The Order of the Golden Bear (the Order, OGB) is a prominent honor society at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

composed of students, faculty, and alumni committed to serving the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Franci ...

. Founded in 1900, the Order serves as a forum for discussion, where fellows gather to exchange ideas on a variety of topics pertinent to the well-being of the campus community. Fellows are free to discuss ideas amongst themselves, but never to attribute opinions or remarks to their authors. Despite its mystique, the Order is not a traditional secret society ''per se'', although membership is usually kept in strict confidence, and many of its traditions rival those of typical

collegiate secret societies There are many collegiate secret societies in North America. They vary greatly in their level of secrecy and the degree of independence from their universities. A collegiate ''secret society'' makes significant effort to keep affairs, membership r ...

. Membership in the Order includes influential members of the University administration,

California government The government of California is the governmental structure of the U.S. state of California as established by the California Constitution. California uses the separation of powers system to structure its government. It is composed of three branche ...

, and the

Board of Regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual c ...

. When it was founded, student membership was limited to undergraduate senior men; in 1972, this restriction was lifted and all students, with at least sophomore standing, have been eligible for fellowship. In its earliest years, and through members like

Robert Gordon Sproul Robert Gordon Sproul (May 22, 1891 – September 10, 1975) was the first system-wide president (1952–1958) of the University of California system, and the last president (11th) of the University of California, Berkeley, serving from 1930 to ...

John McCone John Alexander McCone (January 4, 1902 – February 14, 1991) was an American businessman and politician who served as Director of Central Intelligence from 1961 to 1965, during the height of the Cold War. Background John A. McCone was born in ...

, and

Clark Kerr Clark Kerr (May 17, 1911 – December 1, 2003) was an American professor of economics and academic administrator. He was the first chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and twelfth president of the University of California. B ...

, the Order was commonly associated with the Bohemian and California Clubs. Since 1906, the Order has been housed in Senior Hall, a log cabin on the Berkeley campus designed by

John Galen Howard John Galen Howard (May 8, 1864 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts – July 18, 1931 in San Francisco, California) was an American architect and educator who began his career in New York before moving to California. He was the principal architect at in ...

. In recent years, however, the Order has been forced to relocate due to building closures. Every fall semester, the Order hosts one event open to the general public during Homecoming weekend called the Arleigh Williams Forum, either featuring a prominent speaker or a panel of engaged student and faculty to discuss campus issues.

Notable members

The Order's fellows have included: * Charles Mills Gayley, English and Classics Professor, and Academic Dean of the

(1889-1932). * Phoebe Apperson Hearst, philanthropist and first female UC Regent, granted honorary Order membership due to her donation to Senior Hall. *

, President of the

(1930–1952) and President of the

(1952–1958). * John A. McCone, Director of the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

during the height of the Cold War (1961-1965); assisted the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

in blacklisting Clark Kerr. * Walter A. Haas, President of Levi Strauss & Co. *

Benjamin Ide Wheeler Benjamin Ide Wheeler (July 15, 1854– May 2, 1927) was a professor of Greek and comparative philology at Cornell University, writer, and President of the University of California from 1899 to 1919. Life and career Early years Benjamin ...

, President of the

(1899–1919). * Arleigh Williams, Cal football player (1932-1934) and University administrator (1957-1976). * Lynn O. "Pappy" Waldorf, head football coach for the California Golden Bears (1947-1956). * Glenn T. Seaborg, Nobel laureate in chemistry and Chancellor of the

(1958-1961). *

, Chancellor of the

and President of the

(1958–1967). *

William Knowland William Fife Knowland (June 26, 1908 – February 23, 1974) was an American politician and newspaper publisher. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from California from 1945 to 1959. He was Senate Majority Le ...

United States Senator 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 powe ...

from

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(1945–1959) and

Senate Majority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...

(1953–1955). * Zoë Baird, President of the

Markle Foundation Markle Foundation is a New York-based private foundation established in 1927 by American industrialist / financier John Markle and his wife, Mary. Its focus is technology, health care, and national security. History Formally incorporated on ...

. *

Robert McNamara Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American business executive and the eighth United States Secretary of Defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He remains the ...

, the 8th

United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The ...

(1961–1968) and

President of the World Bank Group The president of the World Bank Group is the head of World Bank Group. The president is responsible for chairing the meetings of the boards of directors and for overall management of the World Bank Group. Traditionally, the World Bank Group presid ...

(1968–1981). * Leigh Steinberg, American sports agent. * Carol T. Christ, first female Chancellor of the

(2017–present). *

John Pérez John A. Pérez (born September 28, 1969) is an American union organizer and politician. He has been a Regent of the University of California since November 17, 2014, previously serving as the 68th Speaker of the California State Assembly from M ...

, Chair of the

Regents of the University of California The Regents of the University of California (also referred to as the Board of Regents to distinguish the board from the corporation it governs of the same name) is the governing board of the University of California (UC), a state university sy ...

(2019–present).

References

External links

Magazine reference

Order of the Golden Bear website
{{Authority control University of California, Berkeley Collegiate secret societies Student organizations established in 1900

Notable members

See also

References

External links