By David Melding
  The distinguished academic and past chair of the NAWF’s Welsh Board, Professor Jon Roper was inducted into the Order of Ivorites on the 15th January 2022 at the Guildhall, Swansea, Wales.

   The Lord Mayor of Swansea, Councillor Paxton Hood-Williams made the presentation and said that he “was delighted to welcome the Ivorites back to Swansea and to see such an outstanding citizen of the City honored in this way.”
   Professor Roper taught at Swansea University where he was one of the two key figures who established the Department of American Studies. He was Head of Department 1996–2007 and became known on both sides of the Atlantic as a leading authority on US politics. As well as his contributions to scholarship and the public understanding of American politics, including an acclaimed book on the US Presidency, Professor Roper led the NAWF’s Welsh Board for many years before stepping down in 2022.

  At the ceremony, Professor Roper was joined by his wife Nicola and members of the NAWF’s Welsh Board. After the presentation, members took the opportunity to discuss with the Lord Mayor the work of NAWF in promoting cultural and educational links between North America and Wales. The Lord Mayor was particularly pleased to hear how NAWF had revived the Order of Ivorites in the form of an award to recognise individuals and institutions whose work has brought “honor to the overall Welsh tradition and heritage.”

  On his induction Professor Roper said, “It is an honor to join the distinguished list of members of the Order of Ivorites. I would like to thank all those involved in making this award and organising the presentation.” David Melding, Chair NAWF’s Welsh Board, added, “It is wonderful to recognise Jon Roper’s outstanding contribution to scholarship and American-Welsh relations. Thanks to Jon, the work of NAWF in Wales has prospered and we look forward to building on his achievements.”

  The original Ivorites were particularly strong in Swansea and its hinterland in the second half of the nineteenth century. Even today there is still a public house named the Ivorite Arms in Swansea, an echo of the time when many streets, meeting halls, and pubs in Wales were named after the highly esteemed Ivorites.

The main areas of settlement were Utica, Steuben and Remsen. After the Revolutionary War, land was granted to Major General Baron von Steuben by a grateful government. This land, 16,000 acres in the town of Steuben, was divided into 100-acre plots and sold to the newly arrived Welsh settlers.

In these early days, Welsh families came together to keep alive their cultural traditions, maintain friendships and honor their Patron Saint, St. David. Two of the earliest groups were the Welsh Society of Philadelphia, founded in 1729 and the St. David's Society of New York State in 1835. The St. David's Society of Utica can trace its roots to the Cymreigyddion Society's Eisteddfod in 1856.