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There are many posts on this blog. Use the search button to find the posts about your organization.
Welcome!
Welcome! Chances are good you found this blog by searching for something about fraternities or sororities.
I was the last person anyone would have suspected of joining a sorority in college. I am sure I would have agreed with them, too.
When I made my way to Syracuse University, I saw the houses with the Greek letters that edged Walnut Park, and wished I could tour them. My roommate suggested I sign up for rush (as it was then called, today it’s known as recruitment) and go through the house tour round and then drop out of rush. It sounded like a plan. I didn’t realize that I would end up feeling at home at one of the chapters. And that I would become a member.
In this blog I will share the history of GLOs and other topics. I wrote a dissertation on “Coeducation and the History of Women’s Fraternities 1867-1902.″ It chronicles the growth of the system and the birth of the National Panhellenic Conference.
My Master’s thesis details the history of the fraternity system at Southern Illinois University Carbondale from 1948-1960. The dates are significant ones and the thesis is available on the top menu.
I have done research at the Student Life Archives and have written several histories of University of Illinois fraternity chapters for the Society for the Preservation of Greek Housing.
Thanks for stopping by.
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- BIO AND PUBLICATIONS
- Fraternity and Sorority Members Competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics
- GRACE GOODHUE COOLIDGE – A LOYAL PI BETA PHI
- HERE’S TO THE FRATERNITY HAT BANDS!
- PANHELLENIC HOUSE TO BEEKMAN TOWER HOTEL
- POSTS ABOUT THE P.E.O. SISTERHOOD
- SORORITY WOMEN COMPETING IN MISS USA 2026 AND MISS TEEN USA 2026
- SORORITY WOMEN ON THE ROAD TO MISS AMERICA 2027 (2026 STATE WINNERS)
- SORORITY WOMEN WHO HAVE WON EMMY AWARDS
- SORORITY WOMEN WHO HAVE WON MISS AMERICA AND MISS USA
- STATE GOVERNORS WHO HAVE BEEN SORORITY WOMEN
- THE ILLINOIS STATE CHAPTER OF P.E.O. AND THE LULU CORKHILL WILLIAMS FRIENDSHIP FUND
- The State by State Tour of Graves, Founding Sites, and HQs for NPC GLOs
- U.S. PRESIDENTS AND FRATERNITY MEN – FIRST LADIES AND SORORITY WOMEN
Posts about #NotableSororityWomen
10 + 2 Sorority Women with Pulitzer Prizes
10 Authors Who Are Sorority Women (Hint – Caddie Woodlawn, Kinsey Millhone, Atticus Finch, Too)
10 GLO Authors for Children’s Book Week
10 Sorority Women from the Golden Age of Television
Doctors Who Wore Badges: Fraternity Women in Medicine 1867-1902
Female Senators and Their Sorority Affiliation – 2019 Edition
For International Women’s Day, Another 10 Amazing NPC Women!
Fraternity Women Who Were Lawyers, 1867-1902 (When Women Could Not Vote!)
Hidden Figures on Alpha Kappa Alpha Founders’ Day
Sorority Women Writing Stories Whose Characters Are Sorority Women
NPC
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Epsilon Phi
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and http://wp.me/p20I1i-1Mj
Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Omicron Pi
Grace Humiston
Alpha Phi
Alpha Sigma Alpha
Alpha Sigma Tau
Elsie Katherine Bergegrun, M.D.
Alpha Xi Delta
Chi Omega
Delta Delta Delta
Dr. “Mattibelle” Boger Shattuck
Delta Gamma
Carlotta Joaquina Maury, Ph.D.
Delta Phi Epsilon
Delta Zeta
Crown Princess Martha of Norway
Gamma Phi Beta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Delta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Meghan Markle, HRH The Dutchess of Sussex
Phi Mu
Phi Sigma Sigma
Pi Beta Phi
Mary Elizabeth Lasher Barnette
Marguerite “Peg” Lindsley (Arnold)
Sigma Delta Tau
Sigma Kappa
Sigma Sigma Sigma
Theta Phi Alpha
Mildred “Millie” Lonergan McAuliffe
Zeta Tau Alpha
NPHC
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Delta Sigma Theta
Sigma Gamma Rho
Zeta Phi Beta
Category Archives: Fran Favorite
The Promise of 2020 Vision
On this the last day of the decade, I find it hard to write a post. Does anyone read these things? Does anyone care about Greek-letter organizations? The anti-fraternity sentiment of the late 1800s is alive and well today. There … Continue reading
Remembering Jerry Herman, Zeta Beta Tau
As I was working on yesterday’s post, the words to Look Over There from the musical La Cage aux Folles was an earworm running through my head (specifically, When your world spins too fast, And your bubble has burst, Someone … Continue reading
Remembering Bob McCully, Sigma Nu’s Grand Historian
Yesterday, I received a copy of the Fall/Winter 2019 The Delta of Sigma Nu. In it was a tribute to Sigma Nu’s Grand Historian, Robert A. “Bob” McCully. He was a regular attendee at the Fraternity and Sorority Archivist Conference … Continue reading
December 24 Through January 2 – A Busy Time in Fraternity and Sorority History
It’s hard for today’s collegians to contemplate spending December 24 through January 2 on campus. Most higher education institutions shut down for the holiday week. However, that week has been a significant one in the history of Greek-letter organizations. Delta … Continue reading
Austin Peay on Kappa Alpha Order’s Founding Day
I never heard the name Austin Peay until I moved to southern Illinois. It’s mentioned frequently on local news, especially the Paducah station, during the sports update. Austin Peay State University, or “Austin P.” as some sportscasters call it, is … Continue reading
Miss America 2020 is a Kappa Delta and NPC Woman
Congratulations to Camille Schrier, Miss America 2020, who was Miss Virginia 2019. She is a Kappa Delta and was initiated into the chapter at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (“Virginia Tech”). Second Runner Up – Miss Missouri 2019, Simone … Continue reading
Football, Miss America 2020 Contestants, and a Grandmother’s Pin
Miss America 2020 will be chosen tomorrow, Thursday, December 19. More than a third of the state winners are sorority women. I think it’s a win for all of us if a sorority woman wins. A friend asked if I … Continue reading
HOLIDAY DECORATING IN GLO STYLE
Do we decorate our trees with our organization’s ornaments? Of course we do! Wanda Barton Yeatts was housemother at the Delta Zeta chapter at the University of Georgia where this was the chapter’s tree. © Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2013. All Rights … Continue reading
Sadness When a Chapter’s Charter Weighs in the Balance
“Wish I felt better about my own chapter which is now on probation. Received a letter from Nat’l regarding that. So sad!” That message was on a holiday car in yesterday’s mail. The card’s cover had “joy” written on it, … Continue reading
Monday Morning Musings
Sorority woman in Miss Universe Top Twenty Last night, Cindy Marina, Miss Albania, made it to the top 20 in the Miss Universe contest. Marina is a volleyball player for the University of Southern California. She initiated into the Pi … Continue reading
