BLOOMINGTON, IL - Illinois Wesleyan University will host its inaugural Four Chaplains Commemoration on Feb. 3, 2026, where the University will honor one of our alumni with the Chapel of the Four Chaplains’ Legion of Honor Humanitarian Award. The winner will be announced at the ceremony, which will take place from 11 a.m. to noon at Evelyn Chapel.
The award itself is the legacy of IWU alumnus George Fox ‘31, one of the legendary Four Chaplains who sacrificed their lives to save U.S. soldiers and civilians during the Second World War. The Chapel of the Four Chaplains, which presents the award, was established in 1951 with a dedication by President Harry Truman to honor Rabbi Alexander Goode, Father John Washington, Reverend Clark Poling and Fox, a Methodist pastor, who were chaplains aboard the U.S.A.T. (United States Army Transport) Dorchester when it was sunk during an Atlantic voyage during the war.
The Dorchester set sail in the dead of winter on Jan. 23, 1943, as part of the trans-Atlantic supply line to the Allied forces in Europe and North Africa. The converted civilian transport ship carried nearly 1,000 personnel, including soldiers and civilian support staff, assigned to relieve U.S. forces stationed at a base on the southern tip of Greenland. On Feb. 3, the Dorchester was struck by a German u-boat torpedo and began to rapidly sink.
Goode, Washington, Poling and Fox helped distribute life jackets and organize survivors onto life rafts until there were no longer enough rafts or jackets to save everyone on board. The Four Chaplains then gave up their own life jackets to those attempting to escape and went down with the ship singing hymns and speaking prayers.
The Legion of Honor Awards are “one element of the Chapel of the Four Chaplains outreach to continue the legacy of selfless service exemplified by the four chaplains by recognizing individuals (civilian and military) whose volunteer service is in keeping with that legacy,” said Kathleen Potthoff ‘73, a retired lieutenant colonel of the U.S. Marine Corps and current junior vice commandant at the Department of Florida Marine Corps League, which has conducted Legion of Honor Award ceremonies for more than a decade. Potthoff received the Humanitarian award herself in 2023.
“The legacy of Chaplain Fox, along with Chaplains Poling, Goode and Washington, notes the core value that resonates in an individual when the situation calls for more than self. It is that selfless service that so many in the military ‘just do,’ stepping forward, without hesitation and say, essentially, ‘take me.’” Potthoff said.
Those interested in attending the ceremony can register here. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested.
The IWU Alumni Association is currently accepting nominations for the Legion of Honor Award(s) to be represented at the 2027 Four Chaplains Commemoration. If you would like to nominate an IWU alumnus for one of the six awards presented by the Legion of Honor Awards Program, please submit nomination materials by September 21, 2026 here.
Please contact Avary Kampwerth, Volunteer Engagement Officer, at akampwer@iwu.edu with any questions.