Shakespeare?

Right country, wrong art form. ;)

It's from the Mikado.

And we have a winner!!! Except (and I see after posting that you edited your answer and removed this reference) . . .

Pooh-Bah is not the Lord High Executioner. That is Ko-Ko. Pooh-Bah is "First Lord of the Treasury, Lord Chief Justice, Commander-in-Chief, Lord High Admiral, Master of the Buckhounds, Groom of the Back Stairs, Archbishop of Titipu, and Lord Mayor, both acting and elect, all rolled into one" -- in other words, "Lord High Everything Else." (Nobody does this kind of stuff better than Gilbert & Sullivan.)

But I do indeed defer to you, KappaKittyCat. :D

I like this hijack.

My father played Ko-Ko at one point. :)

. . . and I do indeed have a little list.

The Mikado. Gilbert & Sullivan.
Suppose "Expanding Distinction Society" came from that as well??:p

LOL. So do I.

Posts like the OPs make my week a little brighter. :D

it's the name of the emperor guy from The Mikado. (my sister went to see this when she was young, and afterwards we played Lord High Executioner with our barbies).

crap, I missed the second page and thought I was first with this. so close...

No worries. Extra points to everyone who answered -- especially if they played Lord High Executioner with their Barbies. Talk about "defer"! :D

I'm guessing that this is Distinction Society. The dates don't quite match up, and I can't tell if it's co-ed, but the location matches the OP's location.

I'm sad I missed this. AlphaFrog LOVES the Mikado. I will play Katisha before I die.