Greek Letter Organizations Founded in January

Posted on January 1, 2018 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Happy New Year!  I thank you for reading this blog. And thanks to all of you who share these posts and tell others about this crazy woman who writes about fraternity and sorority history. I think it is imperative that members know about their organization (I do not, however, believe learning about this history should be used as a way to haze members.)

My time will be scarce this month, and I know I will not be able to do new posts for the organizations that celebrate Founders’ Day in January. Here are links to previous, but nonetheless interesting, posts.

1858, actual date unknown, Delta Tau Delta, Bethany College – A Delta Tau Delta on Anti-Fraternity Sentiment in Wisconsin, With a Century’s Perspective

January 1, 1869, Sigma Nu, Virginia Military Academy (Institute) – Sigma Nu, First Founders’ Day of 2017, and “Chic” Sale

January 2, 1897, Alpha Omicron Pi, Barnard College – Jessie Wallace Hughan, Pacifist, Social Activist, and Alpha Omicron Pi Founder, Madeleine Z. Doty, Prison Reformer and Alpha Omicron Pi, Florence Lucas Sanville to Celebrate Alpha Omicron Pi #AmazingSororityWomen, Gertrude Falkenhagen (Bonde), Alpha Omicron Pi

January 4, 1852. Phi Mu, Wesleyan College (The founding was publicly announced on March 4, 1852, the day that is celebrated as Founders’ Day.) – Grace Lumpkin, Phi Mu, on Founders’ Day, #amazingsororitywomen #WHM2017, #WHM – Phi Mu’s Jerrie Mock, Aviator Extraordinaire, Happy Founders’ Day, Phi Mu and a Snippet About the Phi Mu Healthmobile

January 5, 1911, Kappa Alpha Psi, Indiana University – Calvin Coolidge and Kappa Alpha Psi Share January 5th

January 9, 1914, Phi Beta Sigma, Howard University 

January 10, 1899, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Illinois Wesleyan College – Tau Kappa Epsilon and Ronald Reagan, Tau Kappa Epsilon’s 116th Birthday and a Walgreens Connection

January 13, 1913, Delta Sigma Theta, Howard University – Happy 104th, Delta Sigma Theta!, Delta Sigma Theta and Mary McLeod Bethune

January 15, 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Howard University – Hidden Figures on Alpha Kappa Alpha Founders’ Day, Althea Gibson on Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Founding Day,  Alpha Kappa Alpha’s New Dimensions of Service and Eleanor Roosevelt on Founders’ Day, Alpha Kappa Alpha Founders’ Day and a Little About the Gamma Kappa Omega and Beta Delta Chapters

January 16, 1920, Zeta Phi Beta, Howard University – Dr. Deborah Cannon Wolfe on Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.’s Founding Day,  Zora Neale Hurston and Zeta Phi Beta Zeta Phi Beta’s 95th Birthday, Its 1923 Expansion to Texas, and Violette Anderson, Happy 94th Birthday, Zeta Phi Beta and an Honor for Julia Carson, a Loyal Member

January 17, 1847, Delta Psi (St. Anthony Hall), Columbia University – Charles Kuralt and St. Anthony Hall at UNC

January 25, 1993, Gamma Alpha Omega, Arizona State University – After the Snow – John Collum, a Baby, and Gamma Alpha Omega

January 27, 1870, Kappa Alpha Theta, DePauw University – Dr. Placida Gardner Chesley, Kappa Alpha Theta, #amazingsororitywomen, #WHM2017,  A Toast on Kappa Alpha Theta’s 147th!,  Kappa Alpha Theta and the First Phi Beta Kappa Women, The “Mother of Nature Education” on Kappa Alpha Theta’s Founders’ Day, Julia Morgan, Pioneering Architect, Kappa Alpha Theta

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Zeta Beta Tau Honoring Achievement for More Than a Century

Posted on December 29, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Zeta Beta Tau was created on December 29, 1898 when a group of young men attending several New York universities met at the Jewish Theological Seminary and formed an organization called Z.B.T. (yes, with the periods between the letters). The organization was inspired by Richard J. H. Gottheil, a Columbia University professor of languages. For a few years the organization served as an organization for the Jewish students who were excluded from the other Greek-letter organizations in existence on the campuses where they were studying. In 1903, the organization became Zeta Beta Tau. Six years later, there were 14 chapters established, all but one in the Northeast. The first chapter outside the Northeast was at Tulane University. In 1913, the fraternity became international with the establishment of a chapter at McGill University.

While awards and levels of achievement are a way of GLO life today, that wasn’t always the case. I was a bit intrigued when I learned that several of ZBT’s awards have been given for more than 100 years. In 1914, four “far-sighted alumni presented the Fraternity cups which were to be awarded to the chapters excelling in brain and in brawn,” according to the organization’s 25-year history book.

Isidore Sobel, an honorary member of Theta Chapter at the University of Pennsylvania, gave the Sobel Cup. Judge Moses Bijur, an Honorary member of Delta Chapter at Columbia University, gave the Bijur Cup. These honors were awarded to two chapters ranking highest in scholastic average.

Dr. Henry Frauenthal, an Honorary member, gave the Frauenthal Cup, which was to be awarded to the chapter most distinguished in athletics. Upon his graduation, Colman Bonart, Delta Chapter, gave the Bonart Cup to be awarded to the chapter with the best all-around athlete. 

The four cups were given for the first time at the 1915 Convention. In 1916, a Fraternity Cup was added to the award list. Due to World War I, no awards were given for 1917 and 1918.

Today, the Sobel Award recognizes improvement in GPA. The Bijur Award is given to the chapter with an outstanding GPA. Between 1995 and 1998, several Bijur Awards were given each year, however, since 1999, only one chapter has been recognized each year. The Frauenthal Award is now given to a chapter excelling in intramural sports. It appears the Bonart Cup is no longer awarded.

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Random Thoughts on Boxing Day

Posted on December 26, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

An Iowa State Kappa Kappa Gamma set off a chain reaction among the sorority women at Iowa State and it served as a reminder why the power of sorority women is so potent. 

Kevin Hunsperger, a charter member of the Sigma Nu chapter at Southeast Missouri State University, along with pal Tom Harness, has been wearing the same ugly Christmas suit all season. They are raising funds for  Children’s Home and Aide Society located in Herrin, Illinois and serving all of Southern Illinois.

After one of my last posts, a reader alerted me to thefact that Alpha Phi Omega does indeed still hold conventions between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Alpha Phi Omega’s National Convention will take place in Austin, Texas, a year from now, December 27-30, 2018.

Today is the date upon which Phi Delta Theta was founded. I wrote about it two years ago, so if you missed it, here it is. The link also includes information about the only Phi Delt who was also a member of Delta Gamma.

In case you hadn’t heard, there are more than 1,000 posts on this site, about all sorts of GLO history. The search box on the right is terrific at bringing up old posts about any GLO. A helpful reminder is to include the GLO name in quotes to narrow the selection down to the GLO in question.

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‘Twas the Night Before Christmas . . . GLO Foundings, Installations, and Conventions

Posted on December 23, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

The time from a few days before Christmas to after New Year’s Day is a time when the world stands still. Collegians go home to family or spend time with friends away from campus. I can’t imagine a fraternity or sorority chapter being installed during that time in 2017. But a century or more ago, it was truly a different world.

Delta Gamma was founded over the Christmas holiday in 1873 when three young women were stranded at the Lewis School due to inclement weather.  Delta Gamma celebrates Founders’ Day on March 15, the date of Eta Chapter’s founding at Akron University. It is Delta Gamma’s oldest continuous chapter. Alpha Omicron Pi began on January 2, 1897. Alpha Omicron Pi celebrates on or around December 8, founder Stella George Stern Perry’s birthday.

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.

Zeta Beta Tau was founded on December 29, 1898 when a group of young men attending several New York universities met at the Jewish Theological Seminary and formed an organization called ZBT. Samuel Eells established Alpha Delta Phi at Hamilton College in upstate New York in January, 1832. Sigma Nu became a Greek-letter organization on January 1, 1869. It was founded at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, Virginia by three young men who were opposed to the hazing that was a part of a cadet’s life at VMI.

Not only were organizations founded during this time, but chapters were installed, too. The Chi Omega chapter at the University of Cincinnati was installed on December 24, 1913. The Tri Delta chapter at St. Lawrence University was founded on Christmas Eve 1891. The Alpha Epsilon Phi chapter at Tulane University was founded on December 24, 1916. The Pi Beta Phi chapter at the University of Arkansas was installed on December 29, 1912, I suspect there are more chapters founded during this week, too.

It is also hard to believe that any organization would plan a convention during the holiday week, but I know of several that occurred at that time. A convention that took place in Troy, New York from December 26-28, 1931, resulted in the creation of Phi Iota Alpha, the oldest Latino fraternity still in existence.

Just after Christmas in 1920, Delta Kappa Epsilon members started on a grand adventure, a Cuban convention, which took place on December 30, 1920. They traveled by train from New York, picking up Dekes in Philadelphia, Savannah and Key West. When they arrived in Key West, the went the rest of the way by ship. It was the first American College Fraternity Convention held off the North American Continent. Cuban President Mario Garcia Menocal was an initiate of the DKE chapter at Cornell University. The Convention souvenir was an inlaid box containing 25 Cuban cigars; 300 of the boxes were made. I had the opportunity to see the cigar box when I was in Ann Arbor. It was quite thrilling to see such an unique part of fraternity history.

Photo courtesy of Delta Kappa Epsilon

Cigar box convention favor (Photo courtesy of Delta Kappa Epsilon)

One of Pi Beta Phi’s conventions started in 1907 and ended in 1908. It took place in New Orleans over New Year’s Eve (Imagine doing that today, risk management nightmare anyone?). What’s more, on New Year’s Eve, the Kappa Kappa Gammas “gave a royal entertainment” and on New Year’s Day, the Alpha Tau Omegas “gave the delegates a trolley ride to and through Newcomb College grounds, visiting the pottery works, and having New Year’s luncheon on the campus.”

The 1907-1908 Pi Beta Phi Convention

Phi Gamma Delta held an Ekklesia from December 31 through January 3, 1925 in Richmond, Virginia; there were 374 registrants. Another Ekklesia took place from December 29, 1933 through January 1, 1934 in Washington, D.C. Phi Gam held several Ekklesiai in the week between Christmas and New Year’s; these took place in 1916, 1917, 1920 and 1921.

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy 2018!!

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Dick Enberg and IU’s Little 500

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Noted sportscaster Dick Enberg, a Phi Sigma Kappa initiated at Central Michigan University, passed away yesterday, December 21, 2017. After graduating from CMU, he went on the earn a masters and Ph.D. from Indiana University. While at IU, he was the voice of the first radio broadcast of the Little 500 bike race and was a play-by-play announcer for IU football and basketball.

When he was inducted into the IU Athletics Hall of Fame, Enberg recounted this story:

Mr. Dick Yoakam had just arrived from Iowa as a new member of the journalism staff, and he inspired the birth of the IU Sports Network. . . .And I happened to arrive on campus the same time that he did, and when the sign went up for the auditions, I applied and was fortunate to be able to win the position as the play-by-play announcer on that very first IU Sports Network staff.

His legendary, “Oh my!” had its start during his announcing career at IU and it remained with his for the rest of his life. In 2010, Enberg’s one-man play, COACH, had a two-night run at IU, among other campuses. It was a play about Marquette basketball coach Al McGuire.

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As an aside, and because I’ve been meaning to write about it for years, the Little 500 bike race was started by Howard “Howdy” Wilcox, Jr., a 1942 graduate of IU and a member of Alpha Tau Omega. Wilcox’s father won the Indianapolis 500 automobile race in 1919. The younger Wilcox conceived the idea of a bike race run by students as a way to generate funds for scholarships. At the time, he was the Executive Director of the Indiana University Student Foundation. The race is held during the third week in April at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The movie Breaking Away was about the Little 500.

Courtesy IU Archives

A women’s Little 500 competition was held for the first time in 1988. Prior to that, the women could only compete in a mini-trike race. 

 

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Syracuse University and Pan Am Flight 103 Over Lockerbie

Posted on December 21, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

December 21, 1988, four days before Christmas, was to have been filled with joyful reunions. It quickly turned horrible for the families and friends of the 259 people on board and 11 on the ground who perished when Pan Am Flight 103 blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland. Twenty-five Syracuse University students were among the fatalities. Another 10 were from other campuses but were part of Syracuse’s study abroad program.

In the days before 24-hour news on TV and the internet, I remember where I was when I first heard the news. My sister called to tell me that the Pi Beta Phi chapter house at Syracuse, the place where I had lived most of my college life, was pictured in the New York Daily News. My chapter lost three sisters in the terrorist attack. My heart turned heavy. As a young mother preparing for the holidays, I silently wept for the families whose holidays would be forever marred by the tragedy.

These are Syracuse students and those enrolled in the SU study abroad program with GLO affiliation who perished:

Karen Lee Hunt, Pi Beta Phi, Syracuse University

Julianne Kelly, Pi Beta Phi, Syracuse University

Alexia Tsairis, Pi Beta Phi, Syracuse University

Cynthia J. Smith, Delta Phi Epsilon, Syracuse University

Amy Shapiro, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Syracuse University

Gary Colasanti, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Syracuse University

Steven Berrell, Phi Delta Theta, Syracuse University

Stephen Boland, Delta Tau Delta, Syracuse University

Alexander Lowenstein, Zeta Psi, Syracuse University

Richard Monetti, Alpha Tau Omega, Syracuse University

Thomas Schultz,  Phi Delta Theta, Ohio Wesleyan University

John Flynn, Kappa Delta Rho, Colgate University

Colleen Brunner, local sorority Alpha Sigma Chi at SUNY-Oswego

A memorial wall in front of the Hall of Languages was dedicated in April 1990. A “Remembrance Week” takes place each fall. Each year on December 21 at 2:03 p.m., the exact minute the plane exploded, a service is held at Hendricks Chapel. Syracuse University established two programs to memorialize the lives lost. Thirty-five seniors are chosen yearly to be “Remembrance Scholars.” Two graduating seniors from Lockerbie Academy are given the opportunity to study at Syracuse for a year through the “Lockerbie Scholars” program.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families who were affected by the events that took place in 1988.

P.S. And as usual, the readers of this blog, send me info and tell me stories.

At Arlington National Cemetery, there is a cairn honoring the 270 lives lost. I was also reminded that there likely were alumni of GLOs on board. I am certain of this, too. A loyal reader recounted a story about a member of her P.E.O. chapter, an alumna of an NPC group, who lost her son, Peter R. Pierce. A Toledo architect, he was on his way from advanced studies in Italy. Pierce was an alumnus of the Ohio State University chapter of Delta Tau Delta.

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#themoreyouknow for the GLO Win!

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

I have been remiss in spreading good GLO cheer. So here are some of the bright spots for December in the land of the GLOs. Enjoy and share the wealth.

Among the other songs Evans wrote are Buttons and Bows, Mona Lisa, Que Sera Sera, Dear Heart, and Tammy.

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For the fifteenth year, the men of Pi Kappa Alpha At RPI have delivered gifts.

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Patiently awaiting this issue.

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I love seeing how GLOs display their precious artifacts.

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Congratulations, Scott Martin!

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This is a fact I did not know. It’s unfortunate that there was not a FarmHouse chapter at SIUC when Dr. Lindegren was alive. Tucking this factoid away for the next time I play SIUC trivia.

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What an inspiring story!

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Congratulations Doug Jones!

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Tom Landis is an alumnus of the Delta Sigma Phi chapter at the University of Texas.

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What a thoughtful gift, men of  Sigma Chi at West Virginia University! 

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Amazing what Chi Omega snowmen can do!!

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History Matters

Posted on December 18, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Hall of Languages, Syracuse University

The cornerstone for the first building on Syracuse University’s campus, the Hall of Languages, the one pictured above, was laid on September 1, 1871. It was dedicated on May 8, 1873. Sometime between those two events, Alpha Phi was founded. The Delta Kappa Epsilon chapter was installed in 1871. There were about 20 women enrolled in the university – 20!!! Ten brave young women decided to form a society like that of the men. And so they did. Two years later, another group of women, led by Frances Haven (Moss) daughter of the new President of the University, Erastus O. Haven, founded Gamma Phi Beta. The women of Alpha Phi and Gamma Phi socialized with the men of DKE, Delta Upsilon (1873), Psi Upsilon (1875), and Zeta Psi (1875). Frances Haven married a member of the Psi Upsilon chapter. A few of the posts on this blog chronicle my quest to find their graves near the University of Illinois campus, where Professor Moss taught.

As a alumna of Syracuse University, I fell in love with the campus during the summer. I had no clue what winter looked like in Syracuse. Yet, most of my memories of it are snowy ones, for it snows an astounding amount in the city and environs.

How difficult did that snow make life for the brave women of the 1870s? That is a thought that often runs through my brain. And for that matter, how was life for the women who founded other organizations in the 1870s? What was it like for those women of Monmouth College (Pi Beta Phi 1867 and Kappa Kappa Gamma 1870), Indiana Asbury University (DePauw, Kappa Alpha Theta 1870) and the ones who founded Delta Gamma in post-Civil War Mississippi in 1873?

Did they ever envision that the organizations they created would have a hand in shaping women for nearly 150 years? Could those who came of age in the 1870s imagine life in 2017? They had no indoor plumbing, electricity, transportation beyond steam engines, boats, farm animals, and their own two feet. The things today’s students take for granted and can’t imagine a life without were not even dreams of any of the founders of these organizations.

And yet, these organizations exist today. Fellowship, with sincere friendship at its core will hopefully never go out of style. Those who believe in the GLO experience must take care of it as a precious commodity. The story of the organizations, these and those who came later, need to be told, over and over. The stories of those members no longer here to tell their own stories, need to be told, over and over. Moreover and most importantly, those who do not choose to live up to the ideals of the organizations need to not be extended membership or must be dismissed if they accepted membership.

Our organizations mean so much more than the social life most often seen by non-members as the primary purpose. 

As the year winds to a close, I thank those who read the stories on this blog and pass them along to others. I appreciate your efforts. Happy Holidays.

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To the December Graduates Upon the Start of Alum Life

Posted on December 17, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Many mid-year graduates are celebrating this weekend after donning caps and gowns and walking across a stage to culminate their undergraduate experience.

The fraternity and sorority members among the graduates, who, when they first became members of their respective organizations, could not fathom the journey being over, now realize they are no longer collegiate members. The collegiate part of the journey has come to an end. 

Given the misdeeds of some of our number and the tragic events which have occurred in the past year, it might be easier to not mention Greek-letter affiliation. I implore those of you who truly believe in our organizations to be proud alums work for their betterment. This is not the end of your membership journey. It is the beginning of your life as an alumna or alumnus.

Please seize the opportunity to be a part of the alum life of your organization. If there is an alum club/chapter where you’ll be heading, join it. Give to your organization’s foundation. I know you’re probably strapped for cash and don’t have much. Give up ordering few coffees or other beverages and send what you would have spent to your organization’s foundation. Give at least $15 this year, $20 next year. Get in the habit of giving back to the organizations that helped shape you.

Work for your organization. It can be as simple as being on the lookout for potential new members. Speak of the good things your organization does. Keep current – read the magazine, visit the web-site, sign up for its social media accounts. Volunteer to work with a chapter, or put your name in the hat for committee work. Every national/international officer once was in the same place you find yourself today.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy life ahead. And remember when you speak of your membership in a fraternity or sorority, say  “I am an XYZ” not “I was an XYZ.”

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#HearHerHarvard – Let Harvard Women Associate Freely and Without Penalty

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Fran Becque, Ph.D.

Update 12/3/2018 – Six organizations filed lawsuits against Harvard University and the 26 National Panhellenic Conference sororities and the 66 North-American Interfraternity Conference fraternities threw their support behind them. Visit www.standuptoharvard.org to sign a petition and to #standuptoharvard.

Update – August 2018. Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Delta Gamma, and Alpha Phi are no longer at Harvard University. The first two became local organizations, leaving their international affiliation behind, so that they can accept male members. The latter two have ceased operations. 

The Panhellenic women at Harvard University – the members of Kappa Alpha Theta, Delta Gamma, and Alpha Phi – operate under extreme conditions at America’s oldest higher education institution, Harvard University. #HearHerHarvard is a campaign to bring this discrimination and punitive action to light.

Let us support the efforts to allow women to associate with whom they choose as members of these Greek-letter organizations.

Hypocrisy Thy Name Is Harvard

 

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