Fraternity History & More

GLO Connections at the Book Sale

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

My anthropologist friend and I head up the book sale for the Friends of Carbondale Public Library. It is a labor of love. We love books and we love to get them into the hands of people who will love them, too. Although I spent a dozen hours this weekend dealing with the sale and the people who come to the sale, I did manage to find some GLO connections. These are but a small sampling of the GLO connections I found while straightening up the books.

Jim Davis, Garfield’s “Dad,” is a Theta Xi.

Carl Bode, who wrote a definitive biography of H. L. Mencken, was a member of Alpha Tau Omega.

Jane Porter is a Pi Beta Phi.

Some paintings came our way to sell. This is one of Tennessee Williams.

Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Delta Delta Delta.

Doris Kearns Goodwin is a member of Delta Delta Delta.

Art Linkletter was a member of a local organization at San Diego State University.

Art Linkletter was an Alpha Tau Omega. While a student at San Diego State University, he was a member of a local, Tau Delta Chi, which later became the Epsilon Chi chapter of ATO. He was initiated as an alumnus in 1950. He enjoyed meeting ATO brothers across the country and played a large role in the fraternity’s centennial in 1965.

James Thurber was a Phi Kappa Psi.

This book about astronauts, had these two female astronauts on the same page. One is a sorority woman and the other is not, The sorority woman is Judith Resnick, Alphe Epsilon Phi, and not Sally Ride.

This book about astronauts had these two female astronauts on the same page. One joined a National Panhellenic Conference organization and the other did not, although many people think to the contrary. The sorority woman is Judith Resnick, Alpha Epsilon Phi, and not Sally Ride, who did not belong to any NPC group.

Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chafee were killed in the Apollo 1 cabin fire. White was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma.

A collection of old magazines was donated. This cover from 1967 shows the Apollo 1 astronauts who were killed in a cabin fire. Pictured are Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chafee. White was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma.

© 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/

Posted in Alpha Tau Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Fran Favorite, Phi Kappa Psi, Pi Beta Phi, Theta Xi | Tagged Alpha Tau Omega, Art Linkletter, Carl Bode, Delta Delta Delta, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Garfield, H.L. Mencken, James Thurber, Jane Porter, Jim Davis, Phi Kappa Psi, Pi Beta Phi, Tennessee Williams, Theta Xi | Comments Off

Alpha Sigma Tau and Delta Upsilon, Founded on 11/4

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

On November 4, 1899, Alpha Sigma Tau was founded by eight young women, Mable Chase, Ruth Dutcher, May Gephart, Harriet Marx, Eva O’Keefe, Adriance Rice, Helene Rice, and Mayene Tracy. The event took place at the Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University) in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The organization became a national one in October 1925. In 1926, Alpha Sigma Tau joined the Association of Education Sororities (AES). Alpha Sigma Tau became a full member of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) when the merger of AES and NPC was formalized in 1951.

Volume 1, No 1 of the Anchor, the organization’s magazine was published in June 1925. Among the mentions of alumnae of the Alpha chapter in the first issue was this entry, “Katherine Bergegrun, while here in college, specialized in physical training, had charge of playground work in Detroit for some time, went to California where she studied at University of California for a time and then took up the study of medicine at the University of Michigan and afterwards continued her medical course in Philadelphia where she graduated this year.”

The catalogue of the University of Michigan noted that she had a degree from the University of Southern California. While at the University of Michigan, she became a member of the Alpha chapter of Alpha Epsilon Iota, a national women’s medical sorority. The 1923 Michigan yearbook lists 21 women who were members or pledges of the sorority. There is a drawing of a house on the Alpha Epsilon Iota page and presumably, some of the members lived in the house. Women were a distinct minority in medical school in the 1920s, so the support and fellowship must have been very welcomed in that environment. She is listed as a 1927 graduate of the Temple University School of Medicine. Her full name appears in the Temple University yearbook, Elsie Katherine Bergegrun, as well as her nicknames, “Kay” and “Bergy.” It should also be reiterated that Alpha Sigma Tau was a sorority at a normal school and, in the 1920s, almost all of its alumnae were trained to be teachers. For a woman to have attended a college where teaching degrees were the norm and to have pursued a medical degree was certainly a very non-traditional career path.

***

There were no women students at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, when Delta Upsilon was founded by thirty men on November 4, 1834. In fact, women had yet to enter higher education when Delta Upsilon, the oldest non-secret fraternity, was organized.

Ten freshmen, ten sophomores and ten juniors met in the Freshman Recitation Room of Old West College. They met in opposition of the activities of the two secret societies then at Williams. The name they chose was “Anti-Secret Confederation” (ACS).

Union College men established a chapter in 1838, followed by the Middlebury College group in 1845. In 1847, groups at Hamilton College and Amherst College were formed. The Convention of 1864, adopted the name “Delta Upsilon,” a name which several of the chapters had been using.

Among its distinguished members is football coach Lou Holtz, a member of the Kent State chapter. Hear Coach Holtz offer leadership advice to his Delta Upsilon brothers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKAu3UuVaow&feature=player_embedded

Basketball coach Jim Boeheim, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, has spent most of his life and career at Syracuse University. He is an initiate of Syracuse’s Delta Upsilon chapter.

Jim Boeheim during his years playing on the Syracuse basketball team.

Posted in Fran Favorite | Tagged Alpha Sigma Tau, Delta Upsilon, Eastern Michigan University, Elsie Katherine Bergegrun, Jim Boeheim, Lou Holz, Williams College | Comments Off

11/2/1909 – Lambda Chi Alpha is Founded

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Lambda Chi Alpha was founded at Boston University on November 2, 1909. Most Greek-letter organizations celebrate Founders Day on the date of the founding. Lambda Chi’s official Founders Day is March 22, according to the Fraternity’s website, “but celebrations typically occur at any time during the spring semester.”

On November 2, 1909, according to the Lambda Chi website:

Warren A. Cole (Boston 1912) founded Alpha Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha at Boston University. As an incoming law student at the university, it was Cole’s dream to start a college fraternity from the very beginning. After graduating with a Bachelor of Law degree, Cole set out to build Lambda Chi Alpha into an international fraternity and served as the first Grand High Alpha, or chairman, until December 1919. He also served as the administrative secretary and editor of the Purple, Green, and Gold magazine.

Lambda Chi’s Historian Mike Raymond wrote a terrific article in the fraternity’s March 2011 Cross & Crescent. It is entitled “Why We Have Two Founders Days.” The second date, March 22, was originally called “Lambda Chi Alpha Day.” March 22, 1913 was the date of “the first assembly with representatives from more than one chapter, it was also the place where sweeping changes were made in the fundamental nature of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity.”

During World War I, 2,500 Lambda Chis, more than 82% of the fraternity’s membership, were in war service. In another Cross & Crescent article about the history of the magazine, Raymond wrote about the September 1918. It was:

made up entirely of a directory of Lambda Chis then serving in the military. The directory is organized by chapter, zeta number, name, military rank, and mailing address of each serviceman. This comprehensive listing was arranged by R.R. Rowe (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). The list includes 168 officers serving in the Army and Navy, 96 non-commissioned officers, and 763 enlisted men. A total of 1,027 brothers were in uniform in 1918 — an impressive number from a very young fraternal organization.

Thirty-seven Lambda Chi were killed during service in World War I.

University of New Hampshire Lambda Chi Alpha chapter in 1919-1920. (Courtesy of UNH Archives)

The October 11, 1939, acquisition of the 24 chapters of Theta Kappa Nu by Lambda Chi Alpha made it the largest fraternity merger at that time. Theta Kappa Nu had itself been created when 11 established local fraternities joined together on June 9, 1924. Theta Kappa Nu’s expansion was quick and the pattern of acquiring established locals continued; by the time of the merger, more than 50 Theta Kappa Nu chapters had been established and the fraternity had almost 6,000 members. The Great Depression caused collegiate membership to decline in both organizations (as well as in most fraternities and sororities). The merger documents were signed at Howard College (now Samford University) in Birmingham, Alabama.

Posted in Boston University, Lambda Chi Alpha | Tagged Boston University, Lambda Chi Alpha | Comments Off

Happy Founders’ Day to Sig Ep, the Men of the Red Doors

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

On November 1, 1901, Sigma Phi Epsilon was founded. It was founded by twelve young men who were students at the University of Richmond. One of the twelve, Carter Ashton Jenkins, was a Chi Phi member from Rutgers University; he first sought a charter from Chi Phi, but the request was declined because the University of Richmond, a Baptist school, was considered too small.

Jenkins then found 11 other congenial men who were also eager to share a brotherhood built upon “the love of God and the principle of peace through brotherhood.” They named the organization Sigma Phi unaware that there was already a men’s fraternity by that name. The group then took the name Sigma Phi Epsilon.

One of the fraternity’s traditions, that of the red door, began at Syracuse University. In 1928, a few of the brothers painted the front door red, one the fraternity’s colors.

The red doors of a Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter.

New York Alpha was the organization’s 18th chapter; it was founded on the campus in 1905. The chapter currently resides at 721 Comstock Avenue. The first red door made its appearance at the chapter’s former home on Walnut Place; that building is now the Slutzker International Center. The tradition continues at its home on Comstock Ave.

The Slutzker International Center at Syracuse University, the former home of Sigma Phi Epsilon on Walnut Place. The red door tradition began at this house.

The “welcome to all” tradition caught on quickly and red doors became a mainstay of Sig Ep chapters nationwide.

Posted in Sigma Phi Epsilon, Syracuse University | Tagged Red Door, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Syracuse University | Comments Off

Theta Delta Chi Founded on Halloween, 1847

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Happy Halloween! It’s also the founding date of Theta Delta Chi. In 1847, at Union College, Theta Delta Chi, was founded by William G. Akin, Abel Beach, Theodore Brown, Andrew H. Green, William Hyslop, and Samuel F. Wile. The second charge, as Theta Delta Chi’s chapters are known, was founded in 1849 at Ballston Law School. It was short-lived and after the school moved, the charge’s members were absorbed into the Alpha charge.

A charge was formed at the City College of New York, and among the charge’s early members was Gonzalo de Quesada, a Cuban born immigrant. He later became a key architect of Cuba’s Independence movement in the late 1800s. In 1900, he was named a Special Commissioner of Cuba to the United States. He was a member of the 1901 Cuban Constitutional Convention. Entering the Cuban diplomatic service, he became minister to the United States. He then became minister to Germany and it was in Berlin that he died on January 9, 1915.

Gonazalo de Quesada

The City College Quarterly published an article about him after his death. Included was this. “In the New York Herald, June 8 1902, is an appreciation written by Frank L. Jones, one of his classmates and a member of the same College fraternity. With his permission, the following is reproduced in part.”

One autumn afternoon eighteen years ago, a youth scarcely out of his knickerbockers walked slowly through the main corridor of the College building. He was small, slender, and thin and of a complexion that plainly betokened his birth under a Southern sun. As he passed a group of upper classmen, they watched him closely for it was within their power to determine whether or not he was to be admitted to one of the College secret societies. There was little about him at that time to attract attention save the wonderfully deep dark eyes that sparkled like coals under the heavy eyebrows.

It was those eyes that turned the scales in his favor for one of the group said quietly, ‘That chap has more life and ambition in him than any of the others we have seen.” The verdict was in his favor and Gonzalo de Quesada became a member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity. To day that organization is justly proud that she holds on her rolls the name of the first Cuban Minister to the United States. The act of that day held more of moment than any participant ever dreamed. In the days to come Quesada, representative of the Cubans fighting almost without hope, stood in Washington vainly striving for the recognition of his people. Officially, the United States did not dare to take cognizance of his credentials. But in no small measure, because Quesada wore upon his breast the shield of Theta Delta Chi, one all important door was open to him. This was the home of John Hays, who was a member of that fraternity, and his introduction to the young Cuban had been due largely to that fact Quesada’s own striking personality, his intelligent vivacity genuineness of feeling, and above all his overwhelming devotion to the cause of his country, speedily won Mr. Hays regard and when the latter became Secretary of State, Quesada was often a welcome, though not official visitor, at his home and office. The college days of Senor Quesada had a most marked effect upon his later life.

John Milton Hay, a Theta Delta Chi at Brown University was, Secretary of State in the McKinley and T. Roosevelt administration and President Lincoln’s Secretary. This is about Theta Delta Chi from one of his biographies:

So vividly after the lapse of half a century did the recollection of John Hay’s capture by Theta Delta Chi (as one its members over the chagrin of rival fraternities) lie in the memory of Brother Stone an indication of the importance attached by undergraduates to their societies and club.s Hay proved himself a loyal Theta Delt. His wit enlivened the meetings and suppers, he wrote verses abundantly, one of his poems being sung at every reunion, and he formed lifelong associations with many of the brothers. A few years later, while serving as Secretary to President Lincoln, he saved from undeserved execution two Theta Delts and afterwards when he had risen to a position of great influence he never forgot the claims of members of his fraternity.

Posted in Theta Delta Chi | Tagged Theta Delta Chi, Union College | Comments Off

Monmouth College, June 7, 1934

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

It is a picture taken on June 7, 1934 after an honorary degree was conferred upon Pi Beta Phi’s Grand President, Amy Burnham Onken. To Pi Phis and the NPC world, she was known as Miss Onken. The picture also appeared in the February 1935 Arrow of Pi Beta Phi. Unfortunately, only a handful of people were identified in the caption (“the rest are members of Pi Beta Phi”). In May of 1934, there were only three of the twelve founders living. Margaret Campbell lived in Monmouth. The other two were in Minnesota and Washington, respectively. I recognized Lois Franklin Stoolman to Miss Onken’s left. Mrs. Stoolman’s husband, A.W. Stoolman was a contractor in Champaign-Urbana and built many of the fraternity and sorority houses which still stand today. He also built the Virginia Theatre, named for the Stoolman’s daughter.

Dr. Thomas Hanna McMichael, President of Monmouth College, is the man in the picture. His wife, Minnie McDill McMichael, was a Pi Phi, but she is not in this picture; she passed away in 1929. The McMichaels were instrumental in bringing the Greek-letter organizations back to Monmouth College. Mrs. McMichael spearheaded the reestablishment of Monmouth College’s Pi Beta Phi chapter, the Alpha chapter, after she and her husband accompanied Clara Brownlee Hutchinson, a founder, to the 1927 Pequot convention. There they plead the case of Zeta Epsilon Chi, the local organization which hoped to bring the Pi Phi charter back to Monmouth. Mrs. McMichael died a short time after she coordinated the installation festivities. It was her fervent wish to see a Pi Beta Phi chapter back at its founding campus and she made sure it happened. This Dr. McMichael was the second Dr. McMichael to serve as the College’s President. His father previously served in that role.

The September 1934 Arrow contained this tribute:

That to Amy Burnham Onken, beloved Grand President. we not only acknowledge her superior leadership of our fraternity under all situations with deep appreciation. but we attest our admiration of her noble personality and her undying loyalty and devotion to the ideals, aspirations and projects of Pi Beta Phi . We also acknowledge the distinct honor brought to the fraternity through the conferring upon her of the honorary degree of Master of Arts by Monmouth College on the occasion of their 78th anniversary. This is the first time that such a signal honor has been bestowed upon a fraternity leader.

The report of the Monmouth Alumnae Club provided a glimpse of what went on that day:

June 7, 1934,was a great day for Monmouth Pi Phis, also for Monmouth College. An honorary degree was conferred upon our Grand President, Miss Amy B. Onken on Commencement day. Miss Mary Ross Potter, dean of women of Monmouth College, who was dean at Northwestern University when Miss Onken was a student there, on behalf of and on the recommendation of the faculty presented Miss Onken to Dr. T. H. McMichael, president of the college. He in turn recognized Miss Margaret Campbell, one of our Founders, who placed the hood on Miss Onken. thus conferring on her the honorary degree of Master of Arts, History was made that day as Miss Onken is the first national president to be thus honored by any institution. Mrs. Lois Stoolman, National Treasurer, was a guest of Monmouth Pi Phis for the day. Also there were representatives from Bloomington and Galesburg. Illinois, and Mt. Pleasant and Burlington, Iowa. At one o’clock a luncheon was served to some sixty Pi Phi guests and local members.

In the fall of 1934, the Alpha chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma was returned to campus. A local sorority, Kappa Alpha Sigma, became the Alpha Deuteron Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma on October 13, 1934, bring the fraternity back to its founding home at Monmouth College.

Owls made for the 1934 installation of the Alpha Deuteron chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Monmouth College. These owls are on display at Stewart House and I suspect they may have been made by Monmouth Pottery. — Owls made for the 1934 installation of the Alpha Deuteron chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Monmouth College. These owls are on display at Stewart House. (Photo courtesy of Kappa Kappa Gamma)

Posted in Fran Favorite, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Monmouth College, Pi Beta Phi | Tagged Amy Burnham Onken, Dr. T. H. McMichael, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Lois Franklin Stoolman. A.W. Stoolman, Margaret Campbell, Minnie McDill McMichael, Monmouth College, Pi Beta Phi, Zeta Epsilon Chi | Comments Off

October, a Terrific Month for Marrying

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

It’s official. October almost did me in. The blog has been sparse and Founders’ Day posts for the NPC groups celebrating in October have been quickly pulled together from past posts. My to-do list has its own zip code. Frankly, those interested in fraternity and sorority history might skip this post because it really doesn’t include any.

The month opened with the excitement of the marriage of our oldest, our daughter, to an old friend. They graduated from high school in the same class, but never really travelled in the same circles. After college, they reconnected at a mutual friend’s party and continued communicating on the internet while he was in Thailand teaching English. The wedding came together although there were some minor glitches (i.e. having to find a new venue four weeks before the wedding). I tried my best to follow the advice of my Pi Phi friend Lisa, “Bite your tongue and write checks.”

While I am not shy in giving advice, and my strong-willed daughter is not shy in rolling her eyes or doing that quirky “No way, Ma,” thing with her lips, it all came together wonderfully. It was Simply Simone in so many ways. I am proud of my one contribution to the event. Last spring when I spoke at the Centennial of the Kansas State Pi Phi chapter, I helped clean-up after the lunch program. They used burlap runners on the tables. Someone asked if anyone knew of people who might be able to use some of the runners – people getting married or celebrating something. I blurted out that my daughter was getting married in October. A few weeks later, one of my Pi Phi friends e-mailed me that she left some of the burlap runners in the archives. When I showed Simone the runners, she let me know that her color scheme involved burgundy. “No problem,” I said, “I can dye them.” Word to the wise, do not try dying anything in a high efficiency washer. It won’t work. So I took to the small plastic pool I had purchased for the dogs who do not like to have water play in it. Turns out it is perfect for dying things. Dan strung up an impromptu clothes line and I managed to dye, iron and trim the runners. It was my small part in making Simone’s day special.

On the morning of the wedding, according to the bride’s schedule, her father and I were to be dressed and at her beck and call by 10:30 a.m. so that the requisite parent/daughter pictures could be taken. I said, “Yes, dear,” and we magically appeared ready for our close-ups. I hadn’t realized that one of my duties would be pinning her Pi Phi arrow to the inside of her dress. Simone is an alumna initiate and did not have the collegiate experience, so this really touched my heart.

She also presented us with handkerchiefs. For mine, she went through my cards (yes, I keep cards) and found signatures from my Mom and my sister, Louise, who are both deceased. Simone doesn’t know that her grandmother’s signature is done with her left hand. After my mother lost the use of her right hand, she taught herself to write with her left hand. The amazing thing was that her signature looked exactly the same although her block letters looked different from her right-handed letters.

The card she gave me with the hankie asked me not to cry since it would start her crying, too. When I saw the hankie, the tears started to flow, and I am writing this now with tears flowing down my face. It was such a thoughtful and loving gesture from a loving and thoughtful daughter. (She gave her brothers Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cuff links, a most appropriate gift for them. I must mention the wonderful toast that her brothers gave her at the reception. It was so touching and heartfelt that after they finished, Simone jumped out of her seat, crossed the dance floor and hugged them both. I suspect there were tears in her eyes, too.)

I wish Simone and her husband, our son-in-law, Brian, a happy and wonderful life together. They started married life as they started dating life, although he is not a few continents away as he was then. He’s only a few states away, As a proud mother, here is the link to some of Simone’s movie reviews, http://news.wsiu.org/programs/siu-reviews.

A happy belated anniversary to my husband, Dan. For the second year in a row, I’ve been gone for the Holt House Committee meeting. One of us had a dinner at the Barnstormer, Monmouth’s finest restaurant, on our anniversary and it wasn’t him.

In front of Holt House with my friend Lisa, she of the “bite your tongue and write checks” remark.

Posted in Fran Favorite | Tagged Pi Beta Phi, Simone Becque, wedding | Comments Off

Changing of the NPC Guard and More

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

October is the month for celebrating Founders’ Days in National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) land. More than a quarter of the NPC organizations celebrate Founders’ Day in October. The NPC groups that celebrate Founders’ Day this month are Alpha Phi, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Alpha Chi Omega, Zeta Tau Alpha, Kappa Delta. Delta Zeta, and Alpha Epsilon Phi.

The 2015 NPC Annual Meeting is over and the gavel has passed from Chi Omega Jean Mrasek to Sigma Kappa Donna Crain King. She will lead NPC for the next biennium. She is the third Sigma Kappa to serve as Chairman; Ethel Hayward Weston served from 1919-21 and Ruth Rysdon Miller was Chairman from 1965-67.

Carol Inge Warren, a Pi Phi friend and a true servant leader, was among those honored at the NPC meeting. She received the 2015 Distinguished Service Award. Carol is a legend in Pi Phi. She is smart as a whip, does whatever needs to be done without fanfare, and if Carol did it, you know it was done correctly and with lots of love. And she has a fun sense of humor, too! I must admit that I am card holding member of the Carol Warren Fan Club, so it is wonderful to see her being honored by her NPC friends.

Carol Warren (center) with Pi Phi friends, Carolyn Lesh and Mary Tatum.

The Phoenix Alumnae Panhellenic took the Harriett Macht Outstanding Panhellenic Award. I spoke at their meeting last spring and it was great to know that they have been honored for all their hard work. Congratulations Phoenix friends!

Representatives from the Phoenix Alumnae Panhellenic with the Harriett Macht Outstanding Panhellenic Award.

***

Yesterday was also an historic day for Phi Gamma Delta. At the 46th Convention on October 25, 1894, by unanimous vote, it was decided that the members call themselves “Fijis.”

It was also an important day in the history of Phi Kappa Psi. On October 25, 1879, University of Virginia student Woodrow Wilson initiated by Virginia Alpha chapter of Phi Kappa Psi. On October 25, 1902, 23 years later to the day, Wilson was inaugurated as President of Princeton University. He is the only U.S. President to have earned a Ph.D. His doctorate studies took place at Johns Hopkins University.

Woodrow Wilson, Phi Kappa Psi

***

This past weekend, we took in a performance of the musical, The Addams Family, performed by students at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. At the Sunday performance, two cast members who are also Alpha Gamma Delta members were honored with the Stuart Fischoff Excellence in Musical Theater Award for Fall 2015. Congratulations Katelin Coursey and Zoe Jensen!

Posted in Fran Favorite | Tagged Carol Warren, Donna Crain King, Fijis, Katelin Coursey, National Panhellenic Conference, NPC, Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Kappa Psi, Phoenix Alumnae Panhellenic, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Kappa, SIUC, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Woodrow Wilson, Zoe Jensen | Comments Off

Delta Zeta and Alpha Epsilon Phi, Founders’ Day Twins

Posted on October 24, 2015 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

October 24 is a founding date which is shared by two National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) organizations, Delta Zeta and Alpha Epsilon Phi. In 1902, Delta Zeta was founded at Miami University in Ohio; Alpha Epsilon Phi began in 1909 at Barnard College in New York City.

Delta Zeta’s founders are Alfa Lloyd, Mary Collins, Anna Keen, Julia Bishop,* Mabelle Minton, and Ann Simmons. Delta Zeta’s history includes the heritage of several other NPC organizations. Between 1941 and 1962, the members of four other NPC groups became members of Delta Zeta. Delta Zeta absorbed or merged with Beta Phi Alpha, Theta Upsilon, Phi Omega Pi, and Delta Sigma Epsilon. Prior to these groups becoming a part of Delta Zeta, some had themselves merged with other groups.

The likely most royal of Delta Zeta’s members is Crown Princess Martha of Norway. She along with her lady-in-waiting, Countess Ragni Ostgaard, became members of Delta Zeta after visiting the University of North Dakota. In 1939, the two women were initiated in a ceremony presided over by Myrtle Graeter Malott, National President. Later that year, Bobye Lou Utter and Rena Charnley, members of the Delta Zeta chapter at the University of Pittsburgh, presented corsages to the Crown Princess Martha and the Countess during the royal’s visit to Pittsburgh. In March 1948,a newspaper account noted that the Pittsburgh chapter members were making layettes for Norway, a national Delta Zeta project.

Crown Princess Martha of Norway, Delta Zeta

Alpha Epsilon Phi was founded in Helen Phillips’ room. She had the inspiration for the group as a way to stay in closer contact with her friends. The other founders are Ida Beck, Rose Gerstein, Augustina “Tina” Hess, Lee Reiss, Stella Strauss and Rose Salmowitz.

The seven shared their Jewish heritage. A second chapter was quickly founded two months later at nearby Hunter College. The founding chapter at Barnard was closed when the college banned Greek-letter organizations in 1913.

Alpha Epsilon Phi is the only NPC group that can claim a United States Supreme Court Justice among its membership.** Ruth Bader Ginsburg became a member of the chapter at Cornell University. Another distinguished alumna is Nancy Goodman Brinker, Founder of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and a former U.S. ambassador. Brinker was initiated at the University of Illinois.

Ruth Bader as pictured in a Cornell University yearbook

* For a post about Julia Bishop Coleman, Delta Zeta Founder and P.E.O. State President see http://wp.me/p20I1i-18s

** Contrary to many urban rumors, Sandra Day O’Connor is not a member of a National Panhellenic Conference organization. (Edited 10/27/2020 – Amy Coney Barrett is an initiate of the Kappa Delta chapter at Rhodes College.)

Posted in Alpha Epsilon Phi, Barnard College, Delta Zeta, Fran Favorite, Miami University | Tagged Alpha Epsilon Phi, Barnard College, Crown Princess Martha of Norway, Delta Zeta, Founders' Day, Komen, Miami University, Nancy Brinker, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sandra Day O'Connor, Susan G. Komen | Comments Off

A White Rose for Kappa Delta’s Founding Day as NPC Friends Gather in Dallas

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Kappa Delta was founded on October 23, 1897 at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) in Farmville, Virginia. Its founders are Lenora Ashmore Blackiston, Sara Turner White, Mary Sommerville Sparks Hendrick., and Julia Gardiner Tyler Wilson, the granddaughter of U.S. President John Tyler.*

In 1902, Kappa Delta’s second chapter was established at the Chatham Episcopal Institute in Virginia. It was a short-lived chapter and was forced off campus in 1904 by the school’s administration. Among the women initiated into the chapter during those two years was Georgia O’Keeffe. She enrolled at Chatham in 1903 and graduated in 1905. It was the Institute’s principal and art instructor, Elizabeth May Wilson, who encouraged O’Keeffe’s interest in art. O’Keeffe, a prolific artist, lived nearly a century and she was awarded a Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Georgia O’Keeffe as a student at the Chatham Episcopal Institute.

O’Keeffe’s legacy is preserved at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1998, the O’Keeffe Art and Leadership Program for Girls was established there and it provides opportunities for young women ages 11-13. Each summer, the Kappa Delta Foundation funds two paid internship opportunities working with the leadership program.

White Rose with Larkspur by Georgia OKeeffe, circa 1927. The white rose is the flower of Kappa Delta.

White Rose with Larkspur by Georgia O’Keeffe, circa 1927. The white rose is Kappa Delta’s flower.

***

National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) delegations and dignitaries are gathering in Dallas for the 2015 NPC Annual Meeting. Chi Omega Jean M. Mrasek, Chi Omega, will chair the meeting. Donna Crain King, Sigma Kappa, will be installed as the Chairman for the 2015-17 biennium. (See http://npcchairman.blogspot.com/2015/10/npc-transitions.html for Mrasek’s reflections near the end of her term.)

***

The past two weeks have been full of family milestones, meetings, and the travel that goes with each of those things. Last night I returned home from a quick visit to Monmouth, Illinois. Monmouth College is, in my opinion, the birthplace of the modern women’s fraternity system. In 1870, when Kappa Kappa Gamma was organized there, it joined I.C. Sorosis whose Greek motto, Pi Beta Phi, became the organization’s name in 1888. An 1867 Monmouth College Courier lists I.C. Sorosis news in the column with the men’s fraternities and not in the column with the literary societies, as some have argued. I attended the meeting of the Holt House Committee. Holt House is the home in which Pi Beta Phi was founded on a Sunday afternoon in 1867. To be in the room where ten of the twelve founders gathered and spoke in whispers as they promised “to always conceal and never reveal” the particulars of the founding, is truly awe inspiring. I also made a quick visit to Steward House, where Kappa Kappa Gamma was founded in 1870.

Holt House. My tall friend Lisa was my randomly assigned roommate at my first Pi Phi convention in 1987. The tree was planted in honor of Cheri Patterson, a Bradley University Pi Phi who served as Chairman of the Holt House Committee.

Holt House. My friend Lisa was my randomly assigned roommate at my first Pi Phi convention in 1987. The tree was planted in honor of Cheri Patterson, a Bradley University Pi Phi who served as Chairman of the Holt House Committee.

I made a quick stop at Stewart House, Kappa Kappa Gammas founding home. Although it is mid-October, some iris did not get the memo that they are a spring blooming flower.

The iris garden at Stewart House, Kappa Kappa Gamma’s founding home. Although it is mid-October, some iris did not get the memo that they usually bloom in the spring.

Posted in Chi Omega, Farmville Four, Founders' Day, Fran Favorite, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Longwood University, Monmouth College, National Panhellenic Conference, Notable Sorority Women, Pi Beta Phi, Sorority History | Tagged Chi Omega, Georgia O'Keeffe, Kappa Delta, Longwood University, Monmouth College. Kappa Kappa Gamma, National Panhellenic Conference, NPC, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Kappa | Comments Off

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