Founders’ Award

Since 1962, the Fraternity has recognized several of its most outstanding alumni brothers through the presentation of the Founders’ Award at Convocation. This award is the highest and most prestigious form of recognition which the Fraternity bestows upon an individual brother.Before each Convocation, the Grand Council selects the recipients based upon outstanding contributions or exceptional service in business, a profession, education or humanitarianism, including service to Sigma Pi or the fraternity system as a whole. As many as six awards may be given out at any Convocation.

Often, there are great deeds and men of tremendous character that the Grand Chapter is not aware of. In order to ensure we are recognizing our strongest contributors, we invite you to nominate a Sigma Pi member for the Founders’ Award.

The Awards and Recognition Committee, appointed by the Grand Council, has developed a formal application process to nominate alumni brothers that you feel are worthy of our highest individual award, The Founders’ Award.

In order for the nominee to be considered for this award, the following nomination application must be completed as thoroughly as possible by the nominator. By providing the background information requested, it provides the committee members with a very clear understanding of the nominees’ qualifications, while leveling the playing field for all those being considered. Although you might know the nominee, many on the committee may have little or no knowledge of them or their qualifications.

We thank you for taking the time to ensure that we are recognizing our most valuable members and look forward to reviewing your suggestion. It is very important that we take advantage of every opportunity to do so.

Past Founders' Award Recipients

The Founders’ Award is the highest honor within Sigma Pi. It is strictly reserved for the most exemplary members of our organization for their contributions within their profession, their community, and/or the Fraternity.

View Past Founders’ Award Recipients
1962 Recipient – Byron R. Lewis (Illinois 1902)
1962 Recipient – Curtis G. Shake (Vincennes 1903)
1962 Recipient – Robert W. Van Houten (NJIT ’38)
1964 Recipient – PGS Cyrus E. Palmer (Illinois 1910)
1964 Recipient – PGS Jonathan B. Hillegass (Franklin & Marshall 1918)
1964 Recipient – Frank T. Bow (Ohio Northern 1920)
1964 Recipient – Jon J. Kabara (Detroit-Mercy ’62)
1966 Recipient – Louis Foley (Ohio 1910)
1966 Recipient – Fred P. Helm (Ohio 1916)
1966 Recipient – PGS Richard G. Lowe (Penn State 1922)
1966 Recipient – PGS Becher W. Hungerford (Michigan 1925)
1968 Recipient – Willard M. Kiplinger (Ohio State 1909)
1968 Recipient – Lothar I. Iversen (Wisconsin ’26)
1968 Recipient – Alexander E. Wilson Jr. (Emory ’27)
1970 Recipient – Herman G. Fisher (Penn State 1918)
1970 Recipient – PGS Ward Ashman (Ohio State ’26)
1970 Recipient – Raymond W. Peers (UCLA ’34)
1970 Recipient – John P. Soult (Missouri S&T ’36)
1972 Recipient – John A. Epple (Ohio Northern 1915)
1972 Recipient – Harold Jacobsen (Kenyon 1921)
1972 Recipient – Arthur L. Lewis (NJIT ’41)
1974 Recipient – PGS Walter H. Lemmond Jr. (Emory 1924)
1974 Recipient – William C. Mobley (Mercer ’27)
1974 Recipient – Judson C. Ward Jr. (Emory ’30)
1974 Recipient – Cleveland L. Adams (Auburn ’30)
1974 Recipient – Maxwell L. Rafferty (UCLA ’34)
1976 Recipient – Walter D. Kephart (Pennsylvania 1919)
1976 Recipient – Walter M. Schirra Jr. (NJIT ’41)
1976 Recipient – William J. Cutbirth Jr. (UCLA ’42)
1978 Recipient – George L. Haller (Penn State 1924)
1978 Recipient – Henry P. Miller (Emory 1924)
1978 Recipient – Clarence C. Newcomer (Franklin & Marshall ’42)
1978 Recipient – PGS Frank C. Fryburg (Penn State ’44)
1980 Recipient – William E. Bohlender (Ohio State 1918)
1980 Recipient – William G. Hills (Ohio State 1924)
1980 Recipient – John T. Myers (Eastern Illinois ’49)
1980 Recipient – Isaac K. Beckes (Vincennes ’65)
1982 Recipient – Wallace W. Hall Jr. (Ohio State ’28)
1982 Recipient – William H. Harsha (Kenyon ’43)
1982 Recipient – PGS Lyle H. Smith (Illinois ’47)
1982 Recipient – PGS Darrell L. Spriggs (Arkansas ’55)
1982 Recipient – Lewis M. Grizzard Jr. (Georgia ’65)
1984 Recipient – Herbert E. Longenecker (Penn State ’30)
1984 Recipient – Edgar E. Folk III (Wake Forest ’44)
1984 Recipient – Andrew D. Shaw (UCLA ’44)
1984 Recipient – Basil J. Boritzki (Missouri State ’48)
1984 Recipient – Edward W. Rogers (Indiana ’49)
1986 Recipient – William F. Creighton (Pennsylvania ’28)
1986 Recipient – Edwin A. Edwards (LSU ’36)
1986 Recipient – Robert A. Prichard (North Carolina State ’43)
1986 Recipient – James R. Bullington (Auburn ’58)
1988 Recipient – Cletus A. Broecker (Purdue ’27)
1988 Recipient – Ray D. Free (Utah ’33)
1988 Recipient – Hans M. Mark (UC Berkeley ’49)
1988 Recipient – Moe M. Mitzman (Indiana Tech ’66)
1990 Recipient – Charles S. Bicksler (Penn State ’40)
1990 Recipient – James E. Livingston (Auburn ’60)
1992 Recipient – William D. Meyer (UCLA ’41)
1992 Recipient – James R. Ross (UCLA ’47)
1992 Recipient – Robert W. Burgess (Cal State Long Beach ’60)
1994 Recipient – Hans E. Schmoldt (Missouri S&T ’41)
1994 Recipient – James M. Lyle (William & Mary ’59)
1996 Recipient – James B. Reston Jr. (Illinois ’29)
1996 Recipient – Howard W. Hulford (Cornell ’42)
1996 Recipient – PGS Eli R. Sidwell Jr. (Eastern Illinois ’55)
1998 Recipient – Robert L. Merriman (Missouri State ’48)
1998 Recipient – Benjamin K. Miller (SIU-Carbondale ’56)
1998 Recipient – Richard R. Barnard (Milton ’64)
1998 Recipient – William D. Mensch Jr. (Temple ’65)
2000 Recipient – HGS James L. Hills (Maryland ’49)
2000 Recipient – James M. Seely (UCLA ’52)
2000 Recipient – John J. Merino Jr. (Cal State Long Beach ’55)
2000 Recipient – Bernie Boston (Rochester Tech ’55)
2002 Recipient – Russell H. Conwell (Temple 1909)
2002 Recipient – PGS Gary B. Tash (Virginia ’65)
2002 Recipient – John R. Gregg (Vincennes ’72)
2002 Recipient – Paul W. Richards (Drexel ’83)
2002 Recipient – Tracy L. Lawrence (Southern Arkansas ’87)
2004 Recipient – PGS Howard H. Beyer (NJIT ’53)
2004 Recipient – Michael Bilirakis (Pittsburgh ’56)
2004 Recipient – Anthony G. Siress (Santa Clara ’85)
2006 Recipient – Mike D. Beebe (Arkansas State ’65)
2006 Recipient – Charles E. Bayless (West Virginia Tech ’67)
2006 Recipient – PGS Robert L. Burns (Wisconsin-LaCrosse ’71)
2006 Recipient – PGS Jack C. Fields (Illinois Wesleyan ’75)
2008 Recipient – Robert T. Leslie (Cal State Long Beach ’61)
2008 Recipient – Lloyd N. Farris (Cal State Long Beach ’63)
2008 Recipient – PGS Edward J. Panconi (Loyola Marymount ’82)
2008 Recipient – Sherdrick D. Bonner (CSU-Northridge ’87)
2010 Recipient – Arthur C. Lichtenberger (Kenyon 1920)
2010 Recipient – Buddy G. Beck (Arkansas State ’55)
2010 Recipient – Thomas A. Moore Jr. (Western Michigan ’67)
2012 Recipient – PGS Donald J. Cox (Temple ’53)
2012 Recipient – George K. Sisler (Arkansas State ’57)
2012 Recipient – Jeffrey M. Arnett (UT-Martin ’87)
2014 Recipient – James H. Keene III (Cornell ’54)
2014 Recipient – PGS James S. Verplanck (Mississippi ’59)
2014 Recipient – William M. Reed II (Georgia ’66)
2014 Recipient – John L. Shigley (Northern Illinois ’75)
2016 Recipient – Harry L. Eberly (Penn State ’45)
2016 Recipient – Wayne L. Laufer (Missouri S&T ’64)
2016 Recipient – Gary S. Grubacich (UC Santa Barbara ’65)
2016 Recipient – John R. Lazar (Santa Clara ’85)
2018 Recipient – PGS John H. Williams Jr. (Widener ’85)
2020 Recipient – Michael Hobson (Worcester Polytechnic ’81)
2020 Recipient – William McGinnis (Indiana ’66)
2022 Recipient – Jarett Wait (Cornell ’77)
2022 Recipient – Dr. Jay Morgan (Murrary State ’91)
2022 Recipient – Jeff Tottleben (Missouri S&T ’88)
2024 Recipient – PGS John Kitch (Purdue ’70)
2024 Recipient – Bill McKnight (Auburn ’59)
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