List of Sphinx Head members
Sphinx Head is a senior honor society at Cornell University.[1] Following is a list of some of Sphinx Head's notable members.
Academia
- Victor L. Butterfield (1927): eleventh president of Wesleyan University (1943–1967)[2]
- Colin G. Campbell (1957): chairman, president, and CEO of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; president of Wesleyan University (1970–1988)[3]
- Jerome "Brud" H. Holland(1939): president of Delaware State College (1953–1959) and Hampton Institute (1960–1970); U.S. ambassador to Sweden (1970–1972)[4][5]
Art and architecture
- Louis A. Fuertes (1897): ornithological artist[6]
- Richmond H. Shreve (1902): architect who led the construction of the Empire State Building [7]
- E. Stewart Williams (1932): modernist architect[8]
Business
- Walker L. Cisler (1922): chairman of Detroit Edison Company (1948–1964); founder of National Academy of Engineering[9]
- Peter H. Coors (1969): chairman of the Coors Brewing Company[10]
- Kenneth T. Derr (1958): chairman and CEO of Chevron Corporation (1989–1999)[11]
- Samuel C. Johnson, Jr. (1950): former Chairperson of S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc.[12]
- Robert D. Kennedy (1954): president and CEO of Union Carbide (1986–1995)[13]
- Charles F. Knight (1957): Emerson Electric CEO (1973–2000), president (1986–1988, 1995–1997)[3]
- Oscar G. Mayer, Jr. (1934): business executive who served as chairman of Oscar Mayer[14]
- Jansen Noyes Jr. (1939): investment banker[4]
- Robert W. Purcell (1932): businessman and philanthropist[15]
- Eugene Tonkonogy (1926): entrepreneur[16]
- Maxwell M. Upson (1899): president of Raymond International Inc.[17]
Entertainment
- Daniel E. Duryea (1928): film and TV actor immortalized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; actor in four Broadway shows[18]
- Richard "Dick" J. Schaap (1955): sports broadcaster; received two Emmy Awards; author and co-author of 33 books[19]
- Dominique Thorne (2019): actress[20]
- Franchot Tone (1927): actor nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1935 for Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)[21]
Law
- Frederick D. Colson (1900): Deputy Attorney General of New York State (1915–1924)[22]
- Elbert P. Tuttle (1918): chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Atlanta, Georgia[23]
Military
- Daniel P. Meyer (1986): executive director for intelligence community whistleblowing & source protection (ICW&SP); former naval officer and whistleblower during the investigation into the explosion on board battleship USS Iowa (BB-61)
- John M. Paxton, Jr. (1973): United States Marine Corps general officer; 33rd assistant commandant of the Marine Corps; previously commanding general, II Marine Expeditionary Force; previously J-3, director for operations for The Joint Chiefs of Staff
- George R. Pfann (1924): secretary of staff to General George S. Patton during his campaign in North Africa, Sicily, and Germany; Rhodes Scholar[24]
Politics
- Neal D. Becker (1905): member of the Council on Foreign Relations; co-founder of the American Australian Association in 1948[25]
- Samuel W. Bodman (1961): former United States Secretary of Energy (2005–2009), former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury (2004), and former Deputy Secretary of Commerce (2001–2004)[26]
- Thomas C. Hennings, Jr. (1924): U.S. Congress representative for Missouri 11th District (1934–1940); Senator of Missouri (1951–1960)[27]
- Theodore Kheel (1935): executive director of the National War Labor Board; author of The Keys to Conflict Resolution[28]
- Samuel R. Pierce, Jr. (1944): Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (1981–1989)[29]
- Thomas C. Reed (1955): nuclear weapons expert; U.S. Secretary of the Air Force from January 2, 1976 – April 6, 1977; 6th Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (August, 1976 – April 1977)[19]
- Henry S. Reuss (1933): U.S. Congress representative for Wisconsin (1955–1983); co-founder of the Peace Corps[15]
- Willard D. Straight (1901): U.S. diplomat[30]
- Frank L. Sundstrom (1924): U.S. Congress representative for New Jersey 11th District (1943–1949)[27]
Sports
- Charles Ackerly (1920): gold medalist in the wrestling (132 lb. weight class) at the 1920 Olympic Games[31]
- Jon P. Anderson (1971): winner of the 1973 Boston Marathon and member of the 1972 US Olympic track and field team[32]
- Tell S. Berna (1912): gold medalist in the 3000m team track & field event at the 1912 Olympic Games[33]
- Romeyn Berry (1904): graduate manager of Cornell Athletics (1919–1935)[34]
- Dave Bliss (1965): former head basketball coach of Baylor University and Southern Methodist University; major participant in the Baylor University basketball scandal[35]
- Babe Clark (1914): American football player[36]
- Ivan C. Dresser (1919): gold medalist in the 3000 meter track & field event at the 1920 Olympic Games[37]
- Charles M. French (1909): Olympic athlete in the 800m race in the 1908 Olympic Games[38]
- Peter K. Gogolak (1964): football player for the New York Giants, Buffalo Bills[39]
- Robert J. Kane[14] (1934): president of the U.S. Olympic Committee (1977–1980); director of athletics at Cornell (1946–1971)[14]
- Eddie L. Kaw (1923): inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954
- Edward B. Kirby (1924): bronze medalist in the 3000m team track & field event at the 1924 Olympic Games[27]
- Jeff Mathews (2014): professional football player, Atlanta Falcons[40]
- Rob Pannell (2012): NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse all-time points leader; the Ivy League's first-ever three-time Player of the Year award winner; ESPY nominee; recipient of the 2013 Tewaaraton Trophy; currently plays for the Long Island Lizards[41]
- Seth C. Payne (1997): professional football player (Houston Texans)
- Edward T. Peterson (1948): professional basketball player with the Syracuse Nationals and Tri-Cities Blackhawks
- Leo J. Reherman (1988): professional football player (Miami Dolphins); competed on American Gladiators as "Hawk" (1993–1996); sports broadcaster for ESPN[42]
- Henry A. Russell (1926): gold medalist in the 4 × 100 m race track & field event at the 1928 Olympic Games[43]
- Richard "Dick" Savitt (1950): professional tennis player; winner of Wimbledon and the Australian Open in 1951[12]
- Maxwell O. Seibald (2009): four-time All-American Lacrosse player; recipient of the 2009 Tewaaraton Trophy; currently plays for the Denver Outlaws[44]
- John L. Senior (1901): first graduate manager of athletics for Cornell University (1901–1907)[30]
- Bryan Walters (2010): wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League[45]
- William J. Warner (1903): inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971
References
- ^ "History of Some of the Later Cornell Organizations", Cornell Alumni News, December 18, 1901, p. 89.
- ^ Cornell Alumni News, July, 1946
- ^ a b The Cornellian, 1957, pg. 295.
- ^ a b The Cornellian, 1939, pg. 193.
- ^ Cornell Alumni News, September 1960.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1897, pg. 176.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1902, pg. 227.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1932, pg. 165.
- ^ Cornell Alumni News, April 15, 1950
- ^ The Cornellian, 1969, pg. 94.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1958, pg. 151.
- ^ a b The Cornellian, 1950, pg. 161.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1954, pg. 139.
- ^ a b c The Cornellian, 1934, pg. 129.
- ^ a b The Cornellian, 1933, pg. 183.
- ^ "Cornell Societies Elect" (PDF). The New York Times. October 14, 1926. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1899, pg. 183.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1928, pg. 179.
- ^ a b The Cornellian, 1955, pg. 195.
- ^ "Dominique Thorne Biography". All American Speakers. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1927, pg. 327.
- ^ Cornell Alumni News, February 1959
- ^ The Cornellian, 1918, pg. 395.
- ^ Cornell Alumni News, May 1, 1950
- ^ The Cornellian, 1905, pg. 261.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1960, pg. 105.
- ^ a b c The Cornellian, 1924, pg. 375.
- ^ Staff. "Heads New Labor Office", Cornell Alumni News, February 18, 1943, Volume XLV, Number 18. Accessed August 3, 2011. "He was a member of the Willard Straight Hall Board of managers and associate editor of The Cornellian; is a member of Sphinx Head and Beta Sigma Rho."
- ^ The Cornellian, 1944, pg. 93.
- ^ a b The Cornellian, 1901, pg. 211.
- ^ "Charles Edwin Ackerly". Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1971, pg. 405.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1913, pg. 307.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1904, pg. 263.
- ^ "Dave Bliss returns to coaching". The Kansas City Star. March 28, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
- ^ The Class Book. Cornell University. 1914. Archived from the original on 2017-07-16.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1919, pg. 433.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1910, pg. 359.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1964, pg. 79.
- ^ "Mathews, Sorna Take Home Outstanding Senior Athlete Awards At Senior Banquet". Cornell University Athletics. 2026-01-27. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ^ "Pannell One of 20 Candidates For Lowe's Senior CLASS Award". Cornell University Athletics. 2026-02-05. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ^ "CFA Awards Day 2017". Cornell University. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
- ^ The Cornellian, 1926, pg. 341.
- ^ "Max Seibald - 2009 - Men's Lacrosse". Cornell University Athletics. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ^ Johnson, Christopher. "The NFL's 10 Smartest Players". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 2026-02-07.