A Founders’ Day, Christmas Toys, a History of Latin American Student Fraternities, and a Chance to Make a Difference

Happy Founders’ Day Zeta Beta Tau! Here’s a post I wrote last year about the founding of ZBT and two of its Members of Distinction. Jerome Lawrence and Jerry Herman, both ZBTs, and Robert Edwin Lee, collaborated on the Broadway smash hit Mame, one of my favorite shows. I reread that post this morning and I have chosen to rerun it because it had me singing tunes from Mame. The post is at http://wp.me/p20I1i-1kx.

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An alumnus of the Sigma Chi chapter at Western Connecticut State University was in the news recently. Here is the link to the heartwarming story (http://www.newstimes.com/default/article/Young-stroke-victim-recovers-to-re-launch-toy-5972147.php)

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This from the Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. facebook page:

Congratulations to Brother Oliver Fajardo (Beta Iota, Spring 2001)! His article “A Brief History of International Latin American Student Fraternities: A Movement That Lasted 86 Years (1889-1975)” has been published in the January 2015 issue of the Journal of Hispanic Higher Education.

I can’t wait to find a copy of the article and read it!

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Non-profit organizations are grateful for end of the year donations. I have supported the Pi Beta Phi Foundation as a way of paying forward the gift of membership and the trust which was placed in me when I was a clueless member of the chapter at Syracuse University. I have also been known to support the foundations of other GLOs as a way of honoring those members who have touched my life. In addition, there are other GLO related foundations to which one can donate. These include the National Panhellenic Conference Foundation (https://www.npcwomen.org/foundation.aspx), the NIC Foundation (http://www.nicindy.org/nic-foundation.html), the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation (https://www.circleofsisterhood.org/inside-the-circle/givingtuesday/), and the Association for Fraternal Leadership & Values (http://www.aflv.org/donations/).

 

photo (65)

© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2014. All Rights Reserved. If  you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/

Posted in Fran Favorite, National Panhellenic Conference, NIC, North-American Interfraternity Conference, Zeta Beta Tau | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A Founders’ Day, Christmas Toys, a History of Latin American Student Fraternities, and a Chance to Make a Difference

An Emily Butterfield Painting and a Theta Tie to WDW

Emily Helen Butterfield was a talented woman by all accounts. In addition to being a founder of Alpha Gamma Delta and an architect in a time when few women chose that profession, she was an accomplished artist. Her sketches were the start of the squirrel “Skiouros” becoming the Alpha Gam mascot. This article about one of her paintings was sent to me by my Alpha Gam friend, Nann Blaine Hilyard, a talented artist in her own right http://www.detroitnews.com/story/life/home-garden/2014/11/26/watercolor-artist-womens-rights-pioneer/19543785/.

Emily H. Butterfield

Emily H. Butterfield is in the top row, second from right.

Nann’s blog With Strings Attached highlights Nann’s observations as a librarian and quiltmaker who values the connections between and among people and organizations http://withstringsattached.blogspot.com/.

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My friend Noraleen Young, Kappa Alpha Theta’s archivist, told me of a Theta who played a role in the creation of Disneyland and Walt Disney World, in addition to helping create the look and feel of Alfred Hitchock films. To read more about Dorothea Holt Redmond, an iniatate of the Kappa Alpha Theta chapter at the University of Southern California, see http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dorothea-holt-redmond16-2009mar16-story.html.

Dorothea Holt Redmond

Dorothea Holt Redmond

© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2014. All Rights Reserved. If  you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/

Posted in Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Tau Omega, Emily Butterfield, Fran Favorite, Kappa Alpha Theta, Syracuse University, University of Southern California | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on An Emily Butterfield Painting and a Theta Tie to WDW

A Lot Like Christmas, GLO Tidbits in Every Store…

The poem  ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas was written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822. Its original name was  An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas and it has a connection to an Alpha Xi Delta, see the post at  http://www.alphaxidelta.org/index.php?src=blog&srctype=detail&blogid=79#.VJsAq14AEB.

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Unbroken, the film directed by Angelina Jolie is the movie adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand’s book, “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. It is the story of Kappa Sigma Louis S. Zamperini, an Olympian and war hero. See the post at http://wp.me/p20I1i-1Im.

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The movie version of Into the Woods (one of my favorite Sondheim shows!) is opening on Christmas. Music and lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim, a member of the Williams College chapter of Beta Theta Pi.  The book is by James Lapine, a Franklin and Marshall College alumnus. The first production of the show debuted in 1986 at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. The shoe premiered on Broadway on November 5, 1987. See the post at http://wp.me/p20I1i-be.

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Some birthday wishes are in order…..

Delta Gamma was founded at the Oxford Female Institute, also known as the Lewis School, at Oxford, Mississippi. Delta Gamma’s three founders, Eva Webb [Dodd], her cousin Anna Boyd [Ellington], and Mary Comfort [Leonard], all from Kosciusko, Mississippi, were weather-bound at the school over the Christmas holidays in December of 1873. Happy Birthday Delta Gamma! See the post at http://wp.me/p20I1i-xb.

Chi Phi traces its history to the Chi Phi Society established on December 24, 1824 by Robert Baird at the College of New Jersey (later known as Princeton University). Phi Delta Theta was founded on December 26, 1848 at Miami University in Miami Ohio. Its Founders’ Day is celebrated on March 15, the birth date of founder Robert Morrison.

A belated 149th birthday to Kappa Alpha Order, founded on December 21, 1864 at Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia.

There are so many pictures of decorated fraternity and sorority houses to chose from. Here is the Sigma Phi Epsilon house at Wichita State University.

There are so many pictures of decorated fraternity and sorority houses to chose from. Here is the Sigma Phi Epsilon house at Wichita State University.

© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2014. All Rights Reserved. If  you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/

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Soarin’ the GLO Sky for the Week Gone By

No posts in more than a week. That’s just not like me. I have a very good reason for not writing. Dan and I marked 35 years of marriage in October. To celebrate, we, along with our three offspring, spent five days at Walt Disney World. Coco, the puppy, spent her days at doggie day care. Since we stayed off-property at the Drury Inns and Suites (they are sooo pet friendly!), she was able to spend some time with us. I insist on WDW Park Hopper passes because I like being able to go between the parks. My favorite ride? Soarin’ in Epcot. It never gets old. On our last day there, between the morning at Animal Kingdom and our evening at the Magic Kingdom, we made a stop at Epcot to sneak an extra ride at Soarin’.

 

A typical Becque family fitbit during a tour of WDW. We cover about 10 miles a day.

A typical Becque family fitbit during a tour of WDW. We cover about 10 miles a day.

I’ve already covered the Disney-GLO myths in a past post. Walt wasn’t a fraternity man; he didn’t go to college. Although his two daughters were initiated into Kappa Alpha Theta, Let’s Go Fly a Kite, wasn’t written about Theta.

I took a slew of GLO related pictures at WDW, but the current lack of real internet service makes it extremely difficult to post them. They will surface someday.

10849868_981955186875_908128307425395810_n

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Yesterday marked the anniversary of the tragedy of the Pan Am Flight 103 Over Lockerbie. For a past post about it, see  http://wp.me/p20I1i-wP.

© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2014. All Rights Reserved. If  you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/

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The Chairman of the Board and Judy Baar Topinka

Today, December 12, 2014, is the 99th anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s birth. Although I was born too late to be a “bobby soxer,” Sinatra’s fans of the 1940s, I adore his music. I had the opportunity to see him in person in the early 1980s; I think the venue was in Hartford, Connecticut. There’s a post about Sinatra’s connection to Alpha Phi Delta at http://wp.me/p20I1i-1cy. I hear there are plans in store for next year’s centennial of Sinatra’s birth and I eagerly await them. Sinatra’s “Chairman of the Board” moniker was given to him by WNEW disc jockey William B. Williams.

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As a resident of Illinois, I offer my condolences to the family of Judy Baar Topinka, a member of Alpha Gamma Delta, who died early Wednesday morning. She was elected the State Treasurer of Illinois in 1994 and served until 2007. She was the first woman to be Illinois State Treasurer and the first Republican in 32 years (in a very heavily Democratic state) to be elected Treasurer. She was currently the state Comptroller and she recently won a hard fought election battle against southern Illinois Sheila Simon, the daughter of former Illinois Senator Paul Simon.

At Northwestern University, she was a  member of Alpha Gamma Delta. For her work and service, Alpha Gamma Delta gave her a Distinguished Citizen Award. Her membership in the West Suburban Alumnae Chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta is noted on her official website. If you’d like to know more about Topinka, I recommend this article http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/Felsenthal-Files/December-2014/Remembering-Judy-Baar-Topinka-a-Critical-Force-in-Illinois-Politics/.

Judy Barr Topinka (from her official website)

Judy Baar Topinka (from her official website)

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Tomorrow it will be 12/13/14. I mention that just because!

© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2014. All Rights Reserved. If  you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/

 

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Four Founders’ Days, Three Recommends, Two Kudos, and a ChiO from Mississippi

Mary Ann Mobley, Miss America 1959, died yesterday at the age of 75. She was a Chi Omega from the University of Mississippi. In 1960, as the outgoing Miss America, she crowned Lynda Lee Mead. Both were initiated into the Tau chapter of Chi Omega at the University of Mississippi. It is the only time that the outgoing and incoming Miss Americas were from the same sorority chapter. May she rest in peace.

Mary Ann Mobley at the 1990 Chi Omega convention (Photo courtesy of Lyn Harris)

Mary Ann Mobley at the 1990 Chi Omega convention (Photo courtesy of Lyn Harris)

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Two Kudos…

Kudos to Kappa Alpha Theta’s Executive Headquarter’s staff; 100% have given to the Kappa Alpha Theta Foundation. Moreover, these stats from the website are impressive.

42 total employees work at Headquarters (not including ELCs)
27 are Fraternity employees
8 are Fraternity Housing Corporation employees
7 are Foundation employees
3 are men
39 are women
28 are members of Kappa Alpha Theta
19 have given to Theta Foundation for 10 years or more (that’s 45 percent—nearly half of staff!)
Collectively, the current staff has contributed over $54,000 in their lifetimes
Thus far in 2014, staff contributions total over $9,300
 
 

Kudos, too, to my friend Juli Holmes Willeman, Executive Director of Pi Beta Phi, who recently endowed an undergraduate scholarship. Preference will be given to members of Juli’s chapter, Iowa Beta at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. In a Pi Beta Phi Foundation press release, Juli said,

“I had no idea the impact Pi Phi would have on my life beyond college. My closest friends today are friends I made at 406 N. Buxton during those four treasured years at Simpson College. Professionally, I’ve been blessed to work with amazing Pi Phis that challenge me, inspire me and lift me up to do more than I ever thought possible. I am incredibly proud to be an Iowa Beta and I hope Iowa Beta is proud to have one of their own leading our beloved organization. We are all a part of something so much bigger, and my hope and wish with this scholarship is to give back to an organization near and dear to my heart and live our mission developing leaders for tomorrow.”

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Three Recommends…

Take the Thank You Challenge! T.J. Sullivan, motivational Greek speaker and author of Motivating the Middle, has sent out a challenge to student leaders to thank those who have had an impact on their lives. Read about it at http://intentionaltjs.com/thank-you-challenge/. I am a true believer in thank you notes (see http://wp.me/p20I1i-IX) and so his post really touched my heart.

The controversy at the University of Virginia continues to make news after Rolling Stone magazine retracted the article about an alleged rape victim. For more information, see http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/calls-for-uva-to-restore-greek-life-after-retraction/ and/or . Both links are courtesy of the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee twitterfeed.

Five things that won’t fix your Greek System, an insightful post by John Shertzer on his Fraternal Thoughts blog –  http://fraternalthoughts.blogspot.com/2014/11/5-things-that-wont-fix-your-greek.html#.VG4zVFHwaas.twitter

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Four Founders Days…

Happy Founding Day to three men’s fraternities and one sorority.

Kappa Sigma was founded on December 10, 1869 by five students at the University of Virginia.

Pi Kappa Phi was founded on this date in 1904 at the College of Charleston in South Carolina.

Sigma Sigma Rho, a South Asian-based sorority, was founded on December 10, 1998 at St. John’s University in Queens, New York.

Delta Sigma Phi was founded on December 10, 1899, at the City College of New York.

© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2014. All Rights Reserved. If  you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/

Posted in Chi Omega, Delta Sigma Phi, Founders' Day, Fran Favorite, Fraternity History, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Sigma, Notable Sorority Women, Pi Beta Phi, Pi Kappa Phi | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Four Founders’ Days, Three Recommends, Two Kudos, and a ChiO from Mississippi

The State by State Tour of Graves, Founding Sites, and HQs for NPC GLOs

In the process of compiling large amounts of information, there is a moment when I question my sanity. The point comes somewhere in the midst of spending too much time in research having too little to show for it, with a mound of unanswered questions smack dab in the middle of the road to the end. That is where I stand today. My goal was to compile a state by state guide to all Greek-letter organization (GLO) related sites.

I started by putting together a spreadsheet of all the founders of all the National Panhellenic Conference organizations. More than 175 names were on that list. I searched the books in my library. I googled. I found myself in many findagravecom and ancestrycom rabbit holes. I asked for help from friends with access to the information for their own GLO.

Twelve for certain I knew, those being the Pi Beta Phi founders. I knew some of the Kappa Kappa Gamma founders were buried in the small cemetery in Monmouth, Illinois, where a number of Pi Phi founders are laid to rest. I was surprised to find out that one of the Alpha Xi Delta founders is buried there, too.

Although I just returned from a visit to the Student Life Archives at the University of Illinois, I was on another mission there and did not have time to research this question. Nor did I have to visit the grave of Frances Haven Moss, the Gamma Phi Beta founder who is buried in the cemetery near campus.

Who would guess that in a cemetery in Pasadena, California, far from Farmville, Virginia, and Syracuse, New York, are the graves of a Kappa Delta founder and Alpha Phi founder?

I added birth and death dates, if I could find them. Sometimes I only found one, so the other is an x;  “x-1942” means that I do not know when she was born, but she died in 1942. On my spreadsheet, I have a column for husband and marriage date, if I came across that information. I also have a column for states in which she lived, if I found that info. I did not include that information here.

My Chi Omega friends managed to find Mary Love Collins’ grave in a small town in Pennsylvania. That made me start on having the NPC Chairmen listed here, too. After all, last month I wrote about my quest to find Amy Burnham Onken’s grave. She was Pi Phi’s Grand President for more than years. She was NPC Chairman, so I’ve added her, too. 

I intend this to be a working document. I welcome all additions and corrections. I’d love to add information for the other GLOs . Send any corrections or additions to franbecque at hotmail.

ALABAMA

Gladys Pugh Reed, Kappa Delta, NPC Chairman 1933-35, Pine Rest Cemetery, Foley AL

Octavia Andrew Rush, Alpha Delta Pi Founder, 11/28/1835-11/6/1917, Oak Hill Cemetery, Plot 1572, Prattville, AL

The Chi Omega Amphitheater at the University of Arkansas

The Chi Omega Theatre at the University of Arkansas

ARKANSAS

Dr. Charles Richardson, Chi Omega Founder, 1864-1924, Fairview Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Fayetteville AR

Chi Omega Founding Campus, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR

Chi Omega Greek Theatre, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR (It was a gift to the university from Chi Omega, completed in 1930. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. It is a replica of the Theatre of Dionysus at the foot of the Acropolis in Greece.)

Christina “Ina May” Boles Morton, Chi Omega Founder, 12/8/1877-10/14/1963, Brearley Cemetery, Dardenelle, AR

Jobelle Holcombe, Chi Omega Founder and NPC Chairman 1907,  2/5/1877-7/26/1962, Bluff Cemetery, Springdale, AR

Mary Burt Brooks Nash, Alpha Xi Delta, NPC Chairman 1961-63, Rest Hills Memorial Park, North Little Rock, AR

 

CALIFORNIA

Clara Bradley Wheeler Baker Burdette, Alpha Phi Founder, x-1954, Angelus Rosedale Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA

Lenora D. “Nora” Ashmore Blackiston, Kappa Delta Founder, 8/27/1880-10/28/1923, Mount View Cemetery, Pasadena, CA

Lewie (Louise) Strong Taylor, Alpha Xi Delta Founder, 1867-1950, Mount View Cemetery, Pasadena, CA

Sylvia Steierman Cohn, Delta Phi Epsilon Founder, 10/8/1900-2/6/1972, Congregation Beth Israel Cemetery, Fairfield, CA

COLORADO

Anne Simmons Friedline, Delta Zeta Founder, 1/23/1879-9/1/1932, Evergreen Cemetery, Colorado Springs, CO

Gamma Phi Beta HQ, Centennial, CO

 

CONNECTICUT

Alpha Epsilon Phi HQ, Danbury CT

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Alice Cary “Allie” Simonds Smith, Chi Omega Founder, 1872-10/1/1900, Congressional Cemetery, Washington, DC

 

FLORIDA

Hannah Jeanette “Jennie” Boyd, Kappa Kappa Gamma Founder, x-9/26/1937, Hickory Grove Cemetery, Green Cove Springs, FL

Mary Ann DuPont Lines, Phi Mu Founder, 5/28/1836-1/4/1918, Evergreen Cemetery, Jacksonville, FL

Mary Louise “Lou” Bennett Boyd, Kappa Kappa Gamma Founder, 1876-1/17/1947, Hickory Grove Cemetery, Green Cove Springs, FL

 

Alpha Delta Pi Fountain at Wesleyan College

Alpha Delta Pi Fountain at Wesleyan College

GEORGIA

Alpha Delta Pi Founding Campus, Wesleyan College, Macon, GA (Commemorative fountain on campus)

Alpha Delta Pi HQ, Atlanta, GA

Cannonball House (It is home to the Adelphean and Philomathean Collections pertaining to the early history of Alpha Delta Pi and Phi Mu, respectively), Macon, GA

Ella Pierce Turner, Alpha Delta Pi Founder, 5/6/1835- 5/6/1907, Sparta Cemetery, Sparta, GA

Eugenia Tucker Fitzgerald, Alpha Delta Pi Founder, 1/29/1834-12/10/1928, Rose Hill Cemetery, Macon, GA

Martha Bibb Hardaway Redding, Phi Mu Founder, 10/9/1836-10/15/1893, Riverside Cemetery, Macon, GA

Mary Elizabeth Myrick Daniel, Phi Mu Founder, Oakgrove Cemetery, Americus, GA

Mary Evans Glass, Alpha Delta Pi Founder, 1833-1914, Riverside Cemetery, Macon, GA

Phi Mu Founding Campus, Wesleyan College, Macon, GA

Phi Mu HQ, Peachtree City, GA

Sophronia Woodruff Dews, Alpha Delta Pi Founder, 1/6/1835-8/6/1913, Linwood Cemetery, Columbus, GA

 

HAWAII

Alice Grey Welsh, Zeta Tau Alpha Founder, 6/3/1880-6/21/1960, O’ahu Cemetery, Section 17, Lot 192, Honolulu, HI

 IDAHO

Anna Lytle Tannahill Brannon, Pi Beta Phi, NPC Chairman 1908, Normal Hill Cemetery, Lewiston, ID

Pi Beta Phi was founded at Holt House in Monmouth, Illinois

Pi Beta Phi was founded at Holt House in Monmouth, Illinois

ILLINOIS

Alice Barlett Bruner, Alpha Xi Delta Founder, 1878-1966, Monmouth Cemetery, Monmouth, IL

Alpha Phi HQ, Evanston, IL

Alpha Xi Delta Adopted Founding Campus, Knox College, Galesburg, IL

Alpha Xi Delta Founding Campus, Lombard College, Galesburg, IL (no longer in existence)

Amy Burnham Onken, Pi Beta Phi, NPC Chairman 1945-47, Diamond Grove Cemetery, Jacksonville, IL

Anna Elizabeth Willits Pattee, Kappa Kappa Gamma Founder, 4/22/1853-8/11/1908, Pattee plot, Monmouth Cemetery, Monmouth, IL

Clara Brownlee Hutchinson, Pi Beta Phi Founder, 1/6/1850-1/4/1931, Monmouth Cemetery, Monmouth, IL

Cora Allen McElroy, Alpha Phi, NPC Chairman 1912, 1867-1924, Oakwood Cemetery, West Chicago, IL

Eliza Drake Curtis Everton, Alpha Xi Delta Founder, 1867-1934, Ladies Union Cemetery, Stockton, IL

Emma Brownlee Kilgore, Pi Beta Phi Founder, 3/25/1848-1925, Monmouth Cemetery, Monmouth, IL (The Pi Phi Founders have a plaque on their gravestones)

Fannie Thomson, Pi Beta Phi Founder, 11/23/1848-10/5/1868, Oquawka Cemetery, Oquawka, IL

Frances Elizabeth Haven Moss, Gamma Phi Beta Founder, Mount Hope Cemetery, Champaign, IL (close to West Kirby Avenue)

Holt House, Founding site of Pi Beta Phi, Monmouth, IL

Inez Smith Soule, Pi Beta Phi Founder, 7/26/1846-3/31/1941, Monmouth Cemetery, Monmouth, IL

Jennie Horne Turnbull, Pi Beta Phi Founder, 4/29/1846-1932, Monmouth Cemetery, Monmouth, IL

Jennie Nicol, M.D., Pi Beta Phi Founder, 3/7/1845-3/28/1881, Cedar Creek Churchyard, Little York, IL

Kappa Kappa Gamma Founding Campus, Monmouth College, Monmouth, IL (Plaque where stream once was. Plaques on former homes of founders.)

Libbie Brook Gaddis, Pi Beta Phi Founder, 3/7/1850-12/24/1933, Avon Mausoleum, Avon IL

Margaret Campbell, Pi Beta Phi Founder, 11/7/1846-10/15/1936, Monmouth Cemetery, Monmouth, IL

Mary Moore “Minnie” Stewart Nelson Field, Kappa Kappa Gamma Founder, x-6/21/1898, Monmouth Cemetery, Monmouth, IL

Nellie Gamble Childe, Alpha Chi Omega Founder, 1867-1960, Martinsville City Cemetery, Martinsville IL

Pi Beta Phi Founding Campus, Monmouth College Monmouth, IL

Rena Michaels Atchison, Ph.D., Alpha Phi Founder, x-1933, Bluff City Cemetery, Elgin, IL

Stewart House, Kappa Kappa Gamma Constitution signed, Minnie Stewart’s family home, Monmouth, IL

Susan Burley Walker, Kappa Kappa Gamma Founder, 6/27/1855-5/2/1897, Monmouth Cemetery, Monmouth, IL

 

INDIANA

Alfa Lloyd Hayes, Delta Zeta Founder, 1880-1962, Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, IN

Alice Allen Brant, Kappa Alpha Theta Founder, Brick Chapel Cemetery, Brick Chapel, IN

Alpha Chi Omega Founding Campus, DePauw University, Greencastle, IN

Alpha Chi Omega HQ, Indianapolis IN

Alpha Gamma Delta HQ, Indianapolis IN

Alpha Sigma Alpha HQ, Indianapolis IN

Alpha Sigma Tau HQ, Indianapolis IN

Alpha Xi Delta HQ, Indianapolis IN

Bertha Deniston Cunningham, Alpha Chi Omega Founder, 7/28/1869-1950, South Park Cemetery, Greensburg, IN

Bettie Locke Hamilton, Kappa Alpha Theta Founder, Forest Hill Cemetery, Greencastle, IN

Hannah Fitch Shaw, Kappa Alpha Theta Founder, Greendale Cemetery, Lawrenceburg, IN

Kappa Alpha Theta Founding Campus, DePauw University, Greencastle IN

Kappa Alpha Theta HQ, Indianapolis IN

National Panhellenic Conference HQ, Indianapolis, IN

Olive “Ollie” Burnett Clark, Alpha Chi Omega Founder, 6/10/1867-4/18/1957, Crown Hill Cemetery, Sec 73, Lot 334 Indianapolis IN

Rene Sebring Smith, Delta Zeta, NPC Chairman 1931, Cliff Hill Cemetery, Versailles, IN

Sigma Delta Tau HQ, Carmel IN

Sigma Kappa HQ, Indianapolis IN

Zeta Tau Alpha HQ, Indianapolis IN

 

IOWA

Cora Bollinger Block, Alpha Xi Delta Founder, 1869-1944, Davenport Memorial Park, Davenport, IA

Lois Smith Crann, Alpha Chi Omega, NPC Chairman 1914, 1884-1968, Winterset City Cemetery, Winterset, IA

KANSAS

Harriet Ross Frische, Zeta Tau Alpha, NPC Chairman 1969-71, 6/25/1907-8/12/2004, Freeport Cemetery, Freeport, KS

Ida Mabel Fuller Pierce, Sigma Kappa Founder, 11/26/1854-9/26/1930, Greenwood Cemetery, Eureka, KS

 

KENTUCKY

Bettie Tipton Lindsey, Kappa Alpha Theta Founder, Machpelah Cemetery, Mt. Sterling, KY

 

MASSACHUSETTS

Delta Delta Delta Founding Campus, Boston University, Boston, MA

Eleanor Dorcas Pond Mann M.D., Delta Delta Delta Founder, Evergreen Cemetery, West Medway, MA

Isabel Morgan Breed, Delta Delta Delta Founder, Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn, MA

Sarah Ida Shaw Martin, Delta Delta Delta Founder, Forest Hill Cemetery, Boston, MA

 

MARYLAND

Phi Sigma Sigma HQ, Elkridge, MD

MAINE

Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Sigma Kappa Founder, 1857-6/14/1875, Pine Grove Cemetery, Waterville, ME

Louise Helen Coburn, Sigma Kappa Founder, 9/1/1856-2/17/1949, Southside Cemetery, Skowhegan, ME

Sigma Kappa Founding Campus, Colby College, Waterville, ME

 

MICHIGAN

Alpha Sigma Tau Founding Campus, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI

Amelia McSweeney, Theta Phi Alpha Founder, 10/16/1868-1/4/1914, Riverside Catholic Cemetery, Kalamazoo, MI

Camilla Ryan Sutherland, Theta Phi Alpha Founder, 1886-1938, St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery, Ann Arbor, MI

Emily Helen Butterfield, Alpha Gamma Delta Founder, 8/4/1884-3/22/1958, Oaklawn Cemetery, Algonac, MI

Eva Stroh Bauer (Everson), Theta Phi Alpha Founder, 1893-1973, Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, MI

Katrina Caughey Ward, Theta Phi Alpha Founder, 3/25/1887-3/20/1966, St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery, Ann Arbor, MI

Lillian Gordon Alpern, Phi Sigma Sigma Founder, 12/29/1895-6/2/1945, Beth El Memorial Cemetery, Sec. 7, Lot 67, G 4, Livonia MI

May C. Ryan, Theta Phi Alpha Founder, 1879 1935, St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery Ann Arbor MI

Mildred M. Connely, Theta Phi Alpha Founder, 1887-1979, St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery, Adrian, MI

Selma Gilday, Theta Phi Alpha Founder, 8/21/1877-6/10/1958, St. Joseph Cemetery, Monroe, MI

Theta Phi Alpha Founding Campus, University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI

 

Grave of Pi Beta Phi founder Fannie Whitenack Libbey, Red Wing, Minnesota

Grave of Pi Beta Phi founder Fannie Whitenack Libbey, Red Wing, Minnesota

MINNESOTA

Julia Maude Foster, Alpha Xi Delta Founder, 1875-1948, Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, MN

Fannie Whitenack Libbey, Pi Beta Phi Founder, 3/31/1848-5/21/1941, Hope Cemetery, Red Wing, MN

 

MISSOURI

Martha Louisa “Lou” Stevenson Miller, Kappa Kappa Gamma, x-12/3/1937, Tarkio, MO

Minnie Mae Prescott, Kappa Delta, NPC Chairman  1979-81, Hazelwood Cemetery, Springfield, MO

Pi Beta Phi HQ, Town & Country, MO

images

MISSISSIPPI

Anna Boyd Ellington, Delta Gamma Founder, 1/22/1856-8/13/1907, Brister Cemetery, Rocky Point, MS

Delta Gamma Founding Campus, Lewis School, Oxford, MS (no longer in existence)

Eva Webb Dodd, Delta Gamma Founder, 8/5/1855-1/28/1934, Kosciusko City Cemetery, Kosciusko, MS

Mary Comfort Leonard, Delta Gamma Founder, 1/22/1856-8/4/1940, Kosciusko City Cemetery, Kosciusko, MS

NORTH CAROLINA

Isabella Merrick Earle, Sigma Sigma Sigma Founder, 5/18/1879-12/31/1969, Memorial Park Cemetery, NC

Maud Jones Horner, Zeta Tau Alpha Founder, Elmwood Cemetery, Henderson, NC

NEBRASKA

Amy DuBois Reith, Alpha Chi Omega Founder, 12/31/1869-8/12/1915, Wyuka Cemetery, Lincoln, NE

NEW  HAMPSHIRE

Edith Reese Crabtree, Kappa Kappa Gamma, NPC Chairman 1950-52, 1884-1983, Old Burying Ground, Jaffrey Center, NH

 

NEW YORK

Alpha Epsilon Phi Founding Campus, Barnard College, New York, NY

Alpha Gamma Delta Founding Campus, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

Alpha Omicron Pi Founding Campus, Barnard College, New York, NY

Alpha Phi Founding Campus, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

Delta Phi Epsilon Founding Campus, New York University, New York, NY

Dorothy Caughey Phalan, Theta Phi Alpha Founder, 4/19/1888-1969, St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Boonville, NY

Estelle Shepard Beswick, Alpha Gamma Delta Founder, 1882-1/9/1944, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, NY

Ethel Evelyn Brown Distin, Alpha Gamma Delta Founder, 2/21/1959, St. John’s in the Wilderness Cemetery, Paul Smith’s, NY

E. (Eunice) Adeline “Addie” Curtis, Gamma Phi Beta Founder, 12/26/1854-1/14/1923, Oakwood Cemetery, Sec. 39, lot 14, Syracuse, NY

Flora Knight Mayer, Alpha Gamma Delta Founder, x- 3/3/1959, Nondoga Cemetery, Bath, NY

Gamma Phi Beta Founding Campus, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

Grace Mosher Harter, Alpha Gamma Delta Founder, 7/25/1912, Mills Pietrie Cemetery, Parish NY

Hattie Florence Chidester Lukens, Alpha Phi Founder, 1885-x, Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse, NY

Helen Mary Dodge Ferguson, Gamma Phi Beta Founder, 9/26/1850-10/21/1937, Verona Cemetery, Section C, 101, Verona, NY

Ida Arabella Gilbert DeLamanter Houghton, Alpha Phi Founder, x-1916, Palmyra Cemetery, Palmyra, NY

Jane Sara Higham, Alpha Phi Founder, 1855-1949, Wright Settlement Cemetery, Rome, NY

Jennie C. Titus Smith Morris, Alpha Gamma Delta Founder, x-5/30/1958, Walnut Grove Cemetery, Jamesville, NY

Lena Gradin Baldwin, Alpha Xi Delta, NPC Chairman 1917, x-1973, Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira, NY

Marguerite Shepard, Alpha Gamma Delta, 12/13/1947, Pioneer Cemetery, Forestville, NY

Martha Emily Foote Crow Ph.D., Alpha Phi Founder, 1854-1/1/1924, Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse, NY

Mary Alice “Minnie” Bingham Willoughby, Gamma Phi Beta Founder, 1856-1/14/1916, Rome Cemetery, Plot Q40, Rome, NY

Phi Sigma Sigma Founding Campus, Hunter College, New York, NY

Regene Robinson Freund Cohane, Sigma Delta Tau Founder, 10/16/1899-6/5/1992, Salem Field Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY

Sigma Delta Tau Founding Campus, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

NORTH CAROLINA

Irma Tapp, Alpha Delta Pi, NPC Chairman 1928-30, 1894-1970, Westview Cemetery, Kinston, NC

 

OHIO

Delta Gamma HQ, Columbus OH

Elizabeth Grace Hubbell Shults, Alpha Phi Founder, -1895, Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, OH

Julia Bishop Coleman, Delta Zeta, 1881-1959, Evergreen Cemetery, Miamiville, OH

Kappa Kappa Gamma HQ, Columbus OH

Mabelle Minton Hagemann, Delta Zeta Founder, 11/6/1880-3/28/1929, Green Lawn Cemetery, Columbus, OH

Mary Collins Galbraith, Delta Zeta Founder, 1877-1963, Union Cemetery, Columbus, OH

Theta Phi Alpha HQ, Bay Village, OH

 

OREGON

Nancy Black Wallace, Pi Beta Phi Founder, 9/22/1845-9/23/1918, City View Cemetery, Salem, OR

 

PENNSYLVANIA

Ada Bruen Grier, Pi Beta Phi Founder, 2/12/1848-3/25/1924, Uniondale Cemetery, Pittsburgh, PA

Delta Phi Epsilon HQ, Philadelphia, PA

Edith MacConnell Hickok, Alpha Gamma Delta Founder, x-7/1/1973, Hanover, PA

Florence Burton Roth, Kappa Kappa Gamma, NPC Chairman 1910, 1882-1971, Erie Cemetery, Erie, PA

Georgia Alberta Dickover, Alpha Gamma Delta Founder, 10/3/1965, Forty Fort Cemetery, Forty Fort, PA

Georgia Otis Chipman, Alpha Gamma Delta Founder, 8/17/1981, Wilkes Barre, PA

Mary Catherine Love (Collins), Chi Omega, NPC Chairman 1917-1919, 1882-1972, Grandview Cemetery, Tyrone, PA

Rosa Moore, Pi Beta Phi Founder, 7/1/1849-7/4/1924, Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Mechanicsburg, PA

 

SOUTH CAROLINA

Elizabeth “Bettie” Williams Mitchell, Alpha Delta Pi Founder, 10/6/1832-7/23/1884, Elmwood Cemetery and Annex, Georgetown, SC

The statue in the Pi Beta Phi Centennial of Literacy Service Plaza, Gatlinburg, Tennessee

The statue in the Pi Beta Phi Centennial of Literacy Service Plaza, Gatlinburg, Tennessee

 

TENNESSEE

Alpha Omicron Pi HQ, Brentwood TN

Chi Omega HQ, Memphis TN

Kappa Delta HQ, Memphis TN

Pi Beta Phi Centennial of Literacy Service Plaza, Gatlinburg, TN

 

TEXAS

Delta Delta Delta HQ, Arlington, TX

May Agness Hopkins Reitzel, M.D., Zeta Tau Alpha, NPC Chairman 1923-26, Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park, Dallas, TX

The Farmville Four clock, Logwood, Virginia

The Farmville Four clock, Longwood University, Farmville, Virginia

VIRGINIA

Alice Bland Coleman, Zeta Tau Alpha Founder, 1880-1956, Bellamy Methodist Church Cemetery, Gloucester, VA

Alpha Sigma Alpha Founding Campus, Longwood University, Farmville, VA

Calva Watson Wootton, Alpha Sigma Alpha Founder, x- 8/3/1961, Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, VA

Della Lewis Hundley, Zeta Tau Alpha Founder, 11/8/1881-7/12/1951, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Norfolk City, VA

Elizabeth Watkins Houston, Sigma Sigma Sigma Founder, 7/6/1881-8/13/1964, St. John’s Church Cemetery Hampton City, VA

Ethel Coleman Van Name, Zeta Tau Alpha Founder, 3/8/1879-1/24/1964, Bellamy Methodist Church Cemetery, Gloucester, VA

Frances Yancey Smith, Zeta Tau Alpha Founder, 5/7/1882-5/23/1977, Village Cemetery, Charlotte Court House, VA

Helen Crafford, Zeta Tau Alpha Founder, 5/26/1880-9/17/1964, Lebanon Church of Christ Cemetery, Newport News City, VA

Jean Vincenheller Dengler, Chi Omega Founder, 7/18/1878-1954, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA

Julia Gardiner Tyler Wilson, Kappa Delta Founder, 12/7/1882-1/29/1965, University of Virginia Cemetery and Columbarium, Charlottesville, VA

Juliette Jefferson Hundley Gilliam, Alpha Sigma Alpha Founder, 11/10/1886-7/10/1970, Jonesboro Cemetery, Roseland, VA

Kappa Delta Founding Campus, Longwood University, Farmville, VA

Lelia Scott, Sigma Sigma Sigma Founder, 6/19/1913, Old Union Cemetery, Amelia County, VA

Louise Burks Cox Carper, Alpha Sigma Alpha Founder, 1886-1971, Scott Cemetery, Lynchburg, VA

Louise Davis Hall, Sigma Sigma Sigma Founder, 1880-1963, Coan Church Cemetery, Heathsville, VA

Margaret Lee Batten Randle, Sigma Sigma Sigma Founder, 9/11/1882, 9/16/1960, Ivy Hill Cemetery Isle of Wight County, VA

Martha Featherston, Sigma Sigma Sigma Founder, 1878-1972, Fair View Cemetery, Roanoke City, VA

Mary Campbell Jones Batte, Zeta Tau Alpha Founder, 12/30/1878-12/13/1957, Elmwood Cemetery, Norfolk City, VA

Mary Sommerville Sparks Hendrick, Kappa Delta Founder, 10/20/1874-7/7/1910, Graham Cemetery Orange County, VA

Mary Williamson Hundley, Alpha Sigma Alpha Founder, 1/26/1885-8/31/1967, Old Christ Episcopal Church Cemetery, Clover, VA

Ruby Leigh Orgain, Zeta Tau Alpha, Private family cemetery, Dinwiddie, VA

Sallie Michie Bayley, Sigma Sigma Sigma Founder, 2/6/1883-1/2/1974, Emmanuel Episcopal Church Cemetery, Greenwood, VA

Sara Turner White, Kappa Delta Founder, 7/27/1882-2/15/1968, Forest Lawn Cemetery, East Lawn Lot 91N, Space 7, Norfolk City VA

Sigma Sigma Sigma Founding Campus, Longwood University, Farmville, VA

Sigma Sigma Sigma HQ (Mabel Lee Walton National Memorial Headquarters), Woodstock, VA

Virgina Lee Boyd Noell, Alpha Sigma Alpha Founder, 10/10/1884-11/19/1954, Evergreen Burial Park Roanoke VA

Zeta Tau Alpha Founding Campus, Longwood University, Farmville, VA

 

WISCONSIN

Mary Louise Snider, Alpha Gamma Delta Founder, x-6/9/1960, Watertown, WI

NON-CEMETERY BURIALS

Bessie Grooms Keenan, Alpha Chi Omega Founder, 4/28/1867-11/4/1920, Non-cemetery burial

Anna Allen Smith, Alpha Chi Omega Founder, 1870-1933, Non-cemetery burial

Estelle Leonard, Alpha Chi Omega Founder, 1860-1955, Ashes scattered

INFORMATION NEEDED

Adriance Rice, Alpha Sigma Tau, 1881-1919

Almira Lowry Cheney, Alpha Xi Delta, 1875-1946

Amy Ruth Apfel Tishman, Sigma Delta Tau, 1896-1982

Anna Keen Davis, Delta Zeta

Augustina “Tina” Hess Solomon, Alpha Epsilon Phi 

Bertha Cook Evans, Alpha Xi Delta, 1874-1957

Claire Wunder McArdle, Phi Sigma Sigma   

Clara Sittser Williams, Alpha Phi, x-1925

Dora Bloom Turtletaub, Sigma Delta Tau, 1896-3/1/1970

Dorothy Cohen Schwartzman, Delta Phi Epsilon 

Elizabeth Heywood Wyman, Alpha Omicron Pi, x-8/30/1953  

Estelle Melnick Cole, Phi Sigma Sigma

Ethel Gordon Kraus, Phi Sigma Sigma

Eva Effron Robin, Delta Phi Epsilon, 1900-1987

Eva O’Keefe, Alpha Sigma Tau, 1879-1969

Florence Isabelle “Flora” Stewart, Delta Delta Delta, x- 1932

Frances Elisabeth Cheney, Alpha Xi Delta, 1869-1901

Frances Elliott Mann Hall, Sigma Kappa, 2/6/1935

Frieda “Fay” Chertkoff, Phi Sigma Sigma, 11/17/1893-3/1/1973

Grace Srenco Grossman, Sigma Delta Tau

Gwen Zaliels Snyder, Phi Sigma Sigma 

Harriet Luella McCollum, Alpha Xi Delta, 1874-1948

Harriet Marx, Alpha Sigma Tau, 1879-1965

Helen Phillips Lipman, Alpha Epsilon Phi, 11/9/1889-4/1/1973

Helen Rice, Alpha Sigma Tau

Helen Ryan Quinlan, Theta Phi Alpha, 10/1/1887-1960

Helen St. Clair Mullan, Alpha Omicron Pi, 1906-7/29/1936

Ida Beck Carlin, Alpha Epsilon Phi 

Ida Bienstock Landau, Delta Phi Epsilon, 1899-5/1/1986

Inez Dane Ross, Sigma Delta Tau, 8/20/1898-12/1/1986

Jeannette Lipka Furst, Phi Sigma Sigma   

Jessie Wallace Hughan, Alpha Omicron Pi, x-4/10/1955

Josephine Ellison Breakson, Phi Sigma Sigma   

Kate Elizabeth Hogoboom Gilbert, Alpha Phi, 2/20/1855-1900

Lee Ries Liebert, Alpha Epsilon Phi 

Lenore (Leonora) Blanche Rubinow, Sigma Delta Tau, 9/6/1899-3/1/1972

Louise Viola Shepard Hancock, Alpha Phi, 1855-1932

Lucy W. Gilmer, Alpha Xi Delta 1872-1939

Lucy Wright James, Sigma Sigma Sigma  

Mable Chase, Alpha Sigma Tau

Marian Gerber Greenberg, Sigma Delta Tau, x-2/24/1987

Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Sigma Kappa, 3/22/1850-3/4/1926

May Gephart, Alpha Sigma Tau   

Mayene Tracy, Alpha Sigma Tau 

Minna Goldsmith Mahler, Delta Phi Epsilon, 1899-1989

Otilia Leuchtweis , Theta Phi Alpha, 1889-1963

Rose Gerstein Smolin, Alpha Epsilon Phi

Rose Salmowitz Marvin, Alpha Epsilon Phi

Rose Sher Seidman, Phi Sigma Sigma, x-11/1/1987

Ruth Dutcher, Alpha Sigma Tau

Shirley Cohen Laufer, Phi Sigma Sigma

Stella George Stern Perry, Alpha Omicron Pi, x-11/7/1956  

Stella Strauss Sinsheimer, Alpha Epsilon Phi 

© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2014. All Rights Reserved. If  you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/

Posted in Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Collegiate Sorosis, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Delta Phi Epsilon, Delta Zeta, Fran Favorite, Gamma Phi Beta, Iota Alpha Pi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Mu, Phi Sigma Sigma, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Delta Tau, Sigma Kappa, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Theta Phi Alpha, Women's Fraternity History, Zeta Tau Alpha | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Where in the World is Fran Becque?

Guess where I am. One name will be chosen from all correct responses received by midnight, December 5, 2014. That lucky person will have a modest donation made in his/her honor to the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation or the Greek-letter organization Foundation of choice (or even the P.E.O. Foundation for my P.E.O. friends who read this). E-mail me at franbecque at yahoo.com (the spam account to end all spam accounts).

I had to make this a little hard for Lyn Harris, Chi Omegas Archivist)

I had to make this a little hard for Lyn Harris, Chi Omega’s Archivist

photo 1 (14)photo (59)

 

photo 4 (5)

photo 5 (4)

 

photo 3 (8)

 

© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2014. All Rights Reserved. If  you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/

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What Was So Normal About the College?

Michigan State Normal College was the founding site of Alpha Sigma Tau, one of the 26 National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities. Michigan State Normal College is now Eastern Michigan University. Virginia’s Longwood University, the founding home of the Farmville Four (Alpha Sigma Alpha, Kappa Delta, Sigma Sigma Sigma, and Zeta Tau Alpha), was once called the State Female Normal School. When we moved to Carbondale, I learned that Southern Illinois University Carbondale was once a Normal School. Frankly, at that time, more than 20 years ago, I had no clue what that meant. What was so normal about it?

In 1825, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts passed a Common School law which established a system of tax-supported public schools from the first through the eighth grade. In 1837, Horace Mann, one of the early supporters of the law, was made Secretary to the Massachusetts Board of Education which held oversight authority over the emerging system of public education.

Horace Mann, who likely be mortified to know that his name is being used to sell insurance.

Horace Mann, who would likely be mortified to know that his name is being used to sell insurance.

The passage of such laws required a growing cadre of trained teachers. At the time, only a few four year colleges offered courses in pedagogy and most teachers learned on the job. Recognizing this deficiency, Massachusetts chartered normal schools at Lexington, Barre, and Bridgewater.  These schools were to cover the geographic regions of the northeast, central, and southeastern parts of Massachusetts. The pattern of establishing state normal schools on a geographic basis was now a precedent. Lexington was the first to open under the principalship of the Reverend Cyrus Peirce, formerly high school superintendent on the island of Nantucket.

The curriculum of the school sought to cover the “common” branches taught in the elementary grades: spelling; reading; writing; grammar; geography; and arithmetic. In addition to ensuring competence in these core subjects, the students were lectured to on the art and science of teaching (pedagogy), the art of school government (organization of the school day), the physical, mental, and moral development of children (educational psychology), and practice teaching in the model school. Peirce personally taught all of the classes and supervised the model school. In 1844, the school was moved to West Newton and in 1853 to its current location in Framingham, about 25 miles west of Boston.

Normal schools got their name from their counterparts in France which had been organized in the Napoleonic era and provided teachers for the “ecole normale,” or common school curriculum. The “superiore,” or advanced curriculum, was to be taught in French secondary schools by graduates of the university. This same sort of division was established in the United States. Teachers for the elementary schools needed only to be eighth grade graduates with, preferably, some normal school training. Secondary school teachers were to be graduates from the universities.

This distinction became clouded after the American Civil War when state normal schools instituted four-year degree programs which trained secondary school teachers. They continued to train elementary teachers with a two-year program of studies well into the next century.

In the twentieth century, most of the states moved to upgrade requirements for teaching in the public schools. Eventually, the states would require a high school diploma to enter the normal school and a bachelors degree to teach at all grade levels.

The normal schools, having been organized on a regional basis for supplying teachers, often served as a cultural oasis for persons who resided in remote areas of sparse population and lengthy distances from large cities.

Normal schools grew and prospered and added programs beyond the scope of pedagogy. As such, they became true colleges offering courses and degrees in a variety of areas. With the passage of the G. I. Bill of Rights in 1944, many states found it economical to allow their regional normal schools to become full-fledged universities rather than to build new institutions. Today, most former normal schools are comprehensive universities.

© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2014. All Rights Reserved. If  you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/

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Cyber Monday – the GLO Cornucopia

My e-mail boxes tell me it’s Cyber Monday, one of the busiest on-line shopping days. There is a big sale going on at Pi Phi Express and I am certain that many other fraternity and sorority on-line merchants are having sales, too. It’s a great way to support GLOs and save some money at the same time.

A few news items caught my eye while I was browsing social media.

Lambda Theta Alpha, founded at New Jersey’s Kean University in 1975, raised more than $55,000 for St. Jude’s Give thanks. Walk on November 22. The sorority has been a general partner with St. Jude’s since 2010 and has raised almost $200,000 for the hospital’s fight against childhood cancer.

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Kappa Delta Georgia O’Keeffe made history last week when her painting Jimson Weed, White Flower No. 1 sold for $44 million, breaking the record amount for a work by a female artist.

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At last week’s Presidential Medal of Honor Ceremony, there were several honorees with GLO connections. Stephen Sondheim, Broadway composer and member of Beta Theta Pi wasn’t able to attend the ceremony, and will receive his award in 2015 (See http://wp.me/p20I1i-1wW and http://wp.me/p20I1i-be for more information about Sondheim). Honoree Marlo Thomas is a Kappa Alpha Theta. Tom Brokaw, whose wife Meredith Auld Brokaw is a Pi Beta Phi and Cottey College student, was also an honoree. 

***

The State of Ohio recently honored the building in which Kappa Kappa Gamma has its headquarters. An historical marker was placed on the front lawn of the Snowden-Gray House. The marker identifies the building as an important part of Ohio history and the history of women. Kudos to my friends at Kappa Kappa Gamma, especially the multi-talented Kylie Towers Smith, who played a large role in the effort! (P.E.O. friends will also be happy to know that Kylie is on the Ohio State Chapter delegation for P.E.O. and will be Ohio State President during P.E.O. 150th celebration). (See http://wp.me/p20I1i-oy for more information on the Snowden-Gray House.)

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A photo of Paul Rudd has been making the rounds. I’ve seen it identified as a graduation photo, but anyone familiar with GLOs would know right away that it was from a composite. Rudd’s photo is from the University of Kansas Sigma Nu chapter’s composite.

Sigma Nu, University of Kansas

Sigma Nu, University of Kansas

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Last week astute Jeopardy! viewers alerted me that there was an Alpha Chi Omega competing. Jennifer Diederich Healy, a past AXO National Council was indeed on television and in addition to mentioning her AXO affiliation, she wore her badge(s).

Jennifer Diederich Healy, Alpha Chi Omega

Jennifer Diederich Healy, Alpha Chi Omega

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Welcome to the twitterverse @PEOInternational and @PEOSisterhood!

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Happy Founders’ Day to Sigma Lambda Upsilon Sorority, Inc. and Lambda Theta Phi. Sigma Lambda Upsilon, also known as  Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc. was founded on December 1, 1987 at Binghamton University in New York. Lambda Theta Phi was founded at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, On December 1, 1975. (Lambda Theta Alpha, the sorority mention in the beginning of this post, was also founded in December 1975 at Kean University.)

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And a reminder from my friends at the Phi Gamma Delta Archives. That first meeting likely deserves a post of its own. The North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) first met on November 27, 1909, and that, too, is on the docket for its own post.

11/26/1920 First conference of fraternity field secretaries organized in New York by Phil Lyon (Ohio Wesleyan 1916).

***

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. The Circle of Sisterhood is a great cause (seehttp://wp.me/p20I1i-wa). Why not consider making a gift in honor of a mentor or special friend. Visit https://www.circleofsisterhood.org/give-now/.  It’s also a great time to support GLO foundations. While I have supported the Pi Beta Phi Foundation for decades, I also enjoy making donations to other GLOs. It’s all in the family.

© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2014. All Rights Reserved. If  you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory/

 

 

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