The Grand President who was a Kappa before she was a Pi Phi
 

"How can that be?" you say. "There are rules against that!" Yes, it's true that no one of us can be initiated into more than one National Panhellenic Conference organization, but NPC was not founded until 1902.

Emma Harper Turner was a woman well ahead of her time. Read more at:

http://wp.me/p20I1i-dD

This is a fun blog to follow for those of us interested in early history of GLOs. I wonder how many other women (pre NPC) did what Emma did?

I don't think know, although I am sure some did. More were apt to try to start a chapter of their own organization if they went to another college, rather than joining one of the groups already there. That's how many early chapters were founded. Pi Phi's second chapter was started by one of the founders who went to Iowa Wesleyan with the intention of doing just that. I'd love to hear about any members who may have been in two organizations.

Very Interesting! I enjoyed reading that and had never heard of Emma Turner. Thanks!

I have heard that Sarah Ida Shaw (or Ida Shaw Martin in later years) had been president of Tri Delta and Alpha Sigma Alpha, although during that time, ASA was an AES organization. I have to leave soon, or else I would look up the info, but I believe that she was initiated into both groups if I remember correctly.

Ida Shaw Martin
 

Thanks, yes, I think you are correct. I'm knee deep in something else right now and cannot get myself side-tracked and I know once I go to the bookshelf I will be waylaid for a while.

Another one to serve as National President of two organizations was Hazel Falconer Benninghoven, who served as Alpha Delta Theta's National President also served as Phi Mu's National President after Alpha Delta Theta merged with Phi Mu.

Love it! I'm a big fan of history stuff and am really enjoying your blog. I wonder if you might have an idea about something I noticed in the blog that you linked to? I realize you didn't write the article you linked to about Emma Harper Turner, but I'm curious about it. One line states: "At the 1893 Chicago Convention, she stepped down as Grand President and advocated for the creation of the Alumnae Association, the first for any of the women’s fraternities."

Is there a significance in Pi Phi to the term "Alumnae Association" that makes it distinct from an alumnae chapter? Gamma Phi used to have alumnae associations, which were alumnae groups that didn't have an installation ceremony the way the more formal alumnae chapters had. But our Chicago, Syracuse and Boston alumnae chapters were all chartered at the 1892 convention. And I have always assumed that there were already alumnae chapters in place at that time within some of the other sororities, since Gamma Phi was relatively small then. Now of course I'm totally curious! :)

I also wrote the article that I linked to.
 

Oh, I did write the article I linked to. I am Pi Phi Historian and I write about Pi Phi topics on the Pi Phi blog. I thought Emma might be of interest to more than Pi Phis and that is why I linked to it.

The Alumnae Association that Emma started oversaw all the Pi Phi alumnae clubs that had cropped up across the country. The Alumnae Association met as a part of convention for many years. Prior to the establishment of the Alumnae Association, conventions were gatherings of the collegiate chapters.

Oh, wow, I didn't realize you are the Historian! That's awesome. Thank you for explaining the Alumnae Association, it's a fascinating concept. Do you know how long it was in existence? Did it have a very active presence/function outside of convention? I'd love to hear more!!

Pi Phi's first alumnae chapter was formed in 1882 in Des Moines. An Alumnae Committee was formed at the 1890 convention whose duties "included collecting the names and addresses of alumnae, organizing alumnae clubs and doing general alumnae work." The Alumnae Association provided oversight of all that by officers who focused on the alumnae rather than on the collegiate chapters. In those days there were not any paid staffers or a central office. We still have alumnae clubs and an "alumnae side of the house" as I like to call it, but the alumnae club delegates and active chapter delegates meet in joint session of convention. They are no longer separate entities.