I have been researching Theta Upsilon and my understanding was that Ida Shaw Martin wrote rituals and local sororities went to her when they were interested in becoming a National and she would give them the ritual and assist them...She is like the mother of so many sororities!!

According to the downloaded handbook to which I linked, Ida Shaw Martin said, "Both [Alpha Delta Pi and Phi Mu] were suspended for a few years during the Civil War, owing to the closing of the institution, but were kept alive through the efforts of resident members."

According to the Georgia Wesleyan site, "Civil War [;] Not one year of academic life was lost at Wesleyan during the Civil War, though classes were suspended for two weeks in November 1864, during Sherman’s march through Georgia."

Yes, it's nitpicking, but it's worth noting. Mrs. Martin seems to be such an amazing woman, and I wouldn't try to take that away from her - but she didn't have access to immediate information.

Pas, I am interested in Theta Upsilon also. Did you find a link to Mrs. Shaw with Theta Upsilon. Since that group was founded at UC Berkley, I assumed they would have been remote. I did hear that she worked with some women at eastern schools to start new groups.

As a Tri Delta, I always thought it would be interesting to somehow peek in on the rituals of the other groups she assisted with and see what kind of overlap there is with ours.

She was an amazing woman. I wish I could have met her.

Me, too. And can you imagine what she could have accomplished in the internet age? I can only imagine the level of correspondence it took to compile her Sorority Handbook. It must have been relentless correspondence with GLO officers, campus officers, etc. And where we'd use an easily edited spreadsheet to keep track of information, she was stuck with pen(cil) and paper, lots of paper.

I wanted to contribute to a bit of info...

I do know that Ida Shaw Martin and Mabel Lee Walton were great friends and when Sigma had to give up some of its chapters, I know of at least one of them was "given" to Tri Delta and I believe it was our Gamma Chapter (Sigma Historians, help me out...) and I strongly believe it was because of their friendship.

Also, I think it may have been hinted at (upthread) that Ida and Mabel were both every instrumental in forming the AES.

That is my tiny contribution to this thread.

I revere both of these ladies because of their contributions to both of their organizations, "greekdom" and the world in general.

I know this will probably be misinturpreted, but...
 

As accomplished as Ida Shaw Martin was (no doubt), it's interesting to me (as a Chi Omega, of course) that when Baird's Manual was FINALLY dedicated to a Greek woman -- Mary Love Collins of Chi Omega was chosen.

There were a number of women who played vital roles in their own organizations, AES, and NPC. Mabel Lee Walton, Mary Love Collins, Amy Burnham Onken, Dr. May Agness Hopkins, L. Pearle Green (who served twice as chairman 40 years apart - the world in 1909 was quite different than 1949), and many more. Oh to be a fly on the wall of a random early 1900's NPC meeting!

That is indeed noteworthy. But I wonder if it could have had anything to do with the fact that by the time the Baird's editors finally saw fit to dedicate an edition to a woman (18th ed., 1968), Mary Love Collins was still living, while Ida Shaw Martin had been dead for many years.

True that.

There is a copy of the sorority handbook for sale on eBay if anyone was interested.....it's listed cheap...

Just an FYI....
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Well if anything, Ida Shaw Martin's name is much better know than Mary Love Collins. I think her influence has been felt much farther.