Cadaver Society | |
---|---|
Founded | 1957 Washington and Lee University |
Type | Secret society |
Affiliation | Independent |
Status | Active |
Emphasis | Pre-med |
Scope | Local |
Chapters | 1 |
Headquarters | Lexington, Virginia United States |
The Cadaver Society is a secret society for male students at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, United States.[1][2] It was founded in 1957.[1][3]
The Cadaver Society has been in continuous operation since its founding in 1957.[1] The society refers to itself as "A Friend of the University".[4] It is known for nocturnal pranks.[2]
The membership of the Cadaver Society is strictly anonymous.[3] Membership is speculated to consist of older students, pre-med students, or leaders of Washington and Lee's athletic teams and fraternities.[2][5]
The Cadavers symbol is a skull with the letter C around it.[2] It can be found in many prominent places throughout the campus. One place in particular where the Cadavers' logo can be consistently seen is on Wilson Field; they painted it at the endzone every Friday before a game when the field was grass.[2] Since the renovation of the field in 2008, and the replacement of grass with Field Turf, the Cadaver symbol in permanently on the hill separating Alumni from Wilson Field.[2]
The society's members wear a skull mask and all black for anonymity while on campus excursions.[2][5] It has long been rumored to have underground passageways spanning the campus and surfacing in the campus library.[4][6]
A Cadaver Society Scholarship was established in 1997.[7] The scholarship is to be awarded every four years to an incoming freshman.[7] The Cadaver Endowment was committed in 1981 to be designated as a residual fund in Cadaver's name to the school each year.[8]