While doing research for my dissertation I came across this newspaper ad; it was reprinted in a 1930s Key of Kappa Kappa Gamma. I made a copy and put it in a file. I had no idea that 12 years later I would be writing a blog post about it. At that point, I had knowledge of blogs.
Block’s was an Indianapolis based department store. Remember this was in the day before product licensing, so I doubt that any of these organizations signed on to having hankies marketed in their names. Note that Alpha Phi was identified as Alpha Pi in the ad.
The hankies department at Block’s was on the street floor. Do department stores even have hankie departments anymore? And the hankies were available in black, white, pastel or street shades. I know what the first three are, but street shades has me confused. What’s a street shade? Beige, perhaps? Linen hankies with hand-rolled hems for a quarter! Twenty-five cents!!
Cecil J. “Scoop” Wilkinson served Phi Gamma Delta in many capacities. He was editor of its magazine for 39 years. He was an integral part of the three major leadership organizations among men’s fraternities which were in existence during his tenure. He was the only man to hold the top position in the College Fraternity Editors Association, the College Fraternity Secretaries Association, and the National Interfraternity Conference.
I have never seen one of these hankies and I would love to know if anyone has one (especially the one with the arrow on it!). If you have one, please send me a picture and I’ll add it to this post.
© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2013. All Rights Reserved.
