Category Archives: Women’s Fraternity History

Happy Founders’ Day, Alpha Delta Pi!

Alpha Delta Pi was founded as the Adelphean Society on May 15, 1851 at Wesleyan Female College in Macon, Georgia. In 1905, the Society changed its name to Alpha Delta Phi and installed its second chapter at Salem College in … Continue reading

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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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Mary E. Gladwin, R.N., Winner of the Florence Nightingale Medal and a ΔΓ

In 1920, Mary Elizabeth Gladwin, an 1881 initiate of Delta Gamma’s Eta Chapter, was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal by the International Committee of the Red Cross “For great and exceptional devotion to the sick and wounded in peace and … Continue reading

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On National Teacher Appreciation Day: SIUC and the AES / NPC Merger

May 7 is National Teacher Appreciation Day. In honor of Southern Illinois University’s beginnings as a teaching training institution (also known as a normal school), I am including this segment of the history of SIUC’s fraternity system. There were three … Continue reading

Posted in Alpha Gamma Delta, Association of Education Sororities, Delta Zeta, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, Sigma Kappa, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Sorority History, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Women's Fraternity History | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on On National Teacher Appreciation Day: SIUC and the AES / NPC Merger

The First Fraternity House Built by Women for Women

Syracuse University has the distinction of being home to the first fraternity house owned by women.  There were no dormitories for women when Alpha Phi and Gamma Phi Beta were founded in 1872 and 1874, respectively.  In 1884, the Alpha … Continue reading

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Theta Phi Alpha’s Founders’ Day and Its Connection to a Saint

Theta Phi Alpha was founded at the University of Michigan on August 30, 1912.  Its ten founders are Amelia McSweeney, Mildred M. Connely, May C. Ryan, Selma Gilday, Camilla Ryan Sutherland, Helen Ryan Quinlan, Katrina Caughey Ward, Dorothy Caughey Phalan, … Continue reading

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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

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Fraternity and Sorority Members Lobby on Capitol Hill – April 24, 2013

On April 24, 2013, 200 fraternity and sorority members, collegiate and alumni (of the men’s groups)/alumnae (of the women’s groups), will be Washington D.C. to lobby on Capitol Hill. The Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC), is a group bringing together … Continue reading

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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!)

Happy Founders’ Day Sigma Delta Tau!

March 25, 1917 is the date that seven female Cornell University students founded Sigma Delta Tau. Their organization was originally called Sigma Delta Phi, but when they discovered the name belonged to another Greek-letter organization they changed the “Phi” to … Continue reading

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