Chi Omega was founded on April 5, 1895 at the University of Arkansas. Ina May Boles, Jean Vincenheller, Jobelle Holcombe, and Alice Simonds, with guidance from Fayetteville dentist, Dr. Charles Richardson, a Kappa Sigma, created the organization. The founding chapter at Arkansas is known as Psi Chapter.
Dr. Richardson, known as “Sis Doc” to generations of Psi Chapter members, is a founder. He crafted Chi Omega’s first badge out of dental gold. I think it’s a safe bet to say that Chi Omega is the only National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) organization to have its first badge crafted out of dental gold.
Original Chi Omega badge crafted in dental gold by “Doc Sis.”
The Couch Sisters of Iota Chapter
“Lucile and Bess Crouch are attending the University on Carnegie Hero Funds” read the notes about Chi Omega’s Iota Chapter at the University of Texas in a 1921 Eleusis. I became very curious.
I suspected the Carnegie referred to steel magnate Andrew Carnegie and I was correct. But I was wrong about the hero, thinking perhaps that it was their father who did the heroic deed and perished doing it. I was wrong.
The heroes were the sisters themselves, Lucile and Dorothy Elizabeth “Bess” Crouch. On September 6, 1915, 56-year-0ld Lillie C. Hunt swam 15 feet from the pier in Port O’Connor, Texas. She was a poor swimmer and was unable to return in the strong current. And the water was eight feet deep. Lucile, 24-years-old, swam out to Hunt and tried to swim back with her. When Lucile tried to swim with Hunt’s hand resting on her shoulder, Lucile sank under Hunt’s weight. The current carried both of them away. Hunt implored Lucile to swim back alone, thereby saving herself. Lucile refused to do so.
Bess, who was ten years younger than Lucile, dove in the water from the pier. She swam 150 feet to the women. The sisters worked together to push Hunt 350 feet across the current. At that point all three were able to touch the bottom and although exhausted they all made it back to safety.
Lucile and Bess were each awarded a Bronze medal plus $2,000 for educational purposes. Lucile was a teacher in the days when one did not need a Bachelor’s degree to do so. She and Bess enrolled at the University of Texas and both became members of the Iota Chapter of Chi Omega.
I believe Lucile is in the top row and Bess is in the second row
Lucile graduated in 1920 and Bess followed a year later. Lucile married Dr. Frank Starr Littlejohn. She died in 1939. Bess married Edwin Ewart Sullivan in June 24, 1924. She died in November of 1981.
