The Order of the Golden Bear (the Order, OGB) is an

honor society In the United States, an honor society is an organization that recognizes individuals who rank above a set standard in various domains such as academics, leadership, and other personal achievements, not all of which are based on ranking systems. ...

at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

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

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

History

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 A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ag ...

''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 a significant effort to keep affairs, membershi ...

. 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 a president (11th) of the University of California, Berkeley, serving from 1930 to 195 ...

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

, and

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

, the order was commonly associated with the

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

and

California Club The California Club is an invitation-only private club established in 1888, based in Los Angeles, California. According to the ''Los Angeles Times'', "The people who run Los Angeles belong to the Jonathan Club; the people who own Los Angeles b ...

s. Since 1906, the order has been housed in

Senior Hall Senior Hall may refer to: *Senior Hall (Berkeley, California), listed on the NRHP in California *Senior Hall (Columbia, Missouri), List of RHPs in MO, listed on the NRHP in Missouri {{disambig Architectural disambiguation pages ...

, a log cabin on the Berkeley campus designed by

John Galen Howard John Galen Howard (May 8, 1864 – July 18, 1931) was an American architect and educator who began his career in New York before moving to California. He was the principal architect at several firms in both states and employed Julia Morgan early ...

. In recent years, however, the order has been forced to relocate due to building renovations.

Activities

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.

Membership

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 bran ...

, 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 co ...

. 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.

Notable members

The order's fellows have included: *

Charles Mills Gayley Charles Mills Gayley (February 22, 1858 – July 25, 1932) was a professor of English, the Classics, and Academic Dean of the University of California at Berkeley between the fall of 1889 and July 1932. Biography Gayley was born in Shanghai to ...

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

, Director of the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

during the height of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

(1961-1965); assisted the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

blacklisting Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...

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 The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...

(1947-1956). *

Glenn T. Seaborg Glenn Theodore Seaborg ( ; April 19, 1912February 25, 1999) was an American chemist whose involvement in the synthesis, discovery and investigation of ten transuranium elements earned him a share of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His work i ...

, Nobel laureate in chemistry and Chancellor of the

(1958-1961). *

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the

and President of the

(1958–1967). *

Earl Warren Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th governor of California from 1943 to 1953 and as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The Warren Court presid ...

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court *

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 L ...

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from

(1945–1959) and

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

(1953–1955). *

Zoë Baird Zoë Eliot Baird (born June 20, 1952) is an American lawyer and executive. She was CEO and President of the Markle Foundation from 1998 to 2022.

, President of the

Markle Foundation Markle Foundation is a New York–based private foundation established in 1927 by American industrialist and financier John Markle and his wife, Mary. Its focus is technology, health care, and national security National security, or natio ...

. *

Robert McNamara Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American businessman and government official who served as the eighth United States secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson ...

, the 8th

United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (acronym: SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the United States federal executive departments, executive department of the United States Armed Forces, U.S. Armed Forces, a ...

(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. The nominee is subject to confirmation ...

(1968–1981). *

Leigh Steinberg Leigh William Steinberg (born March 27, 1949) is an American sports agent, philanthropist, and author. During his 50-year career, Steinberg has represented over 300 professional athletes in football, baseball, basketball, boxing, and Olympic sport ...

, American

sports agent A sports agent is a legal representative (hence agent (law), agent) for professional sports figures such as athletes and coaches. They procure and negotiate employment and Testimonial, endorsement contracts for the principal (commercial law), at ...

. * Carol T. Christ, first female Chancellor of the

(2017–2024). *

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 sys ...

(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 1900 establishments in California Local fraternities and sororities Secret societies in the United States Student societies in the United States

History

Activities

Membership

Notable members

See also

References

External links