Iron Arrow Honor Society
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The Iron Arrow Honor Society is a secret society and honor society at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. Induction and membership in the society is the highest honor that can be bestowed by the University on a University of Miami student.[1]
Founded at the University of Miami in 1926, the society admits about thirty members annually, including undergraduates, students at the School of Law, and Miller School of Medicine. Membership is based on unanimous votes of the membership. Criteria include: scholarship, leadership, character, humility, and love of alma mater.
Historically, the society was male-only. In 1985, however, a high-profile and nationally-publicized motion to admit women was passed by the society's all-male membership. The vote followed several years of contentious litigation in the federal courts, ultimately reaching the Supreme Court, which heard the case on November 14, 1983 in Iron Arrow Honor Soc. v. Heckler.[2] The plaintiffs argued Iron Arrow could not exclude women because the University of Miami received federal assistance.
Members of the society are sworn to secrecy about the details of the society's initiation ceremony, which reportedly is held in the middle of night, twice annually in the Florida Everglades and allegedly includes various Miccosukee traditions. Members are easily recognizable when wearing their stylized Native American shirts.
The society includes a number of prominent members who have gone on to national distinction in public service and other fields.
[edit] Prominent members
| Alumni | Notability |
|---|---|
| Bowman Foster Ashe | First President of the University of Miami |
| Dante Fascell | Former U.S. Representative |
| Michael Johns | Health care executive, former White House speechwriter to President of the United States George H. W. Bush |
| R. Fred Lewis | Chief Justice, Florida Supreme Court |
| Jackie Nespral | NBC News anchor |
| Alex Penelas | Former Mayor of Miami-Dade County |
| Jon Secada | Grammy Award-winning musician |
| José Szapocznik | Notable clinical psychologist |
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
- Iron Arrow Honor Society official web site.
- Iron Arrow Honor Society profile, NNDB.
- "Arrow Heads", Miami Magazine, Fall 2000.
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