Category Archives: Iowa Wesleyan College

Carol J. Nemitz, Zeta Tau Alpha, #NotableSororityWomen, #WHM2024

Carol J. Nemitz, Dean Nemitz,as she was known to legions of Iowa Wesleyan University students, was born in Pulaski, Iowa, on February 25, 1934. After graduating from high school in 1951, she enrolled at Iowa Wesleyan. There, she became a … Continue reading

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On Alpha Xi Delta’s Founders’ Day, Its Connection to the P.E.O. Sisterhood

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, … Continue reading

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Alice Bird Babb, P.E.O. and Alpha Xi Delta

On April 17, 1893, Alpha Xi Delta was founded at Lombard College in Galesburg, Illinois. The founders ranged in age from 15-year old Alice Barlett Bruner to a 25-year-old widow, Eliza Curtis. For nine years Alpha Xi remained a local organization … Continue reading

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Effie Hoffman Rogers, P.E.O., #WHM2019

Effie Hoffman Rogers was not a founder of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, but she was a builder. Few people know the names of the builders, those who came after the founders and worked on making the organization into what it is … Continue reading

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Happy 150th, P.E.O. Sisterhood!

The P.E.O. Sisterhood was founded 150 years ago today, on January 21, 1869. The temperature in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where Iowa Wesleyan University is located, will be about 22 degrees. Legend has it that the temperature on this day in … Continue reading

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Anna Gillis Kimble on Alpha Xi Delta’s Founders’ Day

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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Dillon H. Payne, Beta Theta Pi, and His Role in P.E.O.’s History

On January 21, 1869, seven young women, students at Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, founded P.E.O. In the early years, they called it a Society and then, later, a Sisterhood. I’ve written about this before, but it is … Continue reading

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Be a Builder

The founders of Greek-letter organizations are revered. Every organization has its founders. They get the glory. Members know their names.  Every organization also has builders, those who do the heavy lifting, who make difficult decisions, who work hard to advance … Continue reading

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A Total Eclipse in the Heartland, About 150 Years Apart

I often remark that I live in the exact center of nowhere. Apparently, I am in error. Carbondale, Illinois, is finally on the map and the hubbub of the upcoming total solar eclipse is at a crescendo. Carbondale is the spot … Continue reading

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Beta, Pi Phi, and P.E.O.

My life has been lived east of the Mississippi, the last half of it just miles from the river. When we first moved to Illinois, it was odd to tell people that we were five hours from Chicago, the only … Continue reading

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