Alpha Phi Quarterly Fall 2022

Alpha Phi

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The purpose of the Alpha Phi Quarterly and its content is to provide information and services to the membership of the Alpha Phi Fraternity, in keeping with the Fraternity’s status as a 501 (c) (7) tax-exempt private membership organization. The magazine is devoted to highlighting its members and matters of fraternal and collegiate interest. The views expressed in the articles published in the Quarterly are those of the authors and their contributors, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of

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Alpha Phi Quarterly

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International

Executive Board

Kathleen (Kate) Boyle Halfon, President

Billie Coskey Battiato

Dawn Kreisel Bauer

Karen Bloch Bavender

Stacey Thulin Daniel

Keri Miller Van Acker

Linda (Allie) Winkelman

Council of Delegates

Executive Director

Foundation Chair

C h i ef Panhe l len i c Offi ce r

Linda Long Boland

Altern ate Nati ona l Panhe l len i c De leg ate : La u ra Lynn Da vi dson El let t

Foundation Board

Rebecca Andrew Zanatta, Chair

Jenny Concepción Hansen, Vice Chair

Claire Costin, Treasurer

Coree Smith, Secretary

Barbara Tingley

Janelle Del Carlo

Janis Coughlin-Piester

Shana Goss Smith

Susan McNeice

Alpha Phi Fraternity International President

Amy Peebles, Foundation Executive Director

2020-2022 Alpha Phi Quarterly Editorial Advisory Board

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S h e i la Ge o rge Bri g ht

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Alpha Phi Quarterly Staff

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Da kota h Li nds ay, D i rec to r of C o m mun ic ati on s & Mar ket i n g

150 Years of Alpha Phi

Our 150th anniversary is a milestone moment measured in memories and

We are proud to honor this special celebration and grateful for each opportunity our members have had to lead, grow, learn, advocate, make a positive impact, lend a hand to others and flourish in the strength of sisterhood.

When we think back to the formation of our Fraternity, it is easy to wonder what small act happened first? Did our history start with a conversation? An idea? A promise? A belief or a dream? Determination and vision? Or did Alpha Phi spring from the innate desire to share love, lift others up, challenge one another toward excellence and forge lifelong friendships?

When reflecting on the founding of Alpha Phi, Martha Foote Crow wrote that the original idea came to both her and Kate Hogoboom Gilbert in a contemporaneous way. She said, “The thought seems to have sprung spontaneously out of the interests and conditions of our life in

the university…that small group of women who began the co-educational system in Syracuse University constantly felt the anomalousness of their position, the atmosphere of opposition and criticism.”

It is likely that each of us imagine the specific spark that ignited Alpha Phi in our own way, but the pride we feel in being part of this supportive community that encourages continual growth is unifying from hand-tohand and heart-to-heart.

In this commemorative issue of The Quarterly, we will reflect on the ways Alpha Phi has evolved, celebrate achievements and look ahead as we preserve this moment in time so that future generations may connect with the members of today as they blaze trails ahead in the next 150 years. With sincere appreciation, respect and love for our members, those alive today and those who have entered the Silent Chapter, we dedicate these pages to you and the countless ways you lead with love in the spirit of sisterhood.

mighty moments of sisterhood embraced from generation to generation.

Symbols & Badg

Forget-Me-Not

Symbolizing fidelity and elegance, this hardy bloom represents the friendships of Alpha Phi.

Ivy

Alpha Phis have sung these lines for years in honor of the ivy leaf and our connection to it. An ever-growing vine, the ivy leaf symbolizes the growth of our sisterhood. It also represents fidelity and eternal friendship. Ivy has not only made its way into our songs, but is represented in our crest and is the shape of the Alpha Phi new member pins.

Greek Letters

Ursa Major

One symbol that is dear to Alpha Phis is the Fraternity’s adopted constellation, Ursa Major, the Great Bear. This symbol was displayed on the ceiling of the Alpha Phi Executive Office in Evanston, Ill. Ursa Major is primarily known for its main seven stars, the “Big Dipper,” which are superimposed on the lower left-hand corner of Alpha Phi’s crest.

“Alpha” is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and “Phi” is the twenty-first letter. Pronounced “fee” or “fye?” In the Greek language, “Phi” is pronounced “fee” instead of “fye” when it follows a vowel. These letters, which our members don with pride, symbolize the tremendous history and unwavering commitment to encouragement and sisterhood.

Lily of the Valley

The elegant lily of the valley, fragrant and sweet, is a delicate flower beloved by Alpha Phis. These blossoms have been included in wedding bouquets, at Initiation banquet celebrations and everywhere in between. Bell-shaped and beautiful, the lily of the valley symbolizes purity and humility.

– Lovely Girl

“ ” When all your college days are through To Alpha Phi you’ll e’er be true Forget-me-nots will still be blue And Alpha Phis are true.

Green, Green, the ivy twines, around my sorority…

”

Silver & Bordeaux

While Silver and Bordeaux are Alpha Phi’s rich and distinctive colors today, they were not our Fraternity’s original colors. Azure and gold were our original selections, but, when a men’s fraternity on Syracuse University’s campus adopted the same colors to represent themselves, our Founders knew they needed a change. To differentiate ourselves and build our own traditions, Alpha Phis decided to switch our official colors to Silver and Bordeaux. These colors are often worn in a ribbon under member badges to acknowledge special occasions, such as Alpha Phi Founders’ Day on October 10, new chapter installations and milestone anniversaries.

Alpha Phi Crest

The Fraternity Crest is the Alpha Phi coat-of-arms, adopted by Convention delegates in 1922. It represents the dignity and honor of Alpha Phi’s heritage. The shield is Bordeaux with a scroll and ivy leaf above it. Inscribed on the scroll is the public motto, “Union hand in hand.” A bar of silver crosses the shield from left to right; the upper half of the shield contains a Roman lamp in silver and the lower half, Ursa Major. The meaning of the symbols depicted on the crest is a significant part of the Ritual, which is witnessed at initiation.

Alpha Phi Badge

The official badge of Alpha Phi is an simple monogram of gold showing the Greek letter for Alpha superimposed upon the Greek letter for Phi. Inscribed in black on the Greek letter for Phi are the letters a,o,e. The meaning of these letters is reserved for the initiation ceremony and unites all Alpha Phis. Voted as the official design in 1906 and adopted in 1908, this simple design underscores unity among members and is worn over the heart of initiated Alpha Phis.

Honor Badges

The lazy Phi pin, showing the elongated Alpha Greek letter and the Phi Greek letter on its side, honors Alpha Phi’s history and recognizes those who hold certain roles within the Fraternity. Today, special honor badges, replicas of the lazy Phi pin, are worn by international officers and Educational Leadership Consultants. They are also worn by collegiate chapter presidents during their term in office.

distance between them to mere centimeters.

Forget Me Nots

by Gina Henke

WhenI was initiated into Alpha Phi, my parents sent me a bouquet of silk lily of the valley and forget me not blossoms, our Fraternity flowers tied together with Silver and Bordeaux ribbons. The arrangement still sits atop a bookcase, inside a vase my Alpha Phi Big sister decorated for me. Years have passed, plenty in life has changed and the composite photos I show my daughters from my collegiate years are frayed at the edges, but the small blue flowers in that vase are everlasting reminders that Alpha Phi friendships survive. With a little effort, and because we are rooted in many of the same shared memories and experiences, our sisterly bonds persist despite the fact that sometimes it can be years before we once again embrace face-to-face.

It would have been fascinating to lean in close as they spoke to each other later in life, hear how they connected in new ways as they aged, how they gripped a hand with a different strength when they saw one another, how they smiled across the room and shrank the

Did our Founders know what would become of their beloved Alpha Phi? Would they have believed the immense opportunity for connectedness and encouragement that over 280,000 members would seize? Could they have dreamed that the foundation they laid, and their bold vision would create a sisterhood whose legacy is alive in each member and renewed in spirit each time we share an Alpha Phi story? Their own relationships with one another and with Alpha Phi must have expanded and evolved, just as ours do once we have our college degree in hand, and we take on new adventures.

It would have been fascinating to lean in close as they spoke to each other later in life, hear how they connected in new ways as they aged, how they gripped a hand with a different strength when they saw one another, how they smiled across the room and shrank the distance between them to mere centimeters.

Did our early Alpha Phis know the

forget me not was such a perfect symbol for friendships that stand the test of time? Or was there a deeper understanding of mortality and a desire to leave a legacy that inspires other Alpha Phis to honor the way friendship and sisterhood link generation to generation without end?

nots prefer cool weather, moist soil and indirect light, but they can grow nearly anywhere. Sometimes there is a year in between blooms, but they always find their way back up toward fresh air. Undeterred by a cold snap, they appear in classic blue and also white and pink.

Their spread and prevalence are bemoaned by some, but their reemergence and self-seeding process is a lot like friendship. Yes, without sunlight, water or nutrients for an extended period, forget me nots will die; but, like friendships, these blooms can withstand some periods of laisse-faire existence. Forget me

Former International President Marian Wiley Keys (Alpha-Syracuse) wrote of her own memories of the Founders, sharing that “Clara Sittser Williams was a plump and jolly soul who used to entertain us with stories of the practical jokes they played on one another.” Martha Foote Crow was remembered as a “sweetfaced, white haired, ethereal” poet and idealist who used to come and speak to them as new members. Kate Hogoboom, along with Martha, were appointed to draft Alpha Phi’s constitution and first ritual ceremonies, and they loved to watch as their papers flowed, in the style of ancient manuscripts, unfurling in large swaths upon the floor.

Forget me nots push up from the ground as gardens wake from their winter slumber, resisting rot and reminding us that there is warmth just the other side of the cold.

Jane Higham and Louise Shepard

Hancock, professionally a teacher and a minister’s wife respectively, were always together, lifelong friends. Clara Bradley Burdette lived to nearly 100, had been a beauty and toastmistress extraordinaire.

Sepereena A. Michaels Atchison, better known as Reena, was our first Alpha Phi chapter president, an author, journalist and political activist. Always taking up for causes she believed in, she was a suffrage leader, and that interest led her to Frances E. Willard, who became Alpha Phi’s first alumna initiate.

Hattie Florence Chidester Lukens made her mark on the world through teaching, coming a long way from The Original Ten renting her father’s office for their chapter meetings. Sadly, she was the first to enter the Silent Chapter. Ida Arabella Gilbert DeLamanter Houghton never merely entered a room; instead, she “breezed in, and everyone stopped until they heard what she had to say.” Before going on to teach and write, she and her mother established the tradition of having a banquet to celebrate Alpha Phi initiation. Elizabeth Grace Hubbell Shults went by Grace and was brilliant, the Founder old enough to sign legal documents of incorporation in New York and the first of the group to be married.

These are snippets of memories passed down from generation to generation among Alpha Phis. What stories have

escaped our archives? What would their adolescent and childhood years have been like? How did they make the transition from one stage of life to the next? Living in a world where opportunities were so severely limited for women, what does that do to a young woman’s confidence, and how did our Founders manage to retain a level of selfesteem that made creating their own society seem like an action they were ready to embrace? If The Original Ten were around now, what would they hold onto as their most precious memories?

For those who are not as familiar with the way our Founders’ lives unfolded after college, we are pleased to share some of the ways they were inspired to live fully, in all directions, thanks in part to the encouragement they received within Alpha Phi. 1

Rena Michaels Atchison

Born in 1855 in Lysander, New York, Sepereena, known as Rena, was admitted to Syracuse University as a junior in 1872. Alpha Phi was incorporated under the name “Michaleanean Society” in honor of Rena, who was Alpha Phi’s first president. The Michaelanean Society still exists as a corporation and owns the Alpha-Syracuse chapter house. Rena earned her bachelor’s degree in 1874, her master’s degree in 1879 and a PhD in 1880. After her father died, Rena briefly lived in Syracuse with her mother.

She encouraged a love of learning in others as she taught at Upper Iowa University, Albion College and DePauw University. From 18861891, she was the Dean of Women at Northwestern University. She wrote a book, annotated an edition of Victor Hugo’s Ruy Bias (1885) and also wrote for journals and newspapers, including the Chicago Evening Post. Rena was active in politics, inspired

by leaders like Frances E. Willard, suffrage leader who became Alpha Phi’s first alumna initiate.

She married the Reverend Wilbur Fisk Atchison, who was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity and a Northwestern University graduate. They made a home in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, where the reverend served as a pastor of the Hyde Park Methodist Church, before moving to Morgan Park, Illinois. Rena was a supporter of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the president and secretary of the Cook County Woman’s Suffrage Society of Illinois and was listed in Who’s Who in America. After joining the Silent Chapter on October 29, 1933, she was buried next to her husband at Bluff City Cemetery in Elgin, Illinois.

Born the daughter of Albert Harvey Bradley and Laura Orinda Covill Bradley, Clara entered the world in East Bloomfield, New Jersey on July 22, 1855. The family moved to Syracuse in 1865 and she enrolled in Syracuse University in 1872. While she studied to earn her degree, which she did in 1876, she worked in the Chancellor’s office to help earn money for her tuition. Clara’s mother, affectionately remembered as “Ma Bradley,” loaned the chapter $50 to rent and furnish its first chapter meeting room.

After graduation, Clara secured jobs in education. From 1877-1878, she served as preceptress at Rockland College in Nyack, New York and at Wesleyan Seminary in Eau Claire, Wisconsin from 1878-1879. In 1879 she took a job as an English instructor at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.

In 1878, Clara married bright Syracuse University classmate Nathaniel Millman Wheeler, who was a teacher and a principal at several colleges and schools.

Clarissa “Clara” Bradley Burdette

1 Biographical information about Alpha Phi Founders is referenced from (1) Alpha Phi International Fraternity The First Fifty Years, 1872-1922, Union Hand in Hand, Thompson, Jennie. 2013. Biographical information about Alpha Phi Founders is referenced from (2) The Ivy Leaf © Alpha Phi.

Louise Shepard Hancock (AlphaSyracuse)

The two had a son, Roy Bradley Wheeler, was born on September 26, 1883. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1885, where Nathaniel had been appointed as a professor of Greek and history at the University of Southern California. Sadly, one year later, Nathaniel passed away on December 5, 1886.

Clara dedicated herself as a philanthropist to charitable efforts and to her family. She shared that she was proud to “give my life to service. I will do everything that comes to me to do the very best I know how.” Clara served on every committee and in almost every office of the Alpha chapter and throughout her life was an active member of Alpha Phi.

She participated in numerous educational and literary organizations throughout her long life. She was the first president of the State Federation of Women’s Clubs and was the first vice president of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs from 1902-1904. Clara served as the chief donor of the Pasadena Maternity Hospital and was a trustee

for Throop Polytechnic Institute (now known as Caltech). She also served as the first vice president and chair of the finance committee of the Auditorium Company, which managed the construction of a 2,700-seat auditorium

three books including, The Rainbow and the Pot of Gold, To Idealize Drudgery and an autobiography that responds to a question Frances E. Willard posed to Clara, which is titled The Answer.

The mayor of Pasadena made Clara a special police officer, her duties dealing with protection of little children against cruelty and neglect. She was the only honorary president of Alpha Phi and was referred to as “Mother Burdette.” Clara established the first Alpha Phi Foundation scholarship with a bequest. The Clara Bradley Burdette Society, which recognizes planned gifts, is named after her.

Martha Emily Foote Crow

Martha, called Mattie by friends, was born May 28, 1854, in Sackett’s Harbor, New York to the Reverend John Barlett

in Los Angeles in 1906. Listed in Who’s Who in America, Clara was involved with the Tournament of Roses parade and lectured on social and economic issues while also contributing as a writer to magazines and newspapers. She wrote

In 1890, Clara married Presley C. Baker of Pasadena. After his death, she wed Robert Jones Burdette, who passed away in 1914. Her great-granddaughter, Ardella Tibby, was initiated as an Alpha Phi at the Beta Pi chapter at the University of Southern California in 1959. Clara was the last Founder to enter the Silent Chapter when she passed away in January of 1954. She is buried at Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Foote and Mary Pendexter Stilphin Foote. After attending Cazenovia Seminary and Syracuse High School, she entered Syracuse University in 1872. From the beginning of Alpha Phi, she dreamed of establishing an international Fraternity. Part of the chapter program was literary exercise, and in one of these essays she wrote: “Now that we have founded this Alpha chapter of the Alpha Phi Sorority, is this all there is to do? ... No indeed … We have all the alphabet to go through, and to go through again and again …Can we not be a world society as well as a national one? Yes, there is work enough for all of us, and today is no time to be idle.”

Upon graduating in 1876 with a bachelor’s degree with honors

(PhB), Martha was appointed as preceptress at Ives Seminary in Antwerp, New York. She went on to work as “Lady Principal” at Waynesburg College in Pennsylvania from 1877-1878 and then spent the next four years teaching English Literature at the Newton High School in Massachusetts. Martha was the assistant to the college president and a lecturer at Wellesley College in Massachusetts from 1882-1884 and then served as the principal of Iowa College in Iowa from 1884-1891.

The first national president of Alpha Phi, Martha was reelected to that office in 1877 while principal of Waynesburg College. She returned to Syracuse University and earned her master’s degree in English Literature in 1885.

Martha Foote Crow, Alpha Phi Founder

Clara Bradley Wheeler Baker Burdette (Alpha-Syracuse)

On August 7, 1884, she married John McCluskey Crow, whom she met at Waynesburg College and who was a school principal in Illinois. The two welcomed daughter Agatha, born September 20, 1888. Sadly, just two years after, Agatha died, and John passed away two months in October of 1890. Martha was heartbroken but remained involved in her work.

In 1891, she went abroad under commission from the National Bureau of Education to study women’s education in Europe. She studied at Oxford, Cambridge at the University of Leipzig. In 1892, she was appointed assistant professor of English Literature in Chicago. Following that role, she worked as assistant professor of English Literature and Dean of Women at Northwestern University. She lectured to scholarly societies and was an active member of the Browning Society, the League of American Pen Women, the Poetry Society of America and the General Foundation of Women’s Clubs. She published many essays and poems, as well as several books, including Elizabethan Sonnet Cycles, The World Above, The American Country Girl, Christ

in the Poetry Today and more. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Martha was listed in Who’s Who in America and served Alpha Phi throughout her life in various positions. She hosted receptions and joyfully attended events and conventions. In 1922,

Together with Martha, she wrote the first draft of the Alpha Phi constitution, and she kept it locked in a room in her house at 305 Waverly Avenue.

she famously donated her engagement ring to launch the Martha Foote Crow Foundation for Alpha Phi.

In later years, she briefly returned to Syracuse and then moved to New York City to live with her half-sister Elizabeth on E. 53rd Street. There, she wrote, lectured and worked on behalf of numerous organizations. Martha joined the Silent Chapter on January 1, 1924, and is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, New York.

Katherine Elizabeth Hogoboom Gilbert Kate, known as Kittie to her friends, was born in Ovid, New York on February 20, 1855. Her father Robert Hogoboom and mother Esther moved the family to various cities in New York before settling in Syracuse. In 1875, Kate graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree. She went on to also earn a master’s degree from the university in 1878 and a music degree in 1879. She was Alpha Phi’s first recording secretary and her enthusiasm for Alpha Phi was infectious. At the first meeting of Alpha Phi, Kate suggested they all join hands and sing, and thus a tradition was born.

She served as the preceptress of Union school in Newark, New York from 1876-1877 and as a music teacher in Ithaca, New York from 1879-1880. A gifted musician and vocalist, Kate sang as part of the State Street Church choir in Syracuse and later at Plymouth Church in Syracuse. On September 8, 1880, she married James Morgan Gilbert, another graduate of Syracuse University and a member of Psi Upsilon. From 18841888, they made a home in Washington state, but returned to Syracuse to raise their daughter Ruth, who was born July 1, 1881. Ruth was initiated as an Alpha Phi on October 11, 1901, making her the first legacy initiate of Alpha Phi.

Kate was a charter member of the Portfolio Club and was active in the Morning Musical and Current Events Club. She also served as the assistant superintendent of the Sunday School, as the corresponding secretary of the Woman’s Home Missionary Society and as the district president of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society. Kate joined the Silent Chapter on May 10, 1900.

Louise Viola Shepard Hancock

Daughter of Charles and Elouisa Barnes

Shepard, Louise was born in Rome, New York and attended Rome Academy before entering Syracuse University in 1872. After earning her bachelor’s degree in 1876, she received her master’s degree in modern languages in 1878. She was determined, often wanting the last word and fighting for it, but she was a true friend. After attending the Rome Free Academy with Jane Higham, the two remained very close their whole lives. Louise’s children even called Jane, “Aunt Janie.”

Never one to be idle, Louisa taught Italian, served as a correspondent for

… We have all the alphabet to go through, and to go through again and again …Can we not be a world society as well as a national one? Yes, there is work enough for all of us, and today is no time to be idle.

various newspapers. After graduation, she traveled by train across the U.S. to San Francisco. She returned to Rome, New York and on March 2, 1887, she married a British man, the Reverend George Henry Hancock. Together, they had three daughters, Ruth, May Alice and Nan Louise, who was later initiated at the Alpha-Syracuse chapter. They also had two sons, John and George. They moved to Greenfield Township, Ohio and later to Grand Rapids, Michigan. When her husband died in 1917, Louise went to live with May and son-in-law Ray Cornell. Louise entered the Silent Chapter on December 17, 1932 in Boston, and her funeral was held in the Grand Rapids church her husband had helped build. Her ashes were placed beside her husband’s grave.

Jane Sara Higham

Modest, quiet and known affectionately as “Jennie,” Jane was born November 18, 1853 in Rome, New York to Joseph Higham and Susana Cheetham Higham, who had both emigrated from England to the U.S. Jane was part of a large family and they moved to Syracuse when she was 16. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1876 from Syracuse University and went on to earn her master’s degree in 1879. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and traveled abroad from 1892-1893.

A lifelong learner, Jane was part of academics for 44 years. She was an administrator and teacher at many schools, including Onondaga Academy, Rome High School, Clinton Liberal Institute and Rome Free Academy, where she taught for 35 years. When she retired in 1922, her students gifted her $400 in gold and a book they had all signed. A newspaper editorial column honored her upon her retirement, sharing, “No teacher has made a more lasting impression of true culture and refinement of spirit than Miss Higham, and she has always had the happy faculty of inspiring both friendship and effort.”

An active member of Alpha Phi throughout her postcollegiate life, following her final Convention, she wrote, “When I think of the faces of Alpha Phi women, I feel sure that Alpha Phi is big enough and noble enough to reach out and help others where there is the greatest need.”

Jane was a member of the First Baptist Church, the Woman’s

Club and the Rome chapter of the American Red Cross. When she entered the Silent Chapter on May 16, 1949, she was buried at Wright Settlement Cemetery in Rome, New York.

Ida Arabella Gilbert DeLamanter Houghton

Born in Phoenix, New York on September 22, 1854, Ida enrolled in Syracuse University in 1872. After graduation, she entered the teaching profession briefly and returned to Syracuse University a few years later to pursue a master’s degree in modern languages, which she earned in 1879. The youngest of the Original Ten, she and her family lived in a mansion on Tuttle Street. She and her mother arranged the first Alpha Phi banquet following Initiation, a tradition still enjoyed today. Witty and fun, it was said that Ida often breezed into a room and was so captivating that people would stop to hear what she had to say. In her career, she taught and wrote for magazines and newspapers.

She wed George Beckwith DeLamanter on September 27, 1882. A few years later, they welcomed their son, Foster Beckwith, who was born on July 7, 1885, and sadly passed away in February of 1886. Tragically, George died the next year in September of 1897. Ida remarried to widower Reverend Oscar Allen Houghton, who had three degrees to his names and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Delta Kappa Epsilon. Ida joined the Silent Chapter on January 1, 1916, and is buried at Palmyra Cemetery in Palmyra, New York.

Hattie Florence Chidester Lukens

Daughter of Dr. David Chidester and Mary Chidester, Florence, as she preferred to be called, was born in Utica, New York and raised in Syracuse. For $7.50 for the length of the term, the Alpha chapter sisters rented their first chapter room, Florence’s father’s office, where they held meetings on Friday nights. She received a bachelor’s degree in 1875 at 21 and then a master’s degree in science in 1879.

After college, she became an elocutionist and English teacher at the State Normal School in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, an elocutionist at the State University of Minnesota and at the Young Ladies’ School in Clifton Springs, New York and an instructor at various teachers’ institutes in Pennsylvania and Iowa.

Jane Higham, Alpha Phi Founder

Ida Gilbert, Alpha Phi Founder

She gave many readings, traveling to 14 states and territories to do so. A Syracuse newspaper wrote, “It is a matter of gratification that a Syracuse lady and graduate of the university has achieved such flattering successes in this difficult department of literary work.”

On December 18, 1880, she married W. J. Wolverton of Milton, Pennsylvania. After his death, she married Charles Marion Lukens, a physician from Rochester where the couple lived until Florence’s death. Sadly, on September 21, 1885, she became the first Founder to enter the Silent Chapter. She is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, New York.

Elizabeth Grace

Hubbell Shults

Born March 9, 1850 in Rochester New York, Grace, as she preferred to be called, was born. She attended the Rochester Free Academy, graduating with honors at age 13. When she was 16, she began teaching at the Rochester Collegiate Institute and took a preparatory course at Genesee Wesleyan Conference Seminary before enrolling in Syracuse University in 1871.

While at the university, she pursued her academic passions and found love along the way. The day after graduation, on June 29, 1876, she married classmate and Delta Kappa Epsilon member James Henry Shults at her family home in Rochester. After graduation, she taught Classics at State Normal School in Cortland, New York before later taking work as a private tutor. She wrote for various periodicals as well.

When the couple moved to California

for a teaching job he was offered, Grace found time to devote as the president of the Pasadena Shakespearian Society. Together, they had four children and were devastated when one passed away at age one.

She made it a point to stay connected to Alpha Phi and was particularly close with Clara Bradley and Alice Lee McDowell who were living in California. Grace joined the Silent Chapter on December 5, 1895 in Pasadena, California. She was cremated, and her ashes are interred at Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland.

Clara E. Sittser Williams

Clara was born in Weedsport, New York on October 15, 1852 to her father who was a farmer and her mother who was a homemaker. She attended Syracuse University from 1872-1873, and was the only Founder who did not graduate from the university.

She was remembered as being generous of spirit and sharing treats from the family farm with her sisters. The first Alpha Phi meeting was held in Clara’s room, and Clara was involved in one of the early moments that led to the creation of a new bylaw. Her sisters were not happy with her when she gave her Alpha Phi badge to a Mr. Lombard and they insisted she retrieve it. A few weeks later, members approved a new bylaw that stated, “no member of Alpha Phi society shall allow any person not a member of this order, to wear or hold in his or her possession her society pin.” The badge was returned and all was resolved.

In 1877, she and Dr. Marcus J. William, a physician, married. Two years later,

they welcomed a daughter, Mabel, and adopted two children, Gladys (born in 1887) and Basil (born in 1881). Devoted to her family, Clara, Marcus and their children made their homes in Jordan, New York, Elbridge, New York and eventually returned to Syracuse.

A faithful Alpha Phi, she wrote an essay titled “Old Girl and Days of ‘72” for Alpha Phi’s 40th reunion. In it she shared, “ We thought it would be a fine idea socially to for a circle of sympathetic friends whom we would know personally. We had as our aim the mutual improvement of each other, ever trying to do our best in college work, always keeping a high ideal before us. Never under any circumstances were we to speak disparagingly of sister. We were to be ever loyal to one another, in joys or sorrows, success or failure and ever extend a helping hand to our sisters who needed our aid; truly we planned to be a ‘Union Hand in Hand.’”

Grace Hubbell, Alpha Phi Founder

None of our collegians, and very few living alumnae, have met our Founders. The Original Ten exist for today’s members as stories and anecdotes, inspirations whose legacies we carry forward in the name of sisterhood, innovation, determination and in the name of Alpha Phi. Still, we remember them through their writings, through our history, through stories and memories shared generation to generation.

The opportunities for remembrance feel more natural as I age. Is it because the closer you get to the midpoint of your life, the more you are aware of the fact that there is a midpoint, an end? Or is it because the remembering is essential to storytellers and – dare I suggest – for us all?

As Alpha Phi sisters, we strive to care for one another the same way we care for ourselves. These friends who celebrate us at our best, and forgive us at our worst, often become like family. This care and investment in one another are qualities our Founders exhibited to one another, and which has informed every generation of Alpha Phis.

In this way, you can see our Founders in the smiles of the friends who gathered to celebrate your wedding during the pandemic by hosting a drive-through celebration in the neighborhood. You can know a bit of our Founders by being fortunate enough to have an Alpha Phi sister who strung holiday lights around your dorm room to cheer you up. You can understand a bit of who Clara, Kate, Martha and all of the Founders were when you know your Alpha Phi sisters love your children like they are their own; who check in to make sure you are okay; who hold you when you are grieving; who will laugh with you until you are all crying; who are excited to slip

on matching sunglasses and take on the world together; who will make sure you make it safely home; who will remind you that you can do anything you set your mind to; who will put their life on hold to cheer you on; who grant us the grace to fall short and who will help us achieve our dreams; who will wonder alongside you, “what’s next?”

Burdette, whom she called Gigi, cared for her cousins after their father, Clara’s son Roy, passed away. “I remember visiting her, she was in her 80s then, and how she would wear her lace dresses and sit at her big chair that, as a child, resembled a throne… She was determined and driven and that helped provide each of us unique

We have been fortunate to connect with the families of some of our Founders, and we were eager to learn what we could, whether it be a memory, an anecdote or even a feeling we may not have previously recorded about our Original Ten.

Lynn Marie Armstrong Kelly (Zeta Zeta-Murray State) carried forward the legacy of Louise Shepard Hancock (Alpha-Syracuse), her greatgreat grandmother, and her great grandmother, Nan Louise Hancock Armstrong (Alpha-Syracuse) as an Alpha Phi. Lynn recalls the familial pride that was passed down from generation to generation that Louise had helped establish Alpha Phi. “My family shared stories about what an honor it was to have had [Louise] as such a strong and bold woman, making a path for others at such a young age,” shared Lynn.

Ardella “Ardy” Tibby (Beta Pi-USC), great-great granddaughter of Clara, recalled how her Grandmother

experiences she helped to arrange. Gigi also had a collection of bells, and I remember her asking me to open the case and ring some of them for her when I would visit,” recalled Ardy.

Our Founders are interred in New York, Illinois, California, Michigan and Ohio, but those cemeteries in the states across the country don’t represent where they live. Each time we pass the grip or remember the meaning of AOE; when we enjoy the friendship of our sisters or make time to remember those Alpha Phis who have joined the Silent Chapter; every moment we keep their spirits close, vibrant and full of life – each time we take these actions, we keep them alive for ourselves and future generations of Alpha Phis. I see our Founders in the eyes of each of the Alpha Phis I love. In that way, our Founders live, laugh, and yes, sometimes rest, in our hearts and minds for all Alpha Phis who take the time to get to know their stories.

A Passage from The Answer

From a daughter, to a college student, to Alpha Phi co-Founder, to a wife and mother, that is how Clara Bradley Wheeler Baker Burdette (Alpha-Syracuse) evolved, ever resolute to be of service. In her book The Answer she pens her life story in response to the question posed to her by fellow Alpha Phi Frances E. Willard. Having outlived her three husbands and her son Roy, Clara became skilled at

finding solutions, approaching challenges with logic and bravery and finding satisfaction in supporting others. Inside the book, there are passages of encouragement from her first husband, Professor Wheeler as he lay dying, trying to bolster the determination he knew she had. There are reflections she shares as she recovered from her own illness and considered the role faith played in her life.

Chapter VI College

One day she (Frances E. Willard, Alpha Phi’s first alumna initiate) laid her hand on my arm and said, “Clara, what are you going to do with your life?”

Too astonished to answer at once, I hesitatingly replied, “I do not know – I hadn’t thought about it.”

“I’m going to send you a little book,” she replied. That is all I can recall she ever said to me, but the incident directed the current of my whole life.

When the book came, a little green-covered volume entitled “Nineteen Beautiful Years,” it was the story of her sister’s life, who died when she was nineteen years old, written by Miss Willard. I cannot recall the story, but I do know the influence it left on my soul. The day I read its last pages, I was sitting on the end of the old couch, with the bright flowered cover. The day was one of those soft balmy days, with just enough breeze blowing to stir the maple leaves, so they made dancing shadows on the carpet. The picture will never fade from my memory, the bright flowered couch, the moving shadows on the carpet, and a black walnut whatnot that stood against the wall.

I sat reasoning out what I should do with circumstances which surrounded my life. I reasoned that I could never be a “great lady.” A great lady, as I had thought of it up to that time, was one who went out to the carriage, with a long train, like the purple silk train of my mother’s friend from Madison, Wisconsin, closed the carriage door with a bang, and said, “Drive on, John.”

But I could be helpful to others and honest in my work, no matter what it was. Again my cheeks flush, and I feel as if I was being lifted up with impulse, followed by a settled determination. From that hour, I would give my life to service. I would do everything that came to me to do to

the very best I knew how. I offered a little prayer for help, for this self-dedication.

It has been my purpose to keep the string on which I have strung my beads of opportunity all these years. I had just dusted the room before I sat down to read, but my conscience troubled me about the whatnot, with its little toy dog, china slippers, pine cones, daguerrotypes, and a few books. So I picked up my dustcloth, and with this new impulse, everything on it was taken off and dusted so that if Mother came to look at it, I was sure she would not find any dust anywhere. Bead No. 1.

International Presidents

AlphaPhi International Presidents have the honor of guiding our Fraternity, inspiring our growth, supporting programs that encourage leadership development and reinforcing the high ideals of membership. Those ideals, including lifelong sisterhood, a commitment to innovation, an unwavering spirit of generosity and high expectations for strong character, are some of the same characteristics our Founders embodied 150 years ago.

We are grateful for the leadership our International Presidents have provided, each one celebrating Alpha Phi and encouraging members to make a positive impact in the community.

Martha Foote Crow (Alpha-Syracuse)

Elizabeth Hubbell Shults (Alpha-Syracuse)

Kate Holden Gilbert (Alpha-Syracuse)

Grace Watson (Eta-Boston)

Electa Whipple (Alpha-Syracuse)

Juliette Toll Blakely (Alpha-Syracuse)

Eloise Holden Nottingham (Alpha-Syracuse)

Nellie George Hollett (Alpha-Syracuse)

Carrie Pitkin McDowell (Alpha-Syracuse)

Caroline Shevelson Benjamin (Alpha-Syracuse)

Bertha Gilbert (Alpha-Syracuse)

Minnie Moulding Goodsmith (Beta-Northwestern)

Alice Wells (Alpha-Syracuse)

Jennie Thorburn Sanford (Alpha-Syracuse)

Frances Willard (Alpha Lambda-Alumna Initiate)

Mary Moore (Beta-Northwestern)

Grace Latimer Merrick (Alpha-Syracuse)

Henrietta Coone (Beta-Northwestern)

Cora Stranahan Woodward (Delta-Cornell)

Anne Hersey Cadmus (Eta-Boston)

Elizabeth Northup (Eta-Boston)

May Bennett Dyche (Beta-Northwestern)

Margaret Mason Whitney (Theta-Michigan)

Genevra Gwynn Wiley (Alpha-Syracuse)

Josephine Howard Arrowsmith (Eta-Boston)

Frances Stave Twining (Beta-Northwestern)

Elizabeth Edwards Field (Beta-Northwestern)

Jessie Thompson Balderston (Zeta-Goucher)

Cora Allen McElroy (Beta-Northwestern)

Lulu Rued Webster (Lambda-UC Berkeley)

Alida Vail Forsyth (Kappa-Stanford)

Alice Morgan Roedel (Kappa-Stanford)

Cora Rhodes Henry (Alpha-Syracuse)

Bertha Sawyer Ives (Alpha-Syracuse)

Winifred Goodsmith Long (Beta-Northwestern)

Charlotte Lowe Kittleman (Beta-Northwestern)

Helen Perkins Bull (Iota-Wisconsin)

Ruth Abbott Jones (Theta-Michigan)

Margaretta Orem Lindsay (Zeta-Goucher)

Grace Colton Gordon (Sigma-Washington)

Dorothy Stewart Kernohan (Xi-Toronto)

Emelita Mayhew Cobb (Lambda-UC Berkeley)

Marion Murphy Strader (Beta-Northwestern)

Margaret Coshun Hutchinson (Psi-South Dakota)

Clara Ingwersen Gregson (Iota-Wisconsin)

Marian Wiley Keys (Alpha-Syracuse)

Elizabeth Thompson Smith (Omega-Texas)

Elinor Smith Davis (Gamma-DePauw)

Ruth Knight Vos (Beta Gamma-Colorado)

Mary Macaulay Adams (Xi-Toronto)

Sara Wheeler Hatton (Omicron-Missouri)

Betty Mullins Jones (Gamma-DePauw)

Phyllis Sims Selig (Gamma Delta-Kansas)

Mary Carr Boyd (Omicron-Missouri)

Nancy Wittgen Burks DeVoe (Gamma-DePauw)

Sally McCall Grant (Gamma-DePauw)

Virginia Burson Struble (Beta Kappa-Denison)

Linda Gardner Massie (Delta Alpha-East Carolina)

Jean Cameron Hahm (Gamma Nu-Miami University)

Crista Cate Vasina (Delta Gamma-Northern Colorado)

Laura Malley-Schmitt (Zeta Phi-MIT)

Linda Long Boland (Gamma Kappa-CSU Long Beach)

Deana Koonsman Gage (Gamma Iota-Texas Tech)

Renee Smith Zimmerman Zainer (Beta Epsilon-Arizona)

Jacqueline Schools (Eta Lamda-George Mason)

Katherine Boyle Halfon (Eta Delta-CSU East Bay)

In 1886, Alpha Phi made history by establishing the very first chapter house for women. To bring their dream to reality, they pledged funds themselves, held a fundraising campaign and asked for donations from family and friends.

The sisters planned, persevered, saved and designed a floorplan that they presented to Syracuse architect Asa Merrick, who drew up blueprints and father of Minnie and Genevieve Harrington (Alpha-Syracuse), Chauncey Harrington who coordinated the construction. Together with the help of parents and friends in the community, the members collaborated to bring their dream home to reality. They made history, secured a loan for a home and went to work to bring the house to life.

The Original Sorority House

Located at 17 University Place in Syracuse, New York, the house was officially dedicated on June 22 during its construction when members placed copies of Alpha Phi’s bylaws and other mementos inside the cornerstone of the home. When completed and furnished, the women invited 300 guests to celebrate the milestone achievement in home ownership. The New York Times covered the news, and Alpha Phis remarked that they felt “the eye of the world was upon [them].”

The Queen Anne-style home was in fashion in the 1880s, and the women took pride designing a home they loved. With its characteristic asymmetrical façade, decorative trim and gable roof peaks, the three-story Alpha chapter house guests were welcomed as they passed beneath the covered porch with pedimented roof, but the aesthetic gems of the home were the stained-glass oriel window on the side of the house and the three original stained-glass windows that were donated by Erastus Franklin Holden, father of Alpha chapter members Eloise and Bertha.

For Alpha Phis, the original Alpha house was more than a collection of rooms in the same way that a fraternity is more than a gathering of members; the home was the promise of eternal sisterhood and friendship, a safe place to land and a home away from home. This is where our early members spent hours dreaming of the ways they would shape the future for the next generation of women.

When the chapter eventually outgrew the home and moved into their permanent residence on Walnut Place, they sold the property to the university. The school gifted the charming windows back to Alpha Phi, and they have remained a beloved reflection of Alpha Phi’s past, present and future. Alpha Phi chapters also received gavels made from the original Alpha Phi house bannisters as mementos.

Visiting Delegates

Thein-person support and encouragement our collegiate sisters receive from our Educational Leadership Consultants (ELCs) and Educational Leadership Specialists (ELSs) can be traced all the way back to Henrietta Maria Coone (Beta-Northwestern) and Carrie Park Jones Sauber (Alpha-Syracuse), who created the visiting delegate position during Henrietta’s tenure as Alpha Phi president from 1892-1894. Voted into existence at the Convention of 1894, the visiting delegate was a solution providing support and guidance to Alpha Phi collegiate chapters.

The visiting delegate position was a historic first for Alpha Phi, as no other fraternity or sorority had adopted such a position at that time. Members were instructed upon the appointment of Carrie to the role, “Remember that she comes armed with questions and clothed with authority from Convention, and that her appearance means that the time for rendering accounts has come… her visit will be productive of much pleasure, as well as good to the Fraternity.”

As visiting delegate, Carrie visited chapters for one week to 10 days, and the work proved valuable. Collegiate members were able to learn from her, and Carrie was able to observe strengths as well as opportunities for growth. Members felt the visiting delegate united them closer than ever before. Her confidential reports to the Board were matched with a greater understanding of chapters’ strengths and struggles, as well as clarity around how best to offer support.

Past delegate, Lise Edwards Ricketts (Epsilon Alpha-Ashland) who traveled in 1974-75, shared how things we might now take for granted were different for earlier visiting delegates. “We went from chapter to chapter, arranging our own travel in the days before Uber and car-sharing. When we would prepare to wind down one visit, we called the chapter house of the next campus we would be visiting to arrange for an Alpha Phi to pick us up at the airport and take us to the house.”

In the 1950s and 60s, however, delegates famously traveled with all they needed to make the business side of the operation come together. Susan Brink Sherratt (Beta Beta-Michigan State), who has served in a number of leadership roles within Alpha Phi over the years, including past International Executive Board member and past Foundation Board Chair, and was a field representative in 1980-1981, shared, “We typed our reports on borrowed typewriters at the end of our chapter visits. Personal computers had yet to be widely embraced, so we carried the printed copies of every officer notebook in a heavy suitcase when we traveled.”

Over the years, the visiting delegate has also been known as the Educational Leadership Consultant (ELC). In the last several years, ELCs who stayed on an additional year have been known as Educational Leadership Specialists (ELSs) and in 2022 the Fraternity added the role of Leadership Program Consultants (LPCs), who specialize in developing current and future leaders and programming opportunities in collegiate chapters. What began as one individual who visited collegiate chapters has adapted and grown to the team of 26 ELCs, ELSs and LPCs we have mentoring chapters today. No matter the era in which they served as our visiting delegates or ELCs, these 571 individuals (and counting!) have created meaningful and lasting bonds, not only with the members they inspired as they shared best practices and encouraged growth, but with one another.

Carrie Park Jones Sauber (Alpha-Syracuse)

Since 1888, the Quarterly has kept Alpha Phis close

Whenyou look through issues of the Quarterly, which began in 1888, the presentation of content has evolved and adapted while holding steadfast and shining the light on our members. Whether achieving personal success or making a difference in their communities, the stories of our members and news relevant to our members’ journeys continue to fill the pages of the magazine.

Before the Quarterly, Alpha Phis produced a publication called the Literary Cabinet, which focused on essays, poems and stories. Our publication has evolved quite a bit over the years. As you look through our digital archives at https://alphaphi.historyit.com, readers can take a peek at how our magazine adapted from a literary focus, then to a detailed account of meetings and fraternal news. It eventually shared a large collection of chapters successes across North America

and finally became the blend of news and editorial that we print today. In this way, our publication has captured many of the milestones and opportunities for growth that Alpha Phi has celebrated throughout its history.

What will the Quarterly look like in the next 150 years of Alpha Phi’s history? We hope it will continue to celebrate the strength of our member network and recognize the many powerful ways our members spread kindness, generosity, lead with character and innovate to leave the world better than they found it. We hope the magazine will continue to be led by dedicated individuals whose love for Alpha Phi and commitment to genuine storytelling go hand in hand. We hope our readers will continue to look forward to reading the magazine and seek ways to reconnect with Alpha Phi and her members, both on the page and beyond.

Quarterly Editor-in-Chiefs Throughout History

Cora McElroy (Beta-Northwestern)

Jennie Sanford (Alpha-Syracuse)

Edith Bolster (Eta-Boston)

Elizabeth Northup (Eta-Boston)

Viola Sutter (Alpha-Syracuse)

Cora Woodward (Delta-Cornell)

Jessie Peck (Syracuse-Alpha)

Martha Phillips (Alpha-Syracuse)

Elizabeth Holbrook (Theta-Michigan)

Frances Perkins (Iota-Wisconsin)

Grace Sawyer (Alpha-Syracuse)

Ruth Thomson (Nu-Nebraska)

1888-1890

1890-1892

1892-1894

1894-1897

1897-1900

1900-1900

1900-1902

1902-1906

1906-1913

1913-1918

1919-1919

1919-1944

Marian Keys (Alpha-Syracuse) 1944-1952

Janet McGurn (Beta-Northwestern) 1952-1957

Margaret Hultsch (Beta Nu-Duke) 1957-1993

Quarterly Staff 1993-1996

Lesli Davis Nadolski (Beta-Northwestern) 1996-1998

Anne Pratt (Psi-South Dakota) 1998-1999

Christine Spiegel (Nonmember) 1999-2013

Kristen Mitchell (Gamma-DePauw) 2014-2016

Elisa Drake (Nonmember) 2016-2019

Gina Henke (Epsilon Alpha-Ashland) 2019-2022

Anna Claire Howard (Nonmember) 2022-Present

Alpha Phi Foundation: An Evolution of Philanthropy

Philanthropy

has deep roots in culture and history. As Alpha Phis, living “a life of purpose” with a philanthropic spirit is ingrained in our very nature. From personal heirlooms to lollipop sales and virtual fundraising - philanthropy within Alpha Phi has been shaped by time, passion and the needs of Alpha Phis.

The genesis of philanthropy within Alpha Phi took place at the 1894 Convention, when it was decided that each chapter should find their own charitable outlets. In 1922, Founder Martha Foote Crow (Alpha – Syracuse) famously established the Martha Foote Crow Student Loan Fund by gifting the Fraternity her engagement ring to support the academic pursuits of Alpha Phis.

During the 1946 Convention after the end of World War II, Alpha Phi declared Cardiac Aid our first “peacetime philanthropy.” This declaration would eventually shape the landscape of Alpha Phi collegiate and alumnae philanthropy events. Alpha Phi Foundation was formed 10 years later in 1956. The Foundation not only provided a structure to manage the process of raising funds but was an outward expression of our commitment to advancing the lives of women. By 1986, the Alpha Phi Foundation assumed responsibility for all Alpha Phi fundraising at the international level. The Foundation began to provide funding for educational activities of the Fraternity, such as officer training, Convention programming, leadership seminars, and chapter counseling and assistance.

Today, the Foundation supports leadership training and programming, scholarship, advancement of women’s cardiac care, Forget Me Not Grant Fund and preserving Alpha Phi heritage. In 1993, the first Cardiac Care Award of

Excellence, later to be renamed Heart to Heart Grant, was awarded for $10,000. By 2020, the Heart to Heart Grant increased to $100,000 annually. Since its inception, Alpha Phi Foundation has invested over $1.5 million through the grant, funding more than 30 projects focused on women’s cardiac care.

In 2004, the first Alpha Phi Red Dress event was held, providing members, families and friends the opportunity to support our philanthropic aims through a variety of entertainments, such as luncheons, dinners, auctions and galas. Each year, collegians find new ways to support the causes

important to their chapters. Though not the only theme utilized by our collegiate chapters, Red Dress events became the catalyst for a new wave of collegiate giving, marked by generosity, creativity and innovation. With the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, collegiate chapter philanthropy momentum did not diminish. Collegiate chapters maintained their steady commitment to philanthropy by shifting to virtual events with great success.

In June of 2022, Alpha Phi Foundation concluded the Leading With Heart campaign and set a new standard

of giving. Leading With Heart was a comprehensive campaign with a focus on endowing our Leadership and Heart to Heart funds. With over 16,000 member donors, Leading With Heart’s success was made possible by the many coming together to support one goal.

From lollipop sales to major endowment campaigns, Alpha Phi’s spirit of philanthropy has grown in sophistication while remaining true to our High Ideal of Generosity. Since the early days of Alpha Phi, we set a tradition of philanthropy, a tradition that will ensure our future for generations to come.

Alpha Phi

CONVENTION

In1882, as our members prepared for the 10th anniversary of Alpha Phi’s founding, members hosted the first Convention in Syracuse, New York. The goal was to develop friendly and open communications between the Alpha and Beta chapters, sharing best practices and providing a formal avenue to discuss our Fraternal ideals and goals. In 1896, we moved from annual to biennial meetings, a cadence we continue to this day. Only a few times has Convention been cancelled in 1918, 1942 and 1944 during World Wars, and more recently in 2020 because of the Covid-19 global pandemic.

Many milestone moments have occurred at Convention. It was there we established the Quarterly as our Fraternal magazine in 1888. In 1889, discussions at Convention confirmed the forget-me-not and lily of the valley would be Alpha Phi’s symbolic flowers. In 1922, we adopted the crest we still love today.

We have hosted Convention in cities across North America, from Chicago to Miami, Scottsdale to Cleveland and beyond. Collegiate chapter presidents, chapter advisors, alumnae and leaders gather to conduct Fraternity business, share best practices, honor the important role sisterhood plays in our lives and celebrate the innovation displayed by our members within Alpha Phi and beyond.

Betty Mullins Jones

Betty Mullins Jones (Gamma-DePauw), past International President of Alpha Phi and longtime volunteer, was a talented orator who gave more than 1,000 speeches. She was also a masterful writer and a dedicated Alpha Phi. She often shared her perspective at Alpha Phi events, Greek life functions, in the Quarterly and other publications, and her words echoed in the hearts and minds of those who read and heard her words. She underscored the need for change and often shined the light in places where others may have preferred not to look. She celebrated wins as a fierce advocate and reminded us all that lifting up a sister in Alpha Phi is part of what makes our bond so wonderful.

Betty authored books, was appointed the chairman of Alpha Phi’s standards committee and also served as delegate to the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC). She was also a past president of the Intrafraternity Research and Advisory Council.

Betty joined the Silent Chapter in 1991, leaving behind two daughters, Jody Jones Serey and Sara “Buffy” Jones, both of Gamma-DePauw, and her husband Dr. Alex Jones. She is remembered today and beloved for the way in which she loved us all. As her daughter Jody shared in her mother’s memory, “Nobody ever did, and nobody ever will, love Alpha Phi more than Betty Mullins Jones.”

Below is an excerpt from Betty’s centennial Convention keynote address that reflects the heart of Alpha Phi in which she speaks of the joy that our Founders had in working together to build this Fraternity and what she hopes we all realize about the value of sisterhood. After sharing anecdotes of our Original Ten taking delight in their own antics, laughing, singing and having fun, she continued:

Are we now, one hundred years later, becoming grim and serious about this business of fraternity? In the midst of overcoming prejudice and ignorance about fraternities, in the throes of wrestling with financial problems, in facing the frequent break-down of morality in our society and trying to reconcile our ideals with modern lifestyles, are we losing sight of the reasons for our existence?

Why belong to a fraternity at all? What’s in it for you? It takes a lot of time, and you have to support it financially, and there are all kinds of rules to follow, and “national” has all those reports to be filed and you don’t really need it for housing anymore. So, why bother?

Because human beings need each other. Because we function better with companionship. Because we need to exchange ideas, to talk to each other, to share our experiences, to help each other. Because life was not created to be lived in solitude, without friends.

And because life is not intended to be grim and joyless. Out entire existence is based on finding happiness.

This should be the theme of our public relations – the happiness to be found in membership in Alpha Phi, the joy of being together, the contentment of having friends, the challenge and the accomplishment in working with others and bringing happiness to them, too.

– Betty Mullins Jones

Betty Mullins Jones, Phyllis Sims Selig and Mary Carr Body with Alpha Phi wreath in front of the Frances E. Willard statue, 1976.

The Executive Office

For years, Alpha Phi conducted business through volunteers who were spread miles apart. In an effort to centralize our efforts, and in alignment with the formalization of our initially small staff, we entered the professional office phase of our history in 1920. Here is the brief geographic history of what we know today as our Executive Office, a place where we have welcomed visitors, travelling delegates, collegiate members, alumnae, volunteers and our leaders as we celebrate what it means to be Alpha Phis. 1920

We rented our first office at 17 West 42nd Street in New York City.

1927

1923

We moved to Illinois, relocating to another rental location in Evanston, Illinois.

1930

1952

Returning to Chicago in 1946, we found ourselves on Davis Street in Evanston.

Our office shifted to the Wrigley Building in Chicago, Illinois. 1975

Alpha Phi’s Executive Office moved to the first office they constructed from the ground up at 1930 Sherman Avenue, once again near Northwestern University in Evanston.

We were off to Detroit.

1956 2023

For the first time we owned our headquarters property, located at 634 Foster Street, Evanston, Illinois. It was known as Alpha Phi’s Executive House.

After nearly 48 years on Sherman Avenue, Alpha Phi is moving our Executive Office to Denver, Colorado in 2023. The space, located on South Josephine Street, will be separate from, but co-located with the Iota Xi-Denver chapter.

Expansion

artha Foote Crow was thinking ahead as she reflected, “Now that we have founded the Alpha Chapter of the Alpha Phi Sorority, is this all there is to do?... No indeed...We have all the Alphabet to go through, and to go through again and again...Can we not be a World Society as well as a National One? Yes, there is work enough for all of us and today is no time to be idle.” Our Founders dreamed of a sisterhood that would grow and develop right alongside its members.

Growth began slowly, spanning nearly a decade as a single-chapter organization before the Beta chapter was founded at Northwestern University in 1881. From that very first growth into a second chapter, it was the friendships we built and the ones we wanted to build that guided our expansion.

Each new chapter of life brings opportunities to seize, challenges to overcome and relationships that encourage growth. For our Founders, their drive to establish Alpha Phi as a society for women in 1872 launched the start of a transformative chapter that has connected all Alpha Phis for the last 150 years. Each generation of our members has blazed a trail ahead to light the way for the next inspired and innovative women to step forward.

momentum to establish the Epsilon chapter at Minnesota, the Zeta chapter at Goucher, the Theta chapter at Michigan, the Iota chapter at Wisconsin and, in 1899, founded the Fraternity’s first chapter that was truly in the West – the Kappa chapter at Stanford. That led to more growth with the Lambda-Berkeley, MuBarnard and Nu-Nebraska chapters. With the establishment of our Xi chapter at Toronto in 1906, Alpha Phi became an international Fraternity.

phrase, we saw the truth in the saying “the future is female.” Throughout the rest of the 1970s and early 80s, that same drive and determination continued to inspire tremendous Alpha Phi growth.

Once Beta was established, the Eta chapter in Boston soon followed, and then the Gamma chapter at DePauw all by the summer of 1887. At the 1888 Convention, Alpha Phis discussed expansion and members continued to proceed with caution as we engaged members whose values aligned with those of the Fraternity.

In the early 1900s, following the successful establishment of the Delta-Cornell chapter, Alpha Phi capitalized on the excitement and

From there, the sky was the limit. Connections from member to member only grew as we reached out and welcomed chapter after chapter. By March of 1955, more than 80 years after our founding, we welcomed our 57th chapter – Gamma Iota – at Texas Tech. From coast to coast and into Canada, members were making their communities better by lifting one another up.

By Alpha Phi’s 100th anniversary in 1972, before it became a well-loved

By Alpha Phi’s 125th Anniversary, Alpha Phi had initiated more than 100,000 members. Throughout the beginning of the new millennium, Alpha Phi continued to grow with Iota Gamma at University of the Pacific, Iota Delta at Rhode Island, Iota Zeta at Colorado School of Mines and Iota Theta at Canada’s Wilfrid Laurier. The Iota Tau chapter at Harvard was established in 2013, and fought sanctions imposed by the university on all single-gender social clubs and Greek life organizations. By working together, steadfast in their resolve and valuing the camaraderie of sisterhood, they stood up to the restrictions and they won.

Some of our most recent chapters, like Kappa Iota at Wyoming, Kappa Kappa at Angelo State and Kappa Lambda at CU Denver reflect our desire to welcome new Alpha Phis who believe in the foundation our Founders set out for us: nothing is impossible – if only we have the courage, the determination and the support to see it through.

From that very first growth into a second chapter, it was the friendships we built and the ones we wanted to build that guided our expansion.

Leading with Song

When our current members think of Alpha Phi music, we might reflect on the lyrics of our favorite Fraternity song or hum the melody to Green Green, but if Alpha Phi music were embodied in a member living today, she would be Alpha Phi’s beloved past song chair, Judy Kay Schmidt Mead (Delta Gamma-Northern Colorado). When Judy Kay served as an educational leadership consultant, she loved traveling from chapter to chapter, engaging them through song and contributing to the legacy of our Alpha Phi rituals. Some of Judy Kay’s favorite memories involved traveling with dozens of song sheets to chapters to pass down older songs and teach newer ones that chapters had created.

Alpha Phi songs were passed down from chapter to chapter and generation to generation. Fraternity songbooks were printed in 1892, 1922, 1948, 1968 and 1972. Today, some of these are available on Alpha Phi’s digital history site. In 1996, the Fraternity also had a song manual created with a CD of select songs. Alpha Phi music has been part of Convention skits for years, and some of Alpha Phi’s more solemn moments are marked with songs as well.

Oftentimes, popular tunes were adapted by chapters, sometimes borrowing a melody or reimagining the lyrics to make the song reflect the Alpha Phi experience. Judy Kay shared, “It is important for members to connect

There is nothing more unifying, warm and memorable as sitting together and singing. No matter whether the song is solemn or a little more rowdy…singing provides an eye into the sisterhood. It created wonderful memories and helped strengthen the ties that bind us over the years.

with our music, feeling that the songs of our sisterhood reflect a balance of our history and our present.” Over the years, Judy Kay would also accompany members on her ukulele while practicing songs at Convention or other events because the joy that came from singing together was palpable. “There is nothing more unifying, warm and memorable as sitting together and singing. No matter whether the song is solemn or a little more rowdy… singing provides an eye into the sisterhood. It created wonderful memories and helped strengthen the ties that bind us over the years,” said Judy Kay.

Since the beginning of our Fraternity, welcoming new members has been one of our most time-honored traditions. It is an honor to engage individuals with unique backgrounds, as well as various talents and pursuits, and welcome them to Alpha Phi. From the early days when inviting new members came from one-on-one conversations, to songs and skits as introductions, to today’s multi-day themed festivities, recruitment has evolved as our campus communities and members evolved. Recruitment offers members the opportunity to remember the reasons why they joined Alpha Phi. Each new generation of members strengthen Alpha Phi, the connections her members have to one another and Greek life as a whole.

Alpha Phi has helped refine the recruitment process across National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities. Alumnae Laura Malley-Schmitt (Zeta Phi-MIT), past International President and longtime volunteer, and Tara Reimer (Zeta OmicronJohns Hopkins) also a longtime volunteer, developed

Remembering Recruitment

that is used to determine the number of opportunities each sorority has to welcome members to their chapter. The program has transformed the way NPC organizations approach the recruitment process since it launched in 2002. Today, over 500 campuses use RFM.

The NPC Connection

Panhellenic connections have always been close to Alpha Phi’s heart. Past International President Margaret Mason Whitney (Theta-Michigan) saw challenges and thought working collectively across national sororities could offer solutions, so she invited leaders of seven prominent sororities to what became known as the first formal meeting of the Inter-Sorority Conference (known today as NPC) on May 24, 1902. While smaller gatherings preceded that 1902 meeting, it was following Margaret’s invitation that the groups began working together in earnest.

Bid Days

Todayour collegians may gather together on the lawn in front of the chapter house, meet up on the quad on campus or simply spend their Bid Day getting to know their fellow new member class and their active members of Alpha Phi. Oftentimes they are welcomed with some Alpha Phi apparel or small gifts to make them special from day one of their Alpha Phi journey. But what did earlier Bid Days look like?

through the years

They were as varied as our chapters, each celebrating their new members in special ways that evolved over time. When the second new member class of three members was initiated to the Alpha chapter in 1873, for instance, the focus was more on the celebration of becoming part of the sisterhood. Over the years, Bid Day celebrations often included formal or informal luncheons, gathering to teach and sing Alpha Phi songs and sometimes also introducing the new members to the rest of the campus.

No matter how or when you celebrated your Bid Day with Alpha Phi, we hope the memory of that day lives on in your heart and mind. Consider adding your Bid Day memories to our digital archives by emailing marketing@alphaphi.org.

An Interview with Nancy DeVoe

Alpha Phi’s Most Tenured

How the sunrise looks from the water… how it appears from the mountaintop.

The way the waves feel in the middle of the ocean, and the way they feel as they dance around the shore.

How the stars of the Big Dipper are dotted amongst thousands of other stars in the sky and how they come into focus when you know where to look.

Where the rainbow fades into the clouds and where is seems to touch the grass.

Past International President

by Gina Henke

Life has so many beautiful ways of reminding us of the power of perspective.

Sadly, Nancy Wittgen Burks DeVoe (Gamma-DePauw), Past International President of Alpha Phi, joined the Silent Chapter on June 23, 2022. She was a guiding star to Alpha Phi and to its members for over 70 years, and we owe her a debt of gratitude for the leadership she displayed and inspired in others.

We felt so honored to know her and to have been welcomed into her home a few months prior to her passing to conduct the interview that follows. As always, Nancy was candid, forthright, interested and full of love for the sisterhood we share. She spoke of her family, her most beloved Alpha Phi memories and more. An excerpt of the conversation we had is included here.

Nancy had strong midwestern values: she spoke her mind, she worked hard, she followed through on commitments, she was pragmatic and collaborative. Family and faith were paramount, and she loved a good joke. She led as International President. Her volunteer leadership with Alpha Phi also included service as a

Nancy’s Alpha Phi survivors include her daughters Rebecca DeVoe Brown (Alpha Lambda), Molly DeVoe Tuemler (Alpha Lambda); granddaughter Carolyn Collins (Beta EpsilonUniversity of Arizona), sister Susan Wittgen Fox (GammaDePauw), and niece Elizabeth Fox Mills (Delta Rho- Ball State). She was predeceased by her daughter Cynthia DeVoe Price (Gamma-DePauw).

Present during this interview, in addition to the author, were: Susan Brink Sherratt (Beta Beta-Michigan State), Rebecca DeVoe Brown and Dakotah Lindsay (Beta Pi-USC).

Nancy had perspective that many of us do not – cannot. Her childhood overlapped the Great Depression. Her college years brought unexpected opportunities to lead amidst

District Governor, time on the International Executive Board, in the role of International Executive Board Vice President of Extension, Chair of the Board of Trustees and she also led as Alpha Phi Foundation Board Chair from 1984 to 1998. Her work in both the Fraternity and the Foundation gave her unique perspective that she used to advance our sisterhood.

She understood Alpha Phi’s growth potential and the importance of honoring our past while preparing for the future. Previously our oldest living past International President, Nancy has been a beloved voice for our Fraternity and shared her love for Alpha Phi wherever she went.

After the passing of her first husband, Nancy took the reins of the family business and managed the operational needs of the company, which was a novelty in 1959. When she met her second husband, the two adopted one another’s children and led a life devoted to raising their family of seven together while honoring their roots.

male students going off to fight in World War II. When she volunteered her time with Alpha Phi, she had a front row seat to changes in our culture as well as efforts advancing racial equality and women’s rights. As our Alpha Phi International President from 1982-1986, she recognized that Alpha Phi was a business in addition to being a sisterhood. She was part of Alpha Phi’s renewed focus in the 1980s that prioritized Fraternity fiscal and operational responsibility.

Could she have ever believed that one day nearly a quarter of one million members would not only elect her as our International President and, almost 40 years later, give her a posthumous standing ovation when a video clip of her played during our 73rd Biennial Convention?

Gina Henke (GH): Tell us what you were like as a child.

Nancy DeVoe (ND): I was pretty normal and more reserved. I was really an only child until my sister came along seven years later, but I grew up with very normal parents….And we were very lucky because this was during the Depression…so I remember the people who knocked on the door and were hungry, the people that my mother fed, sitting on the back steps. Those are the kinds of things that people don’t even understand about war today.

GH: When you were growing up, did you know you would attend college?

ND: No. Young people today seem to get on a driven path, I swear, by the time they’re two, that’s what it seems like

to me, but the only thing that I ever remember is that my father spent any time he could saying, “You will graduate from college. You may get married the day after, but you will graduate.” So I knew that, but I didn’t have the slightest idea which direction I was going.

GH: What was it like to live through some of those bigger moments like World War II, economic changes, etc.?

ND: Three of the young men that sat at my table in homeroom in high school were killed during World War II. And our teachers kept disappearing because they were drafted, and that was before we even were actually in war, but that’s what they’d talk about and that’s what they were prepared for. People today simply don’t understand what that experience was like.

GH: It had to have been frightening, even though everyone was experiencing it as the “norm.” That seems like such a hard thing to have to go through, especially during your formative years.

ND: My college years and all, I thought they were normal, but they weren’t. At DePauw, all the young men were gone, except the ones that were 4-F and that’s because they had a physical reason they weren’t drafted…It was after my freshman year when the sailors came in, and they were in the dormitory, Lucy Rowland Hall. It was right across the street from the Alpha Phi house. That was quite an experience because they would come out in the morning early and do their exercises and stuff right in front of the house. Over on the

I had a good time, the weekend I spent there, and when I went back up, I felt at home…and so I just was, I guess, meant to be an Alpha Phi.

other side of the campus, people were being trained to be Air Force officers. One of the guys that was there, he dated the glamor girl in the Alpha Phi house, of course, and he married Shirley Temple later. He was strikingly good looking. We called them fly boys back in those days.

…And they only let the men out for a couple of hours on Sunday, so at DePauw, nobody had a car. I mean, everything was very rigid, but we didn’t know it because that’s the way things were everywhere….The sailors that were right across the street were only let out of their training for two hours. So we [Alpha Phis] all had a big meeting sitting in the big living room in the Alpha Phi house and thought now what can we do to engage them in some way. In my class we had a woman who not only was one of the beauty queens, she was also a musical genius, the one we called Barbara Ramser Reppert. She was our music director and so we just decided, because we all liked to sing….that we would have a sing along. We all sat next to each other, the sailors and all, on the floor. We all just had the best time singing.

And that really breaks my heart that chapters don’t sing as much anymore. It really does. It gives you a lift and it’s happy.

Dakotah Lindsay (DL): Some chapters do.

Susan Sherratt (SS): Yes.

DL: It’s not totally gone!

GH: What do you recognize now as your earliest Alpha Phi memory?

ND: Oh my. Well, probably going through recruitment, rush back then, and they held it early before classes started. I had gone up as a senior in high school to stay at the Alpha Phi house because I knew two of the women there, and my parents knew their parents. I had a good time, the weekend I spent there, and when I went back up, I felt at home…and so I just was, I guess, meant to be an Alpha Phi.

GH: What were those early days like?

ND: You had to make your grades, at that time, to be initiated, so we had to go over to the Alpha Phi house every Monday night and study. And you didn’t have automatic washers and dryers then, so we had these box things, and everybody on campus had them, and you put your clothes in there and mailed them back home. A company washed them and ironed them, and then they came back a week later. And as new members we were sometimes asked to take the boxes down to the mail, which was downtown and quite a few blocks away.

But anyway, we had a wonderful house mother and I remember that the most. I remember the fact that I

Front Row: Mary Carr Boyd – Past International President, Nancy Tucker Arneson – Past Vice President of Program Development, Back Row: Sally McCall Grant – Past Vice President of Alumnae, Sharon Vuinovich – Past Vice President of Finance, Nancy Wittgen Burks DeVoe – Past Vice President of Extension

International President Mary Carr Boyd and Vice President of Extension Nancy DeVoe preside over the signing of the Zeta Pi Chapter charter.

couldn’t wait to go over, because on Monday nights we also had dinner there, and it was so much better than the dorm food, we really looked forward to it. And everybody, everybody in the house was so welcoming and kind to us. I remember that very well, too. It just made a good impression…. When Sally [Grant] and I were there, the dining room was a bit smaller, but we had assigned places to sit, at least by sophomore year, and the social chairman did that. I was a social chairman. I used to like to speak on that, just shows that a social chairman can become international president.

SS: How many members were in your new member class?

ND: Twenty-two. Well, there were 20 to begin with, and then we were

SS: Huge. Again, COB (continuous open bidding), we were just talking about that this morning.

ND: Yes, absolutely. They are a great, great advertisement for COB, definitely.

* Barbara began her career at Women’s Home Companion, followed by time at Collier’s and then 19 years at McCall Corporation where she was the fiction editor of Redbook She then went on to become the executive Editor at McCall’s Magazine. At retirement, she was managing editor of Family Circle

SS: Darn good party, too, right?

ND: And we were all so excited. I went back and talked to the Dean one time when I was a district governor and I said, “Well, I always felt like a failure, because I was not one of the six that had [earned mortar board distinction]”. I was a district governor at that time. I just wasn’t one of them. And she turned around, looked at me and grinned and said, “But look at you now.”

SS: The other thing is everybody grows and learns at different rates, at a different pace. And you made the most of your college education.

ND: In different ways. In ways I’d never dreamed of.

GH: Of all that Alpha Phi had brought to your life, what’s meant the most?

allowed to take two more. And one of them, I mean, talk about... Boy, did we do a good job, because one of them was Barbara Ramser Reppert, who was such a genius. And the other one was Barbara Blakemore, who became editor practically every woman’s magazine there was at the time.*

SS: Maybe they didn’t go through recruitment the first time.

DL: And you had a bunch of mortar boards in your class as well, right?

ND: Well, we had six mortar boards, and I wasn’t one.**

DL: Oh, that’s right. That’s right. ND: I got to have the party for them, because I was social chairman.

ND: There’s so much. It’s important at that age which is why I think Alpha Phi was successful, to be part of a group that has a purpose. Particularly, at the time that I was in college, it was the women who ran the college, because the men were all fighting the war… so it was the women who were the leaders. I wouldn’t say that I was any big leader in the chapter or anything, I was always involved, I loved it. I

It’s important at that age which is why I think Alpha Phi was successful, to be part of a group that has a purpose.

probably met my husband because he went to Wabash College and that’s not that far away, so there are all kinds of connections Alpha Phi has given me through the years.

But I think probably the best part, and how in the world could I not have told you this, was that my chapter advisor was Betty Mullins Jones. Now, could anybody have had a better chapter advisor? I mean, her sense of humor! The other thing is, and my children used to tell me this, is that along the way, in dealing with all the young people in Alpha Phi, it helped me really understand my own children better, and what they were going through.

Rebecca Brown (RB): I was going to say that if she didn’t.

ND: Good.

RB: Because it really did. It made her understand that we were just normal kids.

SS: From your perspective, can you talk about how Alpha Phi, over the years, started to embrace a more strategic business approach while still focusing on sisterhood?

ND: That’s when I was president. The first headquarters, they called it the Executive House….We needed an

office, and I started talking with Joyce Shumway (BetaNorthwestern) who was a director we had. And we were slowly working to become more professional. It was obvious we had to, and we were growing. So, I said, “The next time you order stationary,” which would’ve been right after I was president, “just have it say ‘Executive Office’.”…Back then, there was no executive meeting room. We used the dining room table, and that was not meant to be an office table. And we used to have a board within a board. Now, we have more simplified roles for volunteers, volunteer leaders and we have a staff. The way our structure has changed has allowed us to conduct business in a better way. And the women who started joining our boards started coming from corporations with experience in topics that were important to our goals [finance, development, communications, real estate, membership, etc.].

RB: Mom doesn’t toot her own horn very well, but one of the things you have to be proud of, Mom, is starting to guide Alpha Phi to run more like a business and less like a club.

ND: Yes. I am... But those women thought differently, and you could even tell when they came in the office. I mean when they came in, I thought, “There’s no room in there.”

Past International Presidents (front, left to right) Mary Boyd, Nancy DeVoe, (back, left to right) Sally Grant, Phyllis Selig, Linda Massie, and Mary Adams.

No, there was room. When they came, they knew how to make room. And that’s the kind of women you had to have then, to get ahead.

GH: Tell us a little bit about the evolution of philanthropy within Alpha Phi Foundation, of which you were the Board Chair for a period of time.

ND: Nancy Craig (Beta Chi-Bucknell) and I would go to meetings of the different Greek life foundations, and we, and Nancy’s the one that pointed out, “You know, Nancy, look at this. It’s the ones that are, what I call, standalone organizations, that are the most successful.” And so we started looking, and hands down, that was

true. So I just remember her saying that. I took on the role of Foundation Chair and so when we got back to the Alpha Phi office, I looked at Nancy Craig and said, “Call up the attorney. We have to be incorporated in Illinois,” where the office was located. And that’s when the Foundation really began to take off. When it was its own standalone organization, it really began to thrive.

GH: During the 1970s, we saw a period when Greek life came under scrutiny. There are times when Greek life is more popular and times when it is not, and in the 70s it was not. What was it like to navigate that?

ND: “Mighty lively ghost,” wasn’t that what Betty Jones said? And she was so right. But we got through it. It wasn’t particularly an easy time, but the friendship was important. And the members. The members grew, the women grew, we grew. That’s the reason I think we, that Alpha Phi, sprung ahead, because of some other groups relied heavily on the same approach to every situation, on following what had always been done before because that was how it had always been done. They didn’t listen enough to their new members, and that can stifle progress. We’ve been lucky that we have good members who push the envelope and try new things. And our leaders have valued that.

GH: What is the thing you are most proud of in Alpha Phi?

ND: Our constitution. There was no discrimination, from the very beginning…no stipulations or people who were not admitted based on the Fraternal constitution. All you had to do was be a woman. When universities began asking to see our constitutions because there were some groups that had pieces written in that excluded others, we said, “You have our constitution. We don’t need to change anything.” And we didn’t have to change anything. And those are the kind of things, looking back, really helped us grow, I think. And our Founders had a great advisor in Dr. Coddington.

SS: I think we can all make our suppositions, but I’m thinking, “Those women were ostracized, so he didn’t want them to ostracize anybody else,” whether or not they

wanted to, but I would guess that he guided them to make sure that no one was ostracized. Because why form another secret society and then make people not welcome?

GH: What’s your favorite Alpha Phi song?

ND: Maybe the one that has the lyric, “Dear old Martha Foote Crow!” because it’s so short and so Alpha Phi. The one that the Gamma chapter always liked was the Forget Me Not, the one we sang for Betty Jones.

GH: What are some of the emotions you can recall from your service as International President?

ND: The thing that I remember the most, was after I was elected president, was walking as the last person to enter Candlelight Banquet at convention. I remember

Six collegiate Alpha Phis, Nancy DeVoe, Linda Massie and a volunteer at Convention 1998.

telling others who have gone onto be our President, “Cherish that,” because I did, and one of the reasons was BR was on the piano, and so when we got up close to her, then she hit the Forget Me Not song, and that was so special.

GH: What opportunities do you think exist for Alpha Phi in the next 150 years?

ND: I just want them to go on as they, being proud…and

continuing on as they have. It seems to me, they are on the right track. The relationships we have are so important.

GH: Why do you think Alpha Phi has remained a driving force to empower women as leaders year after year?

ND: Leadership, the proper leadership, smart leadership.

SS: What advice would you give today’s collegiate members so they can continue to carry on the legacy of Alpha Phi?

ND: You can learn so much about leadership in Alpha Phi, and how to get along with other people. You have so many different types of personalities, people from different regions who practice different religions, a re different races, approach life differently, and so you learn inclusion and acceptance as you work together. You learn how to get along in this world. I think you learn a lot about yourself in the Alpha Phi experience.

So, do things look different in the rear-view mirror? Different after the fact? Different as memories instead of in the moment or up ahead? Until you’ve lived it, you cannot possibly know how it feels to run to Alpha Phi on Bid Day and how it feels when you meet up with your sisters still, 20 years later.

Later in life, it’s the memories that surface when you think of what it felt like to meet your chapter for the first time that give you pause. With the perspective of time, you also consider the memories you continue to make together because we know our friends made in the springtime of our youth will be with us all our lives.

Until we live it, how would we know what Greek life can add to our lives? How could we ever understand that the people we share these formative moments with will challenge us, change alongside us and cheer us on, becoming friends and then family?

Until we’ve lived it, we only know how a sisterhood looks from the outside. Thanks to Nancy and all Alpha Phis who came before us, we all understand how a sisterhood can change the lives of the people who call it “home.”

…And we all learned from the Alpha Phis alongside us – especially from Nancy.

to Lead Learning

Over the years, leadership development has been a consistent focus for Alpha Phi. Our members have come together to learn valuable skills they may use to lead their chapters to success and later apply to their professional endeavors.

Alpha Phi members from 1966 attend a leadership conference.

From early best practice sharing and mentoring at Alpha Phi Conventions, to the more modern training opportunities available to members today, learning to lead has always been a priority for our members. Alpha Phi Foundation donors have often supported Alpha Phi leadership programs and opportunities for our members. Over the years, programs have come and gone as we evolve to meet members’ needs.

No matter the generation, members have enjoyed opportunities to hone valuable leadership skills and put them to use on campus, in their chapter and in their professional lives. From weekend conferences, to weeklong Convention, to unique leadership development experiences, leadership encouragement is at the heart of what Alpha Phis have offered to one another since our founding.

Alpha Phi Emerging Leaders Institute & Leadership Fellows: At the Institute, freshman and sophomore members engaged in a five-day intensive opportunity to help them define their voice, identify their leadership skills and abilities and learn how to make practical changes for their chapters and communities. The program evolved into the Alpha Phi Leadership Institute. For Fellows, collegians networked with alumnae, honed their leadership skills and participated in curriculum that inspires members to make an impact in their career and community and strong leaders.

Alpha Phi Leadership Institute: This three-day immersive leadership development experience is facilitated by the Disney Institute. Representatives from all active collegiate chapters are invited to apply and attend. Participants gain tools and skills to lead with purpose, create an environment of trust, understand the impact of their actions and more. They walk away with an understanding of their role as a leader by using values to infuse a culture in building teams of support.

Leadership Conferences & Virtual Leadership Conference: Elected chapter officers and alumnae volunteers take part in the annual leadership training at Leadership Conferences, where attendees gain valuable knowledge and develop skills to use with their chapters and beyond. Appointed collegiate officers also have the opportunity to learn and gain skills for the virtual setting.

Leadership Launchpad: This virtual program targets emerging, new and established leaders with an interest in leadership development.

Congressional Hill Visits: This collaborative program with the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition in Washington, D.C. provides students the opportunity to directly interact with the U.S. legislative process.

Convention: Since 1882, Alpha Phi has hosted Convention to honor our sisterhood. Today, the biennial event shares best practices, conduct Fraternal business, elect leadership and celebrate the innovative ways members and chapters are making a positive impact within Alpha Phi and beyond.

Department Academies: Training and networking opportunities are available for department officers and volunteers in departments like housing, finance, chapter president, advisors, live courageously, house director and recruitment.

Build the Skill: This virtual program developed by the University of Arizona gives participants the space to demonstrate their personal leadership style and apply the principles of emotionally intelligent leadership.

Elevate Your Career Series: Hosted by Sound Advice Careers, these sessions include tips to help attendees achieve career success milestones.

Keynote Series: Incredible speakers connect with Alpha Phi audiences to deliver inspiring messages.

EPIC Alumnae Training: Alumnae Community officers attend this training and networking event to gain valuable knowledge and best practices to help them enhance their alumnae offerings.

Anniversary Celebrations

1897

After 25 years, the Alpha chapter launched an anniversary celebration in the spring to mark the occasion and also establish the Leroy Monroe Vernon Scholarship at Syracuse University in honor of Vernon who was the first dean of Syracuse University’s Collge of Fine Arts. All members were invited and 87, including Founders Kate Hogoboom Gilbert, Clara Sitttser Williams and Jane Higham, gathered for the four-day event. Festivities included theatrical and musical performances, a reception for 300 guests and a banquet. Throughout, letters and telegrams of congratulations arrived at the chapter house, each with well wishes for the anniversary. Attendees reflected on their history and Founder Martha Foote Crow wrote an essay, “A Story of the Founding of Alpha Phi,” which was read in her absence.

1922

In honor of 50 years of Alpha Phi, the Alpha House underwent renovations. The Endowment Fund reached $50,000 by the time festivities were held, and Martha Foote Crowe donated her engagement ring to Alpha Phi with the goal of helping launch a foundation with educational and altruistic goals. The weeklong plans included Convention, parties and plenty of celebration. Founders Louise Shepard Hancock, Clara Sittser Williams, Clara Bradley Burdette and Jane Higham attended for the dramatic celebration of our founding.

1947

After 75 years, Alpha Phis were full of a renewed optimism as the anniversary of their founding was coming after the end of World War II. This year, the headquarters moved to Detroit and the first peacetime philanthropy was established for Alpha Phi with a focus on cardiac aid. Three hundred members attended the September celebration in Syracuse with a formal banquet, speeches, a reading of Alpha Phi’s first meeting minutes and special guests.

1972

Our centennial celebration was held in Arlington, Virginia, with seven past International Presidents in attendance. Dorothy Coddington Robertson (Alpha-Syracuse), granddaughter of Dr. W.P. Coddington, Alpha Phi’s earliest mentor, and Annette Holt Hitchcock (Pi-North Dakota), author of the Alpha Phi Creed, were both present. The American Heart Association, presented a plaque in honor of Alpha Phi’s contributions. Celebration of heritage was key, and the opening banquet honored a century of fashion with 50 gowns from 1872 to 1972. The Michaelanean Award was presented for the first time.

Centennial Seal Medallion

HomefromAwayHome

Alpha

Phis prioritize the time they spend together, and often the places associated with so many of our memories are our chapter houses and Alpha Phi spaces. For some, these spaces may be rented chapter meeting spaces, in-dorm suites or chapter houses. No matter the space, together we experience a home away from home within Alpha Phi. Thanks to 1872 Properties of Alpha Phi, the House Corporation Boards and Chapter Property Committees for each chapter, 138 of our 175 collegiate chapters currently have a space to call their own. From the first sorority house in North America, built by our Alpha chapter, to our most recent house, at Kappa Alpha-UNC Chapel HIll and a beautiful renovation/rebuild at the OmicronMissouri, Alpha Phis always have a home away from home in one another.

Alpha Phi has 113 chapters with bed spaces across university dormitory Alpha Phi floors, our chapter houses and more. Our biggest chapter house at Beta MuAlabama chapter includes 35,137 square feet of living space, and our smallest chapter house is Epsilon Upsilon-CSU Northridge with 1,666 square feet of living space.

It takes over 300 volunteers to help ensure our chapter houses and facilities remain safe, competitive and welcoming for members year after year. In addition, our house directors, formerly known as “house moms,” have been a beloved presence in these living spaces. Their role has changed over the years, from enforcing curfew or helping cook meals to what has become more of a property manager for the facility. Currently, Alpha Phi has 56 house directors.

Anniversary Celebration

The road to October 10, 2022 started back in 1872 when our Founders first gathered as Alpha Phis, and so it was fitting that Alpha Phi extended our milestone anniversary celebration to two years. In 2020, as the world was reeling from the global Covid-19 pandemic, Alpha Phi began the preparations and virtual festivities for the 150th anniversary of our Founding. Led by the Executive Office, Alpha Phi staff and past Director of Marketing and Communications Dakotah Lindsay (Beta Pi-USC), the plans were aimed at honoring our past, celebrating our present and looking forward to Alpha Phi’s future.

Celebrating the Present

Leadership Conference – Collegians and alumnae gathered at conferences in the North, South, East and West Quadrants to receive empowering training and celebrate Alpha Phi’s 150th birthday.

150th Merchandise – From the beautiful lily of the valley glass water pitcher, to the original Alpha House ornament, to endless totes, apparel, jewelry and décor that showcase Alpha Phi’s 150th brand, there were many ways to celebrate our Alpha Phi pride.

Commemorative issue of the Quarterly – This issue of our magazine reflects on key moments in our history and celebrates the legacy Alpha Phis continue to embody today.

73rd Biennial Convention – Held in Scottsdale, Arizona at the J.W. Marriott Camelback Inn Resort and Spa, over 500 members gathered to connect, support one another, conduct Fraternity and Foundation business and celebrate sisterhood.

150+ years young in our pursuit of limitless excellence

175 active collegiate chapters strong

270,000+ initiated members linked together from generation to generation

The strength of our Fraternity comes from each Alpha Phi; our collegiate chapters and alumnae communities; our Founders’ vision; sisterhood that transcends boundaries to unite the past, present and future; developing leaders who aim to make the world a better place and the power of mutual care.

Throughout the years, each chapter, whether active or closed, has been honored with tremendous members who have helped weave the tapestry of our Fraternity.

Honoring the Past

Founders’ Day 2020 Virtual Kick-Off – Members from across the globe joined us to launch the 150th celebration and enjoyed an inspiring message from Past International Presidents Nancy DeVoe (Gamma-DePauw) and Jacqueline Schools (Eta Lambda-George Mason), as well as all living past International Presidents including Renee Smith Zimmerman Zainer (Beta Epsilon-Arizona), who also serves as Fraternity Executive Director.

Founders’ Day 2021 Virtual Gathering – Celebrating from near and far, members took a virtual road trip back in time to understand how the relationships between Alpha Phis helped spur the growth and expansion from chapter to chapter.

Chapter History Sites – Chapters have begun preserving their memorabilia and photos with chapter-specific digital museums.

Living History Days – Hosted at Leadership Conferences, Convention, the 2022 Founders’ Day event and at other times, these onsite digital preservation days gave members the opportunity to bring in photos, objects and other Alpha Phi memorabilia to include in our digital archives.

Heritage Room – At the 73rd Biennial Convention in June 2022, Alpha Phis enjoyed an interactive peek back in time. From Founders’ pins, to video presentations, to a wall of Quarterly covers through the years, to a photo opportunity that put members on the cover the Quarterly, to the massive Alpha Phi milestone timeline and Founders’ wall, there was something to engage every member who visited the Heritage room. Taking center stage was the giant three-dimensional metal cube that was laser cut and illuminated to display our beloved Creed for all to see.

Founders’ Day 150th Celebration in Syracuse – Taking it back to where it all began, the Founders’ Day. Festivities in Syracuse included visits to select Founders’ gravesites, the site of the original Alpha chapter house, the current Alpha chapter house, the location of our first ever chapter meeting and more. A luncheon, dinner and Founders’ Day ceremony rounded out the experience.

Looking Ahead to the Future

Alpha Phi Foundation Leading With Heart campaign – This campaign was focused on celebrating our past and ensuring our future. The $43 million+ investment made by Alpha Phis through this campaign inspires greatness in today’s members and empowers the next generation of women leaders and scholars. The endowment ensures Alpha Phi’s legacy reverberates through our members and our communities so they can lead with heart for years to come.

Digital History Site – Funded through the generosity of Alpha Phi Foundation donors, Alpha Phi’s digital history site: alphaphi.historyit.com showcases publications, objects, photos, scrapbooks and other parts of our history so that all members may enjoy them.

Our Alpha Phi Chapters

Alpha Syracuse

Beta Northwestern

Gamma DePauw

Delta Cornell

Epsilon Minnesota

Zeta Goucher

Eta Boston

Theta Michigan

Iota Wisconsin

Kappa Stanford

Lambda UC Berkeley

Mu Barnard

Nu Nebraska

Xi Toronto

Omicron Missouri

Pi North Dakota

Rho Ohio State

Sigma Washington

Tau Oregon

Upsilon Washburn

Phi Oklahoma

Chi Montana

Psi South Dakota

Omega Texas

Beta Alpha llinois

Beta Beta Michigan State

Archival Preservation & Accessibility – The digital history site work, conducted in partnership with HistoryIT preserves our Alpha Phi archives and our history so that it will be around for the next 150 years. More importantly, the platform allows all members from today and in the future to access stories and parts of our history. When we engage with our history, we are empowered to grow in the direction of our dreams.

Beta Gamma Colorado

Beta Delta UCLA

Beta Epsilon Arizona

Beta Zeta Idaho

Beta Eta Manitoba

Beta Theta British Columbia

Beta Iota West Virginia

Beta Kappa Denison

Beta Lambda Rollins

Beta Mu Alabama

Beta Nu Duke

Beta Xi American University

Beta Omicron Bowling Green

Beta Pi USC

Beta Rho Washington State

HistoryIT preserves the Alpha Phi archives and our history made available online.

What I did not know Alpha

Dear Sisters,

I had a terrific four years as a Gamma Chapter member. However, I was quite sure that my Alpha Phi life was over at graduation, and I looked forward to other adventures. In fact, except for my Alpha Phi bridesmaids, I left Alpha Phi behind while I enjoyed my work and married life in Boston.

After several years my husband and I moved to Northern California. A nice friend of his introduced me to an Alpha Phi from his hometown, and she insisted I come with her to an Alpha Phi alumnae meeting. No one was from my chapter, but all seemed like they could have been. The welcome I felt took me back to my days at DePauw University and I felt at home.

I was quickly involved in a Northern California Founders’ Day and to my surprise, a few years later, I became a regional officer. Almost immediately two collegiate extensions occurred nearby, which meant I hosted Educational Leadership Consultants (ELC) and other international officers from all over the country.

My Alpha Phi circle widened even more when I traveled to Evanston to my first Board Meeting. A few years later, as International President, I had the privilege of working with (and learning from) many ELCs and other volunteers, some of whom have themselves become Presidents. Many of those volunteers are still active today.

My dearest friends today are Alpha Phis from many chapters. I am so grateful to have been introduced to them through Alpha Phi. The strength of our friendships is rooted in sisterhood that makes the vast world around us feel more familiar and filled with love. I still see a few of my Gamma chapter Alpha Phis, and we try to have

Beta Sigma Utah

Beta Tau Indiana

Beta Upsilon Oregon State

Beta Phi Whitman

Beta Chi Bucknell

Beta Psi San Jose State

Beta Omega Kent State

Gamma Alpha San Diego State

Gamma Beta UC Santa Barbara

Gamma Gamma Drury

Gamma Delta Kansas

Gamma Epsilon Lake Forest

Gamma Zeta Puget Sound

Gamma Eta North Texas

Gamma Theta Colorado College

Gamma Iota Texas Tech

Gamma Kappa CSU Long Beach

Gamma Lambda Houston

Gamma Mu Georgia State

Gamma Nu Miami University

Gamma Xi Wichita State

Gamma Omicron Drake

Gamma Pi Arizona State

Gamma Rho Penn State

Gamma Sigma Wisconsin Stout

Gamma Tau Willamette

Gamma Upsilon Wisconsin Milwaukee

Gamma Phi Florida State

Gamma Chi Portland State

Gamma Psi Ripon

Gamma Omega Midwestern State

Delta Alpha East Carolina

Delta Beta Texas A&M Commerce

Delta Gamma Northern Colorado

Delta Delta Oklahoma City

Delta Epsilon Iowa

Delta Zeta Maryland

Delta Eta Adrian

Delta Theta Western Michigan

Delta Iota Roanoke

Delta Kappa Wisconsin La Crosse

Delta Lambda Memphis

Delta Mu Purdue

Delta Nu Maine

Delta Xi Nebraska Kearney

Delta Omicron St. Cloud State

Delta Pi Indiana State

Delta Rho Ball State

Phi would give me

a girls’ weekend occasionally to catch up. I must say that a large number of my enduring friendships over a 50-year period are with Alpha Phis, many of whom I have worked with for the common purpose of keeping Alpha Phi strong and relevant.

Finally, I don’t want to overlook the great friendships made while collaborating with volunteers of the National Panhellenic Conference. I am so pleased to see my Alpha Phi sisters also working together with other sorority leaders to keep our beloved organizations thriving, transforming and forever welcoming to all college women.

For more than 50 years, I have had the privilege of working with Alpha Phis who have strengthened this Fraternity through their brilliant guidance and problem-solving abilities. If I had remained stuck in my post-collegiate thoughts about the ways in which I would leave Alpha Phi behind, I would have missed out on some of the most fulfilling relationships I still carry with me today. One of the best parts of Alpha Phi is that there is always room at the table. With that in mind, if you think that working to build a young woman’s organization and working in collaboration with other great Alpha Phis is for you, I encourage you – give it your time and your investment will come back to you to enhance your life in ways you cannot imagine now. Like all experiences worth having, it’s not always easy, but it is so fulfilling.

AOE,

Sally Grant

Sally is fervent volunteer, a past International President and past National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) Chair.

Delta Sigma Wisconsin Stevens Point

Delta Tau LSU

Delta Upsilon Baldwin Wallace

Delta Phi Indiana U. of Pennsylvania

Delta Chi William Woods

Delta Psi Wisconsin Oshkosh

Delta Omega Minnesota State Moorhead

Epsilon Alpha Ashland

Epsilon Beta Butler

Epsilon Gamma Sacramento State

Epsilon Delta Northern Illinois

Epsilon Epsilon Longwood

Epsilon Zeta Central Michigan

Epsilon Eta Old Dominion

Epsilon Theta Northern Iowa

Epsilon Iota Duquesne

Epsilon Kappa

Epsilon Lambda Texas Arlington

Epsilon Mu Lander

Epsilon Nu Delaware

Epsilon Xi Southern Illinois

Epsilon Omicron Austin Peay

Epsilon Pi Evansville

Epsilon Rho UC Davis

Epsilon Sigma Dallas Baptist

Epsilon Tau LSU Shreveport

Epsilon Upsilon CSU Northridge

Epsilon Phi NC State

Epsilon Chi Cal Poly

Epsilon Psi Lehigh

Epsilon Omega Texas A&M

Zeta Alpha Eastern Illinois

Zeta Delta Iowa State

Zeta Epsilon Indiana U. Southeast

Zeta Zeta Murray State

Zeta Eta Newberry

Zeta Theta Tufts

Zeta Iota Virginia

Zeta Kappa Texas State

Zeta Lambda Southern New Hampshire

Zeta Mu Colorado State

Zeta Nu Texas Christian

Zeta Xi Elmhurst

Zeta Omicron Johns Hopkins

Zeta Pi Case Western Reserve

Zeta Rho Bentley

Commitment to One Another

Since1872, Alpha Phi has been committed to lifelong sisterhood. Our members often share the phrase that Alpha Phi is not four years; rather, for life. The ways in which we continue to care for, love and inspire one another through generosity, strength of character, innovation and sisterhood are built upon mutual trust…it’s the trust that all Alpha Phis will lift you up in love because each member would do the same for one another.

Alpha Phi’s public motto is Union Hand in Hand, an eternal reminder that our commitment to support, encourage and love one another is an action we strive to practice daily. That promise also remains close to our heart. The letters αοε, inscribed on the badge members wear over their hearts, hold special private meaning for all initiated members.

Our promise to do this is also part of the Alpha Phi International Fraternity Constitution, an excerpt of which is shared here:

The objectives of our Fraternity are the promotion of growth in character, unity of feeling, sisterly affection and social communion among our members.

In all that we do, we try to obey God’s principles of justice and right. We have banded ourselves together to improve our minds and hearts, and we seek to aid each other through a constant watchcare always given in love.

We believe ourselves to be sincere searchers for truth.

We seek the highest ideal of womanhood, and we try to gain this ideal by cultivating not only the power and passion for seeking intellectual development but, also, the spirit of love and charity. And we who are thus united are under a solemn pledge to lend a helping hand to one another.

Zeta Sigma Franklin & Marshall

Zeta Tau Illinois State

Zeta Upsilon Washington University

Zeta Phi MIT

Zeta Chi Columbia

Zeta Psi Dayton

Zeta Omega Northwood

Eta Alpha New Hampshire

Eta Beta CSU San Bernardino

Eta Gamma Akron

Eta Delta CSU East Bay

Eta Epsilon Villanova

Eta Zeta Binghamton

Eta Eta Seton Hall

Eta Theta San Francisco State

AOE

– Constitution of Alpha Phi International Fraternity, Incorporated, Article II

Eta Iota Pennsylvania

Eta Kappa UC Irvine

Eta Lambda George Mason

Eta Mu Marquette

Eta Nu SUNY Albany

Eta Xi UNC Wilmington

Eta Omicron Virginia Tech

Eta Pi Richmond

Eta Rho San Diego

Eta Sigma Lafayette

Eta Tau SUNY Cortland

Eta Upsilon Chapman

Eta Phi Stony Brook

Eta Chi Bishop’s

Eta Psi Eastern Washington

Eta Omega Towson

Theta Alpha Linfield

Theta Beta Bryant

Theta Gamma Truman State

Theta Delta Creighton

Theta Epsilon SUNY Buffalo

Theta Zeta Florida Tech

Theta Eta Western University

Theta Theta St. Joseph’s

Theta Iota James Madison

Theta Kappa Rochester

Theta Lambda Central Missouri

Theta Mu Hofstra

Theta Nu Appalachian State

Theta Xi Shippensburg

As these older sisters lighted the fires on the altar of Alpha Phi and never once allowed the sacred flames to go out, I charge you that you as sacredly maintain the trust committed to you, passing it on to those who shall follow you and marking each milestone on the way with the principles on which our sisterhood was founded, uphold her ideals and maintain her honor. Thus, shall you all be indeed ‘Friends to Truth’ and she will bless your life with a wealth of love that no words can measure.

Carrie Parke Jones Sauber (Alpha-Syracuse)

Theta Omicron McMaster

Theta Pi Emory

Theta Rho Cameron

Theta Sigma Southern Utah

Theta Tau Rensselaer

Theta Upsilon CSU Chico

Theta Phi Christopher Newport

Theta Chi UNC Asheville

Theta Psi SUNY Plattsburgh

Theta Omega Barry

Iota Alpha Pepperdine

Iota Beta St. Mary’s

Iota Gamma University of the Pacific

Iota Delta Rhode Island

Iota Epsilon Kettering

Iota Zeta Colorado School of Mines

Iota Eta DePaul

Iota Theta Wilfrid Laurier

Iota Iota George Washington

Iota Kappa Dartmouth

Iota Lambda Connecticut

Iota Mu Georgia Tech

Iota Nu Kentucky

Iota Xi Denver

Iota Omicron WPI

Iota Pi Northern Arizona

Iota Rho Clemson

Iota Sigma Carnegie Mellon

Iota Tau Harvard

Iota Upsilon Ottawa

Iota Phi St. Francis

Iota Chi Yale

Iota Psi North Florida

Iota Omega Ole Miss

Kappa Alpha UNC Chapel Hill

Kappa Beta UC San Diego

Kappa Gamma Southeast Missouri State

Kappa Delta Stevens Institute of Technology

Kappa Epsilon Georgia

Kappa Zeta McGill

Kappa Eta Florida

Kappa Theta Baylor

Kappa Iota Wyoming

Kappa Kappa Angelo State

Kappa Lambda CU Denver

“

”

Please light the candles of these younger sisters.

Thefraternity practice of developing Big sister and Little sister relationships has been one of the most beloved traditions in Alpha Phi. The pairing, revealed in increasingly creative ways by our current collegians, is one that is designed to help members feel that Alpha Phi is their home away from home. Big sisters help Little sisters feel welcome and part of the chapter, encouraging and mentoring them as they pursue their goals. The relationship is especially important as the newer member navigates the process of Greek life and learns how she may take on leadership roles of her own. The Big sister and Little sister are often paired together based on mutual interests and the Little sisters often become close friends with their Big sisters. Like all friendships, the more love and care that each person puts into the relationship, the more long-lasting and meaningful the relationship can be.

Our 2022-2024 International Executive Board shares a bit about how their Alpha Phi Big sister and Little sister relationships impacted them.

My Grandbig, Katie Rice

Neumayer (Gamma EpsilonLake Forest) has been a source of stability, inspiration and unconditional support in my life since the day I joined Alpha Phi! Through life’s changes, ours is a connection that will never be broken.

Allie Winkelman (Gamma Epsilon-Lake Forest), International Executive Board member

Being from a small campus that actively embraced continuous open bidding to welcome members to the chapters, I was fortunate to have several Little sisters. I loved being a mentor and friend to all four of them. As the youngest child and one of the youngest cousins in my family, being a Big sister was my first opportunity to nurture others. I was able to attend three of my Littles’ weddings and remain in touch with all four of them!

Little

If not for my Big, I would never have become an Alpha Phi. She invited me to sisterhood events, and I fell in love with Theta Lambda. Once I joined, she made my new member experience incredibly special by being part of my life and she was a vital part of making me feel connected, not only to her and the chapter, but to Alpha Phi as well.

– Katherine “Kate” Boyle Halfon (Eta Delta-CSU East Bay), International President

Dawn Bauer (Theta Lambda-Central Missouri), International Executive Board member

With Gratitude

Alpha Phi has been advanced through the strength of our membership and the relationships that inspired our members to dream bigger, aim higher and strive to make a positive impact. Here are some of the individuals who have made a significant impact on the way Alpha Phi’s legacy has developed.

Professor Wellesley Perry Coddington

Professor Coddington taught Syracuse University students the complexities of Greek language and literature. This member of Phi Beta Kappa and Wesleyan University graduate was also a preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church. More than this, our Alpha Phi Founders knew Professor Coddington as their “patron saint.” He served as a counselor,

Frances E. Willard (Alpha Lambda-Alumna Initiate)

Professor Coddington, who had met inspiring educator Frances while teaching at Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, suggested Frances might be an excellent addition to Alpha Phi and the members were eager to initiate when she accepted the offer. As Alpha Phi’s first alumna initiate, Frances was initiated behind a curtain in between sessions at the Association for the Advancement of Women meeting in Syracuse in 1875, as she had only a few minutes to spare. She helped improve our Initiation ceremony and she was not shy about recommending members invest in

listening to members’ plans and concerns and advising them on business matters when requested. He was the first to suggest they secure their own house, and he was a designated trustee of Alpha Phi when our charter was signed. In recognition of his mentorship and kindness, Alpha Phis asked him to lay the gray limestone cornerstone at the first house, which contained copies of Alpha Phi’s bylaws and other items.

character development while being in service to others. She was bold and unapologetically dedicated to women’s rights. She famously asked Clara, “What are you going to do with your life?” That question inspired a life of reflection and a dedication to others, recounted in Clara’s book, The Answer. Frances went on to be Alpha Phi’s International President, was the first woman whose statue was placed at the U.S. Capitol and was an advocate for the women’s suffrage movement.

Gratitude

Ruth Himmelman Wright (Sigma-Washington)

Ruth served as an Alpha Phi District Governor in California and Arizona in 1964 and just two years later she joined the International Executive Board. Elected to the Board of Trustees in 1976 and serving as their chair from 1978-1982, Ruth was a strategic leader for Alpha Phi. She was offered the presidency of the Fraternity and declined so that others with fresh ideas might assume the

position. In 1988, Alpha Phi Foundation was leading its Capital Campaign and asked Ruth to lead the charge as chair. While she did not know much about fundraising, she knew how to lead, and she learned. With her guidance, the campaign exceeded its goal by more than $500,000, which was used for Executive Office

expansion, scholarships, the Forget Me Not Fund and other programs. She gave credit to others and bridged generations with her thoughtfulness and commitment to Alpha Phi. She received the Fraternity’s top honor in 1992 and, in her final year, she conceived of ways to prioritize Alpha Phi’s heritage.

Sally McCall Grant (Gamma-DePauw)

Sally initially served on the International Executive Board as the Vice President of Alumnae, and during her term she made presentations to MIT and Boston University to encourage establishment. Once installed as chapters, Sally was their chapter supervisor. After six years on the International Executive Board, Sally became the International Recruitment Advisor and was part of the Collegiate Department. From 1986 to 1990, she served her terms as the International President of Alpha Phi. During her Presidency, her passion for growth and progress was evident. Many new chapters were established during that

time, strengthening the Alpha Phi sisterhood. From 1990-1992, she served as a Trustee of the Fraternity and from 1992-1994 she led as the chair of the Alpha Phi Foundation. She continued in 1994-1996 as the Vice President of Program Development, managing the collegiate department and traveling consultants from 1994-1996. In 1996, she was appointed to be the delegate to the National Panhellenic Conference and in October of 2001 she was installed as the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) chair. Sally is the third Alpha Phi to serve in that role. She served during NPC’s 100th anniversary and was also leading when the organization adopted more than 20 resolutions that changed recruitment for the coming decades, including efforts that created parity for chapters and fairness for prospective new members.

I believe in my Fraternity.

I believe in the friendships formed in the springtime of my youth.

I believe in its high ideals which lift me up beyond myself.

I believe in its earnest drive for good scholarship, moral character, and genuine culture.

I believe in it as a shrine of international sisterhood wherein I may find love and loyalty, sympathy and understanding, inspiration and opportunity.

I believe in it as a creator of good citizenship, helping me to do my work well, to live in harmony with others, and to serve my country and to trust in God.

I believe in my Fraternity.

I believe in Alpha Phi.

Our Creed SISTERHOOD

Alpha Phi Creed by Annette Holt Hitchcock, (Pi-Noth Dakota) 1912