The Blue Key Leadership Honor Society was founded in 1925 and is comprised of 125 chapters across the United States.

Blue Key evolved from a faith in the sincerity and ability of college students held by Major B. C. Riley. The society had its foundations first in his idea that college and university student leaders are young citizens who believe that worthwhile progress can best be made through the orderly processes of evolution. Second, in his belief that students are individuals and must be treated as such. That they are individuals willing to accept responsibility, willing to cooperate with faculty, willing to work with their fellow-students and capable of putting across ideas and creating the right attitudes which will do much to improve student life and welfare.

Major Riley selected twenty-five outstanding student leaders, who by election or attainment, held places of prominence and confidence in the student body. These individuals were called together, and to each was assigned the duty to look after some particular phase of the program. After the success of this attempt, the same students requested Major Riley to meet with them regularly to discuss other ways of improving student life and there was noticeable increase of interest on the campus in all worthwhile students activities. The progress and the results obtained by this group were amazing and there came the need for the exchange of ideas with similar groups on other campuses. No similar working organization could be found; therefore, Major Riley passed his idea along, wholly with the intention of cooperating with other schools.

An honor society with a service slogan immediately appealed to students in other colleges and in 1925 began the phenomenal growth of Blue Key. Other schools adopted the name, the constitution, the pledge, and the insignia which were all produced by Major Riley without suggestion or assistance form anyone else. The privilege of using these properties was given in the early days of the society by Major Riley without expense or other obligation to those groups which proved themselves to be made up of student leaders in recognized institutions.

Text provided by the Blue Key national headquarters: click here to visit their website.

So why is it a blue key?

From Chris Siervedes, Chair, Blue Key:

"Blue Key was started in 1924 at the University of Florida by B. C. Riley.  One can imagine that blue is considered a regal color. Azure blue is related to a color one would see in the ocean. One of the school colors at the University of Florida is a shade of blue (I don't have the exact name of the shade).  Azure blue is described as something akin to royal blue."    

From the organization's bylaws:

ARTICLE III - INSIGNIA

Section 1.        Description.  The official insignia of the Fraternity shall be the key.  The official Blue Key is an oblong Waldemar key-charm; on the smooth surface appears an oval with raised border.  Within the oval is a cross. Superimposed on the cross is a spread eagle. Below the eagle on the lower point of the cross is a star.  All of these symbols are in gold relief.  Outside of the oval in which these symbols appear, the key is brilliant azure blue French enamel.

Section 2.        Colors.  The colors of Blue Key National Honor Fraternity shall be azure blue and gold.

Section 3.        Official Seal.  The official seal of the Fraternity shall have the Blue Key design as its basis.  Around the design shall appear the full name of Blue Key National Honor Fraternity.

Section 4.        Certificate of Membership.  The certificate of membership, or shingle, shall bear the official Blue Key design in color and shall certify that the person whose name appears thereon is a registered member of Blue Key inducted during the Fall or Spring semester of the academic calendar.