REMEMBER
Long-Lasting Convention Connections by Pi Beta Phi Historian and Archivist FRAN DESIMONE BECQUE, New York Alpha
Sincere Friendship has been a mainstay of the Pi Phi experience since April 28, 1867. From meeting on Bid Day to meeting alumnae from all walks of life, opportunities for friendship are lifelong and plentiful. Many long-lasting Pi Phi friendships have emerged from international events, including conventions. With all the Pi Phi Pride and excitement, what could be a better place to meet new friends and treasure old ones than at a Pi Beta Phi Convention? This tradition goes back as far as our sisterhood. One such Sincere Friendship was formed in 1901, when Pi Phi had only 3,500 total initiates from 30 chapters in 19 states. That July, the New York Alpha Chapter at Syracuse University hosted approximately 90 sisters for Pi Phi’s 17th convention. Among the attendees were Massachusetts Alpha ANNA ROBINSON (NICKERSON) and Vermont Beta GRACE GOODHUE (COOLIDGE), decades before the latter would become First Lady to President Calvin Coolidge. Grace had completed her junior year at the University of Vermont and Anna was a recent Boston University alumna, and the two formed a quick, meaningful friendship. Anna later said of meeting Grace at convention, “I can see her now – so vivacious and full of fun.”
After leaving Syracuse, the two kept in touch by writing letters. After graduation, Grace moved to Northampton, Massachusetts, where she worked at the Clarke School for the Deaf. There, she met a young lawyer in 1903, a Phi Gamma Delta from Amherst College. Grace and Calvin Coolidge married on October 4, 1905, at the home of her parents in Burlington, Vermont. One day earlier, Anna married David D. Nickerson in Malden, Massachusetts. Grace was a charter member of the Springfield, Massachusetts, Alumnae Club and Anna belonged to the Boston, Massachusetts, Alumnae Club. Both served as their respective club presidents, and in 1912, they were both Pi Phi officers. Anna was the Alpha Province President working with collegiate chapters and Grace was elected the Alpha Province Vice President overseeing alumnae clubs. When the 1915 Berkeley Convention was announced, Anna and Grace — among other East Coast Pi Phis — were preparing to make the long trip to California. To make the most of the trip, they joined a group of 15 Pi Phis who travelled from Boston to Chicago on a special train car. That car joined the “Pi Phi Special” the rest of the way to California. It was essentially a Pi Phi party before
Below: Attendees of the 1901 Convention in Syracuse, New York, including Anna and Grace. The two kept in touch following the Syracuse Convention and would later start Round Robin letter-writing with fellow attendees of the 1915 Convention in Berkeley, California.
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