Category Archives: Knox College

Knox College – the Early History of Its Women’s Fraternity System

The birthplace of the women’s fraternity system is only a few miles west of Galesburg. Pi Beta Phi was founded on April 28, 1867 in the southwest second floor bedroom of the home of “Major “ Jacob Holt at 402 … Continue reading

Posted in Alpha Xi Delta, Beta Theta Pi, Delta Delta Delta, Fran Favorite, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Knox College, Lombard College, National Panhellenic Conference, Notable Sorority Women, P.E.O., Pi Beta Phi, Sorority History, The Trident of Delta Delta Delta, Women's Fraternity History | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Knox College – the Early History of Its Women’s Fraternity System

Fraternity History and Sorority History Do Matter!

It’s been a year since I started this blog. Some people stumble upon it while trying to find out which presidents were fraternity men, or which Olympic athletes were sorority members, or any odd number of searches that will lead … Continue reading

Posted in Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, Calvin Coolidge, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, Knox College, Men's Fraternities, Mount Holyoke College, National Panhellenic Conference, Notable Sorority Women, P.E.O., Presidents, Sorority History, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Syracuse University, The Arrow of Pi Beta Phi, Women's Fraternities, Women's Fraternity History | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Fraternity History and Sorority History Do Matter!

Doctors Who Wore Badges: Fraternity Women in Medicine 1867-1902

In 1870, there were 525 female doctors in the United States (Newcomer, 1959).   Among the fraternity women who became physicians were founders of two NPC groups, Rachel Jane “Jennie” Nicol, a founder of Pi Beta Phi, and Eleanor Dorcas Pond … Continue reading

Posted in Alpha Phi, Boston University, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, DePauw University, Gamma Phi Beta, GLO, Goucher College, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, Iowa Wesleyan College, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Alpha Theta (magazine), Kappa Kappa Gamma, Knox College, Lombard College, Monmouth College, National Panhellenic Conference, Northwestern University, Notable Fraternity Women, Notable Sorority Women, Pi Beta Phi, Sorority History, Syracuse University, The Anchora of Delta Gamma, The Arrow of Pi Beta Phi, The Key of Kappa Kappa Gamma, The Trident of Delta Delta Delta, University of California at Berkeley, University of Kansas, University of Michigan, University of Vermont, Women's Fraternities, Women's Fraternity History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Doctors Who Wore Badges: Fraternity Women in Medicine 1867-1902

Presenting the Lincoln Bowl – Knox vs. Eureka

Abraham Lincoln never attended college, but he has connections to many colleges.  There are statues of him on numerous campuses including in Morris Library at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and at Illinois College. There are colleges named for him. And now there … Continue reading

Posted in Eureka College, Knox College, Tau Kappa Epsilon | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Sisson’s Wednesday Evening Wedding in Galesburg

The story of their castle is on my blog, but here is the story I wrote of their Wednesday evening wedding from Pi Phi’s web-site. http://piphiblog.org/2012/06/18/a-greek-letter-royal-wedding/ If you enjoy reading this post, subscribe to updates, or like it on facebook … Continue reading

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“My Dear Sisson,” Wrote Wm. Raimond Baird on Jan. 1, 1898

William Raimond Baird was a patent lawyer and mineralogist, but his hobby was his fraternity and the fraternity world at-large. He spent 25 years as editor of Beta Theta Pi’s magazine and his manual American College Fraternities is considered a … Continue reading

Posted in Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, Beta Theta Pi, Fran Favorite, Knox College, Pi Beta Phi, Syracuse University, The Arrow of Pi Beta Phi | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Francis and Grace Lass Sisson – Grand Presidents Who Lived in a Castle

Knox College graduates Grace Lass, a member of the Illinois Delta Chapter of Pi Beta Phi, and Francis Hinckley Sisson, a member of the Xi Chapter of Beta Theta Pi, were married in Galesburg, Illinois, on June 16, 1897. Grace … Continue reading

Posted in Beta Theta Pi, Fran Favorite, Knox College, Notable Fraternity Women, Notable Sorority Women, Pi Beta Phi | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

College Pennants, Knox College, Grace Coolidge, Baseball, Lloyd G. Balfour and Culver Military Academy, Oh My!

This photograph is so typical of the rooms in which college co-eds lived and played during the early 1900s. The pennants from other colleges and schools were standard decorations. A look through any woman’s fraternity magazine from that time period … Continue reading

Posted in Fran Favorite, Grace Coolidge, Knox College, Lloyd G. Balfour, Monmouth College, Sigma Chi, The Arrow of Pi Beta Phi | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Flunk Day Versus Mountain Day

Flunk Day at Knox College happens on a random day in the spring. Mountain Day at Mount Holyoke College takes place on one of those perfect fall New England Days. I suspect there are very few families who have a … Continue reading

Posted in Fran Favorite, Knox College, Mount Holyoke College | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Happy 175th Birthday Knox College and a Tidbit about Francis H. and Grace Lass Sisson

February 15, 2012, was the 175th anniversary of the founding of Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. Although it is the only remaining site of a Lincoln-Douglas debate, in the fraternity world it has another special distinction. Francis Hinckley and Grace … Continue reading

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