Happy Founders' Day Alpha Sigma Alpha
 

Alpha Sigma Alpha was founded on November 15, 1901 at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) in Farmville, Virginia. Its founders had been asked to join some of the other sororities on campus, but they wanted to stay together. The five, Virginia Lee Boyd (Noell), Juliette Jefferson Hundley (Gilliam), Calva Hamlet Watson (Wootton), Louise Burks Cox (Carper) and Mary Williamson Hundley, started their own sorority; they called it Alpha Sigma Alpha.


(Sarah) Ida Shaw Martin, who as a collegian at Boston University was a founder of Delta Delta Delta, played an integral role in Alpha Sigma Alpha's early history. Martin had written the Sorority Handbook, first published in 1907. She was an expert on women's fraternities/sororities.


Alpha Sigma Alpha sought Martin's help in 1913. While 13 chapters had been installed, only the Alpha chapter was viable. Martin encouraged the organization to consider extension to the Pi Alpha Tau organization at Miami University. In May 1913, the Pi Alpha Taus became an Alpha Sigma Alpha chapter. Alpha Sigma Alpha realized Martin's knowledge and assistance could help the group grow. She was elected its National President. Although she never presided at a convention, she was guiding the proceedings from behind the scene. Martin led Alpha Sigma Alpha until 1930, when Wilma Wilson Sharp was elected National President.

The post is at:
http://wp.me/p20I1i-sJ

Happy Founders' Day ASA!

I read the blog post, and it sounds like Ida Shaw Martin was an initiated ASA. Is that true ASAs? I don't think I ever realized that. I guess that makes sense since at the time you could be a member of two groups (and later an NPC group and an AES group).

Ida Shaw Martin
 

She was an intriguing figure and I am in the middle of a post about her that I hope to be finished with before Tri Delta's Founders' Day. I suspect I put in too much about Ida Shaw Martin in the ASA post, but she truly played a very large role in its early years.

It has been said that she "expanded her fraternity outreach beyond Tri Delta and began a thirty-year engagement as a professional Greek consultant."

She founded Pi Lambda Sigma (it became part of Theta Phi Alpha), Theta Upsilon, Lambda Omega and Pi Delta Theta.

I do not know if she was an initiated member of ASA, but I suspect she was and I wouldn't doubt her influence in its inner workings. She had the knowledge and the presence and she absolutely loved those things.

Happy Founder's Day to my Farmville Four cousins! You all have such a fascinating history.

Happy, happy Founders' Day!

Was it true Ida Shaw Martin made changes in ASA and tried (or succeeded) to oust some of the early leaders?

Happy Founders Day! I'm saluting ASA on my FB page today (I'm saluting each of the 26 NPCs this month, one per day, on my status. My friends always ask me about my sorority membership, and I'm educating them, one chapter at a time!!!)

The most gratifying part of my FB status project has been reading the creeds and purposes of the different sororities/fraternities as I share a little blurb on my status update. I've heard from many of my FB sorority friends regarding this. One of my FB friends shared that she has her creed posted on her mirror and she reads it every morning. That is totally inspiring to me. What great thoughts to hold in your head and your heart as you go out into the world! (She knows who she is, I'm not outing her here, but I sure do <3 her and so do a lot of other people).

nyapbp, thanks for your Panhellenic spirit and sharing with us.

Happy Founders' Day to you!

Thank you for the well wishes, everyone! everyone who gave them, that is

I dug up the article on ISM that Nora Ten Broeck (our current national prez) wrote for the Phoenix several years ago. ISM was "elected to sorority membership" by Alpha and Pi Tau (later to be the Alpha Alpha) chapter in 1913, so yes, I would say she was initiated.

In the late 20s let's just say that she did some things that weren't the coolest and made several of the institutions where we had chapters question ASA as an entity. (I personally think her health problems played a part in some of the poor decisions she made.) In 1930 she was removed as president.

Yep it's not pretty, but I liken it to Donald Trump or someone coming in and saving your company when you're in trouble. (We had lost many of our earliest chapters in the South and were down to 4, three of which we surrendered to other groups. I believe ZTA also lost chapters at some of the same schools, due to the anti-Greek sentiments at the time.) It's hard for them to give it up and give it back to the members to run. I would never want to forget or sweep this part of our history under the rug, though - to me it fits perfectly with our symbol of the Phoenix rising from the ashes. :)

I think the history is fascinating!

I would love to have met Ida Shaw Martin and many other early leaders. Their level of dedication to the "cause" was truly inspiring!

Happy Birthday, ASA!!

Thanks for sharing. I see no reason to be ashamed. It makes ASA unique and I'm sure colors a lot of your organizations views and decisions. I love the idea of the Phoenix. What does not kill you only makes you stronger! Happy Founders' Day! I'm happy your dedicated sisters, including Mrs. Martin, were able to resurrect ASA for future generations.

Happy founders' day!

ASA - and Theta Phi - will always hold a special place in my heart, as I came from a small Greek system where our 3 chapters experienced many of the same membership struggles and worked hard to make it known that Greeks are more than just letters on a shirt and bad stereotypes. Many of my college friends are ASAs and I have nothing but love and respect for all of them.

Enjoy the day, ladies! :)

Happy Founders Day Alpha Sigma Alpha!!

Happy founders day!