Tag Archives: Iowa Wesleyan University

P.E.O.’s Connection to Abraham Lincoln

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Bess Truman is the only First Lady who was a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood. Her husband, President Harry Truman was considered a B.I.L. (brothers-in-law or brothers-in-love), the name given to the spouses and significant others of P.E.O. members. However, … Continue reading →

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A Special 150th Arrow and a Found P.E.O. Connection

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

In case you have not heard, my arrow wearing sisters are celebrating a very big anniversary on Friday. This issue of The Arrow was sent to all members with a mailable address. Congratulations to Editor Constance Dillon Gibbs, an alumna of … Continue reading →

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On Its Founding Day, Alpha Xi Delta and Its Connection to the P.E.O. Sisterhood

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Alpha Xi Delta was founded at Lombard College in Galesburg, Illinois on April 17, 1893. Its founders are Cora Bollinger (Block), Alice Bartlett (Bruner), Bertha Cook (Evans), Harriett Luella McCollum (Gossow), Lucy W. Gilmer, Lewie Strong (Taylor), Almira Lowry Cheney, Frances … Continue reading →

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When My Worlds Collide

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

When I learned that my friend Daphney, the driver of Pi Phi’s Ring Ching Roadshow car would be in Iowa at the same time I would be there, too, I asked if we could quickly meet and have a photo … Continue reading →

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The P.E.O. Sisterhood Turns 148!

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

P.E.O., the Philanthropic Educational Organization, founded at Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, celebrates its 148th birthday today. It was founded by seven young women. About a month earlier, Libbie Brook, who had previously been enrolled at Monmouth College, … Continue reading →

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In Mount Pleasant Finding Kappa, Pi Phi, Alpha Xi, and P.E.O. Connections

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

I’m in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. I just toured the Memory Room in Old Main at Iowa Wesleyan University. I’ve been there before, but it is always a treat to tour the campus where P.E.O. was founded on January 21, 1869. … Continue reading →

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Morning in Mount Pleasant Following in the Footsteps of the P.E.O. Founders

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

On Friday, I drove to Mount Pleasant, Iowa. On the way, I made a quick stop at Holt House, the home where Pi Beta Phi was founded in 1867. When it was founded it was called I.C. Sorosis. Its motto … Continue reading →

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