colleges named in honor of a Greek
 

As your purveyor of useless, but hopefully interesting, information about our Greek heritage I was wondering if a college or university had ever been named for a fraternity or sorority member. Thus far I have found six:

Kettering University in Michigan was named in honor of Charles F. Kettering, a Delta Upsilon from Ohio State

Roosevelt University in Chicago was named in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt, an Alpha Delta Phi from Harvard

Rowan University in New Jersey was named in honor of Henry M. Rowan, a Delta Upsilon from Williams

Rhodes University in Memphis was named in honor of Peyton N. Rhodes, a Delta Chi from Virginia

Samford University in Birmingham was named in honor of Frank P. Samford, an Alpha Tau Omega from Auburn

Truman State University in Missouri was named in honor of Harry S Truman, an honorary Lambda Chi Alpha

I could find no institution named for a sorority woman. If I have missed anyone, please advise. Ironically only Truman State has a chapter of the fraternity of the person for whom the instition was named.

I know that you will sleep better tonight with this valuable knowledge at your disposal!

Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, FL -- Mary McLeod Bethune, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Mary McLeod Bethune is such a role model. I never knew she was a DST, though. She did SO much great work for her students, and persevered through so much! Thanks for the info, Senusret!

Just a slight correction: It's Rhodes College, not Rhodes University. And Rhodes College is the instutution's 7th name; it's nominal history might be of marginal interest to Greeks.

Founded in 1848 in Clarksville, Tenn., as the Masonic University of Tennessee, it was later called Montgomery Masonic College and then Stewart College, after its President, William M. Stewart. While Stewart was president, the school passed from the Masons to the Presbyterian Church (1855). In 1875, a School of Theology was added and the name became Southwestern Presbyterian University. The School of Theology closed in 1917, and in 1925 the school moved to Memphis, where it was renamed simply Southwestern (no "College," no "University" added). It later was renamed again, this time as Southwestern at Memphis (again no "College," no "University" added). In 1984, it was renamed the last time, as Rhodes College, after a former president.

BTW, the Clarksville campus became Austin Peay State University.

Just a little more useless yet interesting information to help you sleep better.

I had the opportunity to tour her house this summer, which is now historically preserved and holds some type of archive as well. Her bed room and office were decorated with all sorts of elephants motifs to signify her membership. :) Our tour guide said she was an honorary initiate?

To some it may be usless info, but I am sure many find it very interesting as I do!:cool:

Thanks for the post!:)

MysticCat, have been to that campus and wondered why it was even there. Did not seem that big as many of the original relegious related coleges usually are. Enjoyed that info too.

The Memphis campus or the orginal Clarksville (Austin Peay) campus?

It's purely my non-scientific observation, but at least with the church-affiliated (or historically church-affiliated) colleges in the South, many if not most are relatively small. There are exceptions, of course, which are mostly Baptist or Methodist it seems to me -- Duke, Emory and Wake Forest (the Winston-Salem campus, not the original Wake Forest campus) come to mind. But all the Southern Presbyterian colleges I know of have relatively small campuses: Davidson, Hampden-Sydney, Queens, Rhodes and Agnes Scott are examples that come to mind.

John F. Kennedy, alumni initiate of Phi Kappa Theta.

John F. Kennedy University. It's a school that has undergrad, but primarily focuses on grad degrees. It even has a law school. It is located in a suburb of San Francisco.
http://www.jfku.edu/

Robert E. Lee was the president of Washington College in Lexington, VA during the post-Civil War years until his death. He is considered the "spiritual founder" of Kappa Alpha Order although he was never initiated as a brother. Washington College was renamed Washington and Lee University after he was gone.

This isn't a university...but there's a Pi Beta Phi School. I'm not sure what the official title of it is, but I think it's an elementary or middle school.

That's pretty sweet to have a school named after your entire org!

There's a dorm named after an SAI founder (Mary Storrs Andersen, I think:confused:) at the school where SAI was founded.

I toured Bethune-Cookman College and Soror Bethune's house in 2000. We took photos by some of the elephants that were outside her home, if memory serves me correctly.

She is honorary.

If my greek history is correct, RE Lee is also an honorary initiate of Phi Mu, making Washington and Lee also named for a sorority.

Well, actually they are honorary initiates of the Philomathean Society, which eventually became Phi Mu. I was just reading my Phi Manual and I remember reading that part again because it specifically says Philomathean Society honorary initiates and not Phi Mu honorary initiates. Not too much difference, but I guess they were specific for a reason.

just some random facts i know...

Samford was originally established as Howard College, and when they started to grant master's they changed it to Samford because there was already a Howard University in DC.

Rowan was founded as Glassboro Normal School, then became NJ State Teachers College, then became Glassboro State College before being renamed Rowan.

Truman State was founded as First Missouri Normal School and Commercial College and went thru 5 other name changes before finally becoming Truman State in 1996.