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The Sagamore of the Wabash is an honorary award created by the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
during the term of
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Ralph F. Gates Ralph Fesler Gates (February 24, 1893 - July 28, 1978) was an American politician who served as 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 pow ...
, who served from 1945 to 1949. A tri-state meeting was to be held in
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
with officials from Indiana,
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
and
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
. Aides to Gates learned that the
governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two 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-el ...
was preparing "
Kentucky Colonel Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and is the most well-known of a number of honorary colonelcies conferred by United States governors. A Kentucky Colonel Commission (the certificate) i ...
" certificates for Gates and
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
Robert A. Taft Robert Alphonso Taft Sr. (September 8, 1889 – July 31, 1953) was an American politician, lawyer, and scion of the Republican Party's Taft family. Taft represented Ohio in the United States Senate, briefly served as Senate Majority Leade ...
, 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 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
for the
tribal chief A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as ...
s. The Wabash is the "State River" of Indiana and major
tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of the
Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
. 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 most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
, ambassadors, artists, musicians, politicians and citizens who have contributed greatly to
Hoosier Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate, but "Hoosier" was in general use by the 1840s, having been popularized by Richmond resident John Finley's 1833 poem "T ...
heritage. 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, current Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb has received the award twice and
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...
chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
Herman B Wells Herman B Wells (June 7, 1902 – March 18, 2000), a native of Boone County, Indiana, was the eleventh president of Indiana University Bloomington and its first university chancellor. He was pivotal in the transformation of Indiana Universit ...
was 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 several notable individuals have received the award: *
Harold Zisla Harold Zisla (June 28, 1925 – March 18, 2016) was an American abstract expressionist painter and art educator. In 1968 he became the founding chair of the Fine Arts Department at Indiana University South Bend, where he taught until his retiremen ...
, 1985, by Gov. Robert D. Orr; abstract expressionist painter and arts educator *
Ryan White Ryan Wayne White (December 6, 1971 – April 8, 1990) was an American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States after his school barred him from attending classes following a diagn ...
, 1987 by Gov. Robert Orr; American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States * John Gregg, 1989, 1996, 2002 and 2003 Democratic Speaker of the Indiana House from 1996 to 2003 *
Tommy John Thomas Edward John Jr. (born May 22, 1943), nicknamed "The Bionic Man," is an American retired professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 26 seasons between 1963 and 1989. He played for the Cleveland Indians, ...
, 1989 by Gov.
Evan Bayh Birch Evans Bayh III ( ; born December 26, 1955) is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Indiana from 1999 to 2011 and the 46th governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997. Bayh ...
, 288-game winner in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
and first pitcher to have
Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...
*
John Morton-Finney John Morton-Finney (June 25, 1889 – January 28, 1998) was an American civil rights activist, lawyer, and educator who earned eleven academic degrees, including five law degrees. He spent most of his career as an educator and lawyer after serv ...
, 1990 by Gov. Evan Bayh *
Bob Kevoian Robert James "Bob" Kevoian (born December 2, 1950) is a retired American radio host of the nationally syndicated radio show ''The Bob & Tom Show'' together with his partner, Tom Griswold. The show is broadcast from WFBQ's studios in Indianapolis ...
and
Tom Griswold Thomas "Tom" Bruce Griswold (born April 22, 1953) co-hosts the radio show ''The Bob & Tom Show'' together with Chick McGee, Kristi Lee, and Josh Arnold. Co-host Bob Kevoian retired at the end of 2015. This comedy-based early morning program is ...
, 1994 and 2008 * Patricia Roy, 1994 by Governor Evan Bayh; Indiana High School Athletics Association, Assistant Commissioner. *
Arie Luyendyk Arie Luijendijk (anglicised as Arie Luyendyk; born 21 September 1953), nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman," is a Dutch former auto racing driver, and winner of the 1990 and 1997 Indianapolis 500 races. He was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Spe ...
, 1999 by Gov. Frank O’Bannon; 1990 and 1997
Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
winner *
Bob Chase Bob Chase (born Robert Donald Wallenstein, January 22, 1926 – November 24, 2016) was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play for the Fort Wayne Komets hockey games. For 63 seasons, Chase called the action on ...
, 2001 by Gov. Frank O'Bannon;
Fort Wayne Komets The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League, the original Inte ...
play-by-play broadcaster. *
Mir Masoom Ali Mir Masoom Ali (born February 1, 1937) is a Bangladeshi American statistician, Distinguished Professor, educator, researcher and author. He migrated to the United States in 1969 and became a naturalized citizen in 1981. Ali founded the graduate a ...
, 2002 by Gov. Frank O'Bannon;
Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...
George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Statistics * Dorothy Runk Mennen, 2003 *
Thomas McDermott Jr. Thomas Matthew McDermott Jr. (born March 4, 1969) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Indiana serving as the 20th mayor of Hammond, Indiana. He took office on January 1, 2004, the first elected government office he has held ...
, 2005; Democratic Mayor of Hammond, Indiana (2004–Present) *
Mike Delph Michael A. Delph (born January 12, 1970) is a former Republican member of the Indiana State Senate representing the 29th district from 2005 to 2018. He is considered to be a "socially conservative Republican," who has courted support from the Te ...
, January 2005; Indiana State Senator (December 2005 – present) *
Martin C. Jischke Martin Charles Jischke (JIS-key) (born August 7, 1941) is a prominent American higher-education administrator and advocate, and was the tenth president of Purdue University. Dr. Jischke has served as chairman and board member of the National A ...
, 2007 by Governor Mitch Daniels; 10th president of
Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
(2000–2007) *
David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...
, 2007 by Gov. Mitch Daniels; comedian and television host *
Jeff Gordon Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, who is the Vice Chairman for Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick M ...
, 2015 by Governor Mike Pence, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014 Brickyard 400 Winner * Donald Davidson, 2016 by Governor Mike Pence, chief historian of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and host of The talk of Gasoline Alley. *
Seema Verma Seema Verma (born September 26, 1970) is an American health policy consultant and former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the Donald Trump administration. During her tenure, she was involved in efforts to repeal ...
, 2016 by Governor Mike Pence *
Adam Vinatieri Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Considered one of the greatest ...
, 2017 by Governor Eric Holcomb; placekicker for the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
(2006–2019) *
John Stehr John Stehr (born August 20, 1958, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), is a former American television journalist. He is currently running for Mayor of Zionsville, Indiana, where municipal elections will be held in 2023. He retired as full-time lead ancho ...
, 2018 by Governor Eric Holcomb; retired television journalist, anchor for
WTHR WTHR (channel 13) is a television station in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside low-power, Class A MeTV affiliate WALV-CD (channel 46). Both stations share studios on North Meridian S ...
in Indianapolis (1995-2019) * Robin Miller, 2021 by Governor Eric Holcomb


Sachem Award

In 2005,
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Mitch Daniels Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. (born April 7, 1949) is an American academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician. A Republican, Daniels served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. Since 2013, Daniels has been pr ...
designated another state honor, named the
Sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Al ...
Award. He determined it would be awarded to only one person each year. It is Indiana's highest honor, and a plaque listing recipients is posted on the first floor of the
Indiana Statehouse The Indiana Statehouse is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of Indiana. It houses the Indiana General Assembly, the office of the Governor of Indiana, the Indiana Supreme Court, and other state officials. The Statehouse is located in ...
. It was first introduced in 1970 by Governor Edgar Whitcomb. * 2005:
John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in a 12-year period as head ...
, former
Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
basketball player and college coach * 2006:
Theodore Hesburgh Theodore Martin Hesburgh, CSC (May 25, 1917 – February 26, 2015) was a native of Syracuse, New York, who became an ordained priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross and is best known for his service as the president of the University of No ...
, former president of the
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
* 2007:
Jane Blaffer Owen Jane Blaffer Owen (April 18, 1915 – June 21, 2010) was a patron of the arts, author, and heir to the Humble Oil fortune (a predecessor of Exxon-Mobil). She and her husband, Kenneth Dale Owen, helped resettle the community of New Harmony, Indiana ...
, in recognition of her philanthropic efforts in historic preservation and the arts * 2008: Bill Gaither and
Gloria Gaither Gloria Gaither (born March 4, 1942) is a Christian singer-songwriter, author, speaker, editor, and academic. She is married to Bill Gaither and together they have written more than 700 songs. She performed, traveled and recorded with the Bill Ga ...
, musicians * 2009: Donald C. Danielson, New Castle business and civic leader * 2010:
Carl Erskine Carl Daniel Erskine (born December 13, 1926) is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 through 1959. He was a pitching mainstay on Dodger team ...
, former
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player * 2011: William A. Cook, entrepreneur, philanthropist and historic preservationist, co-founded the medical equipment manufacturer Cook Group * 2012: Ian M. Rolland, former chairman and CEO of Lincoln National Corp. * 2013: Don Wolf, former President and CEO of Do-It Best Corporation based in Fort Wayne, Indiana * 2014: P. E. McAllister, President of MacAllister Machinery and former chairman of the Indianapolis Capital Improvements Board * 2015: Amos Brown, a radio broadcaster who was a fierce defender and leader in the African-American community of Indianapolis * 2017:
Eva Mozes Kor Eva Mozes Kor (January 31, 1934 – July 4, 2019) was a Romanian-born American survivor of the Holocaust. Along with her twin sister Miriam, Kor was subjected to human experimentation under the direction of SS Doctor Josef Mengele at the Ausch ...
,
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
survivor and founder of CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center * 2018: Sammy L. Davis, Vietnam veteran and recipient of the
Congressional Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. T ...
* 2019: George Rapp, orthopedic surgeon and pioneering inventor of hip prostheses * 2020: Reginald O. Jones Sr., Hoosier businessman, community leader and mentor * 2021: James T. Morris, civic leader, global ambassador, and advocate for youth


Contents of the award

When a Sagamore of the Wabash is given to a recipient it is accompanied by other artifacts. It's uncertain if the contents of the award vary by year or by recipient. The gallery below shows the contents of a specific award given on January 9, 2005. File:Sagamore of the Wabash - Folder.jpg, Folder File:Sagamore of the Wabash - Definition Letter.jpg, Definition Letter File:Sagamore of the Wabash - Certificate Letter.jpg, Certificate Letter File:Sagamore of the Wabash - Lapel Pin.jpg, Lapel Pin


See also

*
Great Floridians Great Floridian is a title bestowed upon citizens in the state of Florida by the Florida Department of State. There were actually two formal programs. The Great Floridian 2000 program honored deceased individuals who made "significant contribution ...
*
Kentucky Colonel Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and is the most well-known of a number of honorary colonelcies conferred by United States governors. A Kentucky Colonel Commission (the certificate) i ...
*
Nebraska Admiral Nebraska Admiral (formally, Admiral in the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska) is the state of Nebraska's highest civic honor, and an honorary title bestowed upon individuals by approval of the Governor of Nebraska, a triply landlocked U.S. s ...
*
Rhode Island Commodore Rhode Island Commodore, 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 or other compensation. ...


References

{{Reflist Honorary titles of the United States Indiana culture State awards and decorations of the United States Governor of Indiana