Awards and Honors
To encourage chapters and individual Acacians to attain the highest
possible standards, and to recognize outstanding achievements in various areas of concern to the Fraternity, Acacia bestows a number of awards and honors upon its members. THE GEORGE F. PATTERSON JR. AWARD. Acacia’s most prestigious individual award is given annually in honor of Brother Patterson’s many years of service to Acacia and the interfraternity movement. It recognizes Acacia alumni whose contributions to the fraternity are both sustained and outstanding. To be considered for a Patterson Award, an alumnus must be a prior recipient of the Award of Merit. THE AWARD OF MERIT. Introduced at Acacia’s Golden Anniversary celebrations in 1954, the Award of Merit is Acacia’s second highest individual honor. It is given to “brothers who have given of their time and substance unstintingly for the promotion and furtherance of Acacia, both nationally and locally, and brothers who have rendered outstanding service in their chosen fields, and have attained high position therein, thus exemplifying the motto of Acacia, human service, and the teachings of the fraternity, which constantly admonish our members to prepare themselves as educated men to take a more active part in their communities.” No more than 10 Awards of Merit may be given at any one Conclave. THE ORDER OF PYTHAGORAS. Established in 1962, The Order of Pythagoras recognizes contributions to Acacia Fraternity by those “serving beyond the ordinary call of duty.” Election to the Order of Pythagoras is by the International Council and may include alumni, undergraduates and, occasionally, non-Acacians. No more than 25 awards will be granted to undergraduates during any year. Chapters may nominate as many brothers as they deem fit to be nominated, with recipients determined by the International Council. It simply takes two nominators to put forward a brother for consideration. THE ROY C. CLARK AWARD. Brother Roy C. Clark (often referred to as “Mr. Acacia”) was a devoted Acacian who served the Fraternity in a number of capacities, including that of National Executive Secretary (now termed Executive Director) from 1947-1966. This award, dedicated to him in 1966, is presented annually to a single undergraduate who most nearly exemplifies the outstanding attributes of Brother Clark — perseverance, integrity, foresight, loyalty, devotion, wisdom and leadership. It is the highest undergraduate honor an Acacian can hope to attain.
Numerous individual award winners are recognized in the back of this Pythagoras. 28