In 1919, a group of male students from the University of Washington formed the Knights of the Hook as a service group. In 1922, along with groups from Montana State University, University of Montana, Washington State College (WSC, now University / WSU), University of Idaho, and University of Oregon, they became a national service organization as the Intercollegiate Knights (IKs). The first national convention was held at WSC in 1924. There are now four organizations that make up the IKs as of 2012: The Intercollegiate Knights, the International Order of the Knights and Nobles, International Guild of Nobles and the Intercollegiate Knights Foundation.
The IK chapter at WSU, the Cougar Guard, existed from 1922 through 1985. The name comes from one of the first duties of the IKs, to guard the cougar mascot and other trophies of the college. Another duty of theirs was to ring the victory bell after each Cougar victory. The victory bell was finally fixed atop College Hall in the 1930s, after being moved to several locations, and rung by the IKs until the 1970s when safety concerns stopped the practice. In 1998 the bell was removed and placed in front of the Alumni Centre, where it is again rung after Cougar victories.
The items in the collection are records of the Washington State University chapter of the Intercollegiate Knights, the Cougar Guard, and some records of the national organization. The records consist of material such as meeting notes and minutes, financial accounts, training for pages (new members) and notes on activities.
Two individual folders, photographs and correspondence, have been put at the back of the collection because they deal both with the Pullman chapter and with the National organization. In the same box, placed on top of the folders due to size, there are three oversized pieces: a painting, a photographs collage, and a flier.
The collection is arranged into two series, the Pullman chapter and National materials, and two individual folders. Both series are ordered alphabetically, then by date within those series.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions apply.
[Item Description]
Intercollegiate Knights Cougar Guard Chapter (Pullman, Washington) Papers, 1941-1985 (Archives 322)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
The collection of Intercollegiate Knights papers was received at the Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) from Linda Commons of the ASWSU (Associated Students of Washington State University) offices in the Compton Union Building (CUB) on January 28, 2003. A small amount of realia was transferred to WSU’s Alumni Centre prior to processing.
This collection was processed in August of 2012 by Katrina Burch.
Intercollegiate Knights Cougar Guard Chapter Scrapbook, 1963-1982
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.