In the late 1800s, the few women that were admitted to colleges and universities in the United States were admitted reluctantly and negatively, facing harsh opposition from their friends and family. It took a truly ambitious woman to succeed.
Helen M. Dodge, Frances E. Haven, E. Adeline Curtis and Mary A. Bingham were courageous women that could see beyond the limits of their time. They recogonized the opportunity a women's society presented, and aimed to establish one that would promote literary culture and social improvement among its members.
On November 11, 1874, the four founders met in Dr. J. J. Brown's study for the first official meeting of Gamma Phi Beta. The years that followed were full of growth. The society drafted a constitution, decided on rituals and expanded membership. The women took intellectual advancement seriously. In those days, new members were initiated for the low price of $2.50, and those members late to meetings were fined a nickel.
Eight years after their first meeting, two members of the Alpha chapter went to the University of Michigan to charter the Beta chapter. Upon their return Professor Frank Smalley commented, I presume that you young women are now members of a sorority. Thus, Gamma Phi Beta became the first women's fraternity to be called sorority. |
