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Indiana's highest honor, the Sagamore of the Wabash, was presented Tuesday to Dr. Lee Harman, superintendent of Warsaw Community Schools.
In a short ceremony during the Warsaw school board meeting, Dr. Roger Thornton, executive director of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, represented the governor in giving the award to Harman.
Thornton read a letter from Gov. Frank O'Bannon, in which O'Bannon thanked Harman for his "commitment to making Indiana a better place to live and raise a family."
O'Bannon's letter also said: "You have distinguished yourself by your humanity in living, your loyalty in friendship, your wisdom in council and your inspiration in leadership."
Harman, his voice breaking with emotion, thanked his family for their help and introduced family members. "This is a tremendous honor and a great privilege," he said of being named a Sagamore of the Wabash.
He also received a standing ovation from the educators, relatives, staff members and other interested people who packed the small school board meeting room.
On a lighter note, recognizing Harman's tendency to shy away from public recognition, Thornton also said, "He is a person who is very hesitant, in fact very reluctant, to accept any kind of commentary or award that would feature him. I would suggest, Dr. Harman, that it's not good to question the judgment of the governor."
Harman, 56, also was named Indiana's superintendent of the year. He has been superintendent of Warsaw Community Schools since 1992.
The Sagamore of the Wabash award was created during the term of Gov. Ralph Gates, who served from 1945 to 1949. It was named after the term, "Sagamore," that was used by the American Indiana tribes of the northeastern United States to describe "a lesser chief or a great man among the tribe to whom the true chief would look for wisdom and advice."
