Category Archives: Women’s Fraternities

“My Dear Sisson,” Wrote Wm. Raimond Baird on Jan. 1, 1898

William Raimond Baird was a patent lawyer and mineralogist, but his hobby was his fraternity and the fraternity world at-large. He spent 25 years as editor of Beta Theta Pi’s magazine and his manual American College Fraternities is considered a … Continue reading

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The Kappas, Thetas, and Pi Phis Visit Willis Studio, Lawrence, Kansas

The photos below, of the three women’s fraternities at the University of Kansas, were taken at Willis Studio in Lawrence, Kansas. The 1903 Jayhawker yearbook has an ad for Willis Studio located at 925 Massachusetts Avenue. I have not been … Continue reading

Posted in Chi Omega, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Alpha Theta (magazine), Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi, The Arrow of Pi Beta Phi, The Key of Kappa Kappa Gamma, University of Kansas | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Kappas, Thetas, and Pi Phis Visit Willis Studio, Lawrence, Kansas

Miss Keller, Iron Dean of Westhampton College, and Her Role in AAUW History

May Lansfield Keller is one of those amazing women who were born before the invention of most things that today’s college women take for granted. From her successful attempt to earn a German Ph.D., to her insistence that Westhampton College … Continue reading

Posted in American Association of University Women, Fran Favorite, Goucher College, Pi Beta Phi, University of Richmond (Westhampton College) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The History of Women’s Fraternities at the University of Michigan through 1902

Women’s fraternities provided the early college woman with a support system. There were several campuses where, by 1902, there were or had been chapters of each of the seven founding NPC members. The University of Michigan is one of these … Continue reading

Posted in Alpha Phi, Collegiate Sorosis, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Fran Favorite, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, National Panhellenic Conference, Pi Beta Phi, University of Michigan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The History of Women’s Fraternities at the University of Michigan through 1902

Francis and Grace Lass Sisson – Grand Presidents Who Lived in a Castle

Knox College graduates Grace Lass, a member of the Illinois Delta Chapter of Pi Beta Phi, and Francis Hinckley Sisson, a member of the Xi Chapter of Beta Theta Pi, were married in Galesburg, Illinois, on June 16, 1897. Grace … Continue reading

Posted in Beta Theta Pi, Fran Favorite, Knox College, Notable Fraternity Women, Notable Sorority Women, Pi Beta Phi | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ada Comstock Notestein, Delta Gamma

  Ada Louise Comstock Notestein was born in Moorhead, Minnesota. In 1892, she entered the University of Minnesota where she became a member of the Lambda Chapter of Delta Gamma. After two years, she left Minnesota and enrolled in Smith … Continue reading

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Erastus O. Haven, Friend to Wolverines, Wildcats, and Orangemen, and a Gamma Phi Beta Dad

Erastus Otis Haven, D.D., LL.D. holds a very unique spot in the history of women’s fraternities. The three campuses at which he served were important ones in the history of the women’s fraternity movement prior to 1902. Haven served as … Continue reading

Posted in Alpha Phi, Fran Favorite, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Northwestern University, Syracuse University, University of Michigan | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Erastus O. Haven, Friend to Wolverines, Wildcats, and Orangemen, and a Gamma Phi Beta Dad

Imogen Cunningham, Pi Phi Pioneering Photographer

Imogen Cunningham was a pioneer in the field of photography. She was also a charter member of the Washington Alpha Chapter of Pi Beta Phi. Her interest in photography was aided by the opportunity presented by a Pi Beta Phi … Continue reading

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Julia Morgan, Pioneering Architect, Kappa Alpha Theta, #notablesororitywomen

The renowned architect Julia Morgan was a native Californian. She was born in San Francisco on January 20, 1872. Morgan entered the University of California at Berkeley where she became a member of the Omega Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta, … Continue reading

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The Grand President Who Was a Kappa Before She Was a Pi Phi

Emma Harper Turner, one of Pi Beta Phi’s most influential early Grand Presidents, started her fraternity life as a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.  “How can that be?” you say. “There are rules against that!” It’s quite simple; the National … Continue reading

Posted in Fran Favorite, Kappa Kappa Gamma, National Panhellenic Conference, Notable Fraternity Women, Notable Sorority Women, Pi Beta Phi | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Grand President Who Was a Kappa Before She Was a Pi Phi