Fraternity and Sorority Archivists met in Indianapolis last week. It’s always educational and fun to be among kindred spirits. But before I headed to the conference, I did a little touring on my own. My first stop was the new Sigma Tau Gamma headquarters.
The ribbon cutting took place on May 5.
A ribbon cutting took place on Saturday, May 5, but I was able to get a sneak peek on Thursday. A Pi Phi friend, Jill Carrel, is Sig Tau’s Director of Foundation Operations, was kind enough to indulge me. Jose Contreras, Alumni Engagement Coordinator, put together the historical displays, and he joined us at the Archivists Conference, too. He did a great job of presenting the organization’s history.
Sigma Tau Gammas Founders Fireplace, where the charter was signed.
For nearly 50 years, Sigma Tau Gamma’s headquarters, the Marvin Millsap Sigma Tau Gamma Headquarters, was located at 101 Ming Street in Warrensburg, Missouri, where the Fraternity was founded. The Founders’ Fireplace and bricks from the White Rose Garden were moved to Indianapolis.
Document cases in the Sig Tau Archives
Zippy the kangaroo is from the University of Akron ‘s Delta Chapter. He has no label, so I am not sure if he is a Personality Pet from a couple of posts ago.
I also managed to squeeze in a quick visit to the Alpha Xi Delta HQ. As I have mentioned many times previously, the second chapter of Alpha Xi Delta was the chapter of P.E.O. that was established at Iowa Wesleyan University in 1869.
Alpha Xi Delta display
The Archives Conference took place at the new Zeta Tau Alpha HQ on South Rangeline Road. It’s an impressive building. Patti Cords Levitte, Zeta’s Archivist, is busy planning an historical experience center. She also noted that this display is temporary and not what is planned for these display cabinets.
Zeta Tau Alpha’s HQ
Some of the sessions covered at this conference were managing digital collections, photo presentation and identification, and conducting oral histories. The last session was presented by Barbara Truesdell, Assistant Director of the Center for Documentary Research and Practice at Indiana University. It was phenomenal and I didn’t want the session to end.
We are trying to come up with a comprehensive list of archivists and historians for Greek-Letter Organizations. Any help in compiling a complete list is much appreciated. Use the contact form below to send names and emails of those responsible for keeping the archives and historical documents of your organization.
