Scholastic Heraldry

Row 1 (L-R): Chicago, Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, and UPenn
Row 2 (L-R): Wesleyan, Notre Dame, Hampden-Sydney, Kenyon, St Joseph
Row 3 (L-R): St. Albans, Roxbury Latin, Mount St. Scholastica, Rice, St. Pauls, Groton, Eton 

If I had to choose, I mean really choose, a certain branch of heraldry that I'm drawn to, it's first and foremost scholastic or academic heraldry.  A close second would be ecclesiastical heraldry.  I suppose it has something to do with how I first encountered coat armour.

In the fall of 1998, I matriculated to the pastoral campus of Hampden-Sydney College located just outside of Farmville, Virginia.  The school was founded on November 15, 1775, a day shared with the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps.  I covered the school's coat of arms in a previous post.  I distinctly recall blowing a large sum of my graduation money on items in the college's bookstore that bore those beautiful arms.  I will even admit to purchasing my class ring my freshman year, solely so that I could wear the arms of the school!  Thank goodness I graduated.  And yes, I received quite the jabbing from my friends and classmates for such a bold move.  

Ever since my undergraduate days, I've been truly enamored by heraldry, and I remain especially curious about organizations that bear arms.  What is does it mean for an academic institution to bear arms?  What messages are intrinsic to those schools' coat armour?  Aside from those larger questions, I'm interested to know the what and the why behind the design and rationale. 

So, during these past seven weeks of home confinement, I started a group on Facebook to share and discuss scholastic heraldry.  I put together the grouping of shields above for the social media site to help advertise.

Click on this link to join the discussion and share.  

Arise, Shine!

The coat of arms of Dr. Chad M. Krouse, 

emblazoned by Hector Rojas

Yes, it's been several years since I last posted on this blog.  In short, lots of things, good things (great, in fact) have happened in the intervening years since.  Today, the world is no longer the same; the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to shut down, to pause, and reset.  Being home the last seven weeks has given me time to also pause and reset, just like I had to do with finding the password to this site.

I hope to share more in the coming days and weeks.  So many old hobbies and interests have been rekindled during this time.  Wait for it...yes!  Heraldry.  It's funny in a way.  Back in 2014, I was all over the subject, loving every minute.  I couldn't get enough of it, in fact.  When I began my doctoral program in 2015, my focus inevitably shifted, free time was a luxury I could no longer afford.

About a year ago, I commissioned Hector Rojas to emblazon my full achievement, another luxury I could not have afforded back in the day.  While I didn't do anything exciting with the rendering, I was pleased to have them.

During this shutdown, I'm keeping the digital heralds busy.  I'll share a few new things over the coming days.  Until then, it's great to be back.  Be safe.