Category Archives: Pi Beta Phi

Cyber Monday – the GLO Cornucopia

My e-mail boxes tell me it’s Cyber Monday, one of the busiest on-line shopping days. There is a big sale going on at Pi Phi Express and I am certain that many other fraternity and sorority on-line merchants are having … Continue reading

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There’s Celebrating in Columbia, SC – #‎SisMullisishappyhappy‬!

Two years ago, I made a promise to Joanne and Brenda, two Pi Phi friends. We were in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, celebrating the centennial of Pi Beta Phi’s commitment to literacy. A statue was being unveiled on the Arrowmont property and as … Continue reading

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The @GLOHistory Twitter Feed – a ΘΧ Mustang, ΦΚΘ, ΧΩ’s PBS Inquiry , a New ΦΚΨ House, and a ΠBΦ Connection

Some days I have no idea what I will write about. Yes, I have a calendar with the founding dates and other important events and I consult it regularly. Somedays, I just go to the twitter posts I favorited. Phi Theta … Continue reading

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The Search for a Grand President

Yesterday, I traveled from southern Illinois to western Illinois for the Holt House Committee meeting in Monmouth. I was a woman on a mission. That mission meant I had to leave home at about 6 a.m. I made my way … Continue reading

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Irvington, Indiana, and the Sad Story of Madge Oberholtzer, Pi Beta Phi

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to meet a fellow Pi Phi with whom I have shared e-mail conversations. (July 2021 – She has written a book about Madge and it is available here or on amazon.com) She loves history, … Continue reading

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Ring, Ching! and Le Fictitious Local Café

The other day someone asked what was up with that “Ring, Ching” thing that Pi Phis sing, say, tweet, and use in e-mails. It has also puzzled wait staff at hotels across the country when, as a group, grown women … Continue reading

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1887 – When Illinois Was the West

It always catches me off guard when I see Illinois referred to as “the West.” In 1867, when Pi Beta Phi was founded and in 1870 when Kappa Alpha Theta and Kappa Kappa Gamma were founded, Illinois was the western frontier. … Continue reading

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Born in 1910 – A Lifetime in Gatlinburg!

Tuesday’s mail had the most pleasant surprise. The envelope was from Marie Maddox in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I immediately recognized the name. Marie is a teacher at Pi Beta Phi Elementary School in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. For Pi Beta Phi’s Centennial of Literary Service … Continue reading

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Lost in 1887, Making Sorority Connections, Wasting Time

I am knee-deep in the 1880s researching an upcoming talk. I’m going through an 1887 Arrow of Pi Beta Phi which has the organization’s first directory of members included in it. My mind is wandering to all corners of the … Continue reading

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8/3/1923 – A ΦΓΔ and a ΠBΦ Become President and First Lady

On Friday of last week, I was in Northampton, Massachusetts, the city in which a young University of Vermont Pi Beta Phi member met a young Phi Gamma Delta, an Amherst College grad. She was working at the Clarke School … Continue reading

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