Omega Mu Rhodes Scholar: Ballard F. Keith

Omega Mu Rhodes Scholar
​Ballard F. Keith

Ballard F. Keith was the first Rhodes Scholar from the University of Maine. 

Truly, since our founding in 1874 we have sustained a commendable fraternal reputation at the University of Maine, and that is a measurable fact due to the fact that we are not a static, one-dimensional brotherhood. We value that our brothers have different gifts and talents. Our brothers have been meaningfully involved in the University of Maine community since the early years of its founding. Our success-oriented fraternal mindset can be seen in the great number of brothers who were athletes, actors, artists, musicians, editors, writers, R.O.T.C, cadets, and contributing members in other clubs and organizations in the university community. They were engaged and dedicated, and they each made a personal commitment to strive to be their best in their respective commitments. Everything that they did greatly enhanced the sense of community, and that is the most valuable aspect of their respective commitments. They were impactful brothers for the  greater good of the University of Maine community and, in addition, many of these brothers were recognized as top leaders. Their character and sense of responsibility spoke volumes. And, consequently, many of these brothers were chosen to to be Sophomore Owls and Senior Skulls because they exhibited remarkable qualities of leadership, integrity, reliability, and a positive spirit to undertake various responsibilities and challenges and succeed. All of these brothers understood and honestly embodied Pete Carroll's "Responsibility Quotient" that led to their individual success, as well as the success of the various teams, groups, bands, orchestras, and organizations that they were members of at the University of Maine. Amazing things can happen when spirit, mind, and body work in concert. They desired success and they worked hard for it, and they all remain a blessing in our fraternal history, and in the history of the University of Maine. With regards to the later, we remain the oldest fraternal story at Maine. Without a doubt, our collaborative fraternal effort will continue to add rich new chapters to our fraternal story, as young men continue to bring their individual talents and gifts to enrich our brotherhood and the University of Maine community because amazing things can happen when spirit, mind, and body work in concert, and we have proven that fact for 150 years. 

With poise, rigor, and aplomb, many of our brothers have excelled academically at the University of Maine have been tapped into Phi Beta Kappa, and one brother was the first University of Maine student to be be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University. To use Pascal’s “safe wager” argument, these brothers consistently made the wager that academics mattered, that themes and ideas were worth thinking about, that words and ideas matter, that reading and writing matters, that wrestling with questions matter, that studying and being prepared for class matters, that understanding the subject matters, that creative and critical thinking matters, that taking risks matters, and that talking and asking questions in class matters. With confidence and enthusiasm, these brothers accepted the intellectual and emotional wager and won with honesty and authentic “perseverance and determination” beyond the minimal acceptable requirement. Congratulations, Senior Skull brothers, Phi Beta Kappa brothers, and our Rhodes Scholar brother. 

Academic and otherwise, our Omega Mu brothers continue to work hard to achieve their potential in all matters with an uncommon level of  persistence and determination. Yet in the end, we have been fraternally doing this for 150 years, and we will continue to do so. There is no disputing the fact that we are the oldest unbroken fraternal brotherhood at the University of Maine, and our brotherhood is still in place at 79 College Avenue with no attached chains of fraternally limiting thoughts and ideas that we will not be here for another 150 years. We are thankful for all the Q.T.V. and Phi Gamma Delta brothers who have shaped and defined our unbroken historic brotherhood, and we are thankful for hard work of the present undergraduate brothers and the new Omega Mu pledges who recently accepted the white star. 

We continue to be men of fraternal good will, cordial fraternal warmth, and determinative fraternal drive in all areas. We do everything with fraternal energy and enthusiasm because we remain the pioneering, evolving brotherhood at the University of Maine. Persistence and determination encompasses everything that we have achieved as a brotherhood at the University of Maine during our first 150 years, academically, athletically, and civically. 150 years and still counting; count on it. Perge!

Omega Mu
​Rhodes Scholar

"Rhodes Scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, but for their character, commitment to others and the common good, and for their potential leadership in whatever domain their
​careers may lead."

The Crest of Jesus College

Ballard Keith attended Jesus College, the Honors School of Jurisprudence at Oxford University that was
established by ​Queen Elizabeth I.

“What if the space be long and wide,
That parts us from our brother’s side
A soul-joined chain unites our band,
And memory links us hand in hand.”
(Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)

Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
​Perge