On March 17, 1917, five women at Washington Square College Law, a division of New York University, founded Delta Phi Epsilon. The DIMES, as they are called, are Dorothy Cohen Schwartzman, Ida Bienstock Landau, Minna Goldsmith Mahler, Eva Effron Robin, and Sylvia Steierman Cohn. Delta Phi Epsilon was formally incorporated under New York State law on March 17, 1922.
Phyllis Lostfogel entered Hunter College at the age of 16, and became a member of the Delta Chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon. She graduated in 1946, completing the course in three years, and she was teaching in the New York City school system before she was 20. On June 20, 1947, she married Burton Kossoff.
In the early 1950s, as young parents, the Kossoffs noticed that their daughter Stephanie was wheezing and had a chronic cough. Moreover, she was not thriving as others her age were. The Kossoffs were told she had Cystic Fibrosis and the prognosis wasn’t good, with a life expectancy of three to five years. In 1954, the Kossoffs sought out the parents of other children with CF who were in the New Your City area. Together they formed what was chartered as a Not-for-profit in 1955 and is today the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In a time when the public knew little about Cystic Fibrosis, it was a bold and far reaching idea.
At the 1957 Delta Phi Epsilon Convention, Phyllis Kossoff addressed her sisters and asked for their assistance in her quest to educate the public and foster research and support. She asked that Delta Phi Epsilon adopt CFF as the organization’s philanthropy. Since 1958, Delta Phi Epsilon chapters have raised funds for CFF. In doing so, they have increased the public’s awareness of Cystic Fibrosis. Through the decades, Delta Phi Epsilon has contributed millions of dollars for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In turn, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation named a research fellowship in honor of Delta Phi Epsilon.
The mission of the Foundation is to “cure cystic fibrosis and to provide all individuals with the disease the opportunity to lead full, productive lives by funding research and drug development, promoting individualized treatment, and ensuring access to high-quality, specialized care.”
On March 11, 2016 Phyllis Kossoff was awarded the Spirit of American Award at the Cystic Fibrosis Volunteer Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. Take a few minutes and listen to Kossoff speak eloquently about her life’s work. Remember that she became a member of Delta Phi Epsilon in the 1940s. What a remarkable woman she is!
