The world was a different place 85 years ago. The 1930s, the years between two world wars that saw most of the United State in a depression, often given capital letters and a title, The Great Depression. Meeting up with people from our past was not an easy thing. Today, it takes only a few keystrokes and some sleuthing to connect with someone we knew in college. It wasn’t always so easy.
In 1933, a Century of Progress International Exposition was held in Chicago to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the city’s incorporation. The Chicago City (Alumnae) Panhellenic kept a guest book on the second floor of the General Exhibits Building so that members of National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) women’s fraternities/sororities could register their attendance at the fair.
Century of Progress map
According to an article in the October 1933, Fraternity Month magazine written by Theodora Maltbie Collins, editor of the Lyre of Alpha Chi Omega: “
During the early weeks of the exposition the sign on the desk reserved by this Panhellenic group was rather small and not easily discernible In spite of this fact many leaves of the registry were filled. Later the neat little sign was replaced by a good sized placard and those who passed noticed ‘Panhellenic Members Please Register Here.’
Despite a few signatures by non-members, the NPC groups were:
represented over and over through the leaves of this unusual book. One can read between the lines and learn that several organizations held conventions in the World’s Fair city during the summer; that many national councils had their annual meeting there; or that Panhellenic people are loyal to their respective states since they registered on their own State Day at the Century of Progress.
Members of the City Panhellenic played “hostess for a day” and they shared some stories:
Once a lady approached very diffidently and when asked if she were a member of a Panhellenic group replied – ‘Well-er-er- I don’t know. Years ago I was a Pi Phi at Monmouth but I am not certain that we are members of Panhellenic.’ The book passed over for her signature and after writing her name carefully the visitor scanned the preceding pages exclaiming now and then: ‘Why here is the name of a woman who was in college with me – she was a Kappa and I have lost all contact with her – may I have her address?’…. ‘Marian G. Brown of Tulsa – a Pi Phi – I wonder if she is the daughter of Marian Gladys Hess who married a Bob Brown right after we graduated.’ It was followed by ‘What do you think of this? Alice Smith whom I haven’t seen for ages, is registered at the Stevens and was here yesterday! My, I must look her up at once – it would be wonderful to see her again.’
Another hostess said:
Now isn’t that thrilling? So many people have had similar experiences when they looked through these pages. Just a minute ago an elderly woman (a Kappa Alpha Theta who blushingly asked me how to make the Greek letter for Theta, when she came to the affiliation column) copied three addresses of old friends and said that this book was the most valuable to her of anything she had seen at the fair grounds and was worth the entire trip.
Collins closed her article with these sentiments:
These incidents are not exaggerated. Similar ones actually did happen and the Chicago City Panhellenic may well be proud of the enjoyment their thoughtfulness and courtesy has given Greek letter women visiting at A Century of Progress this summer.
