A reader of this blog recently purchased the photo which appears below. She found it at the Covered Bridge Festival which takes place every year in Parke County, Indiana, the “Covered Bridge Capital.”
There is handwriting on the back of the picture. It states “National Convention – 1941, Columbus, Ohio.” The women are wearing badges, but it is hard to discern which badge it is.
I tried to do some sleuthing, but came up with lots of dead-ends. Delta Kappa Gamma, the teachers’ sorority, had a state convention in Columbus in October 1941. Beta Sigma Phi had a meeting in Zanesville in October 1941. Delta Sigma Kappa had a convention in Cleveland in May 1941. A number of my NPC archivist friends weighed in and said their organization did not have a convention in Columbus in 1941.
I think it may have been an organization which later merged with another National Panhellenic Conference sorority or a women’s honorary society. Any information about this photo is very much appreciated.
The mysterious 1941 convention in Columbus, Ohio.
***
Sixty years ago, on Oct. 27, 1954, the TV show DISNEYLAND, debuted on ABC. It was named after the theme park which had not yet been completed. In case you are wondering about Walt Disney and GLO connections, here is the scoop.
Walt Disney was not a fraternity man. He did not attend college. Disney’s two daughters, Sharon Disney Lund and Diane Disney Miller are Kappa Alpha Thetas. Sharon was initiated into the Beta Delta Chapter at the University of Arizona and Diane is a member of the Omicron Chapter at the University of Southern California. Some say that the song “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” was written to honor Sharon and Diane. That is only a rumor and not based in fact according to Jane Shepherd Dick in an article, “Kappa Alpha Theta Myths,” that appeared in the organization’s Summer 2011 magazine. Walt Disney’s daughters were initiated in the early 1950s. The song from Mary Poppins, a movie based on an earlier novel by P.L. Travers, was written by the songwriting team of brothers Richard and Robert Sherman. The inspiration for the song seems to have been their father. He was a “fantastic kite maker,” according to his sons.
***
This past weekend, the National Panhellenic Conference met in St. Louis, Missouri. Saturday, October 25 was Make a Difference Day, the largest day of national community service. The women who attended the NPC meeting brought with them gently used professional clothing. It was donated to Dress for Success – Midwest, an organization which promotes “the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.”
Some of the items donated at the 2014 NPC meeting. (from NPC’s facebook page)
© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2014. All Rights Reserved.
