Skull and Swords

[572]

Mar 8, 2016 11:09:38 GMT -5 Bill Dedrick said:

My dad was Bill Dedrick, NU Class of 1942. He was in Skull and Swords as well as Night Riders. He never told me much about eithet but Mom said they were hellraisers. Dad got an offer to play for the Detroit Lions upon graduating, but he was committed to taking his Army commission.

God I miss that guy. RIP Dad.

Yes, your father was in S&S. May Brother Dedrick rest in peace. However, he was not in Night Riders as they never existed.

[Anyone?]

Did the buglar really get kidnapped in the mid 90's?

[NU12]

I am a 2012 graduate. During my freshman year (2008)I asked my cadre and other cadets about renting or buying used books because the cost of textbooks was ridiculously high. I come from a middle class family and could not afford my books. I had to borrow books from my fellow rook buddies and other classmates to get though my first semester. My cadre and other leadership continued to ask me if I had found a way to get money for textbooks, the answer was always no. During one of my breaks between classes on morning I returned to my room in Alumni Hall. I remember we couldn't lay down and were told to read our Rook Book and memorize fun facts haha. For some reason I remember going into my desk drawer and I found an envelope with my name on it. The envelope contained several hundred dollars.....

Along with the money in the envelope there was a folded letter. The letter which I cannot find within my trunk full of Norwich stuff: Uniforms, rook books, athletic clothing etc. but in summary it said:

MY NAME

accept this money to help with your current money situation and use it to buy books and needed supplies. We know who you are and we know you are good person. We want to show you how brothers at Norwich take care of each other....Do not spend this on anything other then school, we are watching and will find out of any misspending.... Don't be surprised if you are asked to help someone else one day. Continue being a good person etc.

Signed SKULL & SWORDS with what looked to be like a blood stain stamp after it.....


I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS WAS LEGIT OR JUST SOME ROOK BUDDIES HELPING ME OUT. BUT I KNOW FOR d**n SURE I KNEW WHAT IT MEANT TO BE A PART OF A GREAT ORGANIZATION/BROTHERHOOD. MY ROOK BUDDIES AND I STILL STAY IN TOUCH AND MEET EVERY YEAR. THAT EXPERIENCE TRULY TAUGHT ME THE IMPORTANCE OF LOYALTY...

[A shadow in the night]

Yes, he was kidnapped January 25th 1996

May 4, 2016 23:10:10 GMT -5 Anyone? said:

Did the buglar really get kidnapped in the mid 90's?

[Interested Follower]

And so it is the second Saturday in December in the year of our lord 2016. It is well known among those who follow this stuff the second Saturday in December is a holy day on the S&S calendar. They will be in Boston tonight at the Union Oyster House as they are every year.....so much for S&S not being around anymore. I know this to be true and I'm happy they are still working behind the scenes for NU.

[572]

Dec 10, 2016 16:08:20 GMT -5 Interested Follower said:

And so it is the second Saturday in December in the year of our lord 2016. It is well known among those who follow this stuff the second Saturday in December is a holy day on the S&S calendar. They will be in Boston tonight at the Union Oyster House as they are every year.....so much for S&S not being around anymore. I know this to be true and I'm happy they are still working behind the scenes for NU.

[Long live the knights!!!]

Still lives and will forever!!!

[NU 78-80]

Jul 8, 2012 17:45:45 GMT -5 Nu Old School said:

S&S were glorified bail bondsmen in the period of at least 1979-81. In fact the "secret" society really had no affect on the corps of cadets. In 78-79 it was a very rough year for the corps. At the S&S parade at the end of that year, the Regimental Staff was laughing as they named all the new members (79-80) before they were announced. Let's see we had to have a football player, a hockey player, a guy going in the Marines, two or three "pinheads" who talked the talk but couldn't walk the walk, and the staff was 100% on the money making the picks. At that point everyone knew it was a joke and who you knew not your loyalty to the school.

I was there and you couldn't be further from the truth.  

[Norwich Cadet]

To whom it may concern,

To start this off, I would like to address an important issue that is seemingly neglected today by most of the student body here at Norwich. There is a clear lack of education about the Noble and intricate history of this fine institution. Upon completing Rook Initial Training i.e. "Rookdom" I certainly left a better man than I could have ever dreamed of being if I had attended just any college. However, I found it odd that The cadets here know next to nothing about the generations of students that have walked the same halls as them. Sure we know of the important dates, and some of the great Generals and Admirals that have come before us, but I feel that is driven into our heads not out of respect of the past, but merely to fill training time during the day.  People here often say that the corps is dying, corrupted by the Commandants and political pressures. They point to a decline in discipline caused by a fear of lawsuits, hazing and legal matters. I like to believe that history is cyclical, and that the decline of esprit de corps is only temporary. I'm not arguing that the past was perfect, as those before me clearly expressed that there were some rough patches in the road. I'm just pointing out that if there was a time for the Corps to make a return to the old way, now would be the right time. I will now come to the true meaning behind this post. I have done ample reading and research into the history of this campus and there is an organization here that has piqued my interest. I've focused a good amount of time into studying the Skull and Swords Society, and the minuscule amount of information I have recovered has been fascinating. It is relieving to know that such an organization existed, and possibly still exists. It's good to know that people other than myself have a strong passion towards upholding all that makes Norwich great. I would love to learn more about this group of noble men who have carried such a burden. I understand that those of you that have bore this burden are reluctant to indulge outsiders in the intricacies of the organization. I also understand lending me your tongue can be a dangerous thing to do, but I give you my word this information will not be published, nor shared by even the closest of my brothers here. I find the vow to lend thine ear, but hold thy tongue an important way to keep an organization from being poisoned by the doubt and rumors of outsiders To be clear, I seek no information that would damage the reputation of the organization, I do not wish to continue the organization in any way without the explicit permission of authorized individuals, and anything that you deem me unworthy to know I will not pester you for. I just wish to know more about how this organization shaped the history of Norwich and the noble men who have come before me. 

You can contact me at the following email address, I have created it specifically for this purpose and will check it consistently and respond promptly. I am also a current cadet here if you wish to visit me to discuss these matters in person you can reach out to me via email and we can set something up.

[e-mail]

[The Sage of Jackman Hall]

The thing about Secret Societies at Norwich is this
If you're looking for them you will never find them, If you seek answers you will only have more questions.

[Not an Other]

Faithful to the Past! Look in the Chapel  But make sure your studies come first 

Apr 24, 2017 10:10:51 GMT -5 Norwich Cadet said:

To whom it may concern,

To start this off, I would like to address an important issue that is seemingly neglected today by most of the student body here at Norwich. There is a clear lack of education about the Noble and intricate history of this fine institution. Upon completing Rook Initial Training i.e. "Rookdom" I certainly left a better man than I could have ever dreamed of being if I had attended just any college. However, I found it odd that The cadets here know next to nothing about the generations of students that have walked the same halls as them. Sure we know of the important dates, and some of the great Generals and Admirals that have come before us, but I feel that is driven into our heads not out of respect of the past, but merely to fill training time during the day.  People here often say that the corps is dying, corrupted by the Commandants and political pressures. They point to a decline in discipline caused by a fear of lawsuits, hazing and legal matters. I like to believe that history is cyclical, and that the decline of esprit de corps is only temporary. I'm not arguing that the past was perfect, as those before me clearly expressed that there were some rough patches in the road. I'm just pointing out that if there was a time for the Corps to make a return to the old way, now would be the right time. I will now come to the true meaning behind this post. I have done ample reading and research into the history of this campus and there is an organization here that has piqued my interest. I've focused a good amount of time into studying the Skull and Swords Society, and the minuscule amount of information I have recovered has been fascinating. It is relieving to know that such an organization existed, and possibly still exists. It's good to know that people other than myself have a strong passion towards upholding all that makes Norwich great. I would love to learn more about this group of noble men who have carried such a burden. I understand that those of you that have bore this burden are reluctant to indulge outsiders in the intricacies of the organization. I also understand lending me your tongue can be a dangerous thing to do, but I give you my word this information will not be published, nor shared by even the closest of my brothers here. I find the vow to lend thine ear, but hold thy tongue an important way to keep an organization from being poisoned by the doubt and rumors of outsiders To be clear, I seek no information that would damage the reputation of the organization, I do not wish to continue the organization in any way without the explicit permission of authorized individuals, and anything that you deem me unworthy to know I will not pester you for. I just wish to know more about how this organization shaped the history of Norwich and the noble men who have come before me. 

You can contact me at the following email address, I have created it specifically for this purpose and will check it consistently and respond promptly. I am also a current cadet here if you wish to visit me to discuss these matters in person you can reach out to me via email and we can set something up.

[e-mail]

[TheFly9061]

Funny this is still going, my original post is somewhere in here but I'm too lazy to find it.
First to be selected your family must have had money in order to fund the club.
Second you could be a captian of a sport or a key member on the Honor Committee in order to sway votes and/or inform the group of the committee's actions or plans. This is to protect "Bucks" who never really should of attended Norwich in the first place.
Just a shoulder to cry on when things got tough.
Third, well too tired to think of one. lol

[CuzInNH]

LOS314 lives on

[ARealRider]

1. Riders are not picked because they have money; they are picked on account of their willingness to be generous, have balls and address issues negatively affecting Norwich and Cadets.
2. There has always been the RONRB and always will be.
3. A few years ago we were instrumental in addressing the rampant drug problem and thefts on campus, we worked with the cops.
4. If you were in the NIB and you do not know what 145 stands for it would seem a tradition has died.
5. We never ask for anything in return.
6. The Boys of 2002 were not kicked out, they turned themselves in a left voluntary. They all kept their commissions and one just retired as a MSG in the Army, he is a true legend, do some research if you want to know what a cadet who really loves our school did.
7. I was picked and people were jealous.
8. We do not have rituals nor do we drink in the woods. A year of intense training and history education is involved.
9. There are many faculty members and local friends of Norwich that support us. Take that for what you will.
10. I am a late 2000s Rider and couldn't be prouder, if anyone has a problem we will be at Alumni Weekend in a few weeks. At least one of the 2002 Boys will be there, if you want to meet a Wick Hero stop by and have a beer.
11. We do not hate Skull and Swords and want the school to reinstate them. They are a major part of our school's history and story.
12. None of you know what you are taking about and we love how everyone knows about secret societies and hate they were not picked to join one. For your education there is the RONRB, S&S, Old Crow, FOS, LOS, Balls and Bats etc. Learn about the history of our school. ENB 192 145 LRS

[rook2017]

Is anyone still active in this forum?