On this day for giving thanks, I offer my heartfelt gratitude to all you kindred spirits who read this blog. You have my sincere gratitude.
I’ve had a person or two ask me if writing about organizations other than my own made me disloyal to the organization to which I pledged my time, talents, and treasures (and, no, that is not how it’s worded, but I think the vows of all our organizations boil down to something akin to this – be an exemplary citizen and member.) While I love Pi Phi as I love my own offspring, the other groups, are to me, like my nieces and nephews. I would go to bat for any of them. And I would admonish them, if need be; bad behavior doesn’t get a free ride because they are family. But the bottom line is that they are my people.
The non-GLO (Greek-letter Organization) world doesn’t know the difference between any of our groups, so to the rest of the world we are one big entity. And since it is usually the negative news they hear, their impression of us is not very good. By highlighting the good in all of our organizations, and the rich history of GLOs, I hope I am helping bring positive understanding to our organizations. I also hope I am helping to educate collegiate members about their organization and the ones with which they think they are in competition. There is no sense competing with ourselves when the world does not think that favorably of us. We need to work together, congratulate each other, hold each other accountable, and work for the greater good.
Thank you for reading this, telling others about the blog, and presenting me with opportunities to write and talk about our history. You are a wonderful audience!
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Happy 90th Birthday, a few days late, to the original Gerber Baby, Ann Turner Cook! She is a member of the Southern Methodist University chapter of Pi Beta Phi.
As a member of Mortar Board
Ann Turner Cook
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Condolences to the family and friends of Lambda Chi Alpha, Detective Benjamin Marconi, who was killed in the line of duty in San Antonio, Texas, this past Sunday.
© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2016. 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/
