group White Mountains Insurance Group is a diversified insurance and related financial services holding company based in Hamilton, Bermuda. Redomiciled from Delaware, United States, on October 25, 1999, the company conducts most of its business throu ...
, formerly (Fund American Enterprises, Inc.), chairman of the board of
Overstock.com Overstock.com, Inc. is an American internet retailer selling primarily furniture headquartered in Midvale, Utah, near Salt Lake City. Businessman Patrick M. Byrne founded Overstock.com in 1999. The company initially sold exclusively surplus and ...
2005-06 * Clifford P. Case - member,
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...
*
Jay Chiat Jay Chiat (October 25, 1931 – April 23, 2002) started his career as an American advertising copywriter. Biography Chiat was born to a Jewish family in the Bronx in New York City and grew up in Fort Lee, New Jersey. He attended Rutgers Colle ...
- founder of
TBWA\Chiat\Day TBWA\Chiat\Day ( ) is the American division of the advertising agency TBWA Worldwide. Created in the 1995 merger of TBWA and Chiat/Day, the agency operates offices in Los Angeles, New York City, Nashville, and Mexico City. Prior to the merger, ...
advertising * Stanley N. Cohen - pioneer of gene splicing * Robert Cooke - first researcher to identify
antihistamines Antihistamines are drugs which treat allergic rhinitis, common cold, influenza, and other allergies. Typically, people take antihistamines as an inexpensive, generic (not patented) drug that can be bought without a prescription and provides re ...
* James Dale - litigant in the noted 2000
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
case '' Boy Scouts of America v. Dale'' * Richard M. Hale, founder, CEO and chairman of Halecrest, major supporter of
Rutgers Scarlet Knights The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent Rutgers University's New Brunswick campus. In sports, Rutgers is famously known for being the "Birthplace of College Football", hosting the first ever intercollegiate football ...
, namesake of the Hale Center Football Complex at Rutgers *
Homer Hazel Homer Howard "Pop" Hazel (June 2, 1895 – February 3, 1968) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Rutgers University in 1916 and again from 1923 to 1924. Considered an outstanding punter, kicker, and passer, he ...
"Pop Hazel" - All-American football star and member of the College Football Hall of Fame * William Arthur "Billy" Hillpot - radio comedian, singer. Half of "Hillpot and Lambert" with Harold
Scrappy Lambert Harold "Scrappy" Lambert (May 12, 1901 – November 30, 1987, in New Brunswick, New Jersey) was an American Big band, dance band vocalist who appeared on hundreds of recordings from the 1920s to the 1940s. At Rutgers University he was a cheer ...
a.k.a. "The Smith Brothers", vocalist on the 1927 hit "Ain't She Sweet" recorded under
Ben Bernie Benjamin Anzelwitz, known professionally as Ben Bernie (May 30, 1891 – October 23, 1943),DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. ...
. * Franklyn A. Johnson - president of three universities, including
Jacksonville University Jacksonville University (JU) is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida. Located in the city's Arlington district, the school was founded in 1934 as a two-year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College until September 5, 1956, ...
* Robert E. Kelley - highly decorated and youngest
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
in USAF history; superintendent of the
United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and U ...
, 1981–1983 * Herbert Klein - member,
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
*
George Kojac George Harold Kojac (March 2, 1910 – May 28, 1996) was an American competition swimming (sport), swimmer, two-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in two events. Kojac represented the United States at the 1928 Summer Olympics ...
- member of
International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the s ...
, gold medalist in swimming at the 1928 Summer Olympics * Norman M. Ledgin - journalist, author, ''Diagnosing Jefferson''; ''Asperger's and Self-Esteem''; ''The Jayhawker''. * Robert E. Lloyd - professional basketball player with the
New York Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
, CEO Mindscape, chairman of the V Foundation for cancer research, which honors the memory of his former Rutgers backcourt teammate, Jim "
Jimmy V James Thomas Anthony Valvano (March 10, 1946 – April 28, 1993), nicknamed Jimmy V, was an American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. Valvano had a successful coaching career with multiple schools, most notably at North Caroli ...
" Valvano * T. David Mazzarella - editor of ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
'', president of Gannett International. *
Anne Milgram Anne Melissa Milgram (born December 1, 1970) is an American attorney and academic who serves as the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Milgram was previously the 57th Attorney General of New Jersey from 2007 to 2010. Early ...
-
attorney general of New Jersey The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited ...
and first assistant attorney general of New Jersey *
Charles Molnar Charles Edwin Molnar (1935–1996) was a co-developer of one of the first minicomputers, the LINC (Laboratory Instrument Computer), while a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1962. His collaborator was Wesley ...
- inventor of the
personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...
—LINC (acknowledged as the 1st personal computer by
IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operat ...
) * David A. Morse - director-general of ILO who accepted the
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...
in 1969 on behalf of the ILO * Robert Nash, "Nasty Nash" - the first football player traded in the NFL and the first captain of the New York Giants *
Ozzie Nelson Oswald George Nelson (March 20, 1906 – June 3, 1975) was an American actor, director, producer, screenwriter, musician, composer, conductor and bandleader. He originated and starred in '' The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'', a radio and te ...
- the man who defined the family television sitcom genre with ''
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...
'' * Richard Newcomb - best-selling author of ''Iwo Jima!'' , ''Abandon Ship!'' and other works. *
Randal Pinkett Randal D. Pinkett (born 1971) is an American business consultant who in 2005 was the winner of season four of the reality television show ''The Apprentice''. Pinkett is the first African American to win the US version of ''The Apprentice''. Wit ...
- president and CEO of BCT Partners, winner of ''The Apprentice'' 4 *
Rebecca Quick Rebecca "Becky" Quick (born July 18, 1972) is an American television journalist/newscaster and co- anchorwoman of CNBC's financial news shows ''Squawk Box'' and '' On the Money''. Biography Early life Quick grew up in Indiana, Ohio, Texas, an ...
- anchor for
CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
Squawk Box, played a crucial role in launch of ''The Wall Street Journal'' online. * Rey Ramsey - American social justice entrepreneur, author. CEO of
One Economy One Economy Corporation is a Washington, D.C. based, global, nonprofit organization that uses the power of technology to connect underserved, low-income communities around the world to vital online information and resources. Founded in 2000, One ...
, a multi-national nonprofit that brings broadband to low-income homes and provides a multilingual web portal called The Beehive, which has over 9 million users. * Roland Renne - president of Montana State University-Bozeman for 21 years. *
Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplish ...
- singer, lawyer, athlete, actor, activist, member of the College Football Hall of Fame * Austin W. Scott - professor at Harvard Law School for more than 50 years and president of the
Association of American Law Schools The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), formed in 1900, is a non-profit organization of 176 law schools in the United States. An additional 19 schools pay a fee to receive services but are not members. AALS incorporated as a 501(c)(3) n ...
. *
John Scudder John Scudder may refer to: * John Scudder (builder) (1815–1869), American builder * John Scudder (physician) (1889–1971), American physician and blood specialist * John Scudder Sr. (1793–1855), American medical missionary to India * John ...
- physician and research pioneer in the field of blood storage and replacement * Joseph Siry -
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
chief scientist *
Walter Spence Walter Percy Spence (March 3, 1901 – October 16, 1958) was a swimmer from British Guiana (present-day Guyana) who competed for Canada in the 1928 Summer Olympics and 1932 Summer Olympics. He immigrated to the United States and held seve ...
- member of International Swimming Hall of Fame. In his first year of competitive swimming (1925), he broke five world records. * Dick Standish - anchor and reporter on television and radio at KYW-TV in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
. * Owen Ullman Sr. - news editor of ''
BusinessWeek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
'' magazine, chief economic correspondent with
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
, noted
White House correspondent The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the president of the United States. The WHCA was founded on February 25, 1914, by journalists in response to an unfounded rumor t ...
, deputy managing editor of news ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
'' * Franklyn Van Houten - paleolimnologist after whom the
Late Triassic The Late Triassic is the third and final epoch of the Triassic Period in the geologic time scale, spanning the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Middle Triassic Epoch and followed by the Early Jurassic Epoch. ...
-
Early Jurassic The Early Jurassic Epoch (geology), Epoch (in chronostratigraphy corresponding to the Lower Jurassic series (stratigraphy), Series) is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic Period. The Early Jurassic starts immediately after the Triassic-J ...
cyclic deposit patterns in lakes were named "Van Houten cycles"; and the name given to the fossilized remains of the smallest known mammal to have ever lived ('' Batodonoides vanhouteni''), which were found in a limestone formation that he had earlier named and studied.National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
Accessed August 22, 2008.


See also

*
Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
*
Rutgers University student organizations Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...


References


External links

*
Article by Jason Gottlieb, C&S Class of 1994

1912 ''The New York Times'' article
on Cap and Skull inductees for the year.

''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
''. {{Authority control Student societies in the United States Honor societies Rutgers University Student organizations established in 1900 1900 establishments in New Jersey