What It Means to Recolonize: Illinois Alpha’s Story
This cabinet card, the old-fashioned version of a yearbook photo, of Minnie McDill Michael is part of Western Illinois University’s digital image collection.
This post is courtesy of Historian Fran Becque as part of her continuing series on Pi Phi heritage.
May 25, 1928 was a very special day for Pi Beta Phi as the Alpha Chapter at Monmouth College was reinstalled. It was a joyous occasion and five of the six living Founders – Libbie Brook Gaddis, Clara Brownlee Hutchinson, Fannie Whitenack Libbey, Inez Smith Soule, and Margaret Campbell – attended the festivities. The Founders reveled in the knowledge that their beloved Pi Beta Phi was back on the Monmouth campus. The decades melted away and they were young schoolgirls once again.
The potent force behind the reinstallation was Minnie McDill McMichael, Illinois Gamma, and wife of Monmouth College President, Dr. Thomas H. McMichael. Minnie McDill was initiated into the Illinois Gamma Chapter at Carthage College in 1886. She graduated from Monmouth College where she met her husband and they married in 1890. Her husband later succeeded his father, Dr. J. B. McMichael, as President of Monmouth College.
In the early 1880s, Monmouth College ordered all fraternities to disband. Pi Beta Phi’s Alpha Chapter continued to exist sub rosa (underground) and members were initiated as late as 1883. At the 1884 Iowa City Convention, the Alpha Chapter was asked to give up its charter. From 1899-1910, a group of Monmouth female students established a secret society called Zeta Epsilon Chi in hopes of gaining a Pi Beta Phi charter. But in 1910, the college banned all local fraternities and Zeta Epsilon Chi ceased to exist.
The trustees reopened Monmouth College to local fraternities in 1922. Sponsored by the former members of Zeta Epsilon Chi and the local Pi Beta Phi alumnae, Zeta Epsilon Chi re-emerged with Pi Beta Phi’s Alpha Chapter charter as its ultimate goal.
In 1927, Monmouth College decided to invite national fraternities back to campus. Mrs. McMichael and her husband were eager for Pi Phi to be one of the first to return. They drummed up support from the Founders with special delivery letters. Inez Smith Soule wrote: “I appreciate your kindness in writing me and your desire expressed for Pi Beta Phi to be re-established in our dear Monmouth College, where if the doors are thrown open to any National Fraternity ours should be the first, having had its beginnings there. We are working and hoping that the good works of many Pi Phis will bring about the happy day while we of 1867 are here to participate in the homecoming. I hope the representative you are sending will be the means of hastening the coming true of our dream. I plan to attend convention. As you suggest, if given the opportunity, I will try to take part in helping the worthy cause to win.”
Margaret Campbell concurred: “It would give me much pleasure to see Pi Beta Phi (‘I.C.’) ‘come back home.’ Do all you can to bring it back…tell them it would make the Founders very happy to see it back in ‘Dear Old Monmouth College.’”
Learning that there might be opposition to approving the charter grant by convention vote, Dr. McMichael persuaded Clara Brownlee Hutchinson, at age 79, to accompany him and Mrs. McMichael to the Pequot Convention at Breezy Point Lodge. Dr. McMichael and others spoke eloquently in favor of the return to Monmouth College to the convention members while Mrs. Hutchinson, as was her custom, remained silent. A vote was taken and it was unsuccessful. During the embarrassing lull that followed, Mrs. Hutchinson rose to her feet. Although she was known as the shy, timid Founder, and had never addressed a gathering of any size, she spoke simply and directly to the convention body. When she finished speaking, a second vote was taken and the vote carried unanimously. In the end, the one who considered herself the lowest among the Founders, was able to do the most for her own chapter. The convention empowered Grand Council to grant a charter to Zeta Epsilon Chi, in the interim of convention, should college and group conditions warrant this action.
Mrs. McMichael then started planning as the Zeta Epsilon Chis needed to be inspected by Fraternity officers. Jennie Horne Turnbull wrote to Grand Council expressing her support: “For years I have longed that Pi Beta Phi might again have a chapter in dear old Monmouth College, and I know that I am not alone in this desire. It would delight the hearts of the Founders to know that we were once again back in the Mother College after years of wanderings here and there. To be received back to the place of our birth at our 60th anniversary would rejoice the hearts of those to whom the Fraternity is so dear. Sixty years ago when we were making plans for the then I.C. Sorosis, such a thought of Monmouth being deprived of a Pi Beta Phi chapter never entered our minds, and this very fact has always been a source of disappointment to the Founders and a question of why to many of the Fraternity, especially here in the east. That this disappointment may be removed I am, as one of the Founders, asking that you give this your serious consideration and that you may see your way clear to give to Monmouth College a chapter in our beloved Pi Beta Phi Fraternity.”
Once the Zeta Epsilon Chis passed muster, plans needed to be made for the installation festivities. Letters went back and forth and Grand President Amy Burnham Onken, thinking arrangements could not be made in time for the May date that Mrs. McMichael favored, asked Mrs. McMichael to reschedule it for a later date.
Mrs. McMichael proved that she could put the event together on short notice. She oversaw the details as Miss Onken initiated 21 collegians and 23 Zeta Epsilon Chi alumnae, and brought Pi Beta Phi back to its home. Dr. McMichael and the Four Literary provided the Fraternity with the entire third floor of Wallace Hall for its private use during the installation. Lena Lee Powell, Illinois Delta, and Adaline Ward Barnum, Iowa Alpha, served as chairmen. A luncheon was given by Phi Delta Sigma (the local chapter that became Alpha Xi Delta) and a breakfast given by Kappa Alpha Sigma (the local chapter that became Kappa Kappa Gamma). These courtesies, it was noted, “welcomed Pi Beta Phi in a most delightful manner and promised much for the Panhellenic fellowship at Monmouth.”
This In Memoriam notice was published in the February 1928 edition of The Arrow.
The pledging of Zeta actives and alumnae took place at Woodbine, the McMichael’s home. The Monmouth Alumnae Club and the Zeta alumnae hosted individual meals. The chapter gave the formal banquet on Thursday evening. On Friday afternoon, a group of Pi Phis and Zeta Epsilon Chis made their way to the cemetery to visit the grave of Emma Brownlee Kilgore. Flowers, gifts and congratulatory messages came from far and wide and included a note from First Lady, Grace Goodhue Coolidge, Vermont Beta.
With the reinstallation, Mrs. McMichael obtained a Pi Phi daughter. Lois McMichael Vincent, the McMichael’s daughter, graduated from Monmouth in 1913. She was among the alumnae initiated when the chapter was reinstalled.
Mrs. McMichael passed away from what was called “heart trouble” less than a year after overseeing the activities that brought Illinois Alpha back to Monmouth College. Obituaries indicate that she had been in poor health for four or five years after having had a limb amputated. She had been “in bed for only a week and her condition was not believed critical.” Her death on January 5, 1929 came as a “distinct shock to college students and townspeople.” Although she may have been in pain during the time that she devoted herself to bringing Pi Beta Phi to the Monmouth campus, she persevered and played an integral role in the chapter’s installation. On this anniversary of Pi Phi’s reinstallation at Monmouth College, Pi Beta Phi honors the lifelong service of Minnie McDill McMichael.
Celebrating 125 Years of Michigan Alpha: Part Four
In honor of Michigan Alpha’s 125th Anniversary, more than 250 alumnae and collegians converged on Hillsdale College for a weekend of events. The following stories, written by Michigan Alpha collegians, were shared during the celebration.
By Anne Morath, Michigan Alpha Senior
Collegians pose for a picture with Grand President Mary Loy Tatum while bowling.
Making my college decision was not easy. Filled with anxiety about choosing the wrong school, I tossed back and forth with fear about failing to follow God’s will in my life.
Because of this, at my Hillsdale visit I tirelessly examined every detail hoping for some grand mystical sign from God that would convince me that Hillsdale was the place for me. During that visit I had the privilege of meeting some Michigan Alpha women. The moment I walked into the house, girls everywhere spoke to me with kindness and interest. They asked me questions about myself and my decision and offered words of wisdom, even though I was a seemingly inconsequential prospective student. It was truly an amazing experience.
Though it was not quite written in the stars or prophetically spoken, I knew I loved this house right away, and in those moments, God assuaged some of my fears about college. I had seen a true home, filled with women united in a common purpose and bound by love for one another.
From this example, I knew I too had found a home at Hillsdale College and in the Michigan Alpha Chapter of Pi Beta Phi. When January finally came, I remember rushing down the steps of Central Hall, tears streaming, falling into the arms of my new sisters. I was a Pi Phi at Hillsdale at last. The last four years have been an adventure, discovering all that being a Michigan Alpha entails. By peeling back the layers of history and by resurrecting the stories buried deep in Michigan Alpha memory, it has become apparent to me that the women of this chapter hold one thing most dear about their Pi Phi experience. It is this one thing that defines, at least to me, what it means to be a Pi Phi at Hillsdale College. Just like my first impression of this place, this house actually became, and is continually becoming, a home filled with enduring friendship to all who wear the golden arrow and silver blue.
However, unlike my first impression, I discovered that for something to truly become a home, you have to not only recognize its merits but also its failures. As Hillsdale students we are always taught to believe in the ideal, yet we forget this world is fallen, this world will never match up. So it is with Pi Phi and with Michigan Alpha. Yet, as we see with Christ, and as I see with Pi Phi, it is the beauty that shines through the flaws that makes all the difference and makes this house what it is. For what other reason would this incredible organization be founded if not for the improvement of women? Our founders had a vision, that I see beautifully albeit imperfectly implemented in this chapter. We Michigan Alpha’s can all recall a time when we were hurt by a sister or wounded another. Yet, the beauty remains and this home, however flawed, is still a place of acceptance and friendship.
My best memories are here with these real women, all imperfectly striving toward the same goal, a most noble womanhood. I have many fun memories such as the whole house having impromptu dance parties, road-tripping to Arrowmont with Marianna and Morgan, tribal dancing with Abba on our front lawn and being suddenly woken up at 8am after a Pi Phi, who shall remain nameless, set off the fire alarm with her hair dryer.
However, it is not only fun memories I will carry, but also the profoundly meaningful ones such as falling asleep next to my big, Marissa, the night before her graduation, wishing desperately she would stay another year, reading Juliann’s poems that put words to the sentiments of her beautiful heart, watching my roommate, Emily, suffer through the grief after losing her father and sharing my heart with my little, Bond, the most kindred of all spirits.
These are the memories that have made my Pi Phi experience the blessing it is today. And they are a constant reminder that Pi Phis are real women. We cry, laugh, yell, play pranks, fight, face-plant during recruitment and most of all love one another everyday as best as we can. I am sure all Michigan Alphas and Pi Phis across the country remember not only the rituals that bind us, the values that guide us and the letters that unite us, but more than anything, the women who changed us. Pi Beta Phi and Michigan Alpha has produced women of poise, dedication and exemplary integrity generation after generation. And I pray that Pi Phi continues to do so.
These women stand in line with that tradition. They have made my Pi Phi career one of my most treasured and beautiful memories. For without them, college would have been so different, and I am thankful every day that Pi Phi has given me the opportunity to know them, flaws and all. For here at Pi Beta Phi I have found a true home, and as Mother Teresa once said, “Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do…but how much love we put in that action.”
Celebrating 125 Years of Michigan Alpha: Part Three
In honor of Michigan Alpha’s 125th Anniversary, more than 250 alumnae and collegians converged on Hillsdale College for a weekend of events. The following stories, written by Michigan Alpha collegians, were shared during the celebration.
By Vice President of Communications Amelia Kerton, Michigan Alpha Junior
Amelia Kerton spoke at the Michigan Alpha celebration and detailed her story of what sisterhood meant to her.
This fall, I was finally able to move into the Pi Phi house. Living in a house with 36 of your best friends is probably one of the coolest things a girl can do during college. As Claire would say, it’s entirely copacetic. When I moved into Room 6, I was gifted a beautiful purple patchwork quilt. Most of the patches are adorned with the letters of Pi Beta Phi, one has pearls sewn into it and a handful of them are covered in glittery fabric. It’s the perfect sorority girl quilt and is a collection of unique patches all stitched together with the love of sincere friendship.
Two years ago, going through recruitment, I couldn’t have imagined the ways in which my life was about to change. During preference party I remember gazing at the Pi Phi seniors in awe. They were truly noble women who carried themselves with grace and dignity. I knew I wanted to be their sister.
In my time in the house, I have been pushed and challenged by the upper-class ladies to achieve the potential they saw in me. I’ve fought side by side with sisters for Greek Week volleyball games and IM basketball championships. Thanks to Pi Phi study pointers, I even managed to squeeze onto the Dean’s list—at least for just the one semester. I’ve been taught how to dance by Amanda Konarske and Marianna Ernst, and even crafted tutus with my roommate. The laughter, the tears, the love, the pain and overall memories have completely made my college experience.
But this summer, these angels lifted me up when I needed them the most. They have been the greatest blessing this past year. Nine months and nine days ago, I was driving on a highway and my little red beetle was t-boned on the driver’s side. The EMTs had to jaws-of-life my door to pull me from the wreckage and I suffered a traumatic brain injury.
To this day I still can’t remember anything from the next three days. The thick fog that seemed to replace my brain slowly began to clear and the first thing I can remember was my Pi Phi roommate, Ashley, decorating the boring walls of my hospital room with an explosion of Pi Phi. At this point I was still confined to a wheelchair and strapped into a neck brace, and all I wanted to do was convince Ashley that I was ok and would be fine. From the tears overflowing her eyes I knew I didn’t do a very good job convincing her. That night, as I lay alone in my bed, Pi Beta Phi wall letters smiled back at me from across the room. Those three letters symbolized all that Pi Phi had been for me: the friends who became sisters and the house that became a home. Alone in my room, with the sporadic beepings of a hospital as my soundtrack, I felt surrounded by memories of wine and blue—and I wasn’t alone, not really.
Word of my accident spread like wild fire and as soon as the next day, letters, prayers, balloons and flowers began pouring in from Pi Phis across the country. I felt blessed beyond anything I had ever known.
It was a difficult summer, but the continual flood of well wishes and sisterly visits once I made it home helped me through. Miraculously, I was allowed to go back to school in the fall—and I mean that literally. Doctors told me that there was no way I could return to Hillsdale so soon, but I guess they didn’t understand the healing power of hundreds of praying Pi Phi angels.
Arrow Artwork at Hillsdale College. The banquet room coincidentally was adorned with a permanent arrow-shaped piece of art.
As I began moving into the house, every sister I ran into met me with a giant bear hug showing me that I had come home to Michigan Alpha. In our first chapter meeting of the year, these angels surprised me with the gift of a beautiful purple patchwork quilt. Ashley had collected patches of purple covered in encouragement, angel wings and arrows from my sisters. My whole life I’ve been a self-reliant girl who had trouble asking for help, but in my time of struggle—without me even asking—my sisters gave me the love and support I so desperately needed.
The charity of my sisters didn’t stop at the quilt. Girls were constantly asking if they could help me study while I struggled with schoolwork trying to recover from a brain injury. They offered to step in and help me plan Relay for Life and basically forced me to delegate, which has never been a strength of mine. During every random, irrational and emotional breakdown, when I was convinced I would never graduate from Hillsdale, sisters were there to convince me I was being ridiculous. And, probably most importantly, when my parents genuinely asked me last December if I wanted to transfer schools, I knew the answer before the question was even finished. Pi Phi has rooted me here and convinced me that persevering will be worth it—Hillsdale says that strength rejoices in the challenge, or something like that. But I’ve come to understand that strength can only rejoice in the challenge when strength is surrounded by sincere friendship that builds it up with love and support.
These women and this sisterhood is responsible for who I’ve become since the moment Pi Phi invited me to join their sisterhood. I owe so much to this house for everything they’ve done for me in the past year. They’ve kept me here, they’ve kept me sane and they’ve kept me striving. I am so humbled by these women.
The closest I’ve come to finding words to explain my Pi Phi sisters was something I found in the Bible this year. It’s from Psalm 91, verses 11 and 12. It says, “For he will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” My sisters have carried me this year and for that I will never be able to repay them. Each night I fall asleep under a purple quilt of compassion and thank God for the angels he sent to protect and guide me. Every day, I thank God for Pi Beta Phi.
Celebrating 125 Years of Michigan Alpha: Part Two
In honor of Michigan Alpha’s 125th Anniversary, more than 250 alumnae and collegians converged on Hillsdale College for a weekend of events. The following stories, written by Michigan Alpha collegians, were shared during the celebration.
By Kelly Scott, Michigan Alpha Sophomore
No Michigan Alpha celebration is complete without our favorite cookies!
Had you asked me two years ago if I would join a women’s fraternity, my answer probably would have been a “no.” That’s if I could have made it through my laughter. You see, before coming to Hillsdale, my image of sorority life was much like “Legally Blonde.” In my mind, sorority girls did three things: lounged by the pool, rode bicycles in designer shoes and waited for a ring from their picture-perfect boyfriends. However, once my freshman year began, I soon realized how wrong that image was.
Through all of my encounters with the Pi Beta Phis, I was blessed to see examples of strong, confident, intelligent, poised and beautiful women. From the leader of my freshman year Bible Study, who prayed with me as I contemplated returning from break for formal recruitment, to the girls I met during the Honors Program’s retreat, one of whom would become my dear Big Sister, I saw that Michigan Alphas weren’t what I expected, but they were everything I wanted to become.
During recruitment, I learned about the academic support and leadership opportunities this house could give me. I heard impressive statistics about how Pi Phis are leaders of more than a third of the college’s GOAL volunteering programs, that the house’s average GPA is higher than the all-campus women’s average, and how the skills gained through a women’s fraternity helped Pi Phis to earn incredible internship opportunities. However, while all of those facts were true and encouraging, meeting Pi Phis showed me much more. I learned Pi Beta Phi ties women together with beautiful bonds of wine and silver blue. Ours is a sisterhood that strives for noble womanhood.
The registration desk was appropriately decorated with wine and blue carnations.
I was blessed to fall in love with this house, even before I knew if it had fallen in love with me. I remember standing outside of our house before preference parties, shaking with nerves and excitement in my heels and dress, when another Potential New Member approached me. She squeezed my hand and simply said, “We’re going to be sisters!” With those five words, I became a part of the sisterhood before signing my bid card. I would later be fortunate enough to call that girl my sister, roommate and best friend.
To me, Pi Beta Phi is the comfort of that simple gesture. It’s knowing there are 145 years of women before you, and even more than that to come. It’s repeating, promising and living the words of our ritual. It is taking the same oath during your Initiation that every Pi Phi has before you. Pi Beta Phi is sharing the heritage of Michigan Alpha with women who were at Hillsdale in 1887. It is having the chance to serve your house with whatever time and talents you can offer. It is the excitement of wearing your three letters for the first time and the sorrow of graduation. It is sharing an enormous plate of nachos or talking on the front staircase until three in the morning. Pi Beta Phi is one of the most beautiful gifts given among a group of women. It is a promise to love you, to support you, to admonish you if necessary and to strive together for noble womanhood. I couldn’t be any prouder to be a part of our sisterhood and to call myself a Michigan Alpha.
Looking back now, I see how foolish I was to cast all sorority girls into one type. Sure we check that our lip gloss is perfect before recruitment rounds, cry tears of joy when picking up our Little and some do end up with that sparkly diamond ring, but during my two years at Hillsdale, I’ve learned a Michigan Alpha is much more. She is a true sister, even in the most trying of times. A Pi Beta Phi is a noble woman.
Celebrating 125 Years of Michigan Alpha: Part One
In honor of Michigan Alpha’s 125th Anniversary, more than 250 alumnae and collegians converged on Hillsdale College for a weekend of events. The following stories, written by Michigan Alpha collegians, were shared during the celebration.
By Leah Bernhardson, Michigan Alpha Freshman
Central Hall, a campus icon at Hillsdale College and where Leah received her bid card, in the springtime.
When I stepped on Hillsdale’s campus, I had no intention of going Greek. Though my sister was currently a Michigan Alpha Pi Phi and my brother had been a Sigma Chi at Hillsdale, the Greek system didn’t interest me tremendously. I had no idea what I was missing.
My first semester freshman year was academically successful. Despite my devotion to classes, I couldn’t help but feel a gaping hole in my life. I had no concept of how to fill that gap until I was blessed with the opportunity to visit the Pi Phis.
One autumn day, I was experiencing a typical freshman-year freak out. While on the phone with my mother, I was attempting to explain that having two tests two weeks away was cause enough for me to spend all night in the library. Being an intelligent woman, my mother knew that I needed a little perspective. She called my sister, Lois, who rescued me from the library and sat me down in front of the TV in Pi Phi. Soon, I was surrounded by girls eager to help me cope with my ridiculous stress. Though they had thousands of more important struggles than what I was experiencing, women that had never met me before dropped all they had to help me out.
As the semester progressed, I began to see Pi Phi as something admirable. Being a legacy, I had the opportunity to spend more time at the house than most freshmen women. Each time I encountered the women of Pi Phi, I saw them living out their values. Each woman represented her house with her poise, involvement on campus and intelligence—everything I only wished I could attain.
More and more, I found myself saying “I want to be a Pi Phi,” but accompanying that decision, a doubt always crept in, saying “…but they’d never want me.” This doubt plagued me during the recruitment process, causing me to grill several girls about the sincerity of their friendships within the house and their commitment to each other. I could see intelligent, independent women, but I had to be assured over and over that these women truly supported each other. In the back of my mind, each compliment or spark of interest in me displayed by a Pi Phi could be explained by thinking they were only interested in me because of my sister. The Pi Phis were displaying their love and interest in me, but my own doubts kept me from seeing it.
I made my decision to become a Pi Phi at preference parties. Though not assured Pi Phi would want me, I knew Pi Phi was my home. I ran up to Central Hall to receive my bid with anticipation, but not without trepidation. Pi Phi was receiving a place in my heart, but I wasn’t sure the feeling was reciprocated.
And then, I ran down those stairs and saw those women screaming for me. All those smiling, tear-filled faces touched me with their sincerity. Lois enveloped me in a hug, pressing a “Welcome Home” sign in my hand. As I put on her favorite set of letters, I knew I was in the place I needed to be. Already, I could feel the relationship with my sister deepening. But what of my relationship with all my new sisters? Nerves caused my hands to shake even as we ran singing down the Pi Phi path to the house. Inside, one more moment with my sister assured me of my place in Pi Phi. There, in the entryway, Lois took off her disk and clasped it around my neck. Immediately, I began fingering its unfamiliar weight, thrilled by the honor of wearing the symbol of a house I admire, belonging to a woman I love deeply.
At that moment, pandemonium broke out. All around me, my new sisters began sharing special moments with me. I could see in the shining light in their eyes that these women truly wanted me to be one of them. As I looked around, I saw the women I admire—Catherine, my bible study leader, Crystal and Sophie, two women who I still am utterly in awe of, Katie, my best friend from high school, Kirsten, my soon-to-be-big and so many more. All the doubts in my mind fled—I was a Pi Phi sister, I was one of them.
Pi Phi is a place where we grow and are challenged. It’s a house that builds and strengthens each of its members. But if that were all that it was, we’d all still have the hole in our hearts I experienced at the beginning of my freshman year. The only thing that can fill that hole is sisterhood, a relationship centered on sincere friendship. This friendship might start in the four years of college, but it lasts a whole lifetime. For me, that is the essence of Pi Beta Phi, and it’s the reason that I’m proud to be a Michigan Alpha Pi Phi.
Celebrating First Book’s 20th Anniversary: Supporting First Book through The Literacy Fund at Pi Beta Phi Foundation
Since 2007, Pi Beta Phi Foundation has proudly supported First Book and its mission to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the Foundation has been able to give First Book $500,000.
In honor of First Book’s 20th Anniversary, Pi Beta Phi Foundation and the Fraternity are donating 20,000 books to children in need across the U.S. and Canada. This support is made possible through donations to The Literacy Fund at Pi Beta Phi Foundation.
What is The Literacy Fund?
Unveiled at the 2011 Convention in Orlando, The Literacy Fund is the mechanism for all Pi Beta Phi literacy efforts.
What does this mean for chapters, alumnae organizations and members?
It means The Literacy Fund is how you can financially support literacy initiatives like First Book! Now, Pi Phi’s fight for literacy will be harnessed and targeted together, under one financial umbrella — The Literacy Fund. Donations to The Literacy Fund support all Read. Lead. Achieve. initiatives, including First Book, Champions are Readers®, Arrow in the Arctic, Fraternity Day of Service and much more.
So, why donate to The Literacy Fund?
“Arkansas Alpha donates to the Foundation and First Book in order to give back to the community and to help give children around the country the same educational opportunities that our members have been blessed to receive.”
-Maggie Thompson, Vice President of Philanthropy, Arkansas Alpha
“Literacy, more than any other single factor, can elevate an individual to his or her full potential. As Pi Phis, we have proven again and again that by fostering literacy in our communities, we can create the kind of society in which we all want to live. By funding literacy initiatives: we give individuals the tools they need to succeed; we enable a skilled workforce and a thriving economy; we help lower crime and poverty rates; and we engender arts and culture that are second to none. I cannot think of a more important philanthropic focus.”
-Bimi Lane Huebner, New Mexico Beta
Pi Phis have been committed to literacy for nearly 100 years, and that commitment doesn’t stop today. We will continue, as sisters, to give of our time, talents and treasure and to our 100-year vision: Pi Beta Phi leads the way to a more literate society.
Donate to The Literacy Fund* today — and you’ll be making our vision a reality.
Happy 20th Anniversary First Book!
*Chapters and Alumnae Organizations can make gifts to The Literacy Fund at Pi Beta Phi Foundation through the FT-1 and FT-2 Gift forms, found in the Resource Library.
Celebrating First Book’s 20th Anniversary: Special Message from First Book
Note: This post was written by Teresa Pipia, Vice President of Strategic Alliances, First Book
In 1992, Kyle Zimmer was volunteering every week at a soup kitchen in Washington, D.C., when she realized that most of the children she was working with didn’t have a single book to call their own. Heartbroken for these children, who had the motivation and drive to succeed but not the resources to do so, she and two friends founded First Book. Their goal was simple: ensure that those kids, and kids like them all across the country, would have brand-new books of their own.
This week, First Book will celebrate its 20th year of providing access to books for children in need. In 20 years, First Book has distributed more than 90 million books to children from low-income families. We’re also proud to work with a national network of more than 25,000 schools and programs and have local volunteers raising money in more than 150 cities.
As the leader of the Pi Beta Phi team here at First Book, I know first-hand how important the support of Pi Beta Phi has been to First Book’s mission. For the past five years, Pi Phis have been donating countless hours to fundraise for and spread the word about First Book. Your support truly speaks to Pi Beta Phi’s commitment to literacy and has helped us make great strides towards our mutual vision of a more literate society. We’re completely in awe of Pi Beta Phi’s 100 years of literacy service and with the launch of Read. Lead. Achieve., we’re enormously excited to collaborate with Pi Beta Phi during our 20th year and beyond.
Of course, we do have some big plans for our 20th anniversary year and we would love Pi Phi to help us get there! Before this year is over, we’re going to distribute another 10 million new books, recruit local volunteers in 30 additional cities and double the number of schools and programs that are connected to First Book’s resources to 50,000.
We’ve come so far together and have made so much progress, but there’s still more to be done. Here’s how you can help:
- Spread the word: If you know a teacher, librarian or volunteer who works with kids from low-income families, in any kind of program, help get them signed up with First Book. We’ve got books for them!
- Fundraise: Every $2.50 pays for a brand-new, high-quality book for a child in need.
- Volunteer: Work with other members of your community to get books to local schools and programs.
Celebrating First Book’s 20th Anniversary: Pi Beta Phi and First Book Partnership
Pi Beta Phi is excited to help our literacy partner, First Book® celebrate their 20th Anniversary on Saturday, May 19th. First Book is an award-winning non-profit with the mission to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. Pi Phi and First B
ook began a corporate partnership in 2007 and since, Pi Phi has helped donate over 2.7 million new books to children in need.
Pi Phi and First Book work together on several of the Fraternity’s Read. Lead. Achieve. literacy initiatives, including Fraternity Day of Service. In 2012, chapters and clubs nominated 114 registered recipient groups in honor of Fraternity Day of Service to receive grants through the First Book Marketplace to purchase new books. Pi Phi and First Book also partner together for CAR Connect, which links Pi Phi’s Champions are Readers® (CAR) program with free books. Chapters and alumnae organizations who implement a CAR program in a school registered with First Book provide the recipient group with $200 in Marketplace credits to spend on new books. The Local Literacy Initiative is another Pi Phi and First Book partnership, which allows alumnae organizations to fundraise and donate to registered recipient groups in their communities.
Pi Phi has also worked with First Book this year on several other literacy initiatives, including awarding $10,000 grants to the First Book Marketplace to two Tuscaloosa, Alabama schools devastated by tornados. For the 2012 Leadership Academy, Pi Phi and First Book gave 500 books to recipient groups in Atlanta, Kansas City, and Los Angeles, in addition to those nominated by chapters. Recipient groups in Orange, California and Chicago, Illinois also received 500 books from Pi Phi and First Book in honor of extension presentations.
First Book is not only a premier partner sharing Pi Phi’s passion for literacy, but is an award winning organization. This year, First Book was awarded a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, the highest possible ranking from America’s premier charity evaluator.
Pi Phi and First Book know the value of providing resources such as books to children to improve literacy, which is why Pi Phi is excited to help First Book celebrate twenty years of literacy service and looks forward to a continued partnership helping others.
DC Alpha Launches “Tanzania 365″ Project
DC Alpha Marisa Ranieri is preparing to teach abroad in Tanzania this coming year. Her project “Tanzania 365″ was recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative, and she’s received tremendous support from her DC Alpha sisters and local Washington, D.C., Pi Phi alumnae.
I joined the DC Alpha Chapter in the fall of 2008 because I was inspired by the members I met during recruitment, especially their passion towards philanthropic service, and in particular children’s literacy. After being a member for four years, as well as taking on numerous leadership roles, it was no surprise to my friends, family and Pi Phi sisters when I announced my post-graduate plans included both a commitment to service and improving children’s literacy.
This coming August, I will be starting a year of public service in Tanzania working as a full-time teacher in a rural secondary school through the 501(c)(3) organization WorldTeach. Although I’m fluent in Swahili, and familiar with the region after studying abroad in Kenya in early 2011, I was shocked to learn how poor the learning conditions across the East African nation are.
Just two months ago, the World Bank published the most up-to-date statistics on the Tanzanian Education System. While the country has made serious inroads to improving their education system by allocating 20 percent of the total budget to education, a study by Uwezo showed that the quality of education in Tanzania’s primary schools are significantly worse than neighboring countries. Half of all students do not pass primary school (elementary and middle school) and only 10 percent graduate from secondary school (high school). Though students are flocking to school more than ever before, the nation currently has a teacher-shortage of 85,000. That’s a lot of empty classrooms. 
Furthermore, the World Bank asserts there is a strong correlation between performance levels of students and the distribution of resource and teachers. If students in low-income districts were to receive additional teachers and books, it is likely to have a dramatic impact.
So alongside dedicating one year to teach, I also decided to make a commitment to fundraise $500 to purchase school supplies, learning materials and books for my classroom of 50 students, as well as collect donations of new and gently used school supplies and children’s books to bring with me to Tanzania.
I entered this “commitment to action” to the Clinton Global Initiative University, and was one of 715 projects selected — out of the thousands of applications submitted from around the world. In April, I attended the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative University in Washington, D.C., to listen to panels filled with high-profile public servants, such as Madeleine Albright, discussing how to successfully turn ideas into action. I also attended many networking events.
As a result, I was not only featured in a promotional video by The George Washington University about my project, but was also recognized on campus by the GW Panhellenic Association when I was nominated and voted as Sister of the Month!
After laying the groundwork and starting a website so others could follow my project of living, learning and teaching in Africa, it realized it was time to start collecting materials and raising money to purchase books! That’s where my Pi Phi sisters came in.
My chapter, DC Alpha, and our Alumnae Advisory Committee (AAC) joined forces with the Northern Virginia Alumnae Club, NVAC Arrow Foundation and the Nation’s Capital Alumnae Club on February 28 to host a school supplies drive at our regional Founders’ Day celebration! It was extremely successful! Sisters filled an entire basket with school supplies and raised more than $100 to purchase books in the name of the wine and silver blue!
Thank you to all my Pi Phi sisters for their support! I move to Tanzania this summer and you can follow my experience on my website: http://www.tanzania365.com/.
Jennie Nicol Memorial Health Center
Ninety years ago today, on May 8, 1922, the Jennie Nicol Memorial Health Center was dedicated in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
The Health Center was a four-room house, purchased by the Fraternity as part of Andrew Ogle’s farm, and included an office and consulting room, a workroom, bathroom, linen closet for sterile supplies and a small basic emergency room where visiting doctors could perform operations.
The idea for the Health Center evolved out of a $150 fund that three of the founders donated in 1914 for the establishment of a hospital in Gatlinburg to honor their friend Dr. Jennie Nicol.
From the very beginning of the Pi Beta Phi Settlement School, the teachers and head residents tried to educate the students and community members about health issues. Vermont Alpha Mary Pollard, the first head resident, spent the summer of 1914 walking the community telling residents about the danger of hookworm.
Evelyn Bishop, New York Alpha, was hired as Head Resident in 1917. When the epidemic hit, residents turned to the school for help. Although Evelyn was not trained as a nurse, not one case was fatal because of her hard work. In fact, Dr. Massey of Sevierville told of a case where Evelyn was his only assistant in amputating the limb of a man injured in a lumber mill accident. The doctor said that her work was equal to that of any trained nurse with whom he had worked.
An unsuccessful attempt was made to hire a trained nurse during the 1919–20 school year. During the summer of 1920, Evelyn attended a New York City Alumnae Club meeting and told of the need for a nurse. Phyllis Higinbotham, Ontario Alpha, who was working in New York City, immediately volunteered.
Phyllis and her three saddlebags of equipment, riding on Lady, the school’s horse, was an usual sight in the community. When she arrived in Gatlinburg, Phyllis was the only registered nurse in all of Sevier County. She helped with severe ax cuts, copperhead snakebites, broken legs and she checked the children for eye, nose and throat ailments. She also trained a class of “granny women” (midwives) to help with the delivery of babies.
Settlement School Students Receive Vaccinations
In 1923, Phyllis’ sister, Mary, came to help. She stayed for nine months. According to Mary, “One night Miss Evelyn Bishop and Phyllis crawled on their hands and knees across a foot-log to bring a little boy with a broken leg down the mountainside, in order that he might have proper care at the little cottage hospital. He came from a one-room cabin in such a remote spot that the doctor felt the leg would have to be amputated unless it could be dressed daily. The little boy was Roscoe and he was at the Health Center for two months.”
Her professionalism and her personality won the cooperation of four doctors from Sevierville and Knoxville and they agreed to keep office hours twice a month at the Health Center, as did a Knoxville dentist. Within six years, Phyllis had built up such a fine health center that one of the leading doctors at the State Medical University at Memphis wrote a detailed report advising the state to use this rural health center as a model for other rural health facilities. In 1926, Phyllis resigned to become State Supervisor of Public Health Nurses, a position she was offered because of her accomplishments in Gatlinburg.
A succession of nurses followed Phyllis until Marjorie Chalmers’ arrival in 1935. She had been a nurse in the Red Cross Reserve and served with the Army Medical Corps during World War I. Widowed in 1933, she returned to nursing.
Marjorie Chalmers came to the Jennie Nicol Health Center in 1935
When she first arrived at the Jennie Nicol Health Center, she was visiting thirteen rural schools besides doing the regular work of the Health Center. “Miz” Chalmers as she was known, became an alumna initiate of Illinois Beta-Delta because she was from Galesburg.
In 1948, a new Jennie Nicol Memorial Health Center, located on the Parkway near the Arrowcraft Shop, was dedicated. It continued serving the needs of the community for 45 years until 1965, when it closed. By that time there were many doctors in each town and the one-room schools were replaced with modern school buildings.
