Delta Eta

Adrian College

Alpha Phi came to the Adrian campus at a time when national sororities are all brand new. Since that time until that spring there had been only locals on the campus. Then two the locals affiliated with Chi Omega, Sigma Sigma Sigma, and the third, Kappa Tau Delta, petitioned Alpha Phi. Tau Kappa Delta, known locally as “Kappa,” was founded at Adrian in 1957, and members of the sororities first new member class were among those to become charter members of the Alpha Phi chapter.

During the time of installation, sororities at Adrian arranged for their own meeting rooms; none of their own houses. Approximately half of the women were affiliated. 

The Delta Eta chapter was invited to Alpha Phi on April 16 and installed on September 23 and 24. The initiation ceremony for the 42 collegiates and 13 alumnae was held at the Michigan (Theta) chapter house in nearby Ann Arbor on Saturday morning and afternoon. Betsy Seibold, Theta chapter acting president, and Martha Werne, Beta Beta chapter president, conducted the initiation. Abigail Shay Bassett (Theta-Michigan), international ceremonies chairman, was director of the initiation and general chairman for the whole installation weekend. 

Following the initiation the group and guests returned to Adrian for the installation ceremony and banquet that evening. These events were held at the Ritchie Dining Hall on the college campus. Elinor Smith Davis (Gamma-DePauw), then international vice president, conducted the installation, and Lucy MacClellan Whitworth (Rho-Ohio State), state alumnae chairman, was responsible for the banquet.

Toastmistress for the evening was Martha Wyrick Barker (Gamma-DePauw), a college friend of Elinor Davis’, who captivated the audience with her witticisms. The theme of the banquet was “Last Star in the Constellation,” and Elinor Davis was the main speaker. Dean Betty Sanford of Adrian College also gave a stimulating talk. Additional speakers were district governor, Dorothy Hack Wilson (Gamma-DePauw), state chairman Lucy Whitworth, collegiate secretary Virginia Bradford DeLong (Beta-Northwestern), alumnae initiate Mrs. William Mayhew and Delta Eta chapter president Joan Shoup.

Also attending the banquet and other events of the weekend were out-of-town Alpha Phi notables Dorothy Flint Novak (Alpha Lambda-Alumnae Initiate), chairman of mothers’ clubs; LaVerne Nolan Harvey (Delta Epsilon-Iowa) and Lucia Learmonth Bannister (Beta-Northwestern), of the Executive House staff, and Margaret Knights (Beta Nu-Duke), Quarterly editor.

Sunday morning initiates and guests attended the First Methodist Church in Adrian in a body. The church service was followed by a model meeting presented by members of Theta, Beta Beta and Beta Omicron chapters in the college union building. 

Sunday afternoon brought an enjoyable reception at Rush Union on the campus. With the reception, a historical weekend for Delta Eta chapter officially ended.