“My Dear Mrs. Sisson…Wouldn’t it be a good plan for you to look some of them up?”

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

“There are local ladies societies at Barnard (Alpha Omicron Pi), Wellesley (Alpha Kappa Gamma), U. of Miss (Sigma Tau), U of Ark (Chi Omega), Wesleyan (Phi Sigma), Dickerson (sic) (Phi Gamma Zeta), Sigma Kappa (Colby) – Wouldn’t it be a good plan for you to look some of them up?” wrote William Raimond Baird on February 28, 1898. He was compiling his Baird’s Manual of American College Fraternities and needed additional information from Grace Lass Sisson, Grand President of Pi Beta Phi. There is a previous post on this blog “My Dear Sisson*” about correspondence previous to this particular note. Baird and Francis Hinckley Sisson were Beta Theta Phi members and a prior correspondence was addressed to Sisson asking him to relay a message to his wife.

In this note, Baird is asking Mrs. Sisson for addition information about her organization. “If necessary can’t you guess at the numbers?”  he implored. But that is not what I find most interesting. Three of the local societies he mentioned in his note became national organizations, one became a chapter of Chi Omega,  and the other three seem to have disappeared.

Both Chi Omega and Alpha Omicron Pi established their second chapters in 1898 at Jessamine Female Institute and Sophie Newcomb Memorial College (now Tulane University), respectively. Sigma Kappa established its Delta chapter, the first chapter not on the Colby College campus, at Boston University in 1904.

Sigma Tau at the University of Mississippi was absorbed by Chi Omega. It became its Tau Chapter on November 4 1899.

My research into the other three organizations Baird mention has resulted in many dead ends. Wellesley College does not have women’s fraternities, instead there are local literary societies. Alpha Kappa Gamma does not appear to be one of the existing societies.

Baird’s mention of “Dickerson” was likely Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. The Pi Beta Phi Chapter at Dickinson was founded in 1903, but it had been the local Phi Alpha Pi. In 1907, Chi Omega established a chapter at Dickinson. Chi Omega great Mary Love Collins had been a member of Omega Psi, a local organization at Dickinson; she was instrumental in acquiring the Chi Omega charter.

It is my opinion that “Wesleyan” referred to Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Wesleyan University had several chapters of men’s fraternities, including Baird’s own, Beta Theta Pi. At the time Baird wrote his note, women were attending the university. In 1906, Alpha Gamma Delta established a chapter there. It had been the local Zeta Epsilon. The chapter closed in 1912 when women were no longer permitted to attend the institution.

I collect Baird’s Manual of American College Fraternities and I can only imagine the effort that went into gathering information, compiling it and keeping it updated. It would be easier to do today courtesy of spreadsheets and computer capabilities, but in 1898 it must have been mind-boggling! I thank Mr. Baird profusely for his dedication. His efforts are much appreciated.

* http://wp.me/p20I1i-dN

Other posts about the Sissons:

http://wp.me/p20I1i-eD

http://wp.me/p20I1i-fY

If you enjoyed reading this post, subscribe to updates, or like it on facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/378663535503786/ or follow us on twitter @GLOhistory

Posted in Alpha Omicron Pi, Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, Barnard College, Beta Theta Pi, Chi Omega, Fran Favorite, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Mary Love Collins, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Kappa | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on “My Dear Mrs. Sisson…Wouldn’t it be a good plan for you to look some of them up?”

The Congress of Fraternities at the Chicago World’s Fair, July 19-20, 1893

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

The second organized meeting of Panhellenic women  took place July 19- 20, 1893, at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This gathering at the World’s Fair was one of the items discussed at the prior meeting that took place in Boston in 1891 at Kappa Kappa Gamma’s invitation.

A “Congress of Fraternities” during the Fair was not only discussed when the seven women’s fraternities met in Boston, but the idea was also mentioned in both men’s and women’s fraternity magazines. During the 1890s, fraternity magazine exchanges were the primary manner in which information was shared between the organizations.

According to The History of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, “the prospectus of the liberal arts department of the fair, issued in 1891, said that a provision would be made for a fraternity display. Dr. S.H. Peabody, who was head of this department, having formerly been Regent of the University of Illinois, expressed an earnest desire to have a full exhibit by the fraternities.” In early January, 1892, representatives from 23 fraternities met in Chicago to discuss the proposed congress and exhibit. They recommended that all Greek-letter societies make exhibits to display at the Fair.

A subsequent meeting took place on July 7, 1892. The group adopted a constitution, elected officers, appointed committees and applied for space in an exhibit hall. Another meeting does not seem to have taken place until April 1, 1893. At that time, six men’s fraternities were represented and a decision was made that the exhibit was not feasible. The authorities were too late in allotting exhibit space and asked for $2,500 for expenses. According to the Phi Delta Theta’s report, it was “impossible to raise $2,500 for such purpose, and therefore the whole plan for an exhibit was abandoned and the allotted space surrendered.”

Although things did not go according to the original plan, the Congress met starting on July 19, 1893 in the Memorial Art Institute, at the foot of Adams Street. About 300 fraternity members attended the morning session. Among the papers read were several by Phi Delta Theta members. These included talks on the histories of fraternities, fraternity catalogues and fraternity finances. In the afternoon, there was a meeting of fraternity magazine editors. J.E. Brown, Editor of Phi Delta Theta’s Scroll, read a paper on “The ethics of loyalty in relation to fraternity journalism.” Phi Delta Theta’s reporter noted that more Phi Delts took part in the morning and afternoon sessions than any other fraternity.

At 5 p.m., the women’s fraternities gave a reception at the New York State Building. The building was crowded with fraternity men and women proudly wearing their badges. The Scroll reported that the “chief competition in yells and songs was between Phi Delta Theta, Delta Kappa Epsilon, and Beta Theta Pi, who had more men present than any of the other fraternities. ‘Phi Delta Theta All Revere’, ‘Hail Phi Delta Theta’ and ‘Phi Delta Theta for Aye’ were lustily sung by the more than 50 Phis present. Brother Swope led in singing and yelling: we doubt if he is over his consequent hoarseness, yet. The various fraternity clans got together and marched around in lock-step lines, and such strains as ‘Phi-Phi-Phi-Kei-A’ and “Dee-Dee, Dee-Kay-E!’ marked the accompaniment. Finally a Pan-Hellenic circle was formed and the joint singing was begun by Brother Swope starting, ‘There’s a hole at the bottom of the sea,’ the famous song of our Bloomington convention. After the college songs, the crowd went to the music pavilion on the lakefront, where the band played college airs.” A banquet was served at 7:30 p.m. in the New York State Building and dancing followed.

New York State Building, 1893 Columbian Exposition

The morning session of July 20 was devoted to women’s fraternities. Ellen Martin Henrotin welcomed the crowd to the room at the Art Institute. Although it does not appear she was a fraternity woman, she was very active in the women’s club movement. There were addresses by representatives from Kappa Kappa Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Gamma, Delta Delta Delta, Alpha Phi, and Pi Beta Phi. Among the topics presented were the origin and development of the fraternity system, fraternity journalism, chapter houses, limitations in fraternity membership, fraternity extension, and fraternity women in the world. Gertrude Boughton Blackwelder, an 1875 graduate of the University of Kansas and a charter member of the Kansas Alpha Chapter of Pi Beta Phi, read a paper on the “Ethical influences of fraternities.” It was later published in several fraternity magazines. (Editorial note – while the title sounds promising, it is typical of talks of the day and goes on and on and is obtuse at best.)

A social meeting of the women’s fraternity officers was held in the afternoon, and a Panhellenic reception was held in the New York State Building in the evening.

Several organizations held their conventions in Chicago that summer and others arranged for a hospitality room for their membership. Phi Delta Theta had a corner room on the third floor of a building at the southwest corner of Jackson and Franklin Streets; 420 Phi Delts signed the guest book. Kappa Alpha Theta,  Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta and Delta Delta Delta had a fraternity booth in the Organization room of the Women’s Building. The booth provided a resting place for fraternity women and a there was a guest book for members to sign.

It would be almost nine years before the women’s fraternities called another meeting. They would gather again in Chicago, at the request of Alpha Phi (see http://wp.me/p20I1i-d7). And the third time would be the charm! The National Panhellenic Conference would come into its own and begin the process of interfraternal cooperation among the women’s organizations. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall at those early meetings!

If you enjoy reading this post, subscribe to updates, or like it on facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/378663535503786/ or follow on twitter @GLOhistory

(c) Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2012. All Rights Reserved.

Posted in Alpha Phi, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Fran Favorite, Gamma Phi Beta, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Men's Fraternities, National Panhellenic Conference, Notable Sorority Women, Phi Delta Theta, Pi Beta Phi, Women's Fraternities | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

DePauw’s 1870s Samurai Fraternity Men Who Were Betas and Dekes

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

In 1877, four young Japanese men arrived in Greencastle, Indiana. They became students at the alma mater of their teacher, an American missionary. They, too, like their mentor, became fraternity men. Two joined Delta Kappa Epsilon and the other two became Beta Theta Pis.

Sutemi Chinda, Keizo Kawamura, Izumy Nasu, and Aimaro Sato at Indiana Asbury University (Courtesy of DePauw University Archives)

John Ing graduated as valedictorian from Indiana Asbury University in 1868. Founded in 1837, the school became DePauw University in 1884 to honor benefactor Washington C. DePauw. Ing started his studies before he served in the Union Army. After reaching the rank of Captain, he requested and was granted an early discharge to return to school. He also earned a Master’s degree from the same institution. While an undergraduate, he was a founding member of the Psi Phi Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon.

In 1870, Ing married Lucy Elizabeth Hawley, a Mount Holyoke College alumna. Ing served as a Methodist missionary from 1870-78. The St. Louis Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church first sent the couple to China. After four years, the Ings asked for a recuperative furlough. Lucy Ing had given birth twice and had lost one child and she was in poor health. They made it as far as Yokohama, Japan. A second daughter was born there, and she, too, died. While waiting for suitable transportation to the west coast of the United States, the couple was persuaded to start mission work in Hirosaki, Japan. They stayed in Japan. A church was organized in 1875. Ing introduced to northern Japan the apple tree, with large, sweet apples.

Ing’s mission school in Hirosaki was geared to the samurai class. In 1877, four young men who were educated by Ing traveled to Indiana. Sutemi Chinda, Keizo Kawamura, Izumy Nasu, and Aimaro Sato were professed Christians with little money, but they were ready and willing to work.

Nasu and Chinda became members of Ing’s fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon. Sata and Kawamura became members of the Delta Chapter of Beta Theta Pi. Kawamura died in 1881. Nasu translated Homer’s Iliad into Japanese and became a professor at the Royal College of Tokyo, but he, too, died young. He passed away in 1885.

In 1884, Chinda earned a master’s degree from Indiana Asbury. He served as Japan’s ambassador to Germany, the United States, and England. Since 1935, the Cherry Blossom Festival has been a harbinger of spring in Washington, D.C. The cherry trees were a gift from the people of Japan during Chinda’s tenure as the Japanese ambassador to the United States. First Lady Helen Taft planted the first tree in West Potomac Park on March 27, 1912. Chinda’s wife planted the second tree. Coincidentally, Chinda’s wife was Sato’s sister. Chinda represented his country at the 1918 Paris Peace Conference. He died in 1929.

Aimaro Sato as a college student (Courtesy of the DePauw University Archives)

Sato was also a career diplomat. He served as the Japanese Minister to Mexico, chief of staff of the Japanese Peace Commission at the Treaty of Portsmouth, and Japanese ambassador to Austria-Hungary, the United States and the League of Nations. On January 30, 1917, the Beta Theta Pi Club of Washington, D.C. feted Sato at the University Club. Beta President Francis H. Sisson attended. There were 65 Betas from 25 chapters in attendance. The collegians from the Johns Hopkins University chapter sang Beta marching songs and greetings were read from Sato’s chapter. Sato addressed his brothers, “This kind of meeting is agreeable to me because it breathes genuine friendship without any shadow of conventionality. I like it all the more because, banishing all worldly cares, forgetting our ages, politics, creeds, nationalities, varied or conflicting interests, and laying aside even diplomacy, we come here to have a good time together simply as brothers in the bonds of Beta Theta Pi and to recall the sweet associations of the past and to form wider friendships for the future.”

There is evidence that these four were not the only Japanese men to travel halfway around the world to attend college at Greencastle. The Beta Theta Pi catalog lists another member of Delta Chapter, Ogata Sennosuki, who earned an A.B. in 1885 and a D.D. in 1905. He turned down a diplomatic career to serve in the ministry of the Japanese Methodist Church.

Posted in Beta Theta Pi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, DePauw University, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Men's Fraternities | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on DePauw’s 1870s Samurai Fraternity Men Who Were Betas and Dekes

Carrie Chapman Catt Attends Panhellenic Day at the 1939 World’s Fair

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Genevieve B. Earle –  Kappa Alpha Theta, Carrie Chapman Catt – Pi Beta Phi, Josephine Schain – Pi Beta Phi and Eloise Davison – Gamma Phi Beta, at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

July 13, 1939 was Panhellenic Day at the New York World’s Fair. The event took place in the Executive Suite of the Pennsylvania Building. Prominent fraternity women discussed “Freedom for women in the world of tomorrow.”

Carrie Chapman Catt, an early initiate of the Iowa Gamma Chapter of Pi Beta Phi at Iowa State University, discussed opportunities for women in light of the past struggles. She knew those struggles first-hand and her insight must have been fascinating!

Genevieve Beavers Earle was another speaker. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta’s Alpha Kappa Chapter at Adelphi College. A social worker, she served as head of the Brooklyn branch of the League of Women Voters. In 1937, she was elected to the New York City Council, where she served as minority leader. She was also the only woman on the Council at that time.

The third speaker was Eloise Davison, Gamma Phi Beta. She was the Director of the New York Herald Tribune Home Institute. After the meeting, the group had a buffet supper on the Executive Suite porch overlooking the Lagoon of Nations and they viewed the nightly fountain display.

Two winners of the nationwide essay contest sponsored by the Fraternity Women’s Committee for the New York World’s Fair were the guests of honor. They were Jean Powell, a junior at Grinnell College. She had pledged Alpha Omicron Pi while at the University of Wisconsin during her sophomore year. Henrietta Herzberger, a Kappa Kappa Gamma and Phi Beta Kappa, had graduated in June 1939 from the University of Colorado. They were entertained for a week in New York City and stayed at the Beekman Tower Hotel.

The Beekman Tower Hotel, whose story is chronicled in a page at the top of this blog, served as a hostess center to welcome the fraternity women who came to New York to attend the Fair. The Fraternity Women’s Committee also staffed the College Hospitality Center at the Fair.

Posted in Alpha Omicron Pi, Beekman Tower (Panhellenic), Carrie Chapman Catt, Fran Favorite, Gamma Phi Beta, GLO, Greek-letter Organization, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, National Panhellenic Conference, Notable Fraternity Women, Pi Beta Phi | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Carrie Chapman Catt Attends Panhellenic Day at the 1939 World’s Fair

The History of Women’s Fraternities at the University of California at Berkeley from 1880-1902

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

This is from one of the sections of my dissertation. It is from the chapter that looks at individual campuses that had either five, six, or all of the seven founding National Panhellenic Conference organizations prior to the 1902 founding of NPC. What is most fascinating about these narratives is the manner in which the chapters were chartered. There were no hard and fast rules about extension in the late 1800s.

University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California*

Gamma Phi Beta, UC Berkeley Chapter

The University of California at Berkeley was chartered by the state of California on March 23, 1868. Women were admitted to the university in 1870 and their admittance took place without significant controversy (Stadtman, 1970). By 1880, there were 55 women and 213 men enrolled.

Kappa Kappa Gamma was the first women’s fraternity founded on the Berkeley campus. It was chartered on May 22, 1880. The chapter faced strong faculty opposition. Two female students ignored the anti-fraternity sentiment and set upon bringing a women’s fraternity to campus. An application was first made to Kappa Alpha Theta but the group opted to become a Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter. The charter was returned in 1885 due to the isolation of the chapter from other Kappa Kappa Gamma chapters and the faculty’s strong anti-fraternity stance. The charter was regranted on August 5, 1897, after a three-year effort on the part of a local group, Sorosis, that was organized under the patronage of the San Francisco Sorosis, as well a persistent group of the original 24 chapter alumnae (Burton-Roth & Whiting-Westermann, 1932).

On June 2, 1890, Kappa Alpha Theta installed a chapter. A charter member of the chapter at the University of the Pacific and two other former University of the Pacific students who had been part of the group vying for a Kappa Alpha Theta charter, but left the school before the chapter was installed, applied for the charter (Wilson, 1956).

The convention body of Gamma Phi Beta discussed a chapter at Berkeley 10 years before it became a reality. Tau Delta, a local organization, was founded in the fall of 1893. The Tau Delta members were impressed with the information given them by a new faculty member who was a graduate of the University of Michigan as well as a Gamma Phi Beta alumna. Three Gamma Phi Beta alumnae living 50 miles from Berkeley served as a committee to investigate Tau Delta. On April 29, 1894, the four Gamma Phi Beta alumnae installed the chapter at Berkeley (“History of Eta Chapter,” 1913).

Two women’s fraternities, Delta Delta Delta and Pi Beta Phi, were installed at Berkeley in 1900. In the case of the Delta Delta Delta chapter, a group of women read a magazine article about fraternities and corresponded with Delta Delta Delta. A University of Nebraska Delta Delta Delta member studying at Stanford University installed the chapter on April 14, 1900 (Priddy, 1907).

In the spring of 1900, a Pi Beta Phi from the University of Wisconsin visited her cousin, a student at Berkeley. The cousin and her friends were encouraged to apply for a Pi Beta Phi charter. The chapter was installed on August 27, 1900. The ceremony took place in a chapter house that the women rented (Spring, 1936).

Alpha Phi came to Berkeley via Palo Alto. The Stanford University chapter was installed prior to the Berkeley chapter. In 1900, four Berkeley students rented a house together. They had the idea to become a chapter of Alpha Phi. The original four students were joined by five other female students. The group was approached by another national women’s fraternity but they held out for an Alpha Phi charter. The chapter became a reality on May 9, 1901 (Alpha Phi Fraternity, 1931).

*From – Coeducation and the History of Women’s Fraternities 1867-1902, by Frances DeSimone Becque, Dissertation, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2002, pp. 110-12.  All rights reserved

Citations are in the dissertation’s bibliography.

Posted in Alpha Phi, Delta Delta Delta, Fran Favorite, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, National Panhellenic Conference, University of California at Berkeley, Women's Fraternities | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Back Home Again in Ann Arbor – Happy Centennial Convention Theta Phi Alpha!

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Theta Phi Alpha Founders and initiates

This week, from July 10-15,  Theta Phi Alpha is celebrating its Centennial in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the place where it was founded. How fitting that an organization founded by a Catholic Bishop for Catholic women began at a state institution that was co-founded by a Catholic priest, Father Gabriel Richard.

Theta Phi Alpha’s roots can be traced to the 1909 establishment of a local organization, Omega Upsilon. Father Edward D. Kelly, a Catholic priest and the pastor of the student chapel at Michigan, felt that there should be an organization that could provide the Catholic women at Michigan with an environment that “resembled the Catholic homes from which they came.” This was in a time and place when Catholics were not always welcome in the other fraternal organizations on campus.

By 1912, after Father Kelly left campus and became the Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit, Omega Upsilon was struggling, likely because there were no alumnae to guide the organization. Even without him being in Ann Arbor, Bishop Kelly’s vision that the Catholic women at Michigan should have a place to call their own was still alive. He enlisted the assistance of Amelia McSweeney, a 1898 University of Michigan alumna. Together with seven Omega Upsilon alumnae, plans were made to establish a new organization. Theta Phi Alpha was founded on August 30, 1912 at the University of Michigan. The ten founders were seven Omega Upsilon alumnae, two Omega Upsilon undergraduates and Ms. McSwenney.

Hill Auditorium, now a fixture on the University of Michigan campus, was just being built in 1912. Fielding Yost was the football coach and he led the team to a 14-0 win over Ohio State University. More than 10,000 football fans attended that game. The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is as strong today as it was a hundred years ago.

According to a 1912 University of Michigan catalog, all Catholic students were “expected to become members of the Students’ Catholic Club, which meets twice a month in St. Thomas Parish Hall. The society is under the personal supervision of the pastor of St. Thomas Church. Its object is both social and religious. A fund is being collected with which to erect a Catholic Club building.”

In 1912, women were also under strict rules as to where they could live and what they could do. They could not live in the same rooming houses as men and their housing choices were to be approved by Myra B. Jordan, Dean of Women. A matriculation fee of $10 for legal Michigan residents and $25 for all others was required before a student could enter the University. An outdoor physical education fee of $5 was assessed to each student on a yearly basis. Locker rentals were $2 per year and the graduation fee was $10.

Theta Phi Alpha remained a local organization until 1919 when the Beta Chapter was formed at the University of Illinois. In addition, chapters at Ohio State University, Ohio University and the University of Cincinnati were chartered that year.

In 1921, Pi Lambda Sigma was founded as a Catholic sorority at Boston University. On June 28, 1952, Pi Lambda Sigma merged with Theta Phi Alpha. Its members at Boston University and the University of Cincinnati became members of the Theta Phi Alpha chapters on the two campuses. The chapter at Creighton University became the Chi Chapter of Theta Phi Alpha in the fall of 1952 and the Quincy College chapter became the Psi Chapter of Theta Phi Alpha in 1954.

Today, just as other organizations have accepted Catholic women, Theta Phi Alpha is open to women from all religious backgrounds. Congratulations to Theta Phi Alpha as its members celebrate the past 100 years and plan for the next century.

 

Posted in Founders' Day, Fran Favorite, Theta Phi Alpha, University of Michigan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“If My Father Were Your Father, You Would.” – Calvin Coolidge, Jr.

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

July 7, 1924 was most likely one of the worst days of Grace and Calvin Coolidge’s life together. Their youngest son, Calvin, Jr., died at the age of 16. On June 30, he had played tennis on the White House court. He wore tennis shoes, but for whatever reason, he did not wear socks. After playing against his brother John, he developed a blister on his right foot. The blister tuned into blood poisoning.  Drugs to combat the infection were not yet available.

The young Calvin was a student at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania. When his father became President of the United States after Warren Harding’s death, Calvin, Jr. was working in a Massachusetts tobacco field. Another young worker remarked to him, “If my father was President, I would not work in a tobacco field.” Calvin, Jr. replied, “If my father were your father, you would.”

In a July 1932 letter to her son John, now in the collections of the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation, Grace Coolidge described the dreadful day,  “I leaned over his bed knowing that he was fast slipping beyond the reach of my voice, perhaps even then would not hear, and I said,  ‘You’re alright, Calvin,’ as I said so many time in the days when he was in trouble about some little matter. Without opening his eyes, he nodded his head, ever so little and the flicker of his old smile came and was gone. Then, they began giving him oxygen and kept his heart beating but his spirit had slipped away. All that afternoon, dark, awe-inspiring clouds had rolled across the sky, the lightening was almost constant and thunder followed it in mighty roars of majestic power. Calvin’s delirium seemed to be a part of it all and, for a long time, he seemed to be on a horse leading a cavalry charge in battle. He called out, ‘Come on, come on, help, help!’ And, for a time, he thought he was sitting backwards on his horse and asked us to turn him around. Father put his arms under him and tried to persuade him that he had turned him but he thought he was still wrong side around. Finally he relaxed and called out, ‘We surrender, we surrender!’ Dr. Boone said, ‘Never surrender, Calvin.’ He answered only, ‘Yes.’ And some how I was glad that he had gone down still fighting. After it was all over, Dr. Coupal broke down and cried. I found him at the window and I put my arms around him and told him that everything was alright that he and the other doctors had done everything within their power and we must comfort ourselves with the thought that courage such as Calvin had shown us all must now be our example.”

His casket was taken by train from Washington to Northampton for services at Edwards Congregational Church.  From there the train continued to Ludlow, Vermont. The last 12 miles were in a car with a cavalry escort to Plymouth and the Coolidge homestead. Boy Scouts holding roses stood at the last third of a mile. After the service, they placed the roses on the grave.

It is said that when Calvin, Jr. died, his father suffered deeply and sorrowfully. Grace Coolidge, her heart broken, carried on almost as if she thought it was her duty.

Grace, a charter member of Pi Beta Phi’s Vermont Beta Chapter at the University of Vermont, had a group of Pi Phi friends with whom she kept in contact with a Round Robin letter. After her son’s death, she wrote her Round Robin friends addressing them as “Dear Robins on the Wing.” She then wrote, “I thus address you feelingly and enviously because you all can come and go as you will. When I wrote the word I was looking out the window and wishing I could steal away without being seen and have one day unaccompanied just to go about unrecognized all by myself. The poor Prince! Someday I will again be a humble citizen while he can never be just himself….I want to say a word in appreciation of all your kind words of sympathy. I did not try to reply except by the little card but knew you would understand. I knew that the Robin would come along before a great while and that I could then tell  you how deeply I felt your loving sympathy. No longer can we see and touch Calvin but in a very real sense he is with us and has his place in our family circle. Two years ago this year he taught me how to swim – not because I wanted to learn but just because he wanted to teach me. He put his hand under my chin and I just had to do my best to please him. I’ll never forget how happy he was when I took a few strokes, and I hear his encouraging voice and I am not going to disappoint him.”

On the fifth anniversary of her son’s death, the First Lady wrote a poem that was published in Good Housekeeping magazine.

THE OPEN DOOR

You, my son,
Have shown me God,
Your kiss upon my cheek
Has made me feel the gentle touch
Of Him who leads us on.
The memory of your smile, when young,
Reveals His face,
As mellowing years come on apace.
And when you went before,
You left the gates of heaven ajar
That I might glimpse,
Approaching from afar,
The glories of His Grace.
Hold, son, my hand,
Guide me along the path,
That coming,
I may stumble not,
Nor roam,
Nor fail to show the way
Which leads us-Home.

For more information on Grace Coolidge and the manner in which she handled her son’s death, I suggest reading Cynthia Bittingers’s book Grace Coolidge Sudden Star. Several years ago, Ms. Bittinger read the letter about Calvin’s death for a Vermont Public Radio focus on Vermont history series. Every time I hear it, I am moved to tears.


 

Posted in Fran Favorite, Grace Coolidge | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on “If My Father Were Your Father, You Would.” – Calvin Coolidge, Jr.

Happy Birthday Morrill Land-Grant Act and a Snippet About Carrie Chapman Catt

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Land-Grant Act on July 2, 1862. Iowa was the first state to accept the terms of the Act. The funding went to Ames College which is now Iowa State University. Among the early female graduates of Iowa State University was young Carrie Lane (Chapman Catt). She would go on to be a major force in the women’s suffrage movement. What few know about her was that she was a member of Pi Beta Phi. After graduation, she spoke at alumnae club meetings, at chapter events, conventions and she was the keynote speaker at the Eastern Conference when the portrait of Grace Coolidge was presented to the United States.

You can read more about her and her life as a member of Pi Beta Phi in a post I wrote for Pi Beta Phi.

http://piphiblog.org/2012/01/09/chapter-loyalty-day-celebrated-january-9-in-honor-of-carrie-chapman-catt/

If you enjoy this post, please consider subscribing for updates or follow this blog on twitter @GLOhistory

Posted in Carrie Chapman Catt, Pi Beta Phi | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Happy Birthday Morrill Land-Grant Act and a Snippet About Carrie Chapman Catt

The ELF That Was Born After the P.E.O.s Met in St. Louis in 1904

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

One of the oldest loan funds sponsored by a women’s organization has its roots in the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, the name by which the Louisiana Purchase Exposition is better known. Although the fair was planned for the centennial year of the Louisiana Purchase, it took place a year later.

P.E.O., a philanthropic, educational sisterhood founded at Iowa Wesleyan College in 1869, had sponsored a room in the Women’s Building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. Minnie Osgood, from Illinois Chapter A in Chicago, was in charge of the room. The room cost $234.03 to maintain and it was “an efficient way of bringing P.E.O. to the attention of many people who were unaware of it,” according to historical accounts. A registration book contained the names of hundreds of P.E.O.s who visited the room during the fair.

At P.E.O.’s 1902 convention, Missouri Chapter O from St. Louis proposed a P.E.O. building at the fair, an idea which was turned down. What ultimately occurred was a “P.E.O. Day at the Fair” on June 18, 1904. Seed money of $200 was authorized by the convention. Chapter O was also given permission to solicit other chapters for contributions and to take charge of the project.

After the close of the fair, there was a surplus of $658.88. At the 1905 convention, it was suggested that the funds be used for a memorial to P.E.O.’s seven founders. The convention body increased the amount of to $800 and chapters were asked to contribute additional funds. Definitive suggestions were sought for the use of the funds and a decision was slated to be made at the 1907 convention.

Three projects were presented in 1907. The ideas included a P.E.O. home in Colorado, a plan for starting a printing company, and scholarships for young women. Lillian Pollock Parmele, Plattsmouth (Nebraska) suggested scholarships for young women. Luella A. McHenry, Des Moines, mentioned a loan fund instead of scholarships. The rational was that a loan fund would be able to help many more women since the money would be in a revolving account; as women repaid their loans, other women could be assisted. An amendment to change “scholarships” to “loans” passed, as did the subsequent motion.

Additional contributions during that convention increased the fund to $2,000. The fund grew from $5,000 in 1909 to $40,000 in 1916. By the 1919 golden jubilee convention, the total surpassed $111,500. In 1923, it topped $200,000.

P.E.O.’s Educational Loan Fund (ELF) has helped more than 70,000 women. Assistance totaling over $126,000,000 has been given to worthy individuals. Moreover, this initial foray into education gave P.E.O. a focus that would expand over time. Today, P.E.O.’s educational projects, including Cottey College, the only American college for women owned by women, have helped women worldwide achieve their educational goals.

If you enjoy this post, please consider subscribing for updates or follow this blog on twitter @GLOhistory

Posted in P.E.O. | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Only President Born on the 4th of July. And He’s a Phi Gamma Delta!

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Calvin Coolidge, a Phi Gamma Delta, and Grace Goodhue Coolidge, a Pi Beta Phi, were both natives of Vermont. They married in the Goodhue family home in Burlington. Although they spent their married life living in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. , Vermont seemed to be always in their hearts.

The 30th President’s full name was John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. and he was born on July 4, 1872 in Plymouth Notch, Vermont. In September of 1928, the Coolidges traveled to Vermont to survey damage from the devastating flood of the prior year. They stayed at the Coolidge homestead in Plymouth Notch and visited family graves, including the one of their son Calvin, Jr. who died at age 16 in July, 1924. At the last train stop in Vermont, the President spoke eloquently and from the heart:

Vermont is a state I love. I could not look upon the peaks of Ascutney, Killington, Mansfield, and Equinox, without being moved in a way that no other scene could move me. It was here that I first saw the light of day; here I received my bride, here my dead lie pillowed on the loving breast of our eternal hills.

I love Vermont because of her hills and valleys, her scenery and invigorating climate, but most of all because of her indomitable people. They are a race of pioneers who have almost beggared themselves to serve others. If the spirit of liberty should vanish in other parts of the Union, and support of our institutions should languish, it could all be replenished from the generous store held by the people of this brave little state of Vermont.

In a Vermont Standard newspaper article Jennifer Harville, the Coolidge’s great-granddaughter, gives a glimpse of the Coolidge family’s modesty and humility, “One year, cousin Chris (Jeter) and our grandfather (John Coolidge) were cleaning up around the Coolidge gravestones the day before the July 4th ceremony. A passersby remarked that it must be such an honor for them to be tidying up the president’s gravestone. Both of them simply nodded and continued working, never disclosing their true identities.”

If you have no plans for this 4th of July, set your GPS for Plymouth Notch. The day’s activities include a march starting at noon from the center of the village to the cemetery. It will be led by the Vermont National Guard’s Color Guard and members of the Coolidge Family. A wreath sent by the White House will be laid on the President’s grave. Excerpts from his 1926 speech ‘The Inspiration of the Declaration of Independence’ will be read and the playing of taps will conclude the ceremony.

A chicken barbeque in the village follows the ceremony. Wagon rides and a wine and cheese tasting at the Plymouth Cheese Factory are also planned. Sounds like a wonderful way to honor the 30th President of the United States.

© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2012

If you enjoy this post, please consider subscribing for updates or follow this blog on twitter @GLOhistory


 

Posted in Amherst College, Calvin Coolidge, Grace Coolidge, Northampton. Massachusetts, Phi Gamma Delta, Pi Beta Phi | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Only President Born on the 4th of July. And He’s a Phi Gamma Delta!