The University of the South is proud to announce a new distinction within the Sewanee Athletics Hall of Fame: the Keystone Medal. This special honor recognizes former student-athletes who not only excelled in varsity athletics but also made profound contributions to the University's life—helping to shape its character, culture, and values both on the Mountain and beyond.
Recipients of the Keystone Medal embody the highest ideals of Sewanee: leadership, integrity, creativity, service, and a commitment to making the University a better place. Their impact reaches far beyond the playing field, touching classrooms, residence halls, student organizations, and the lives of others in our community.
This fall, we are honored to name Professor Emeritus J. Douglas Seiters, C'65, as the inaugural recipient of the Keystone Medal.
As a student-athlete, Seiters excelled in football, track and field, and wrestling, earning 10 varsity letters. He was a campus leader, serving as a proctor, member of the Honor Council, Beta Theta Pi, the Green Ribbon Society, and was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa upon graduation. After earning graduate degrees at Florida State, he returned to Sewanee to begin what would become one of the most distinguished records of service in University history. Over five decades, Seiters served as a beloved teacher of classical languages, dean of men, interim provost, interim dean of the College, and trusted counselor in times of transition. Again and again, Sewanee has turned to him when steady judgment, humility, and a servant's heart were most needed.
Beyond his administrative roles, Seiters left a lasting mark as co-director of the Sewanee Summer Scholars Program, an innovative initiative that welcomed underrepresented high school students of color to the Mountain and helped prepare them for higher education. Many of those young scholars went on to become leaders, educators, and professionals who still remember Sewanee as a place of welcome and opportunity.
Students admired him not only for his scholarship but also for his humanity. One memorable course evaluation captured the sentiment simply: "Doug rules!" Colleagues, too, consistently recognized him as the essence of what is best in Sewanee—he is generous with his time, wise in counsel, and unfailingly devoted to the well-being of others.
In naming Doug Seiters as the first recipient of the Keystone Medal, Sewanee affirms that the values he has lived—discipline, leadership, integrity, service, and love of community—are the very foundation on which Sewanee athletics and Sewanee life rest. He stands as a model for all who will follow.
Family and friends of Seiters are invited to join us at the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on October 3, contact
Susan Askew.
