Category Archives: Pi Beta Phi

Grace Coolidge, Pi Beta Phi and First Lady, Speaks!

By now, readers of this blog know that Grace Goodhue Coolidge is one of my favorite First Ladies. She was a charter member of the Vermont Beta Chapter of Pi Beta Phi and the chapter was installed in the Goodhue … Continue reading

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Fraternity and Sorority Magazines – Preserving History, Fostering Enthusiasm and Promulgating Lifelong Loyalty

This week, I had the opportunity to read hard copies of recently published sorority magazines.* What fun it was to turn the pages and read about some of the 26 National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) organizations! Good works are being done. … Continue reading

Posted in Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Gamma Delta Quarterly, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Zeta, Gamma Phi Beta, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, Ida Shaw Martin, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Alpha Theta (magazine), Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, National Panhellenic Conference, Notable Sorority Women, Phi Mu, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Kappa, Sorority History, The Anchora of Delta Gamma, The Angelos of Kappa Delta, The Arrow of Pi Beta Phi, The Eleusis of Chi Omega, The Key of Kappa Kappa Gamma, The Lyre of Alpha Chi Omega, The Quill of Alpha Xi Delta, The Themis of Zeta Tau Alpha, The Trident of Delta Delta Delta, Zeta Tau Alpha | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Fraternity and Sorority Magazines – Preserving History, Fostering Enthusiasm and Promulgating Lifelong Loyalty

May 1 – Phi Gamma Delta’s Founders’ Day and FIJI Sires and Sons Anniversary

May 1, 1848 is the date of Phi Gamma Delta’s founding. John Templeton McCarty, Samuel Beatty Wilson, James Elliott, Daniel Webster Crofts, Ellis Bailey Gregg and Naaman Fletcher – the Immortal Six – were students at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, … Continue reading

Posted in Amherst College, Calvin Coolidge, Founders' Day, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, Phi Gamma Delta, Pi Beta Phi | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on May 1 – Phi Gamma Delta’s Founders’ Day and FIJI Sires and Sons Anniversary

Happy Founders’ Day, My Dear Pi Beta Phi!

When Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois opened in September 1856, 26 of the 99 students were women. Ten years later, when the 1866-67 academic year began, the cost of the first term was $12 in tuition and $9 for each … Continue reading

Posted in Beta Theta Pi, Delta Tau Delta, Founders' Day, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, Monmouth College, Phi Gamma Delta, Pi Beta Phi, Sorority History, Women's Fraternity History | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Happy Founders’ Day, My Dear Pi Beta Phi!

The Early History of the Women’s Fraternity System at the University of Kansas

By 1870, eight state universities accepted women; these institutions were the Universities of Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, and California (Newcomer, 1959).  Women’s fraternities provided the female students with a support system in an educational environment that was … Continue reading

Posted in GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, National Panhellenic Conference, Pi Beta Phi, Sorority History, University of Kansas | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Early History of the Women’s Fraternity System at the University of Kansas

Musings on a Western Union Telegram from Chi O to Pi Phi

This gem was found in a 1957 scrapbook. Evidently the Syracuse University Greek Week skit competition was fairly intense that year. The gracious ladies of the Chi Omega chapter sent a telegram to congratulate the winners, the sisters of the … Continue reading

Posted in Chi Omega, Fran Favorite, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, National Panhellenic Conference, Pi Beta Phi, Syracuse University | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Musings on a Western Union Telegram from Chi O to Pi Phi

Fraternity Women Who Were Lawyers, 1867-1902 (When Women Could Not Vote!)

During the time frame of this study, 1867-1902, women had few legal rights.  Therefore, it is interesting to note that several of these early fraternity women became lawyers at a time when women were not yet allowed to vote.  In … Continue reading

Posted in Alpha Phi, Delta Delta Delta, DePauw University, Fran Favorite, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, National Panhellenic Conference, Notable Fraternity Women, Notable Sorority Women, Pi Beta Phi, Sorority History, University of Minnesota, Women's Fraternity History | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Fraternity Women Who Were Lawyers, 1867-1902 (When Women Could Not Vote!)

Goucher College – Home of a Once Thriving Women’s Fraternity System

  The Women’s College of Baltimore, today known as Goucher College, was founded in 1885 and graduated its first class in 1892.  It was one of the few women’s colleges hosting chapters of national women’s fraternities.  There is evidence of … Continue reading

Posted in Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Phi, Delta Delta Delta, Fran Favorite, Gamma Phi Beta, GLO, Goucher College, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, Kappa Alpha Theta, Pi Beta Phi, Sorority History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Goucher College – Home of a Once Thriving Women’s Fraternity System

A Bittersweet Day in the Archives

Upon my arrival at the Pi Beta Phi Archives yesterday, I was met with about 30 boxes of various sizes and shapes. They were the remains of my own chapter, the New York Alpha Chapter of Pi Beta Phi. Its … Continue reading

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Champaign’s Virginia Theater – Home of Ebertfest

(This blog was posted a week or so before Roger Ebert’s death. I am so sorry to hear of his passing. I also discovered that a P.E.O. friend and Knox College alumna was Ebert’s childhood friend and neighbor. What a … Continue reading

Posted in Beta Theta Pi, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kappa Sigma, National Panhellenic Conference, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Delta Theta, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, The Arrow of Pi Beta Phi, University of Illinois | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Champaign’s Virginia Theater – Home of Ebertfest