Chi Omega was founded on April 5, 1895 at the University of Arkansas. Ina May Boles, Jean Vincenheller, Jobelle Holcombe, and Alice Simonds, with guidance from Fayetteville dentist, Dr. Charles Richardson, a Kappa Sigma, created the organization. Dr. Richardson was known as “Sis Doc” to generations of Psi Chapter members (the founding chapter at Arkansas is known as the Psi Chapter) and he is counted as a founder. He crafted Chi Omega’s first badge out of dental gold.
In trying to find something to write about for Chi Omega’s Founders’ Day, I found this snippet about Emmie Lela Gramling in a 1905 Eleusis, She was:
born in Atlanta, Ga., where she lived until entering Wesleyan College, Macon, Ga., in 1897. In 1900 she entered the Freshman Class of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, where she graduated with an A.B. degree. She took a leading part in college affairs, was president all four years of the Class of 1904, a champion basketball player, and was voted the most beautiful girl in school. She was initiated into Chi Omega by Sigma Chapter in January, 1902, and held offices in the chapter.
When I went looking for more information about her, I found this wonderful post on the Chi Omega website. Turns out that when she was at Wesleyan College, she was a member of the Adelphean Society. Several years after she left Wesleyan, the Adelphean Society took on Greek letters Alpha Delta Pi.
Photo courtesy of Chi Omega
