Before he left office in January after eight years as the state’s highest executive official, former Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb bestowed one of the state’s highest honors on two Wabash alumni. Josh Tatum ’03 and Todd Barton ’00 each received a Sagamore of the Wabash, an award that recognizes individuals who have rendered a distinguished service to the state or to the governor.
The Sagamore of the Wabash was first awarded in 1946 and has been bestowed upon astronauts, teachers, artists and public officials who have excelled in service to the state and its citizens. The Sagamore is conferred solely by the governor, and though there is no comprehensive record of all the award’s recipients, it is reserved for those who go above and beyond in their service.
Tatum’s reception centered on his service rendered to Gov. Holcomb in a 2022 state constitutional challenge, Holcomb v. Bray. Tatum, a partner and appellate lawyer at Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP in Indianapolis, was the lead counsel on an amicus brief to the Indiana Supreme Court supporting the Holcomb administration’s position that Indiana’s Constitution does not allow the state legislature to call a special legislative session without gubernatorial involvement. The award also recognized Tatum’s service to multiple organizations including YMCA Youth and Government, Scouting America, the Wabash Club of Indianapolis and the Indiana State Bar Association. Despite these accomplishments and others, the award came as a surprise to Tatum.
“I got an email from Governor Holcomb’s general counsel, and it was a little odd, because I initially thought I was being invited to celebrate someone else getting a Sagamore of the Wabash,” said Tatum. “Then Joe Heerens [Gov. Holcomb’s general counsel], who is a DePauw graduate, called me and confirmed that it was, in fact, an award to be given to me.”
Barton, who is serving his fourth term as Crawfordsville mayor and formerly served as the city’s fire chief, received his award in early January of this year. Barton had a strong relationship with Gov. Holcomb, on several occasions joining the governor on international travel to seek economic investment and receiving opportunities to represent the whole state of Indiana — not just Crawfordsville. Barton, like Tatum, was caught unawarewhen he initially received word he would be awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash.
“It was after hours on a Friday evening when I found out,” said Barton. “My first thought was that they [the governor’s office] were asking me to come to the presentation of someone else receiving a Sagamore award. I get that request sometimes, so I thought it was something like that. It took me a little bit to figure out, ‘No, they’re actually wanting me to come because they’re presenting me a Sagamore.’”
Though Tatum and Barton work in the private and public sector, respectively, they share a high esteem for service. Both men have oriented a large part of their lives around giving back to the communities that shaped them. Service requires sacrifice, but a servant reaps personal benefits from their service too.
“Service gives us an opportunity to interact with people we may not otherwise agree with and learn from them,” said Tatum. “As I reflect on the different groups I’ve served — through the Bar Association, YMCA Youth and Government, Scouting, Wabash and the Church — these relationships help me see the world through different lenses, and I think it’s important for people who have any kind of influence on society to be able to put themselves in the shoes of somebody else.”
Whether private or public service, young people especially should jump in as soon as they can, in Barton’s opinion. It will not only benefit them, but also their community and future generations.
“You don’t have to go and set the world on fire right out of the gate,” said Barton. “But just be involved in boards and commissions and nonprofits and things like that. Our communities are absolutely starving for people who want to serve and people who want to lead. ”
Tatum and Barton both expressed gratitude to Gov. Holcomb for the award and satisfaction that they had been able to be useful to their communities in many ways, but neither sees his reception of the Sagamore of the Wabash as a reason to rest his efforts.
“It’s also a challenge,” said Tatum. “I cannot in good conscience accept an award like this and become less active in my service. This is a recognition for what I have done and am doing, but it’s also an encouragement to keep going.”
“It’s very humbling,” said Barton. “It pushes me to work even harder. It’s like being mayor. People say, ‘It’s your fourth term, you probably could let off the gas a little bit and start to coast,’ but that’s not me. I’m going to work as hard in the fourth term as I did in the first, maybe harder, and if I do a fifth, I’ll work even harder there.”