Alpha Chi Omega and Zeta Tau Alpha celebrate Founders’ Day on October 15. In 1885, Alpha Chi Omega was founded at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. Thirteen years later, in 1898, Zeta Tau Alpha was founded at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) in Farmville, Virginia.
Alpha Chi Omega’s seven founders, Anna Allen, Olive Burnett, Bertha Deniston, Amy DuBois, Nellie Gamble, Bessie Grooms and Estelle Leonard, were students in the DePauw School of Music. With the guidance and support of James Hamilton Howe, Dean of the School of Music, they created an organization that at its beginning insisted its members possess some musical culture. The first appearance of Alpha Chi Omega was in Meharry Hall of East College. The seven women wore scarlet and olive ribbon streamers attached to their dresses to display the organization’s colors.
Zeta Tau Alpha‘s founders are Alice Maud Jones Horner, Frances Yancey Smith, Alice Bland Coleman, Ethel Coleman Van Name, Ruby Bland Leigh Orgain, Mary Campbell Jones Batte, Helen May Crafford, Della Lewis Hundley, and Alice Grey Welsh.
The patron goddesses of the organizations, Hera for Alpha Chi Omega and Themis for Zeta Tau Alpha, have special importance for each organization’s members. Alpha Chi Omega’s Hera is the guardian of women. On March 1, Hera Day, Alpha Chi Omega members dedicate themselves to “aid the happiness and well-being of others.”
Hera
In Greek mythology, Themis is the goddess of divine law and order. A Titan and the daughter of Gaea (Earth) and Uranus (Heaven), Themis mothered the three Fates and the Seasons. The constant companion of Zeus, she sat beside him on Olympus. Statues of Themis are often found in courthouses. Statues of Themis feature the scales of justice. The Zeta Tau Alpha founders chose Themis as the organization’s patron goddess. In 1903, the convention body chose her name to serve as the title of its official journal. The first issue of Themis debuted in November 1903.
Themis
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Today is a special day for P.E.O. The Convention of International Chapter (CIC) begins in Indianapolis. I love hearing from friends who are there. Three of the women with whom I served on the Special Committee to Study Ceremonies and Meeting Procedures are in Indianapolis. Yesterday, Kylie Tower Smith, Kappa Kappa Gamma’s Archivist and a member of the Executive Board of the Ohio State Chapter of P.E.O., posted a facebook message as she departed for Indianapolis. I wish I was there, too, but I will be there in spirit.
Although P.E.O. is now a community based Philanthropic Education Organization, in 1869, it began as a collegiate organization at Iowa Wesleyan College. There is a link available at the top of this post which provides links to the previous posts I’ve written about P.E.O.
Tonight, for the first-time, the Projects Night speakers can be viewed via live-streaming. From the comfort of one’s own home, P.E.O.s can hear the impact of P.E.O.’s six projects – Cottey College, P.E.O. Educational Loan Fund, P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship Fund, P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education, P.E.O. Scholar Awards and P.E.O. STAR Scholarship. The Project Night Live: P.E.O. Impact is one of the events of Opening Night, so while the video stream is scheduled to begin at about 7:45 EDT, it might be a little earlier or later than that. Both the link for the live stream and the blog are available on the Convention of International Chapter home page which is accessible from the P.E.O. homepage.
© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2015. All rights reserved. If you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/
