The four new Knights of St. Patrick from CEE pose with a castle they built with other new members in Engineering Hall as part of their initiation into the honorary organization for engineering students. Left to right: Michael Alvarez, Jose Garcia, Christopher Walton, and Kimberly Parker.
Four CEE students have been named 2011 Knights of St. Patrick. The honorary organization for engineering students inducts a select group of students each year who represent leadership, excellence of character, and who have made an exceptional contribution to the College of Engineering and its students. This year’s new CEE knights are Michael Alvarez, Jose Garcia, Kimberly Parker, and Christopher Walton.
The Knights of St. Patrick got its start at the University of Missouri-Columbia more than 100 years ago when the legend of St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland captured the imaginations of some book-weary engineering students on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day in 1903. The students reasoned that such a feat could have been accomplished only by an engineer and declared that if St. Patrick was in fact a fellow engineer, they deserved a break on his feast day. They celebrated by cutting classes. Over the years, the tradition of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on engineering campuses grew and evolved into what is known today as one of the highest honors an engineering student can receive.
In a nod to the anti-authority origins of the group, new knights play pranks on the administration. This year’s pranks included writing “KSP” and drawing a shamrock with green dye in the snow in the engineering quad, as well as planting a KSP flag “which thanks to the ice, is still out there and isn’t removable,” Walton says. Another prank included building a castle in Engineering Hall.
“The premise is that the Blarney Stone has been hidden on campus and the Knights Elders (past Knights) have been providing us with clues leading to its location,” Walton says. “The most recent clue challenged us to build a castle and also to honor our fellow students and the college.”
In total, there are 11 new knights this year from throughout the College of Engineering. The students will be formally inducted at the Knights Ball on March 12.