Today, March 20, 2025, The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, South Florida Chapter held its first annual meeting at St. Thomas University, hosted by Dr. David Armstrong, President and two-time Kentucky Colonel.
The meeting included a ceremony whereby Dr. Alcides Avila and Mr. Fernando Capablanca were each Commissioned as Kentucky Colonels by the Governor of Kentucky, Hon. Andy Beshear. Each Colonel was also granted a lifetime Honorable title.
Photo: Col. Christopher Todd, Col. Luis Suarez, Col. Marc Garcia, Col. Roy Gonas, Col. Alcides Avila, Col. David A. Armstrong, Col. Roberto Munoz, Col. Lee Popham, Col. Jeff Berger.
The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels (HOKC) is the largest and most well-known organization of Kentucky colonels, so well known that their name, wordmarks, trademarks and service marks, the “Kentucky Colonels” has become synonymous with their identity.
The Governor of Kentucky serves symbolically as the “Commander-in-Chief” of the Honorable Order, and its board of trustees recognized as its ‘Generals’ who serve on a volunteer basis. The mission of the organization is to aid and promote the Commonwealth of Kentucky and its citizens. The organization raises money to support Kentucky charities, educational organizations, and to conduct other good works that will help the citizens of Kentucky. The organization’s charitable efforts have also sometimes extended past the borders of the Commonwealth, such as contributing to natural disaster relief in neighboring states. By 1979, annual donations exceeded $500,000, and by 1992, they exceeded $1 million. In 2020 the organization made grants to 265 organizations in the state in excess of 2.9 million dollars.
In addition to its direct charity work known as its Good Works Program, the HOKC organizes special events such as a Homecoming Weekend and events celebrating the Kentucky Derby, and sells Kentucky colonel-themed commemorative merchandise such as apparel and drinkware bearing its Kentucky Colonel Shield logo and the Great Seal of the HOKC. HOKC special events often celebrate features of Kentucky culture, such as bourbon whiskey, horse farms, horse racing, and the local museums, restaurants and tourism attractions, as well as promoting the benevolent Good Works Program.
In 2008, a spokesman for the HOKC said the organization currently had 103,700 members that it considered “active” in their organization, and that they included people from every state and 62 foreign countries, with 40–45% of them being women and only one third of them being within Kentucky. Colonels are not required to officially join the HOKC, and he further said “We don’t have a clue as to how many Colonels are out there.
The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels was first established during the depression in 1933 by Governor Ruby Laffoon to raise tax-revenues and attract attention to the state, it was founded based on the recommendation of Governor Flem Sampson in 1931 and the enthusiasm of colonels to establish an order and brotherhood. Governor Laffoon awarded over 10,000 commissions between 1932 and 1935, he established the organization originally as a state order of merit with an office at the capital. After being criticized politically and challenged legally by the Attorney General of the Commonwealth, Beverly Vincent who cancelled 17,000 colonel commissions in 1936; the practice was reinstated by James Wise serving as the acting governor under Governor Happy Chandler exactly one month later. Since 1936 “Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels” has been dependent on each of Kentucky’s governors to make new colonels. In 1957 they incorporated the organization as a nonprofit dedicated to building playgrounds, curating history, awarding scholarships and providing relief to Kentuckians in need.
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