On November 11, 1874, Gamma Phi Beta was founded at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. Gamma Phi’s founders are Mary A. Bingham Willoughby, E. Adeline Curtis, Frances E. Haven Moss, and Helen M. Dodge Ferguson. Below they are pictured at the 1907 Syracuse Convention. It was the last time they would all be together.
In a 1912 issue of The Crescent of Gamma Phi Beta, Frances Haven Moss told the story of her beloved sorority, “My father having been elected Chancellor of Syracuse University, I found myself in Syracuse, NY in September 1874. Having had two years in Northwestern University and a year of music in Brooklyn and not being over strong physically my education was supposed to be completed. The recently opened department of fine arts proved a great temptation, however, and I was a happy girl indeed, when I found myself registered as a sophomore in the same.
“The first social function I attended in Syracuse was a church oyster supper and there I met my future husband who was assisting two young ladies in caring for one of the tables. These young ladies, I learned later, were members of a society called Alpha Phi and an invitation to join the same was soon extended to me. After due deliberation I thanked them for the honor but declined. I never was so surprised in my life for I found myself entirely out in the cold. I soon discovered that there were other girls in just the same position. As misery loved company we drifted together and finding each other congenial, the question was broached – ‘Why shall we not found a society of our own!’
“No sooner was the matter mentioned than we found all our friends not only ready but eager to help. Three out of the four girls had brothers in the university and there were others who were not brothers but were just as deeply interested. Any one of them would have gladly drawn up a condition for us with by-laws and initiation complete. But my father gave us our motto; Helen Dodge drew up the constitution and her brother who was studying for the ministry added the Hebrew letters to our pin; he who became my husband wrote for us the words for a song and helped design our pin; dear Professor Brown offered us the use of his parlor for our meetings and though we could not accept because there were Alpha Phis rooming in his house, in recognition of his encouragement and long continued support, we chose our colors, light and dark brown.
“Before we secured our pins we had taken in our first initiate and you never saw a prouder set of girls than the first five who appeared with the generous badges, a monogram enclosed in a crescent fully guarded by the letter ‘S’. Truly we felt ourselves successfully launched upon what we hoped would be a great success.”
For more information about the history of Gamma Phi Beta, see http://wp.me/p20I1i-e5 and http://wp.me/p20I1i-6h (this link includes a picture of an early Gamma Phi house on Irving Avenue)
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