Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels

Last updated
Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels
AbbreviationHOKC
NicknameHonorable Order
FormationSeptember 1933 [1]
Founder Ruby Laffoon
Founded at Frankfort, Kentucky
TypeNon-Profit 501(c)(3)
61-0485432
Registration no.KY-0023672
Legal statusActive
Purpose Charitable, Philanthropic
Headquarters Kentucky
Location
Coordinates 38°14′22″N85°45′14″W / 38.23944°N 85.75389°W / 38.23944; -85.75389
Products Memorabilia, Apparel, Baseball caps, Souvenirs
Services Membership, Events, Scholarships, Grants
Methods Fundraising
Membership (2020)
30,000+
Commanding General
General Gary Boschert
Executive Director
Col. Sherry Crose
Key people
 Board of Trustees
AffiliationsKentucky Colonels Shop
Website Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
Country United States
Registered as a trademark in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Ambassador(s)Col. Heather Campbell
TaglineEstablished in 1813
Website Kentucky Colonels Shop
"Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels" and "Kentucky Colonels" are registered trademarks of the HOKC under various US and international classes with the USPTO to promote the good will and philanthropic work of the organization.

The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels also known as "Kentucky Colonels" or "HOKC" is a charitable, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization engaged in collective philanthropy for Kentuckians on the behalf of thousands of who have received a Kentucky Colonel commission from around the world. In 2020 the organization raised over 2.9 million dollars to provide small grants to 177 non-profit organizations in Kentucky. The organization makes an impact on millions of lives each year through all the organizations it serves. [2]

Contents

The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels does not actually commission Kentucky Colonels. Instead, that power remains with the current Kentucky governor, as it has since Isaac Shelby's administration starting in 1792. Currently there is an application filed with the governor's office in Frankfort that allows people to submit nominations for a person to become a Kentucky Colonel. [3]

Introduction

In the 1930s, the conversation around the colonel title moved towards an interest in creating a social group for Kentucky colonels, and on September 26, 1933, with the blessing of the governor, [T]he Honorable Order of the Kentucky Colonels was formed in New York City with Miss Anna Bell Ward and General Charles C. Pettijohn. The purpose of the new organization according to the General, was "to bring together at the Kentucky Derby each May in Louisville all persons holding Kentucky colonels and other honorary military commissions". [1] Pettijohn announced that Governor Laffoon of Kentucky would serve as Commander in Chief; Admiral Louis McHenry Howe in Washington was in-charge of water activities; Colonel Will Rogers was commander of all colonels west of the Mississippi; Colonel Irvin S. Cobb in-charge of all colonels east of the Mississippi; Colonel Felix Feist of Los Angeles was commander in-charge of all western waters and waterways; Colonel Morton Downey of Chicago and New York was named commander of the Great Lakes; and Colonel James A. Farley of Washington was in-charge of communications. [1]

Small associations in Louisville and several Kentucky Colonels social clubs that were started years earlier as far away as Dallas, Chicago and other parts of the country were all invited to become part of the new organization. The following year in 1934, Governor Ruby Laffoon and Admiral Pettijohn held their first event for the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels with a Derby Eve dinner party on May 4. At the banquet sponsored by the Governor, officers were elected by those who attended including Mae West, Eddie Cantor, Thomas D. Taggart and the charter organization that formed in New York months earlier. [4] The following year Mrs. Mary Nisbett Laffoon while in New York met with General Pettijohn and the second in command to make arrangements for 750–1000 Kentucky colonels and admirals to attend the Derby Eve celebration. [5]

The organization has been listed and credibly evaluated by the Better Business Bureau, Dun & Bradstreet, Charity Navigator and GuideStar by Candid, as well as local Kentucky based organizations that oversee charity efforts. Since they began in 1933 the HOKC has established itself as a well-known organization renowned for its charitable giving and events, including annual barbeques and Derby parties.

Philanthropy

An early example of the charitable activities organized by the Honorable Order was relief efforts for the Ohio River flood of 1937, which had a devastating effect on northern Kentucky and other states along the Ohio River. Colonels Fred Astaire, Eddie Cantor, and Irving Mills were especially instrumental in fund-raising for this project. [6] Today, grants through the Good Works Program are focused on helping organizations that mainly fall within these categories:

In 2022, The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels distributed $3.1 million to 314 organizations, benefitting 3.9 million people. This includes ongoing support for the victims of the 2021 Western Kentucky Tornado and the 2022 floods in Eastern Kentucky.

History

The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels (HOKC) is the largest and most well-known organization of Kentucky colonels, so well known that their name, wordmarks, trademarks and service marks, the "Kentucky Colonels" has become synonymous with their identity. [7]

The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels was first established during the depression in 1933 by Governor Ruby Laffoon to raise tax-revenues and attract attention to the state, it was founded based on the recommendation of Governor Flem Sampson in 1931 and the enthusiasm of colonels to establish an order and brotherhood. Governor Laffoon awarded over 10,000 commissions between 1932 and 1935, he established the organization originally as a state order of merit with an office at the capital. After being criticized politically and challenged legally by the Attorney General of the Commonwealth, Beverly Vincent who cancelled 17,000 colonel commissions in 1936; the practice was reinstated by James Wise serving as the acting governor under Governor Happy Chandler exactly one month later. Since 1936 "Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels" has been dependent on each of Kentucky's governors to make new colonels. In 1957 they incorporated the organization as a nonprofit dedicated to building playgrounds, curating history, awarding scholarships and providing relief to Kentuckians in need. [8]

A Pakistani laureate poses with his 2020 Kentucky Colonel Certificate received from Governor of Kentucky, Steve Beshear. A Pakistani Philanthropist with Kentucky Colonel Commission Certificate.jpg
A Pakistani laureate poses with his 2020 Kentucky Colonel Certificate received from Governor of Kentucky, Steve Beshear.

The Governor of Kentucky serves symbolically as the "Commander-in-Chief" of the Honorable Order, and its board of trustees recognized as its 'Generals' who serve on a volunteer basis. [9] The mission of the organization is to aid and promote the Commonwealth of Kentucky and its citizens. [10] The organization raises money to support Kentucky charities, educational organizations, and to conduct other good works that will help the citizens of Kentucky. The organization's charitable efforts have also sometimes extended past the borders of the Commonwealth, such as contributing to natural disaster relief in neighboring states. By 1979, annual donations exceeded $500,000, and by 1992, they exceeded $1 million. [11] In 2020 the organization made grants to 265 organizations in the state in excess of 2.9 million dollars. [2] [12]

In addition to its direct charity work known as its Good Works Program, the HOKC organizes special events such as a Homecoming Weekend and events celebrating the Kentucky Derby, and sells Kentucky colonel-themed commemorative merchandise such as apparel and drinkware bearing its Kentucky Colonel Shield logo and the Great Seal of the HOKC. [13] HOKC special events often celebrate features of Kentucky culture, such as bourbon whiskey, horse farms, horse racing, and the local museums, restaurants and tourism attractions, as well as promoting the benevolent Good Works Program. [14]

In 2008, a spokesman for the HOKC said the organization currently had 103,700 members that it considered "active" in their organization, and that they included people from every state and 62 foreign countries, with 40–45% of them being women and only one third of them being within Kentucky. Colonels are not required to officially join the HOKC, and he further said "We don't have a clue as to how many Colonels are out there." [15]

Organization

After a person receives a commission from the governor they automatically become an honorary lifetime member of organization. Recipients of the Kentucky Colonel Commission are invited to donate and participate in the HOKC's charitable efforts throughout the state to be considered an active member. [9] The organization organizes local events in conjunction with the Kentucky Derby which is held every year in Louisville. In 2020 the executive director, Col. Sherry Crose, stated the organization had 30,000 active members and volunteers. [16]

Members of the organization that donate each year receive a membership card and if they live in Kentucky can apply for vanity license plates for their motor vehicle; they are also invited to participate in annual events like the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Colonels Barbecue which is held each year in the Fall. [3] The organization's international headquarters in Louisville where the board of trustees meet and Kentucky colonels can visit.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "World-Wide Society of Kentucky Colonels Formed, with Woman Aide". NewspaperArchive. Salt Lake Tribune. 1933-09-27. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  2. 1 2 "Kentucky Colonels – Homepage". Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  3. 1 2 "The Image of a Kentucky Colonel". Kentucky Historical Society. 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  4. ↑ "Derby Eligibles to Seek Purse Today". NewspaperArchive.com. Reno Evening Gazette. 1934-04-25. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  5. ↑ "All Kentucky Colonels Invited to Derby Festival". NewspaperArchive. Middlesboro Daily News. 1935-01-25. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  6. ↑ Fred Astaire Danced for Kentucky Archived October 5, 2013, at the Wayback Machine , Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels official web site.
  7. ↑ Crose, Sherry. "Settlement Reached in Kentucky Colonels Trademark Dispute – Current 360" (PDF). News Release. Current 360. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  8. ↑ "Docket for The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, Inc. v. Kentucky Colonels International, 3:20-cv-00132 - CourtListener.com". CourtListener. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  9. 1 2 SOS Office Staff (February 23, 2021). "Kentucky Colonels". Kentucky Secretary of State. Commonwealth of Kentucky. Archived from the original on 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  10. ↑ Mission Statement of The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine (access date 2011-05-01).
  11. ↑ "Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels Timeline". Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
  12. ↑ "KY Colonels to give $2.1M to support non-profit organizations throughout the commonwealth". The Lane Report. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  13. ↑ Upper Right Marketing. "Gift Shop | Kentucky Colonels Online Store". Kentucky Colonels Shop. Upper Right Marketing, Inc.
  14. ↑ "Get Involved". Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.
  15. ↑ "In the Company of Colonels". The Lane Report. October 1, 2008. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  16. ↑ Childress, Rick (February 25, 2020). "Federal lawsuit accuses 'shadow group' of using Kentucky Colonel name to raise money". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
Kentucky Colonels Membership
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