Yesterday, when Betty White’s death at nearly 100 years of age was announced, the rumors of her being a sorority woman were surfacing on the Focus on Fraternity History facebook page. The rumors of her being a member of Alpha Gamma Delta keep surfacing. She was not a member of any sorority. In fact, she did not attend college after her graduation from Beverly Hills High School. Her career as an actress is legendary and her comedic genius will live on forever in reruns and on-demand episodes of her body of work.
Betty White
The Golden Girls episodes are some of my favorites. On May, 9, 1992, the final episode of The Golden Girls aired. It ran for seven seasons and in pre-internet days, it was almost impossible to find information about dialogue on a tv-show. This exchange between the characters may have started the rumor that will just not quit. It’s from season 2 of The Golden Girls.
Dorothy: I never belonged to a sorority. I was blackballed.
Rose: Oh, I think that is so cruel. The Alpha Yams didn’t have blackballing. We believed that any girl who wanted to help her community and foster a feeling of sisterhood should be allowed to join.
Dorothy: That’s very commendable.
Rose: As long as she could castrate a sheep.
As an Aside
Rue McClanahan, was a Kappa Alpha Theta at the University of Tulsa. In one episode, her Golden Girls character Blanche Elizabeth Marie Hollingsworth Devereaux, attended a reunion of her “Alpha Gam” sisters. This may have also added to the confusion about Betty White being an Alpha Gam.
Happy 2022!
I am currently trying to get a handle on the #NotableSororityWomen, #WHM2022 posts. In February, I try to spotlight a member from each of the 26 NPC and 4 NPHC sororities. It is a challenge, but one that I find rewarding. I hope you do, too. Thank you for reading my blog. May the coming year be a blessing.
