Cum Laude Society
| Cum Laude Society | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1906 Tome School |
| Type | Honor |
| Affiliation | Independent |
| Status | Active |
| Emphasis | High School Scholastics |
| Scope | International |
| Motto | Areté, Diké, Timé "Excellence, Justice, Honor" |
| Chapters | 382 |
| Members | 4,000 active |
| Former name | Alpha Delta Tau |
| Headquarters | 9462 Brownsboro Road, Suite #359 Louisville, Kentucky 40241 United States |
| Website | www |
The Cum Laude Society is an international organization that honors academic achievement at secondary institutions, similar to the Phi Beta Kappa, which honors academic achievements at the university level.
History
[edit]The Cum Laude Society was founded in 1906 at the Tome School in Port Deposit, Maryland as the Alpha Delta Tau fraternity.[1][2] Its founder was Dr. A. W. Harris, then director of the Tome School.[3] It was established to encourage and recognize scholastic achievement of secondary school students.[3][2] Harris also wanted to encourage community and alumni support for secondary schools.[3]
Alpha Delta Tau was created to be similar to the collegiate society, Phi Beta Kappa.[4][2] It was the first organization of its type for secondary schools in the United States.[3] Only the top fifth of a school senior class was eligible for membership in the fraternity.[5][2] Originally, it admitted both students and faculty.[3] Its first president was Robert W. Tunstall, head of the ancient languages department at Tome.[3]
By December 1908, the society had established chapters at Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute, Centenary Collegiate Institute, the Evanston Academy, Phillips Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy, and William Penn Charter School.[6] The society held its first national convention at Boston University in January 1909.[5] Delegates attended from Tome School, Evanston Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy, and William Penn Charter School.[5] Harris, then president of Northwestern University, became the first president general.[5] Dr. H. L. Rich of Tome School was elected its first secretary general.[5] The fraternity's board of regents set goals of expansion, countering the influence of athletics, and encouraging support for academics.[5]
To avoid confusion with the social college fraternity, Alpha Delta Tau changed its name to the Cum Laude Society in 1916.[4][2] At the same time, its constitution was changed to admit girls; the society was originally male-only because of Maryland's laws.[2][6] It also limited its chapters to public schools or non-profit private schools.[2]
By 1927, Cum Laude Society had 51 chapters and more than 4,000 total initiates.[2] As of 2025, it initiates 4,000 members a year and has 382 chapters.[7][8] Its national headquarters is in Louisville, Kentucky.[8]
Symbols
[edit]The society's logo is based on the original logo of Alpha Delta Tau and features a stylized Greek letter Tau.[8] Its motto is Areté, Diké, Timé, which translates as "Excellence, Justice, Honor".[9] Originally, initiates were recognized with a badge and a golden yellow ribbon.[2]
Membership
[edit]Participating secondary institutions may nominate up to twenty percent of their graduating class for induction into the society.
Chapters
[edit]The Cum Laude Society has 382 chapters; all but 24 are at private or independent schools in the United States.[7][8] Chapters are located in the United States, Canada, England, France, the Philippines, and Spain.[8]
Notable members
[edit]- Dana Delany, actress
- Reza Dana, ophthalmologist and immunologist
- Adelaide Gay, professional soccer player
- Roswell Gilpatric, United States Deputy Secretary of Defense and United States Under Secretary of the Air Force
- Michael Huffington, United States House of Representatives
- Knight Kiplinger, economic journalist and editor in chief of the Kiplinger financial media company
- Peter Moore, Sterling Professor emeritus of chemistry, molecular biophysics, and biochemistry at Yale University
- Ankur Rathee, actor
- Richard Stothers, astronomer and planetary scientist with the Goddard Institute for Space Studies
- Kyle Zimmer, professional baseball player
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ The Tome School "Our History". Retrieved 2019-05-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "National Scholarship Societies for Secondary Schools". Los Angeles School Journal. 10 (36): 29. May 23, 1927 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e f "Students Have a Banquet". The Baltimore Sun. 1907-03-19. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-06-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Maryland Boy Elected to Membership in Cum Laude Society". The Evening Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1916-05-30. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-06-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "Dr. Rich, of Tome Elected". The Baltimore Sun. 1909-01-01. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-06-25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "The Cum Laude Society". Wayland Academy. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
- ^ a b "Cum Laude Society Member Schools" (PDF). Cum Laude Society. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 14, 2023. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
- ^ a b c d e "About". Cum Laude Society. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
- ^ "Basic Facts" (PDF). Retrieved 23 February 2022.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
