Category Archives: University of Michigan

Tau Kappa Epsilon’s 116th Birthday and a Walgreens Connection

Having just returned from Florida where there seems to be a Walgreens every three blocks, I was delighted to find a connection between Tau Kappa Epsilon and Walgreens. It seems like a fine story to tell on TKE’s Founders’ Day. … Continue reading

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A Church, a Library, a Masonic Temple, and a Governor’s Home – Repurposed Buildings – GLO Style

A quick look at the photo on my twitter feed told me that this wasn’t an ordinary fraternity house. It looked like a lodge building. And in fact it was. The Marquette University chapter of Kappa Sigma has just moved into … Continue reading

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8/30/1912 + Bishop Kelly + 10 Founders = Happy 102 Years Theta Phi Alpha!

A few men have had roles in the founding of National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities. Dr. Wellesley P. Coddington (Syracuse Triad), George Banta (Delta Gamma), and Dr. Charles Richardson (Chi Omega) are some whose names quickly come to mind. Of that small … Continue reading

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Van Lingle Mungo to Start the Baseball Season

Jazz pianist Dave Frishberg wrote one of my favorite baseball songs. Frishberg first wrote a melody, but was having a hard time coming up with lyrics. While looking though a baseball encyclopedia, he happened on the name of Van Lingle Mungo, a … Continue reading

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A Sunday Afternoon Steeped in the College Culture of the Late 1860s

Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois, has digitized its student newspapers. I spent Sunday afternoon trying to read them. Unfortunately, they were not printed on the best of paper and the pdfs  are sometimes next to impossible to decipher. What I … Continue reading

Posted in Alpha Delta Phi, Fran Favorite, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Monmouth College, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Chi, Syracuse University, University of Michigan, Washington and Lee University, Yale University | Comments Off on A Sunday Afternoon Steeped in the College Culture of the Late 1860s

A White Dress, an Alumna Initiate, and Saying Goodbye to a Sister

My only sibling, my sister Louise, died suddenly on this date in 2011. I cannot tell you how many times I try to phone her because I have something I want to tell her. She lit up a room and … Continue reading

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A Bishop’s Role in NPC History – Theta Phi Alpha, 8/30/1912

A few men have had roles in the founding of National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) women’s fraternities/sororities. Dr. Wellesley P. Coddington, George Banta, and Dr. Charles Richardson are some that quickly come to mind. Of that small fraternity of men involved in … Continue reading

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Women’s Fraternities, Sororities, and Dr. Frank Smalley

“Why are some National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) groups women’s fraternities and some are sororities?” is a question I am often asked. It’s a tough one because the 26 NPC organizations are typically referred to as sororities in everyday conversation (i.e. … Continue reading

Posted in Alpha Phi, Fran Favorite, Gamma Phi Beta, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, National Panhellenic Conference, Northwestern University, Syracuse University, The Crescent of Gamma Phi Beta, University of Michigan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Women’s Fraternities, Sororities, and Dr. Frank Smalley

(And a One, and a Two) Happy Birthday, Sigma Alpha Iota!

Sigma Alpha Iota, a social organization for women with a special interest in music, was founded on June 12, 1903, at the University of Michigan’s School of Music.  It was incorporated in the State of Michigan on December 1, 1904. … Continue reading

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Theta Phi Alpha’s Founders’ Day and Its Connection to a Saint

Theta Phi Alpha was founded at the University of Michigan on August 30, 1912.  Its ten founders are Amelia McSweeney, Mildred M. Connely, May C. Ryan, Selma Gilday, Camilla Ryan Sutherland, Helen Ryan Quinlan, Katrina Caughey Ward, Dorothy Caughey Phalan, … Continue reading

Posted in Founders' Day, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Greek-letter Organization History, National Panhellenic Conference, Theta Phi Alpha, University of Michigan, Women's Fraternity History | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Theta Phi Alpha’s Founders’ Day and Its Connection to a Saint