[Sciencewoman]

I'm interested in reading that other post once you write it. I'm curious about when the word sorority became more commonly used across NPC. I am a Beta chapter initiate, so the history of the word is familiar to me. I wear a historic Beta chapter badge from 1919 that was given to me by the original initiate, a close friend of my family who initiated 63 years before me. I also have some very old possessions of her's that were found in her nursing home room when she died at age 98...including her chapter directories from 1924 and 1964, and a 50th anniversary history book from 1932. There was also a receipt for a $10 donation she made to the building fund in 1929! Next month we have our Convention in Denver, and there will be a tour of our IHQ. I really need to take those documents with me for the archives/museum, but it is hard to think about parting with them. I have approval to wear the badge, but she gave that to me when she was only 82. I didn't know she had the other things until she died, and it means so much to me that she brought them with her to the nursing home! She was frail, but very sharp, until her death.

Trivia: Prof. Frank Smalley's sister, Honta Smalley Bredin, was a Gamma Phi Beta at the University of Michigan, but I think he coined the term before she was initiated, because he was at Syracuse and she was not one of the charter members of Beta chapter. I've always been curious about the story behind that, and what impact this had on her joining Gamma Phi Beta herself. I suppose it was a very small world back then what with how few women went to college, and the networking must have been strong.