THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

The History of the Birmingham, Alabama, Alumnae Club 

While the Birmingham Alumnae Club is not considered an overly large club, they have quite a number of officers who have gone on to serve at the international level. In addition to Annette Mitchell Mills, the club has groomed at least seven other International Officers. The club has also had an International Emma Harper Turner winner and a Carolyn Helmane Lichtenberg winner, all within the last 30 years. While the membership has ebbed and flowed over recent years, the leadership and commitment of the officers in the club remains strong.

Annette Mitchell Mills has truly emulated the club’s core value of Lifelong Commitment over the years. In fact many of the women who served as club officers and continue to serve the club have volunteered in many different capacities over the years. It is that continued service and devotion that has contributed to the success of the club’s chapters across the state and to the Fraternity as a whole. As it continues to grow, the club sincerely hopes it can continue to see that same level of dedication and service from future generations over next 150 years!
 

Philanthropic Service

The Birmingham, Alabama Alumnae Club participates in the Arrowcraft Christmas Shop at the Kirkland Senior Living Center, the Champions Are Readers^® (CAR) program at Gresham Elementary School and Vincent Elementary and book drives benefitting Children’s Hospital, Better Basics and the YMCA. The club also supports an afterschool care program at the Pelham YMCA, and have received a Fraternity Day of Service grant supporting this cause.
 

Meaningful Momentos

The club has several awards named after the founders of Alabama Alpha and Annette Mitchell Mills. The newest honor is awarded to an outstanding collegian at Birmingham Southern, and was created to honor Marilyn Smith Rowell.
 

Awards and Club Recognition

• Excellence in Communication
• Club of Excellence and Superior Performance
• Province nominee for Ideal Club for several years
• 2nd Place Contributor for Arrowcraft by Club Size (1991 Convention)

Emma Harper Turner Award

• Marilyn Rowell, Alabama Alpha (2003)

Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award

• Dr. Virginia Van der Veer Hamilton, Alabama Alpha (1993)

Notable Alumnae

• Annette Mitchell Mills — House Director Committee 1974-76, Director of Alumnae Advisory Committees 1975-76, Grand Council Secretary 1976-79, National Panhellenic Conference delegate 1979-1985, Grand Vice President Collegians 1985-1987, and first Fraternity Archivist 1989
• Marilyn Smith Rowell — International Emma Harper Turner Recipient (2003), Past BAC Club President, Regional Membership Specialist, Foundation Ambassador, Past Alumnae Club Recruitment Information Committee/Chairman and Club Secretary
• Jan Hatchett — Past Collegian Province President, Supervisor of Chapter Histories, Past BAC Club President, and current Alumnae Club Recruitment Information Committee/Chairman
• Betty Lynn Wright — Past Alumnae Province President
• Annemarie Long Wilson — Past Alumnae Province President, Alumnae Task Force Committee member (2004), Past Club President for Louisville and Charlotte Alumnae Clubs, current House Corporation President at Alabama Alpha and BAC treasurer
• Becky Thomas Yarboro — Past Alumnae Province President
• Marilyn Merkle — Past Alumnae Province President
• Amy Hix — Past Regional Programming Specialist, Past President of the Career Group and Past House Corporation President at Alabama Alpha
• Bitsy Youngblood — Past Club President, Club Treasurer, House Corporation President, House Corporation Treasurer and Alabama Alpha Building Committee member
• Kay Wise — Building Campaign Committee member for Alabama Alpha, Alumnae Advisory Committee advisor for Alabama Alpha since 1990
• Virginia McMahan — Founding member of Alabama Alpha, served as Assistant to the Director of Alumni Affairs at Birmingham Southern College
• Meta Mitchell — Past Arrowcraft Chairman, Past Club Vice President and Past Club Secretary Auxiliary Club President for the Kirkwood Senior Center

The History of Arrowhead-West Phoenix, Arizona, Alumnae Club

As the population of Phoenix continued to spread westward, it was decided that a second Pi Beta Phi alumnae club could be founded. The Arrowhead-West Phoenix, Arizona, Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club was chartered on November 4, 2000. Seven women attended the chartering ceremony. These seven women were Stacy Accomazzo, Gerralyn DeMayo, Cecelia Hendrickson, Anne Levig, Carol Skinner, Judith Stern and Kay Trammell. Of these seven women, Anne Levig and Cecelia Hendrickson are still members today. 31 Pi Beta Phi members soon joined the club and are considered charter members. Of these 31 women, ten women are still members of the club 16 years later! These ten women have been the backbone of the club as they established close friendships, served many philanthropies, created new projects and made the Arrowhead-West Phoenix, Arizona, Alumnae Club the strong club that it is today.

This club has sent a representative member to each national convention. These conventions re-energize the members to continue to strive to strengthen their club and to reach out to the communities in which they live. The members of the club work hard at projects but also have great fun together. There have been meetings with costumes, famous Christmas sweaters, Game Days, Fashion Parody Fashion Show and Dr. Seuss Birthdays. Functions have been held with husbands included. Founders' Day and Panhellenic luncheons are still held. A very popular event is sharing the Monmouth Duo gatherings with the Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae members.

The Arrowhead-West Phoenix, Arizona, Alumnae Club celebrated the alumnae club’s 15-year anniversary in 2016. The club will continue to add new members, work together to build a strong club and remember to cherish the gift of friendship with the club’s Pi Beta Phi sisters.
 

Philanthropic Service

Not surprisingly, literacy has been an important focus of the Arrowhead-West Phoenix, Arizona, Alumnae Club. The club first worked with the Head Start program of young children, and then Links to Literacy was adopted. Many volunteer hours were spent at the schools. The Arrowhead-West Phoenix, Arizona, Alumnae Club still has a strong literacy tie to the local elementary schools.

As part of the national Pi Beta Phi Literacy initiative, the club is sponsoring a Little Free Library (LFL) for the Thompson Ranch Community in El Mirage. The LFL movement began in 2009 with the mission “to promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide and build a sense of community as they share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations.” The guiding principle of the LFL is, “Take a book, read a book, return a book.” 

The LFL was installed in late October, 2016, in the Thompson Ranch subdivision just north of Thompson Ranch Elementary School in El Mirage. The LFL is stocked with books for all ages contributed by alumnae club members. Members take turns monitoring the LFL and restocking books as needed. It is the club’s hope that the residents of this community will expand their reading horizons and they will introduce all ages from very young children to older adults to the joy of reading. 

The club has organized some amazing projects to support the club’s local community, including gathering contributions for a West Valley food bank, supporting the Victim Advocate Unit of the Surprise, Arizona Police Department, gaining approval to set up a Little Free Library in a local neighborhood and creating Angel Caps+. At the club’s November, 2015 meeting, they collected over 100 pounds of food to donate to the new Valley View Community Food Bank, which supports communities in the West Valley.

For the second year, the club has gathered a multitude of Teddy bears and other species of stuffed animals, children’s socks, snacks and juice boxes to donate to the Victim Advocate Unit of the Surprise, Arizona Police Department. This unit provides emotional support to victims and may refer them to counseling agencies or support groups. They watch children as detectives interview their family members and also provide victims with food, clothing and other items. The Unit functions during a sensitive time in children’s lives, and the entire Arrowhead-West Phoenix, Arizona, Alumnae Club was eager to give “Bear Hugs” to help them support these children.

The club’s Angel Caps+ project has been highly successful. In January of 2016, Sun City West was chilly outside, but it was “sunny” inside Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center! With loving hands and warm hearts, the club’s members donated baskets full of hand-knit baby caps, booties, receiving blankets, onesies and diapers for newborns. This project was successfully coordinated by club members and hospital volunteer coordinators. The second phase of Angel Caps+ was a March project where club members decorated baseball caps to add to 50 additional knitted baby caps for Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Grateful children will wear the ball caps following treatment at the hospital. Tiny babies go home with a treasure knitted by a Pi Beta Phi Angel. 

Angel Tea is the club’s yearly fundraiser to support literacy and other philanthropic efforts throughout the year. The alumnae members encourage all local Pi Phis to attend and invite their friends to join in a wonderful High Tea while supporting literacy, Angel Caps+, the Food Bank and Bear Hugs. 

Arrowhead-West Phoenix, Arizona, Alumnae Club has been able to identify great needs in the club’s local area and has found the programs where the club’s contribution can help alleviate some of these needs. In a very small way they are each helping to make a difference. Because of this, there has been wonderful enthusiasm and support from all the club’s members, community leaders and local media. 
 

Awards and Club Recognition 

• Club of Excellence (2005, 2007)
• Club of Superior Performance (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
• Excellence in Community Service (2015)
• Excellence in Communication (2005, 2008)
• Regional Literacy (2005)
• Spirit Award (2015)

Emma Harper Turner Award


• Anne Siren Levig, Region Six (2014)


Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award


• Kathie Erickson Bridges, Region Six (2013)

• Emily Robinson Kunde, Region Six (2008)

This History of Phoenix, Arizona, Alumnae Club

Although the Phoenix Alumnae Club has been around for 90 years, it does not have many records except some of the fun photos from newspapers that were provided and of course the club’s yearbooks. This is most likely due to the lack of technology back then. The club was jump-started in 2005 with new leadership, and it hasn't slowed down since! The club has had membership of over 200 since 2006. Club membership is very diverse in both the ages and chapters of members. Approximately one-fourth of the club’s members are young alumnae, one-fourth Golden Arrows and one-half are all the ages between those groups. In the club’s 2015–2016 directory, there were 83 different chapters represented!The club's board consists of 12 Exec members and 28 other positions. Exec consists of a new graduate last year a Golden Arrow and all ages in between. Phoenix Alumnae Club can be described as a large club with a big heart. Members work very hard to make everyone feel welcome, and they lead by example. 

An interesting note is the Phoenix Alumnae Club also had a Camelback Club from 1964–1985. Originally, they wanted the Camelback Club to be a “Junior Group” but Grand Council was not allowing any more Junior Groups to charter. The Camelback Club had mostly younger members who met at night. In 1985, it became apparent that both clubs were struggling to get officers so the Camelback Club combined with the Phoenix Alumnae Club and became the club as it is known today.

The club established an Undergraduate Scholarship Fund of $50,000 in 2008.
 

Philanthropic Service

• Champions are Readers^® Program
  • The Phoenix Alumnae Club partners with the Arizona Beta Chapter at Arizona State University to facilitate the Champions are Readers program at a local elementary school.
• Fraternity Day of Service
  • The Phoenix Alumnae Club implements the service project on a Saturday in early March at Burton Barr Central Library in downtown Phoenix. Local children are invited to participate in literacy activities each centered around a Dr. Seuss book. The event is designed to raise awareness about the Fraternity’s literacy efforts. In 2015, they were honored to be chosen by the Pi Beta Phi Foundation as one of four cities to host a Fraternity Day of Service Signature Event, where they were able to distribute 20,000 books to local schools and organizations.
• Brunson-Lee Elementary Birthday Book Room
  • Once a month, volunteers help students in grades Kindergarten through sixth choose a new book during their birthday month.
• Kids Need to Read
  • Founded with a passion to improve the lives of disadvantaged children by providing inspiring book collections and engaging literacy programs to underfunded schools, libraries, and organizations across the nation, Kids Need to Read aspires to empower and embolden every last child through a culture of reading. Kids Need to Read is the club's most recent local literacy partner. The Phoenix Alumnae Club has provided support through book donations, Local Impact Grants from the Pi Beta Phi Foundation, and co-hosting events at Brunson-Lee Elementary. 
• UMOM is the largest homeless shelter for families in Arizona. They keep families together, provide a continuum of care from emergency shelter to transitional housing and finally, permanent, affordable housing. Families at UMOM have the opportunity to gain the skills, medical care, quality childcare and education they need to rebuild their lives and succeed when they leave. 
  • UMOM New Day Centers Read to Me: The alumnae volunteer once a month at UMOM New Day Centers Read to Me, a weekly literacy program for UMOM children aged 4 and up. Read To Me is a strong and lively program that has a weekly average attendance of 50–70 children.
  • UMOM New Day Centers Book Room: Twice a month, alumnae volunteer to help organize donated and new books. The book room is utilized for the weekly Read to Me program.
  • UMOM New Day Centers Walk for the Homeless: The club participates in UMOM’s Annual Walk for Homeless Families at the Phoenix Zoo! Every September they walk to raise money and awareness for the homeless families and individuals in the club’s community. 
• Waste Management Phoenix Open PGA Golf Tournament
  • The Phoenix Alumnae Club is responsible for recruiting more than 100 volunteers to work concession stand shifts at the WM Phoenix Open PGA golf tournament on behalf of the Phoenix Panhellenic Association. In exchange for the club’s donation of time and labor at this event, more than $20,000 is donated annually by the Thunderbirds organization for scholarships for worthy Greek women pursuing graduate and undergraduate degrees in Arizona. 

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Excellence (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
• Excellence in Chapter Support (2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2015)
• Excellence in Communication (2008, 2017)
• Excellence in Communication Award - Region Six (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
• Excellence in Community Service (2006, 2013)
• Excellence in Literacy Initiatives (2008)
• Excellence in Membership Recruitment and Retention (2005, 2006)
• Excellence in Programming (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010)
• Foundation Top 10 Award (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015)
• Premier Club (2011, 2012)
• Premier Club First Runner Up (2010, 2013, 2014)

Jan Moore Angel Award

• Established in 1974, the Jan Moore Angel Award is presented annually to a Phoenix Alumnae Club member whose involvement and dedication to the club goes far beyond the expectations of a member or officer. The award is inspired by long-time club member Jan Moore, an Arizona Alpha initiated in 1944. Since her initiation, Jan embodied ideals of the Founders in all that she did, both inside and outside of Pi Beta Phi. She worked tirelessly on behalf of the Phoenix Alumnae Club, mentored countless sisters, and held numerous local and national offices and committee positions. Jan’s efforts to spread the true spirit of Pi Phi were remarkable and are remembered by all who crossed her path. The club is honored to present this award each year to a woman who exhibits Jan’s passion, dedication and enthusiasm. While there was only one Jan Moore, they are thrilled to find others who are also true angels!

Member of Distinction

• Mary Christine Giza, Kansas Beta (2015)

Emma Harper Turner Award

• Heather Wilson Miller, New Mexico Beta (2014)
• Gina Garrison Jones, Nebraska Beta (2011)

Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award

• Carol Poore, Ph.D., Arizona Beta - Professional Achievement (2016)
• Mary Christine Giza, Kansas Beta - Professional Achievement (2015)
• Amira Gonzalez De La Garza, Texas Epsilon (2014)
• Dr. Christine Kajikawa Wilkinson, Arizona Beta (2011)
• Carolyn Eden Balseter Evani, Illinois Beta-Delta (2010)
• Dr. Christine Kajikawa Wilkinson, Arizona Beta (1993)

Notable Alumnae

• Lucy West Roca, former Grand Treasurer
• Janet Goode Garde (Durham), former Grand Vice President Alumnae
• Patty Davisson Brown, former Alumnae Province President and former Collegiate/Alumnae Director
• Donna Draper, former Alumnae Province President
• Liz Holman, former Collegiate Province President and former Collegiate/Alumnae Director
• Jane Russell, former Collegiate Province President, former Director of Collegiate Extension and former Director of Chapter Support
• Lisa Rede Roman, Director of Philanthropy and Programming
• Sharon Abeyta Levey, Collegiate Region Eight Director
• Karen Thorn, former Foundation Trustee

The History of the Hot Springs, Arkansas, Alumnae Club

On April 17, 1967, Hot Springs, Arkansas, Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity was chartered as part of Omicron Province. The club then became part of Sigma Province. Several charter members were still active in 2016. 

Six years later the club was asked to host the 1973 Pi Beta Phi National Convention at the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs. During Convention, the Arrowcraft Shop items made by the cottage crafts industry of Gatlinburg, Tennessee were displayed and sold. This inspired the club in the years following Convention, to hold several annual Arrowcraft Shop sales in support of the Fraternity’s Settlement School in Gatlinburg.

In 2002 the club’s nominee for the Evelyn Peters Kyle Award, Brenda Heck Crouch, was recognized as the Sigma Province nominee for exceptional service to the alumnae club. A 30-year member, she had served as recruitment chairman for over ten years and in other club officer positions. 

Through the years, Hot Springs, Arkansas, Alumnae Club has shown strong support for the local chapters at the University of Arkansas, Arkasnas Alpha, and University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Arkansas Beta. The Arkansas Beta chapter at University of Arkansas at Little Rock was then closed. 

In 2009, Arkansas Alpha at the University of Arkansas passed the century mark on campus. In recognition, Pi Phi alumnae and University administrators agreed to create a formal gateway entrance on the campus. The Hot Springs, Arkansas, Alumnae Club donated $500 to the Pi Beta Phi Centennial Gate. The club also contributed items for the silent auction to raise funds for chapter house study updates during the celebration luncheon.

When Pi Beta Phi celebrated a century of literacy service in 2012 by building Centennial Plaza in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, at the site of Pi Beta Phi’s original Settlement School, the Hot Springs, Arkansas, Alumnae Club gave $500 for an engraved brick with the club’s name.

Then in 2015, when a new chapter house for Arkansas Alpha was planned, Hot Springs, Arkansas, Alumnae Club again supported the chapter by pledging $2,000 over five years for the project.

Pi Beta Phi has maintained a strong presence in Hot Springs since the alumnae club was chartered. Membership over the years has remained constant between 30 and 50 alumnae. In April 2017, the club celebrated its 50^th anniversary.

Other Club Names

Olivia Smith Moore Alumnae Club
 

The History of Texarkana, Arkansas-Texas Alumnae Club

Being an 80-year-old club is an accomplishment! A history of afternoon teas and Arrowcraft sales is part of the club’s history. Having members on Grand Council through the years is a great source of pride. Today the club’s profile is young and active, with many members having been out of school for less than 20 years. The club’s philanthropy mainly revolves around donating and delivering books to Wake Village Elementary School and to the Ace of Clubs House on Fraternity Day of Service.

Philanthropic Service

The club has been fortunate to receive the FDS500 book grant for the past three years. One of the club’s area school districts is comprised largely of low socioeconomic families, and the book giveaway is a way to combat illiteracy and promote Read > Lead > Achieve^® in Texarkana. 

The Ace of Clubs House, owned by Olivia Smith Moore and her husband, is located in Texarkana, Texas. Upon Olivia’s death, the house was deeded to the Texarkana Museum System by the Moore family. The club was asked to decorate the living room of the House for Christmas. Members chose an angel theme accented with wine and blue. Arrows, angels, and wine and silver blue ribbons adorned the room, along with a tabletop tree that was decorated with miniature shoes. Olivia had a huge collection of shoes, all from Neiman-Marcus, which are displayed in her bedroom closet of the house.

Meaningful Mementos

When the Ace of Clubs House was deeded to the Texarkana Museum system, the club held a number of fundraising activities in order to refurbish Olivia’s bedroom and dressing room; members sought to display her Pi Phi memorabilia in a prominent manner. Many years later, Olivia’s Pi Phi legacy is still clearly represented at the house.

One quirky fact is the Texarkana city slogan is “Twice as Nice” because it covers two states, both Arkansas and Texas; out of the club’s 30 dues-paying members, six members have twins or are a twin themselves!

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Outstanding Performance (2015)

• Club of Traditional Performance (2011)
• Excellence in Membership (2010)
• Over the years, the club has been a perennial winner of the Marianne Reid Wild Award, which honors clubs that have a high percentage of dues-paying members in certain size categories.

Notable Alumnae

• Olivia Smith Moore, Missouri Alpha, was always known as Miss Olivia. She was elected Grand Treasurer in 1952 and served until 1967. She became Grand Treasurer Emeritus in 1967. She served on the Arrowmont Board of Governors during those 15 years, and continued to serve on the Board of Governors until 1973. When attending conventions, she would invite collegians to her room to show them her extensive shoe collection. As a result of her love of shoes from Neiman Marcus, today the Silver Slipper Award honors the excellence of a chapter's Vice President of Finance.

• Emily Russell Tarr, Texas Beta, held the office of Grand President from 2003-2009. She also served as Grand Vice President of Alumnae from 1999-2003. Prior to being on Grand Council, she served as a Fraternity Director and as a province officer. In her role as Grand President, she also served as a Foundation Trustee, ex officio. 

• Julia Peck Mobley, Arkansas Alpha, embodies one of Pi Phi’s core values – Philanthropic Service to Others. As chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Commercial National Bank, Julia has been recognized for her numerous works in various philanthropic and civic efforts. Julia is a founding member of the Women’s Giving Circle, the National Museum of Women for the Arts and the Arkansas Women Leadership Forum. She was chosen by Arkansas Business Publishing Group to be recognized as one of the Top 100 Women in Arkansas in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999. She received the public service award from the Sierra Club in 1998. She has served on the University of Arkansas Women and Philanthropy Committee and received the 1999 Citation of Distinguished University of Arkansas Alumni award. She is a Trustee of Hendrix College as well as a former member of the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board for the Sam M. Walton College of Business Administration at the University of Arkansas. 
• Caroline Malone Craven, Arkansas Alpha, is known as The Honorable Caroline Craven and serves as Federal Magistrate Judge for the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. She has served as magistrate since 1998; at the time, she was the youngest person to ever hold that title at age 33. Caroline is also cross designated, meaning that she can also sit for the Western District of Arkansas because of the uniqueness of Texarkana being divided over two states.

The History of the Long Beach, California, Alumnae Club

The Long Beach, California, Alumnae Club was chartered in 1923. In the early years, it was evident that Pi Phi provided more than just a college experience; in fact, being a member entailed a lifelong experience of service and friendships. During the catastrophic 1933 earthquake in Long Beach, local members helped to house, feed and support the victims of the disaster. This model of service has continued through the years. The club hosted numerous Arrowcraft sales to support Arrowmont. The focus in recent years has been a strong commitment towards literacy, as well as serving local needs in the community. However, the club's history would not be complete without mentioning all the fun that members have had throughout the years, sharing college memories and enjoying each other’s company in numerous social activities. Members take the club’s commitment to the fraternity seriously and wear the arrow proudly.

Club members participate in a number of collegiate actvities, including:

• the “Slightly Older Sister Program” at Chapman University, California Omicron;
• the Alumnae Advisory Committees at University of California Irvine, California Eta
• supporting the collegians at Loyola Marymount University, California Nu and University of Southern California, California Gamma;
• and serving on the House Corporation at University of California Los Angles, California Delta and have given numerous financial donations to area chapters. 

The ladies in the Long Beach Alumnae Club have a strong bond of friendship, as evidenced by their many subgroups. Members can join a book club, cooking club, lunch group and bridge group; many also attend movie outings, game nights, craft events and angel outings into the community. The club enjoys a wide range of ages in membership, from recent grads to members in their 90s!
 

Philanthropic Service

Long Beach Pi Phis and the Foundation sponsor the Fraternity Day of Service Book Giveaway, passing out thousands of books to local organizations. The club has also raised money specifically for literacy, which has resulted in the club being one of the Top 10 clubs in donations to the Foundation for the past five out of six years. Members volunteer by reading to children at local libraries, supplying local libraries with books and bookmarks, donating book bags and books to local schools and supporting a local philanthropy called For the Child. Each year the club hosts a major fundraiser, and all the profits go the Foundation for literacy efforts.

The club supports the community by making donations to the Long Beach Food Bank, preparing meals at the Ronald McDonald House, supporting the Long Beach Dental Association, and participating in beach clean-up projects and charity walks for causes such as breast cancer and Alzheimer’s awareness. In the past, they have made numerous Arrowmont sales and continue to give donations to local women’s shelters over the holidays. 

Awards and Club Recognition

• Alumnae Club Yearbook - Honorable Mention (1991)
• Alumnae Club Yearbook (1986)
• Club of Excellence (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
• Club of Superior Performance (2009, 2016)
• Excellence in Communications (2003)
• Foundation Top 10 in Donations to the Foundation (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016)
• Houston A.C. Links to Literacy (1996)
• Spirit Award (2016)

Other Club Names

Peninsula Alumnae Club, Palo Alto Alumnae Club
 

Philanthropic Service

• Fraternity Day of Service project with California Alpha, where the club delivered 500 books to Packard Children’s Hospital (2015, 2014, 2013)
• Fraternity Day of Service Signature event with San Francisco Bay area alumnae clubs and active chapters (2016) - the club distributed 20,000 books in a festive setting at local department store

Awards and Recognition

• Club of Excellence (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
• Excellence in Communication (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)

Other Club Names

Del Sol Alumnae Club
 

The History of the San Diego, California, Alumnae Club

The San Diego Alumnae Club was chartered in 1925 and combined with the Del Sol Alumnae Club in 2011. There are more than 60 club members with several interest groups, including book club, bridge, Pi Phis in Action Hiking Group, lunch bunch, Mommy ‘N' Me Little Angels, quilting and young alums. The club actively supports California Epsilon at San Diego State University through chapter house financial support as well as through volunteering on Chapter House Corporation and Alumnae Advisory Committee.

There have been two conventions held in San Diego: one in 1989 with Local Convention Committee Chair Karen Emberton, assisted by Jan Darcy, Jerelyn Biehl, Nancy Johnson Ward, Sandy Matranga and Betzy Baker, and the other in 2013, chaired by Jerelyn Biehl and assisted by Jenica McClure.

Founders’ Day is celebrated annually in collaboration with the La Jolla and North County Alumnae clubs as well as with California Epsilon, California Kappa and California Xi.

The San Diego Alumnae Club coordinates Christmas Greens sales and LuLaRoe Pop-up clothing sales as fundraisers each year.

Philanthropic Service

• Literacy
  • Yearly children’s book collections at annual Christmas parties
  • Dr. Seuss’^® Birthday – the club donates books and members read to children at Olivewood Elementary School; one member wears a Cat in the Hat^® costume provided by the club’s previous president. The club has also invited collegians from California Epsilon, and recently California Xi, to join in on the fun.
  • FDS500: 2014 and 2017 at Olivewood Elementary School
• Clean Your Closets Clothing Collection
  • The club collects donations for Grossmont College’s Office Professional Training (OPT) program

Awards and Club Recognition

Evelyn Peters Kyle Award

• Jessie M. French (1975)

Notable Alumnae

• Daphney Bitanga, Ring Ching Roadshow driver 
• Karen Emberton, Local Convention Committee Chair (1989)
• Jerelyn Biehl, Local Convention Committee Chair (2013)

The History of the South Bay, California, Alumnae Club

During the early years of the club, members held large Arrowmont^® sales events; in recent years, members have focused on literacy, as can be seen the club’s many philanthropic activities. Many of the club’s members have also served on Alumnae Advisory Committees and Chapter House Corporations at California Delta, California Gamma, and California Nu over the years.

Philanthropic Service

The club has a sponsors a number of events at Hawaiian Ave Elementary School: one-on-one tutoring, Champions are Readers^®, Fraternity Day of Service, school-wide book distribution and ESL classes for parents of students.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Superior Performance
• Excellence in Community Service Award (2015)
• Spirit Award (2013)

The History of the San Francisco, California, Alumnae Club

On November 17, 1925, 14 alumnae of Pi Beta Phi petitioned national Headquarters with a handwritten letter, signed by all, which read:

"We, the Pi Beta Phi Alumnae, residing in San Francisco, feeling that the Bay forms a barrier to efficient work for the Settlement School, do petition the Grand Council for a charter for an alumnae club to be known as the San Francisco Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi."

In 1926, Grand Council granted the charter that formed the San Francisco Alumnae Club. The club became the second alumnae club in northern California, 13 years after the Berkeley Alumnae Club was created.

Throughout the years, the club has participated in endeavors contributing to the welfare of San Francisco as well as Pi Beta Phi philanthropies and projects. The San Francisco Alumnae Club supports local literacy initiatives, food bank distribution sites and women’s shelters. Members have sponsored theatrical events, pool parties and garden parties. 

The San Francisco Alumnae Club traditional holiday gatherings and fundraisers are recorded from the early 1930s. Cookie Shines are a timeless part of the club’s heritage, and members have had luncheons at Golden Gate Fields since the 1960s. The club strives to honor the legacy of the women who came before while remaining relevant to the needs of the club’s current members. 

Philanthropic Service

Philanthropic work has always been a passion of the San Francisco Alumnae Club. A few early examples include:

• 1955 - The Pacific Avenue Fun Fete street fair raised $6,781 for the Pi Beta Phi Medical Research for Children Fund. $2,500 was donated to the San Francisco Children’s Hospital. The balance of funds was awarded to other Bay area medical research projects benefitting pediatrics. Many area Pi Beta Phi alumnae clubs and active chapters participated to make the event a success.
• 1961 - The Pi Beta Phi Rummage Sale was held in Larkin Hall at the Civic Center. One customer at the rummage sale remarked, “Pi Phi has the best and classiest rummage in town.”
• 1961–62 – $1,000 was donated to Meals on Wheels. Pi Phis donated 1,310 hours of service to the organization. Meals on Wheels began as a pilot program in San Francisco in 1960 and was later adopted as a permanent community program.
• Currently, the club participates in the Champions are Readers^® program.

Notable Alumnae

• Imogen Cunningham, photographer 
• Mary Katherine Campbell Townley, crowned Miss America in 1922 and 1923 (The only woman to win the title twice.)

The History of the Conejo Valley, California, Alumnae Club

The small but mighty chapter was founded in 1997.  Many of the club’s founding members are the same proud members today. The Conejo Valley, California, Alumnae Club's members enjoy spending time with each other and serving the community.

Philanthropic Service

The major philanthropic events of the Conejo Valley, California, Alumnae Club include Champions Are Readers® (CAR) with Berylwood Elementary in Simi Valley. The club brought this program to the school for five years for their third grade. It is a Title 1 school, where one of the club’s Pi Phi sisters teaches third grade. From 2015–2017, club members have volunteered there, which has included reading to students, helping in the library, covering books for the library and working the book fair.

Awards and Club Recognition 

• Club of Excellence (2015)
• Club of Superior Performance (2010, 2012, 2013)
• Club of Traditional Performance (2013)
• Excellence in Communication - Regional (2013)
• Excellence in Communication (2005)
• Excellent Collegiate Chapter Support - Regional (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2012)
• Largest Increase in Membership (2002)
• Spirit Award (2015)

Outstanding Financial Advisor

• Bobbie Pittman

The History of the Los Angeles - Santa Monica, California, Alumnae Club

This club is 3-in-1! Los Angeles-Santa Monica, California, Alumnae Club covers 83 ZIP codes across the Greater Los Angeles Area. The club was chartered back in 1906. In 1929, the Santa Monica club was chartered, two years after California Delta was installed at the University of California Los Angeles. Shortly after WWII, the San Fernando Valley club was chartered. For nearly 50 years, these three clubs operated independently, but as membership dwindled all three clubs eventually merged into Los Angeles-Santa Monica, California, Alumnae Club in the 1990s.

Here’s an excerpt from page 153 of The History of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity: “Los Angeles Alumnae Club, Los Angeles, California, was organized January 12, 1901, and chartered December 13, 1906. This club is composed of Pi Phis from many chapters, and is a wide-awake, progressive club. It has about one hundred members.”

Awards and Club Recognition

• Candi Parks Gershuni, Georgia Alpha, won the May Lansfield Keller award in 1975 for her philanthropy with the Red Barn in Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Notable Alumnae

• Beth Brickell, Arkansas Alpha. 
Actress. Starred in 1960s television show "Gentle Ben."  

The History of the South Coast, California, Alumnae Club

For 72 years, the South Coast Alumnae Club has been an active part in the community, philanthropically as well as socially. For many years, the club held monthly “Book Reviews” with guest speakers from Los Angeles. Members could invite family and friends to come along, and so Book Reviews became great fundraisers with lots great publicity in the Los Angeles Times and other local newspapers.

The club held annual Arrowcraft Sales at Sherman Library and Gardens and even won awards for top overall sales in Pi Beta Phi.

Traditions that the club enjoys are the annual “Yankee Swap” (a white elephant gift exchange), a holiday luncheon with angel ornament exchange, the club-wide holiday party with “Beaus or Not,” and an Academy Awards-themed party where members dress up in pajamas with fancy hair, make-up and jewelry. The club’s philanthropy efforts have expanded in the last decade to extend to reading to elementary school children at two local schools, collecting school supplies and new books for those schools, holding an annual Bowling for Literacy and Scholarship fundraiser, hosting a wonderful Fraternity Day of Service event at a local library around Dr. Seuss’^® birthday and walking annually in the Susan G. Komen 5K Race for the Cure to fight breast cancer. Participants wear fuzzy white halos and have angel wings printed on the backs of the club’s team T-shirts. In recent years, the club has also added a “Caring Angels” group that offers support, meals, cards and thoughtful gift baskets for members going through difficult times.

The club continually welcomes new Pi Phi alumnae members of all ages and from all over the country to join the group. Social media and the club’s Beach Arrow newsletter are used to communicate regularly to the club’s alumnae. Seven interest groups are currently offered for members to choose from: Angel Fun Group, Book Club, Game Night Buddies, Daytimers, Happy Hour/Movie, Interest in Culture, and Fitness/Walking Group. Some of the club’s favorite events include yacht club luncheons, boat cruises, cooking classes, wine tasting, hikes, garden tours, happy hours, movie nights, museum excursions, holiday gatherings, Founders’ Day celebrations with local collegians and Pi Phi heritage programs.  

Club members, especially Fran Applegate, were extremely instrumental in the founding of the Greek Panhellenic System at the University of California, Irvine and the California Eta Chapter at UC Irvine. For decades, the club held annual end of summer “Summer Splash” parties at member Margaret Corkett’s home, near the Balboa Island Fun Zone. Her lovely home was situated on the bay side of the water, and the parties included swimming and boating in Newport Beach. Monthly “Book Reviews” were held for many years and were often reported in the Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register newspapers.
 

Philanthropic Service

• Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K walk for breast cancer - This was the club’s second annual walk in September 2016 in memory of Pi Phi sisters who have passed away from breast cancer and in honor of the club’s sisters who are survivors. The club’s team of 34 participants raised over $9,200.
• Fraternity Day of Service at the Donald Dungan Library in Costa Mesa, California, where members read with kids and make silly hats and Dr. Seuss buttons
• Bowling for Literacy and Scholarships, a fundraiser Arrowcraft sales for many years

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Excellence
• Club of Superior Performance
• Emma Harper Turner Leadership Award (regional)
• Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award (regional)
• Excellence in Communications
• Top Sales for Arrowcraft FDS500 recipient for College Park Elementary, one of the club’s two target elementary schools

Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award

• Grayne Price (1983)

Notable Alumnae

• Diane Bielman, Pi Beta Phi Grand Vice President of Alumnae
• Trudi Rogers, Newport Beach Mayor and City Council Member
• Anne McKnight, mother of Bob McKnight, Founder of Quiksilver (largest surf clothing company in the world)
• Dr. Lamia Gabal, Chief of Staff of Urology at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Orange, California

Other Club Names

Adele Taylor Alford Alumnae Club
 

The History of the La Jolla, California, Alumnae Club

The La Jolla Alumnae Club was established in 1955, and has always had a strong focus on fostering friendships. The club is also known as the Adele Taylor Alford Alumnae Club in honor of a member of the club who was the editor of The Arrow from 1934 to 1960. Adele’s daughter and granddaughter were members of the club as well.
 
The club pays tribute to the club’s Pi Beta Phi heritage at the kick-off and heritage luncheons, hosts social events with spouses at the club’s Holiday and Spring Parties and has numerous interest groups including Dine Out, Lunch Bunch, Walking and Talking, Book Club, Bridge, and Mommy and Me. While predominantly a social organization, the La Jolla, California, Alumnae Club hosts multiple book and toiletry drives each year, has an annual raffle with proceeds provided to a local literacy organization and supports many local non-profit organizations.
 
The La Jolla, California, Alumnae Club works with California Kappa, the collegiate chapter at the University of California, San Diego. Members serve on the Alumnae Advisory Committee and Chapter House Corporation, provide career advice to upperclassmen, support California Kappa during Recruitment, and host joint social, professional and philanthropic events. Every other year, the club also joins forces with the two other San Diego area alumnae clubs to host all three chapters on Founders’ Day, as well as hosts the Day at the Races event at the Del Mar Racetrack for alumnae in San Diego and Orange Counties.
 

Philanthropic Service

The La Jolla, California, Alumnae Club donates books and toiletries to the Door of Hope, a transitional living center for women and children. Members also serve as hostesses at events held by the Dr. Doris A. Howell Foundation, an organization that funds undergraduate scientists in research projects and provides presentations on women’s and family health. The club is expanding its outreach to volunteer in literacy-related projects in high-need communities of San Diego.

Awards and Club Recognition

The club has been recognized almost every year during its 60-year history. The club received recognition as a Top 10 Club almost every year starting in 1998, until Pi Beta Phi transitioned to the Club of Excellence Award. The club has regularly been recognized as a Club of Excellence since this transition.

Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award

• Sharon Culver Considine, California Epsilon (2007)

Emma Harper Turner Award

• Ann Denker Webster, Arkansas Alpha (2002)

Outstanding AAC Financial Advisor - Honorable Mention

• Laura Jarman Farrar, California Eta (2017)

Evelyn Peters Kyle Award (Regional)

• Leigh Gange Adkins, South Dakota Alpha (1995)
• Phyllis Fazzari Speer, Massachusetts Alpha (1999)
• Eleanor Hunt Tucker, California Epsilon (2002)

Emma Harper Turner Award (Regional)

• Phyllis Fazzari Speer, Massachusetts Alpha (2000)
• Eleanor Hunt Tucker, California Epsilon (2003)

Arrowmont Board of Governors

• Phyllis Fazzari Speer, Massachusetts Alpha (1995-2004)

Notable Alumnae

• Adele Taylor Alford, D.C. Alpha, Editor of The Arrow (1934-1960)

The History of the Palm Springs-Desert Cities, California, Alumnae Club

The Palm Springs-Desert Cities, California, Alumnae Club was chartered shortly before the 57th Biennial Convention in San Diego. California Gamma Helena Dingle Moore was the club’s first President. Shortly after that, Pi Phi selected Palm Springs as the location for the 60th Biennial Convention held June 24–20, 1995 at Marriott’s Desert Springs Resort in Palm Desert. Washington Alpha Denise Millett Highsmith, Washington Alpha Judith Remaly Clark, Illinois Zeta Carolyn Zipprodt Long and Oklahoma Alpha Margy Wardell Dulin attended the 1993 Convention in Orlando, Florida, and accepted the invitation to host the 1995 Convention. The club was still relatively small at the time convention planning commenced. The next two years were spent developing plans for the event. Most of the committee chairmen were from the club’s own membership, but there was tremendous support from Pi Phis all over Southern California, in addition to support from Pi Phi Headquarters.

The club is unique in that many members are “snowbirds,” as they come to the desert during the fall season through the spring to enjoy the beautiful warm sunshine. They return to their homes in cooler climates in the spring and summer, and many of them belong to Pi Phi Alumnae Clubs in their hometowns.

The club has evolved over the years. Major growth occurred in the early to mid-1990s as the club planned for convention and reached out to area alumnae to support the event. After convention, the club thrived. In addition to attending regular formal meetings, members were also active in many interest groups such as bridge and hiking.

At this time, the club is a Friendship Tier Club. This is due almost entirely to the fact that the club’s average age is around 80. Most of the club’s founding members have passed away or moved, but some are still active in the Palm Springs-Desert Cities, California, Alumnae Club today.

Philanthropic Service

The club’s major philanthropic efforts for the past 27 years have been in the areas of food sharing and literacy. The club has supported Hidden Harvest, one of the largest agricultural organizations in the United States. Several of the club’s members have served on the organization’s board, and the club has always supported the group through time, talent, and treasure.

Members have supported literacy efforts at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Indio, California, one of the poorest schools per federal designation in the area. Members read to first and third grade students, and also provide monetary support.

The Palm Springs-Desert Cities, California, Alumnae Club is also a proud member of the Coachella Valley Alumnae Panhellenic; the club supports this organization’s college scholarship efforts annually.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Alumnae Region Six Spirit Award (2011)
• Excellence in Communication (2011, 2012)
• Superior Club (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
• Traditional Club (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016)

Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award

• Mary Thorson Gullikson, Wyoming Alpha (2012)

The History of the San Mateo County, California, Alumnae Club

The first Pi Phi alumnae get together in San Mateo was a tea hosted at Eileen Plate’s home sometime in 1928. There were quite a few newly married young women in the area, and they started playing bridge together as a way of getting better acquainted. Bernice Coultrap Gerwick of Berkeley, Province Vice President, heard of the group and urged them to form a club. She suggested a Peninsula Club including Palo Alto, since there was a chapter at Stanford (California Alpha) and no alumnae organization in Palo Alto.  

The group met at the Bel Monti Country Club in Belmont on April 10, 1929 and voted to organize at once. An election of officers was held, and the charter granted to the Peninsula Club soon after. The next few years were filled with teas, Cookie Shines, bridge benefits and regular meetings. 

By 1935, however, the Depression hit California and many of the women had a difficult time making it to meetings. The Palo Alto women took over the charter of the Peninsula Club and renamed it the Palo Alto Alumnae Club.

By 1940, more and more Pi Phis were moving into the San Mateo area. The area was recovering from the Depression and the local alumnae felt it time to resume Pi Phi activities. They elected officers and chose Pearl Vaughn as the first President. They applied for a charter and received it in June of 1940.  

When WWII came along, the ladies stopped their evening meetings and had daytime affairs. In 1943, serving at the USO became the club’s main project, and they carried that through 1944 and 1945. After the war ended, members were very happy to settle into the type of meetings and activities that are much like those of today.

The club ran a bridge marathon for many years to raise funds for local scholarships awarded to graduating senior girls heading off to college. The bridge benefit would run for several months, culminating in a “Play Day” luncheon at the end of the season where prizes were awarded to players with the highest points. Throughout the years this fundraiser was featured several times in local papers. The proceeds were always donated to local charities, scholarship funds and Pi Beta Phi Foundation.

The San Mateo County Alumnae Club is still going strong, with many new members joining each year. There is a devoted group of women in the book club as well as an ongoing Thursday bridge group. Some of the more recent events that are fast becoming club favorites among newer members include a holiday ornament exchange, a Golden Arrows luncheon and a toga Pparty date night.

Philanthropic Service

The club supports Marathon Bridge Benefit, awarding local high school women scholarships for college.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Arrowmont Award (1974)
• Best Alumnae Club/Chapter Relations Nominee (1995, 1996, 1998)
• Club of Superior Performance (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014)
• Excellence in Communications Award (1998)
• Pi Beta Phi Foundation Top 10 Alumnae Organization (2014)
• Spirit Award (2012)

Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award

• Jane Grimmer Baker (1994)

Notable Alumnae

• Indiana Delta Jane Baker, San Mateo’s first female Mayor
• Kansas Alpha Adrienne Hiscox Mitchell, past Grand Council member

The History of the Valley of the Moon, California, Alumnae Club

In 1953, 10 Pi Phis from Sonoma County, California, began the process of becoming a chartered Pi Beta Phi alumnae club under the name of Valley of the Moon. Grand Council pointed out that the club’s county, Sonoma, would determine the club name. With firm insistence, the club’s wome pursued their desire to be recognized for Jack London’s beloved “Valley of the Moon.” The club’s region would encompass Napa and small towns west and north of Santa Rosa. Club members and guests celebrated 50 years of Pi Phi friendship in the Valley of the Moon with a “Wine Shine” in a lovely garden setting on August 17, 2003.

The club holds monthly meetings on the third Wednesday of the month, featuring dessert and a Pi Phi theme. Younger members promoted luncheon meetings, which further increased the club’s membership. Each year members have enjoyed monthly gatherings with guest speakers, many of whom have been club members. Other favorite events include theater outings, wine country picnics and the very special couple’s holiday party in December.

Philanthropic Service

During the early years of the club, members promoted literacy projects such as visiting nursery and preschool classes to read to the students. In 2003, members found enthusiasm for the new reading program, Champions Are Readers^®(CAR), presented at the 2003 Convention in Anaheim, California. For the next 11 years, members presented their month-long October and March CAR programs to third graders in Santa Rosa’s West Steele Lane School, where English is often the second language in the home. Members were proud to have non-Pi Phi friends help with this wonderful project, which continued until 2014.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Arrowcraft Award (1995)
• Club of Superior Performance (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013)
• Excellence in Literacy Initiatives (2007)
• Ideal Alumnae Club, Alpha-Gamma Province (1999)
• Most Improved Alumnae Club, Alpha-Epsilon Province (1996)
• Pi Beta Phi Fraternity Certificate of Honorable Mention: 1991–1992 Yearbook

Notable Alumnae

• Mary Kahlenberg Schroeder, Pi Phi Convention Coordinator for five biennial conventions (1982–1993) and Alpha-Epsilon Alumnae Province President for two consecutive terms (1992–1996)
• Mary Anne Riddick Cesario, Chairman for Undergraduate Scholarship Applications (1995–1997)

The History of the Aurora, Colorado, Alumnae Club 

The club was formed in 1996, after Denver’s large club was divided into six separate clubs. These six clubs are Denver, Highlands Ranch, Evergreen, Jefferson County, South Douglas County and Aurora.

Five of the original founding members were Karla Ives, Mary Cella, Anne Harrity, Marjorie Barnes and Dee Ann Hare.

The club is made up of all ages and interests. There are many teachers, active and retired, an ice skating instructor, a hostess for the Sky Club Premier Office with Delta, real estate brokers and many of the club’s members volunteer for local organizations.

Each year in December and February, the club has two well-attended meetings. In December, they have the club’s Christmas meeting and angel exchange of ornaments. To start with, there is a delicious potluck, followed by fun and excitement as each member gets to go home with a beautiful angel ornament.

In February, the Aurora, Colorado, Alumnae Club has their exciting Valentine dinner with husbands or significant others at a country club. The men seem to enjoy attending the club’s meeting once a year. The club has held teas for the Diamond and Golden sisters, participated in the Fraternity Day of Service and National Panhellenic Council activities and meetings. Some of their philanthropic efforts are volunteering with Champions Are Readers^® (CAR), working with other literacy based organizations and collecting soda tops and soup labels for education. The club members also have attended many Conventions and leadership conferences to continue their Personal and Intellectual Growth.
 

Philanthropic Service

Over the years, this club’s members have been quite active working on projects and participating in local philanthropic events such as the Ronald McDonald House, Dr. Seuss Day^® at Children’s Hospital and supporting First Book^® and local elementary schools. As of 2016, the Aurora, Colorado, Alumnae Club added the Ellie White Foundation to the club’s philanthropy list.

Awards and Club Recognition 

• Club of Excellence (1998, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
• Excellence in Communication (2000, 2010)

Alumnae Achievement Award

• Nancy Spence (2009)

Evelyn Peters Kyle Award

• Ione Strickland Blair (2004)

Panhellenic Women of the Year Award

• Margie Barnes (2004)

The History of the Denver, Colorado, Alumnae Club

During its long history, the Denver, Colorado, Alumnae Club has maintained a presence in the Denver area. Although there has been the usual ebb and flow of members, there has always been a good nucleus of members gathering together on a monthly basis for informative meetings and good conversation. Additionally, there are Arrow Club groups including an active book club that meets monthly and an adventure and fun club that schedules interesting activities regularly.

Philanthropic Service

One of Denver, Colorado Alumnae Club's favorite events is celebrating Dr. Seuss’^® birthday at various Denver Boys and Girls Club locations. This club also participates in serving mid-afternoon snack at The Gathering Place, a safe house for homeless women and children. 

The History of the Jefferson County, Colorado, Alumnae Club

In 2012, the Evergreen, Colorado, Alumnae Club joined the Jefferson County, Colorado, Alumnae Club. The Evergreen, Colorado, Alumnae Club was chartered in 1978 and was the first fraternity group to organize an alumnae club in Evergreen, Colorado.

Members of both clubs, including Barbara Mohar and Maureen Peterson, were instrumental in the establishment of Colorado Delta Chapter at the Colorado School of Mines, serving on the original House Corporation and Alumnae Advisory Committees. In fact, Joanne Stucker literally walked the streets of Golden, Colorado, looking for a suitable house to rent for the new chapter. It was exciting to help with the installation of this new addition to Pi Beta Phi.

For the past ten years, Jefferson County, Colorado, Alumnae Club and Colorado Delta have held joint Founders’ Day Celebrations at the chapter house. This has been a great way for alumnae and collegiate members to form stronger bonds.

The club has hosted Founders’ Day events, and has provided programs with notable speakers such as Bea Romer, former Colorado First Lady, Jean Sutherland, wife of terrorist captive Tom Sutherland, and Helen Bucher Dix, former Grand Vice President.

Since the club’s founding, members still gather as they always have for summer and holiday retreats and Ladies’ Nights Out.
 

Philanthropic Service

In the early years, both the Jefferson County, Colorado, and Evergreen, Colorado, Alumnae Clubs hosted several Arrowcraft Teas to sell items and introduce the community to the Pi Phi philanthropy. When teas were no longer appropriate, they participated in the Champions Are Readers^® (CAR) program, teaming up with members of the Denver and Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Alumnae Clubs.

Additionally, for many years the Jefferson County, Colorado, Alumnae Club was known for its annual Nut Sale and for its support of Bridgeway House, a home for pregnant teenagers. Since the closing of Bridgeway, club members have collected school supplies and children’s books twice a year for donation to The Action Center in Jefferson County. They also collect books for incarcerated adults.

Donations are also solicited from members for the club’s Angel Fund. This fund provides grants to Colorado Delta members who need assistance with Pi Phi expenses. A $300 grant is given each semester.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Superior Performance and Best Alumnae Club/Chapter Relations
• Emerging Excellence Award (2004)
• Excellence in Communication, Psi Province (1998)

Notable Alumnae

• Nancy Cox, the 2010 national Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award winner for Club Service
• Nancy Guetz, the 1996 Alpha-Beta Province nominee for the Evelyn Peters Kyle Award
• Mary Beaty, served as the Assistant General Chairman of the 2001 Denver Convention, served as Alumnae Province President and was the Denver Metro Pi Phi nominee for the Denver Area Panhellenic Woman of the Year Award
• Genie DeLuise, served as the Alumnae Province President
• Sidney Nelson, served as the Alumnae Province President
• Joann Stucker, Denver Metro Pi Phi nominee for the Denver Area Panhellenic Woman of the Year Award in 2010

The History of the Northern Colorado Alumnae Club

In 1991, a number of women came together to form the club: Bernadene Ping Ratliff, Laura Collins Freeman, Catherine H. Warren, Peggy Klovdahl, Lucie A. Johnson, Cathy A. Monteath, Kim Thompson Maxwell, Guiditta Rea Spurlin, Roseanne S. Garnsey, Sue Dalby Casebeer, Jeannine Wedell, Shadwick, Marilyn Cramer Beattie, Julie C. Webster, Gail Kuettel, Betty Sue Flannelly, Marilyn Decker Rahmig, Sally Blanchard VanWert, Patricia Rolfs O’Brien, Carole Inez Wallis Hartley, Heather Anne Hartley, Shirley Anne Wheeler, Connee Elsessser McAllister, Susan Benson Todd and Marilyn Jones Tapp.

Notable Alumnae

• Susan Benson Tood (Sooz), former President of Panhellenic of Greeley
• Jeannine Wedell Shadwick, Women of the Year Award recipient 

The History of the Colorado Springs, Colorado, Alumnae Club

Eighty-three years ago, in spite of difficult times in 1933, a group of Pi Bet Phi alumnae in the small city of Colorado Springs began to gather for tea and friendship. In the era following the Depression, they found comfort in recalling the happier days of their college years and the Fraternity life they had in common. They shared memories, laughter, stories of family and caring friendships. Encouraged by Amy Burnam Onken, Grand President of the Fraternity, who was attending a meeting at the Broadmoor Hotel that summer, the seventeen original founders of the Colorado Springs Club applied for and were granted a charter of their membership in the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity in 1934. A research of the existing scrap books indicates that highlights of their eight meetings in early years included a salad luncheon in September, a Settlement School Tea at which craft items were available to the public and a Founders’ Day celebration, the first of which was a luncheon at the Antlers Hotel. Other meetings were in members' homes.

Substantial growth was not realized until after World War II. During the war years, the club was able to maintain its standing with as few as seven members during l943 to 1945. The focus of meetings changed from social functions to reflect the hardships of the time. Garage sales took place where members were able to purchase cleaned and refurbished items. Fundraisers in the form of elaborate fashion shows and champagne brunches raised money for the Settlement School. Later, Arrowmont craft sales, bridge parties and teas were incorporated into the social calendar. Delegates from the convention returned with new ideas and philanthropy was stressed.

In the 1970s and 1980s, participation increased. Peg Houston received the first Evelyn Peters Kyle Award and the Colorado Springs Club was named an Ideal Club. Peg Houston and Kathe Eller started the first Geranium Sale. The idea blossomed and has spread to many other Pi Phi Clubs, including to Canada where funds support the Arrow in the Arctic project. The club honors the memories of Peggy and Kathe, who passed away in the early 1990s. The Houston family sponsors a speaker at convention and has endowed a Foundation scholarship.

In the 1990s, the club introduced special interest groups, including a luncheon Group, two book clubs, a golf group, a hiking group, and a longstanding bridge group. A Moonlight Angel Group for younger members meets in the evening.

In 2000, the club's emphasis changed as literacy became the Fraternity’s foremost philanthropic endeavor. The Read Across America project celebrating Dr. Seuss’ Birthday has become a yearly event. Members volunteer at preschools, kindergartens and in public schools, and donate books through First Books. Books are also collected and donated to three mountain town libraries for adults.

In 2003, the Colorado Springs Alumnae Club assisted the Chartering of Colorado Epsilon Chapter at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS). Now in it’s thirteenth year it is thriving. Alumnae serve on AAC and HC, and there are many interactions between the club and chapter members.
 

Philanthropic Service

The club hosts the annual Geranium Sale to raise money for Pi Phi chartiable causes and a literacy-related charity. The club also hosts a Day of Service, during which club members read at schools, preschools and libraries.

Awards and Recognition

• Alpha-Beta Province Ideal Club Award (1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990)
• Club of Excellence (2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007)
• Club of Superior Performance (2006)
• Emma Harper Turner Award, Psi Province – Marie Wagenseller Rankin (2001), Kathy Fossceco Phillips (1998), Shirley Damon Portouw (1997)
• Emma Harper Turner Award, Region 5 – Ann Couch (2014), Kris Woods Olson (2012), Lynda Ward Schedler (2011), Ann Brockman Axelrod (2007)
• Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award, Alpha-Beta Province - Jane Haymaker Floersch (1993)
• Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award, Psi Province – Virginia Weissinger Grant (2005)
• Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award, Rho Province - Kathe Merkt Eller (1988)
• Excellence in Communication (2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2006)
• Excellence in Communication, Region 2 (2004, 2002, 2001)
• Excellence in Membership Recruitment and Retention, 251-600 members (2011, 2010, 2009, 2008)
• International Best Chapter/Alumnae Club Relations Award (2004)
• International Best Chapter/Alumnae Club Relations Honorable Mention (2003)
• International Jesse Moeur French Award (2005)
• International Nashville Alumnae Club Honorable Mention (1997)
• International Top 10 Alumnae Club (2005, 2004, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1993)
• National Top 10 Alumnae Club (1992)
• National Yearbook Award (1992, 1989, 1988, 1986)
• National Yearbook Honorable Mention (1984)
• Psi Province Ideal Club Award (2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997)
• Rho Province and National Community Service Award (1982, 1978)
• Rho Province Ideal Club Award (1982)

Alpha-Beta Province Dove Award

• Tricia Mundt Nixon (1994)
• Dorris Eberly Stead (1992)
• Ann Allison Leach (1989)

Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award

• Judith Summers McCollum (2008)

Emma Harper Turner Award

• Kathy Fossceco Phillips (2004)

Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award

• Margaret George (Peg) Houston

Psi Province Dove Award

• Dee Wittwer Jones (2005)
• Alison Hennig Moore (2004)

Notable Alumnae

• Lucille Adams, first President of Club (1934)
• Fran Knutson, last survivor of charter members of club who remained active until her death in 2000
• Peg Houston and Kathe Eller, started the first geranium fundraiser together in 1976. They became known for co-chairing the event until Kathe lost her battle with cancer in 1991. Peg carried on the sale with the help of others until she died tragically in a climbing accident in 1993. The club honored them in naming the Houston/Eller memorial. A Pi Phi Foundation Scholarship was established by Peg’s family and the Peg Houston Speaker’s Fund at Convention.
• Virginia Grant, chairman of the Bridge Group since the early 70s. She was also active with the fashion shows of that period.
• Jane Floersch, Province President during the 80s and is now a Diamond Arrow after many years of service to the club.
• Olivia Bennett, Province President and very active during the 80s.
• Judith McCollum, recipient of the Carolyn Lichtenberg Crest Award for her work with Colorado Springs School District 11.
• Alison Moore, joined the Colorado Springs Alumnae Club in the early 80s, and as president in 1987, attended her first convention embarking on a long career as a national officer. She was a Province President for six years and Arrowmont Ambassador. In addition, she was the Anniversary Celebration Chairman for two years. She served six years on the Fraternity’s National Nominating Committee, the last two years as Chairman. She has attended 15 Conventions and been Historian and Photographer for our Club. She now serves on the House Corp Committee for Colorado Springs Epsilon Chapter at UCCS.

Past Presidents

The History of the Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Alumnae Club 

One of four Pi Phi alumnae clubs in the Denver metro area, the Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Alumnae Club, was established in November 1996 by 15 charter members.  Originally, the club’s roster consisted of members primarily from Highlands Ranch, a community that was started in 1981. The club has since expanded to include members from the neighboring communities of Lone Tree, Castle Rock, Larkspur and Sedalia. The club was started to make it more convenient for members living in the communities located southeast of Denver to participate in alumnae activities and events without having to travel long distances. The club has typically held monthly meetings (September through May) for over 20 years. The members commemorated the club’s 20th anniversary in November of 2016 with a special celebration.

Philanthropic Service 

The Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Alumnae Club has participated in many philanthropic events since the club was chartered in 1996. This involvement includes participating in the Champions Are Readers^® (CAR) program, hosting book drives to collect children’s books for Reach Out and Read Colorado, purchasing writing materials and summer book bags for elementary school students in a remedial reading program, and collecting monetary donations for Newborns in Need. The club also donates school supplies for Denver Area Panhellenic philanthropies, including a private Denver school for students with special needs.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Superior Performance
• Excellence in Communication

The History of the San Juan, Colorado, Alumnae Club

In 1999, Colorado Alpha Lisa Gamel Scott moved to Pagosa Springs and, having been very involved in other alumnae clubs, wanted to join one in her new town. She quickly discovered there was no alumnae club in the small community, so she requested the relevant ZIP codes from Pi Phi Headquarters. She then called the handful of members who lived in town and invited them to a meeting to discuss forming a local pocket. Everyone she contacted was happy to convene and all were excited about the opportunity. Shortly after that meeting, the club’s Pi Beta Phi alumnae club was chartered. Members chose the name “San Juan” because they live in the San Juan Mountains, and they wanted membership to include neighboring towns within the region.

Immediately, women of various ages from chapters all over the country (and some who had never before belonged to an alumnae club) came together. This club has always focused on friendship – and members also enjoy participating in national Pi Beta Phi philanthropic activities.

Membership has ranged from 10 to 19 members, depending on the year and the participation of women from other towns. The small community is 60 miles from the nearest large town, which is why it doesn't see much participation outside of Pagosa Springs. The club is lucky to have a few loyal members from Durango, the club’s nearest “big city” located 60 miles away.

The San Juan Alumnae Club's annual gatherings are centered around national Pi Phi events like Founders’ Day. The club also participates in the celebration of the club’s Golden Arrows, Cookie Shines and Fraternity Days of Service. The club also creates other reasons to get together, such as the club’s annual Christmas angel gift exchange during the holidays, a Beaux and Arrows event that includes spouses, Chinese New Year parties, July Fourth/Canada Day celebrations and an escape room adventure. While members regularly talk about Fraternity news and execute the business of the club, the club’s time together is mostly spent in friendship, fun and sisterhood — always with delicious food and much laughter. Members especially cherish the fact the club’s group is a loving, supportive place of solace and support as the club’s members have lost spouses and Pi Phi sisters to illness and old age.    

Over the years, several of the club’s members have moved away, yet the club is always successful in recruiting new Pi Phis to Pagosa Springs to join the group. Four of the club’s 10 charter members still are actively involved. The club is small, but the members are very, very special to each other. As they like to say, they are “friends and leaders for life.”

In 2006, the club organized and hosted the first-ever luncheon for all Panhellenic sorority women in the club’s area. This event has become so popular that it is now a well-regarded annual gathering. Carole Howard was the emcee from the beginning, and Lisa Scott was the speaker several times, discussing such topics as changes in sorority recruitment, the growing importance of philanthropies among college sororities and alumnae clubs and the issue of hazing on college campuses. The club has maintained the more than 100 names on the club’s Panhellenic list and publicized and organized the luncheons. After eight years, they announced they were retiring from the organizational role and passing the baton to other sorority ladies for future events. The luncheons organized from 2014 on by the new committee have been a great success as well.
 

Philanthropic Service

The club has participated in every Fraternity Day of Service since its inception in 2006. Efforts have included events at the Pagosa Springs Public Library, work parties to decorate bookplates for children’s books, volunteering at the Pagosa Springs Elementary School book fair and donating books and reading to preschoolers at the local Head Start Center.

At the club’s annual Christmas angel exchange luncheons, members bring canned and packaged goods to contribute to local holiday food drives for the needy in Pagosa Springs.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the club in March 2010, members purchased a wireless microphone system for the local Pagosa Springs Public Librar, to be used in its Lifelong Learning Lectures series and other educational and literacy programs.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Alumnae Club Spirit Award (2014, 2013)
• Excellence in Communications (2013)
• Excellence in Communications Award - Regional (2011)

Notable Alumnae

• Colorado Alpha Lisa Gamel Scott, Pi Beta Phi Foundation Trustee, also serving as treasurer and president, 2003–09, 2013–present; Chairman of Gatlinburg Study Committee, 2009–10; Pi Beta Phi Fraternity Housing Corporation member and president, 2011–present
• Oregon Beta Carole Munroe Howard, 2004 Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award for distinguished alumnae achievement; Foundation-sponsored keynote address at the 2005 Convention titled, “Majoring in the Rest of Your Life" and Club's nominee in 2010 for the Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award for Organization Service
• Pennsylvania Beta Lynn Devaul Constan, Starred as an archer and spokesperson in the Pi Beta Phi Foundation video that debuted at the 2009 Convention
• Iowa Gamma Ann Struble Norris, Member Arrowmont Board of Governors 1992–2000

The History of the Manchester Area, Connecticut, Alumnae Club

The club holds many annual events such as the club’s Angel and Arrow Exchange, (an event during which each member tries to swap for the coveted handmade angel mouse), the Fall Pot Luck Kickoff and Founders’ Day with University of Connecticut, Connecticut Alpha. The club has very active members who get involved in Connecticut Alpha’s Alumnae Advisory Committee and House Corporation.

Philanthropic Service

Each year the club volunteers in a local classroom (previously elementary school), but most recently members have visited a nursery school to read with children, donate books, provide literacy exercises and grow the children’s love of reading. This typically happens daily for a few weeks in late January or February. This program is mainly handled by retired members and supports Champions are Readers^®. The club has also hosted events related to Fraternity Day of Service, including a Signature Event in February 2017 and Dr. Seuss’^® birthday. The birthday celebration is held in March at the Mary Cheney Library in Manchester, Connecticut. The club partners with the library, hosting an interactive music session, reading a Dr. Seuss book, having birthday cake and snacks, making crafts, taking photo and more! Club members also support Lending Libraries in public spaces in Manchester, Connecticut, and hold fundraisers to benefit literacy including painting nights, cooking classes, and the Lularoe for Literacy event.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Best Alumnae Club - Chapter Relations - Regional (1997)
• Club of Excellence (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015)
• Club of Superior Performance (2012)
• Ideal Club Province Winner (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989)
• Top 10 Club (995, 1996, 2001, 2002)
• Top 10 Club, Best Alumnae Club - Chapter Relations, Honorable Mention (1997, 1999)

Emma Harper Turner Award (Alpha Province)

• Laurie Spruill (2004)

Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award

• Edna Woodbury (1991)

Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award (Alpha Province)

• Linda McCarthy (2004, 1993)
• Anita “Blinky” Calder (1987)

The History of the Southern Fairfield, Connecticut, Alumnae Club

The Southern Fairfield Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi began in October 1956 at an alumna’s home in Darien, Connecticut. Members hail from the Connecticut towns of Bridgeport, Cos Cob, Danbury, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Fairfield, New Canaan, Newtown, Oxford, Ridgefield, Riverside, Rowayton, Salisbury, Shelton, Southbury, Southport, Trumbull, Weston, Westport, Wilton and several towns in Westchester County, New York. The former Westchester Alumnae Club merged with the current club in 2004, extending the club’s border westward to the Hudson River and southward to New York City.

Earliest members included suburban homemakers, mothers and grandmothers, and eventually included recent graduates and working women. Members came from many areas of the country and graduated from diverse colleges and universities. There are 53 different chapters that are currently members of the club. These ladies share their experiences and talents, adding to the enjoyment of new relationships and programs. Friendships have thrived here.

Throughout the club’s 60 years, meetings have been held in homes or convenient, common locations. Daytime and evening groups enjoyed programs about current events and members’ interests. Fraternity, collegiate and alumnae news was always of interest. Smaller groups developed outside of regularly scheduled meetings. Bridge, tennis, book groups, an out-to-lunch bunch and Moms and Tots were popular interest groups. Members also currently serve on the Advisory Committees or House Corporations at the club’s three local chapters: Connecticut Alpha, University of Connecticut; Connecticut Beta, Yale; and Connecticut Gamma, Quinnipiac University. In 1989, the club was instrumental in the Installation of a chapter at Yale University. Quinnipiac University was installed later in the 90s. Club members also share a love of food and cooking. They would often trade recipes, which led to the creation of the club’s own cookbook, "Tried and True," in 1989.

Members have enjoyed get-togethers with Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta and Gamma Phi Beta, and have supported the local Panhellenic Association with annual fundraisers. Founder's Day luncheons were more formal affairs, with special attention given to the candle-lighting ceremony honoring the club’s 12 Founders as well as Golden and Diamond Arrows. National's "Links to Literacy" program encouraged the club to create a library at Children's Hospital at Yale New Haven in 1994. Members continue to serve on its board, look after the space, reading materials and personnel involved. The New Haven Alumnae Club and Connecticut Betas also volunteer there. The complexion of the club is changing with new leadership and membership. Blending the older members with the newer generation is invigorating and hopeful. The club is eager to see what’s in store for 2017 and beyond.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Arrowcraft Award (1979)
• Club of Superior Performance (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
• Excellence in Communication (1997, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007)
• Foundation Support (2007)
• Ideal Club (1997)

Notable Alumnae

• Kay Cross Baker, Director of Alumnae Activities; Director of Alumnae Programming; Alpha Province Alumnae President, Connecticut Beta; Yale Installation chair; guided Yale Children's Library creation
• Jane Conyers Fitzpatrick, Physical Therapist; Director National Officer overseeing Northeast chapters and one Canadian University; Founder and Executive Director of Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Program; CHL Award National winner
• Janet "Joey" Hamilton, Alumnae Province President for three terms; Director of National Extension; founded first overseas chapter in London
• Lou Ann Carter, Grand Treasurer
• Ellie Sassano and Marge Fritz, granddaughters of founder Jennie Horne Turnbull, were members of the Westchester Alumnae Club
• Eileen Heckart, actress; Oscar winner; awarded Three Emmys and a Golden Globe
• Maxine Kohl Mackle, Educator; introduced computer to business and educational systems in Canada
• Lori Hanley Moody, communicator; film writer; director; producer
• Joyce M. Hergenhan, journalist; Public Relations Vice President at General Electric
• Catherine Wartinbee Townsend, librarian; outstanding Girl Scout leader in USA and Paris
• Gayle Badley Mimnaugh, United Airlines Customer Service Award Winner; International Flight Attendant representative for JFK and Newark airports; oversaw merger of Westchester Alumnae Club with SFCAC in 2004
• Dianne deWitt, international runway and print model; Pi Phi Convention Speaker

The History of the Nations Capital - D.C. Alumnae Club

Chartered in 1997, the members of Nation’s Capital-D.C. Alumnae Club are an active group of professional women, who live and work in Washington D.C., Northern Virginia and Maryland. The chapter is diverse with members of all ages.

The club has four signature events a year (opening meeting in September, Club Dinner in November, Angel Exchange in December and New Year’s Brunch in January). Members are also encouraged to participate in interest groups, or smaller groups that meet more frequently with a common interest. And of course, members dedicate a significant portion of the club’s programming to volunteer events, specifically ones that promote literacy in the club’s community.

The club has an ongoing, yearlong partnership with an organization and a school, and then it plans multiple events across Read > Lead > Achieve^® month in September and Fraternity Day of Service in March. There is also a Welcoming Committee, made up of volunteer members who manage recruitment and onboarding of new club members. New this year, the committee started planning events specifically targeted at interested potential club members and have seen great success. New members have really appreciated the special outreach and easy transition into the club

The club hosts activities across the D.C. Metro area, from local brewery tours to "Jazz in the Garden." There are also athletic events, bocce tournaments, rock climbing outings and more. Many members are a part of the Capitol Hill Lunch Bunch; this group is made up of Pi Phis who work on or near Capitol Hill and who get together over lunch on Fridays or when Congress is in recess. These is also a group for any member who enjoys trying new restaurants for brunch. There’s a book club, as well as a wine club that enjoys outings to rooftop happy hours, wine tasting classes and winery tours. Professional development is an important component of the club; it hosts many workshops and networking events for Capitol Hill interns during July, as well as financial seminars in the spring.

Philanthropic Service

During Read > Lead > Achieve Month, members typically conduct at least three events throughout the month, one of them a book donation drive. The club submits an application for the FDS 500 Grant on behalf of a local D.C.-area school. In the past, members have hosted a fundraiser through the club’s Monthly Mingles. For the past two years, they have maintained an ongoing partnership with the Books to Prison program, and this past year organized an on-site book-sorting volunteer event. Members also work with Turning the Page, an organization that partners with schools in the city to work with students on literacy activities after school.

Each year, the club celebrates Fraternity Day of Service. Members host multiple activities across the months of February and March including book drives, on-site events with Books to Prison, Speed Reads and literacy days at local elementary schools.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Excellence in Chapter Support (2011, 2012)
• Excellence in Communication (regional)
• Excellence in Programming (2011)
• Premier Alumnae Club - Small Club (2015)
• Premier Alumnae Club - Large Club (2018)

The History of the Pensacola, Florida, Alumnae Club

In the early 1950s, when Panhellenic rules were less defined regarding interaction with prospective new members, the alum club hosted “rush” parties with alums and collegians.

A favorite former event was the Gulf Coast Gathering of Angels, organized by the club in 2007 and attended by Ann Shaw, ARD. Alumnae clubs from Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama met for lunch at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Alabama, then shopped at an angel shop in Fairhope, Alabama.

Members come together to socialize at least once a month. In addition to the club’s annual events (Founders’ Day, Christmas Brunch, Fraternity Day of Service, and Philanthropy meeting), members enjoy going to the theater together, supporting the club’s minor league baseball team, and meeting for lunch at local restaurants. A favorite meeting place of the club is Turner’s Camp (built in 1934), the charming family retreat of mother-daughter alumnae Sally and Sarah Turner. The venue is nestled among old oak trees draped with Spanish moss, and members may sit on the extra-large screened front porch overlooking Pensacola Bay. The Pensacola, Florida, Alumnae Club has recently expanded and now encompasses an area of more than 200 square miles, from Lillian, Alabama, in the west to Destin, Florida, in the east, and from the Gulf Coast in the south to the Alabama state line.

Philanthropic Service

In keeping with Pi Phi’s literacy initiative, the club has participated in Read Across America every year since 2007. Partnering with the Escambia Education Association, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million book stores, they hang the club’s Pi Beta Phi banner on a table where they help children with fun, hands-on, literacy-promoting projects.

For two consecutive years, members have donated 500 books, acquired through Pi Phi’s FDS500 grant program, to a First Book recipient school. Throughout Literacy Week, Pi Phi alums serve as guest readers in classrooms at the school, and continue to volunteer in classrooms throughout the year. This year they will again distribute books to an underprivileged school, thanks to Pi Phi’s FDS500 grant program.

Past philanthropic projects include selling items ordered from the Arrowcraft Catalog to raise money for Arrowmont.
 

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Outstanding Performance (2016)
• Club of Superior Performance (2007, 2015)
• Excellence in Communications (2007)
• Excellence in Communications - Region Two (2015)

Evelyn Peters Kyle award (Xi Province)

• Linda Venable Moody, Tennessee Delta (2005)

Notable Alumnae

• Jo Elen Eyster Bailey, Florida Beta, is a nationally known portrait artist who paints in the 19th Century style of John Singer Sargent and Robert Henri. Since graduating from Florida State University, Bailey has been a professional artist for 53 years. She has paintings and portraits in collections throughout the country. These collections include Emory University, the Georgia State Capitol and the Florida State Senate. She recently completed painting a 33' x 9' mural of the fishing community and Pensacola's iconic waterfront. The mural is in one of Pensacola’s landmark restaurants. Considering that she is 76, this mural is no small task!
• Cathy Schipman Boehme, Alabama Alpha, winner of the 2013 Teaching Excellence Award in Florida was a former teacher who recently retired. After 31 years of teaching in the classroom, Cathy retired to take a position at the Florida Education Association as a legislative specialist in education policy and advocate for public education. She has been instrumental in developing programs for mentoring and evaluating beginning teachers in Florida, as well as leading a state wide group of teachers in conducting educational research and policy and curriculum development. In 2016, she was invited to present to the National Council of State Legislators International Study Group, comparing school reform initiatives in this country to high performing systems in other countries. Cathy served her Pi Phi chapter as secretary and president.
• Jane Fell Greene, Indiana Delta, author of numerous books including LANGUAGE! The Comprehensive Literacy Curriculum; fellow, Academy of Orton Gillingham Professionals and Educators; President, National Institute for Continuing Education; Board of Directors, International Dyslexia Association; President, Basics Plus
• Meg McNamara, California Nu, joined WEAR Pensacola in 2014 as the weekend weather anchor. She came to Pensacola from Lewiston, Idaho, where she was the main anchor at the CBS affiliate, KLEW-TV. In addition to anchoring the 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. newscasts, Meg filled in for weather broadcasts and hosted her own cooking segment. Meg graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where she graduated with a degree in theater arts. During her senior year, she interned at the Dr. Phil Show, making enough of an impression that they immediately offered her a full time position. Meg spent two years there as the talent coordinator and  then returned to Seattle, her hometown, to begin her broadcasting career as an online reporter at the CBS affiliate, KIRO.
• The Rev. Sally Moure Trimble, Florida Beta, received her master’s in Divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary. Sally is the daughter, niece and first cousin of Florida Beta Pi Phis. When she started college at FSU in 1958, Sally wanted to be “independent” and pledge a different sorority. Of course, she fell in love with Pi Phi decided to join. A dozen or so of her class of 1962 still gather for reunions; one the most memorable events happened when they attended her ordination to the diaconate. Sally has served congregations in Virginia and Florida; while stationed in Washington, D.C., Sally was in charge of hosting the Marine Corps Ball.
• Sarah Mallory Turner, Alabama Gamma, Art Director, E. W. Bullock Associates, advertising and public relations firm, graduated from Auburn University with a degree in commercial art and in art education. She joined the Bullock firm in 1984 as a graphic designer. Sarah has won numerous American Advertising Awards (ADDYs) on District, Regional and National levels. The ADDY Award is the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition. Sarah has also won National Healthcare Advertising Awards and several poster competitions for wine, jazz and seafood festivals on Florida’s gulf coast. Sarah has served as treasurer and secretary of the Pensacola Alumnae Club.

The History of the Clearwater, Florida, Alumnae Club

This club is a member organization of the Clearwater Alumnae Panhellenic.

Philanthrophic Service

The club partners with Bess the Book Bus, a mobile literacy outreach program.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Excellence in Communication - Regional (2015)

The History of the DeLand, Florida, Alumnae Club

The charter members of this club were Mrs. Ray H. Gordon (President), Lady Lois Townsend (Secretary), Annie N. Holden (Treasurer), Mrs. Tom Jackson, Olive Kruse, Virginia Bow, Mrs. Lawrence Stockwell, Mrs. H. B. Hodgden, Mrs. Howard Hon and Mrs. D. C. Hull.

Philanthropic Service

The DeLand, Florida, Alumnae Club is a small club, so it does not host any major events. However, the club does raise money through Angel Dues and holds a fundraiser that involves selling final exam care packages to the parents of collegiate members to be delivered to their daughters. They also often offer Pi Phi graduation cords to the club’s graduating collegiate seniors as another fundraiser.

The History of the Brevard County, Florida, Alumnae Club

The Brevard County, Florida, Alumnae Club supports its members in many ways, which include giving monetary gifts, donating furnishings and clothing, transporting sisters to appointments, hosting special parties for "benchmark birthdays" and other special life events and companionship during medical illnesses and hospital stays. The club also takes many road trips to visit the collegians of Florida Epsilon at University of Central Florida and of Florida Delta at University of Florida, especially for Founders' Day and Florida Zeta’s first initiation ceremonies. The club members are known as a very friendly and involved group, and in 2016 the club’s membership had almost doubled from Fall, 2010.
 

Philanthropic Service

The club was able to participate in the Fraternity Day of Service 500 book giveaway from 2009 – 2016. The club also played a role in the creation, restoration and decoration of The Pi Beta Phi Children's Room at The Brevard Rescue Mission's Julia's House in 2015. Annual donations from the Pi Beta Phi table at the "Women Who Care, Share Luncheon" have exceeded $1,000 yearly from 2014 to present, and they also give to the Dr. Seuss Literacy Party at The Brevard Rescue Mission, which was held annually from 2012 to 2015. The "Santa's Secret Workshop" for children at The Brevard Rescue Mission from 2013 to 2015 has been a favorite activity of the club’s members, as has participating in the Champions Are Readers^® (CAR) Reading Tutorial Program from 2013 to 2015.
 

Awards and Club Recognition 

• Club of Excellence (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
• Excellence in Communication (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)

​Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award

• Stacie Long Glavas (nominee)

Notable Alumnae

• Stacia Long Glavas, Founder, CEO of Brevard Rescue Missions; Woman of the Year Award for Brevard County
• Linda Wise, Founder/Owner of Tropical Realty
• Nancy Cobun Clew, Founded the Space Coast and Florida Flute Associations; Past President of Brevard Music Teachers Association
• Susan Schlatter Cheshire - Past Director of American Heart Association; Co-founder, Past President of Melbourne Zonita Club; Founded East Coast of Florida National Association of Investors, Former Executive Vice President of Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce

Other Club Names:

Southwest Florida Alumnae Club
 

The History of the Fort Myers Area, Florida, Alumnae Club

In 1970, the Southwest Florida Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi (Eta Province) was formed. The first President, Kim Thompson wrote to Pi Beta Phi's Central Office and obtained the charter. The Fort Myers Area, Alumnae Club was originally called Southwest Florida Alumnae Club because it included members who lived in many locations throughout the area, which included Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lehigh, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and others.   

Originally the club’s membership included alumnae in the Naples area; however, the separate Naples, Florida, Alumnae Club was formed one year later. Southwest Florida Alumnae Club did celebrate Founders’ Day with the Naples, Florida, Alumnae Club and the Port Charlotte pocket. Those joint celebrations lasted many years until the clubs grew too large and chose to hold separate events. 

In earlier years, the club had a number of potluck dinners and dinner dances which involved the members’ spouses as well. From 1979 to 1980, Southwest Florida Alumnae Club Pi Phis started Alumnae Panhellenic of Lee County. To do so, every Pi Phi invited a guest from another sorority. Pi Phi Ida Jane Sharpe was the first President. 

The 1980s were a tough time for the club; there were very few members. However, in the 1990s, more Pi Phis moved to the area and the club again grew in membership. Then, in 1992, the club contributed a square for the friendship quilt put together and displayed at the National Convention in Orlando. The design, appropriately, was a palm tree. For the following Convention, the club made cardigans which were sold. This was before Pi Phi Express. 

In 1994 through 1995, founding club member Susan Kyle became Province President.  Susan served as statewide Recruitment Chairman in 1993-94 and was succeeded in that post by another club member, Angela Clark. In 2011, Bettie Crawford, twin sister of club member Bobbie Nack, was an alumnae honor initiate at the Orlando Convention. 

In 2014, a vote was taken and the club’s name was officially changed to Fort Myers Area, Florida, Alumnae Club, in hopes that new Pi Phis to the area would find us through social media. In 2015, club member Susan Kyle was recognized nationally as the Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award winner. Also in 2015, the club celebrated its 45^th Anniversary with a Cookie Shine held at an area golf club. In 2016, club member Bobbie Nack was installed at Alumnae Panhellenic of Lee County President. She is the second Pi Phi to hold this position since its founding. 
 

Philanthropic Service 

The Fort Myers Area, Florida, Alumnae Club made blankets and then donated them on behalf of the club for Project Linus. Books and pajamas were collected and donated for The Pajama Project, connecting foster children with their own new books and clothes. In 2014, club members started making dinner and bringing books to the families at Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Florida, which they have continued to do today. Another philanthropic event that the club has participated in since 2008 is volunteering as Literacy Buddies through the Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida. Then in 2016, the Fort Myers Area, Florida, Alumnae Club received a Fraternity Day of Service Grant for the Early Learning Coalition- Literacy Buddy Program.

Awards and Club Recognition 

Evelyn Peter Kyle Angel Award

• Susan Kyle (2015)

Notable Alumnae

• Shirley Christlieb and Bobbie Nack, authored the Alumnae Renewal Ceremony and presented at the 2001 Denver Convention

The History of the Athens Area Alumnae Club 

The Athens Area Alumnae Club was founded by a small group of local alumnae through a few key interactions. Kelly Lane was approached at a Pi Beta Phi Foundation brunch by Susan Bruch who connected her with Taylor Smith. Within weeks, the three women had come together to begin the process of chartering the club. Taylor served as the club’s first President, and Kelly served as the second. In the first year, the club was able to establish several community relationships and bond together as a group.

Philanthropic Service 

The club’s main philanthropic event is bringing books to Alps Road Elementary school. These books are distributed to the students by club members, and then the students and volunteers celebrate Dr. Seuss’^® birthday and participate in some activities.
 

Meaningful Mementos

The club has a special Cookie Shine sheet that was specially embroidered for the Athens Area Alumnae Club to help celebrate the club’s charter. Now club members use the sheet for every Cookie Shine and have the attending women sign it!
 

Awards and Club Recognition 

• Club of Excellence (2016, 2015)

Young Alumnae Award - Regional

• Taylor Ziegler Smith (2016)

The History of the Augusta, Georgia, Alumnae Club 

This club was formed by Camilla Humphrey, who later served as Club President, along with other roles. Camilla founded this club when she moved to Greensboro, Georgia and discovered that about 15 active Pi Phi alumnae lived in the area. The club is a diverse group; the membership zip codes spread from Aiken, South Carolina, to Greensboro, Georgia. The club still has a core group of original members. The Augusta, Georgia, Alumnae Club prefers to do local literacy projects to support the national Pi Phi phillanthropic initiative of Read > Lead > Achieve^®. 

Philanthropic Service 

The Augusta, Georgia, Alumnae Club is involved with multiple literacy projects supporting local schools and community groups.

Notable Alumnae

• Camilla Humphrey, club founder and later served as the national literacy coordinator for Pi Beta Phi.

The History of the Honolulu, Hawaii, Alumnae Club

In the past, the Honolulu, Hawaii, Alumnae Club created a resource called “Pi Phis in Paradise” as a way for visiting Pi Phis to reach out to local alumnae while vacationing in Hawaii.

Philanthropic Service

One of the Honolulu, Hawaii, Alumnae Club’s biggest philanthropic events is the Make It, Bake It, Sew It, Grow It Fundraiser, which is a live auction fundraiser of items that were made, baked, sewn or grown by the club’s members. The club also host a Literacy Luncheon with a keynote speaker, and used to hold many Arrowcraft sales.
 

Meaningful Mementos

The club treasures a Cookie Shine sheet with members’ signatures throughout the years, and they use the same Founders’ Day candle holders each year.
 

Awards and Club Recognition 

• Superior Club of Excellence

Notable Alumnae

• Joan Scott Andersen, founder of the award-winning Princess Kaiulani Fashion 
• Lorraine Day Cookie, founder of the Hawaii School for Girls, now known as La Pietra
• Geraldine DeBenedetti, State Administrator for Child Protective Services from 1969 – 1993
• Barbara Fritschi Dew, founder of Conley Dew Ltd, which merged with three other companies in 1996 to form Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties. She served on the YWCA Board of Directors
• Elizabeth Clarke Helmick, Historian and Settlement School Chairman
• Alice Kiewit, first President of the Hawaii Music Teachers Association, from 1968 – 1971
• Donna Mercado Kim, State Senator and President of the Hawaii Senate from 2013 – 2015
• Sally Parker, author of “Sugar and Spice,” a cookbook with proceeds benefiting organizations such as St. Jude Hospital, Edgewood School (San Francisco) and the Dale Rogers Training Center (Oklahoma City). She is on the Board of Directors at the Oakland Museum, Berkeley Repertoire Theatre, California College of Arts and Crafts and the Honolulu Opera Theater. Sally was also the Executive Director of the 1992 World Skating Championships in Oakland, California
• Marguerite Kellerman Paty, named “Kamaaina of the Year” in 1993 by the Historic Hawaii Foundation
• Jane Renfro Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Hawaii Community Foundation, Recepient of Hawaii Chapter’s President’s Award in 1997

Philanthropic Service

The club has raised funds for Holt House by selling Pescheret etchings of Little Pigeon, the settlement school and Holt House itself.

Meaningful Mementos

The club has a special pin collection and a black walnut bookcase that were given to Holt House. Also, the club’s President has an I.C. pin from Delta Chapter, Mount Pleasant Female Seminary.

The History of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Alumnae Club

This alumnae club was organized in 1915 and chartered in March 1916. By June 1917, Helen Holmes reported in The Arrow for the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Alumnae Club, “The club has been established one year and while they are not a large nor a strong organization, they are gradually gaining new members. It is due to the club’s I. C. members that they are able to have a club. Of the 21 members in the club, ten are charter members of the I. C. Sorosis that was established in this city many years ago, and they are the most enthusiastic.”

In the early years, the club members would alternate hosting Founders’ Day with the Iowa City, Iowa, Alumnae Club until they closed in the 1960’s. In 1960, Amy B. Onken visited the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Alumnae Club and gave a wonderful speech on fraternities at the home of Georgene Iles Robbs. Two members of each of the other alumnae clubs were invited to attend. Mary Lou Van Burg Gallagher and another Pi Phi were co-chairs for the Chapter Dinner at the 1977 Minneapolis/St. Paul Convention. Many alumnae club volunteers worked to produce the corn husk doll centerpieces representative of Iowa. In 1979, eight members went to Holt House to present a quilt holder crafted by member Roene Cammack’s husband, to display a quilt called a “chapter quilt.”
 

Philanthropic Service

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Alumnae Club has held many Settlement School Sales and gave all proceeds to local chapters. The club has also donated 500 books with First Book^® from 2013 to 2014. From 2014 to 2015, the club supported local literary programs through a donation of 500 children's books to United Way of East Central Iowa on March 10, 2015. The contact at United Way, Laura Columbus said, "The club is planning to use 100+ of the books for the club’s kick-off event." The rest of the books will be part of the ‘Reading into Success: The Campaign for Grade Level Reading’ to help increase the number of children reading proficiently by the end of the third grade. ​​
 

Meaningful Mementos

• Angels and corn husk dolls from the 1977 Convention.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Excellence
• Little Pigeon Award for the Settlement School Sales (1967)

Notable Alumnae

• Georgene Iles Robbs, State of Iowa Governor's Volunteer Award in 1996, and Phi Beta Kappa Society Award for her leadership and uncommon dedication to advancing the liberal arts and sciences in 2006

The History of the Arlington Heights, Illinois, Alumnae Club

For years, there were only three Pi Phis living in Arlington Heights — Elsie Hubbard, Virginia Burfeind and Jackie Wood. As the town grew, more and more Pi Phis moved in. In 1951 there were finally enough Pi Phis in the area to form the Arlington Heights, Illinois, Alumnae Club. So, Elsie Hubbard, Virginia Burfeind, Jackie Wood, Betty Swanson, Betty Drake and Miriam Doane established the club. Within a year, the club grew to 14 members who lived in Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect and Palatine. Currently the club has 1,029 Pi Phis who live in the Arlington Heights, Illinois, Alumnae Club area.

Philanthropic Service 

Club members have participated in volunteering with and donating to the Arrowcraft Sale, The Harbor, Sophomore Award, Home of the Sparrow, Champions Are Readers^® (CAR) and Project Linus. 

The History of the Monmouth, Illinois, Alumnae Club

The Monmouth Alumnae Club was chartered in 1916 by several Illinois Alpha women living in Monmouth. At their first meeting, four of the founders, Mrs. Soule, of Tacoma, Mrs. Turnbull of Philadelphia, and their own Mrs. Kilgore and Mrs. Hutchinson were in attendance as well as Miss Steele, Province Vice President. They planned to meet every month except the three months in summer. For philanthropy, the Settlement School was discussed and the club decided to sew for the needs of a new hospital. Membership was comprised of sisters living in the area and up to 35 miles away.

In 1928, the Illinois Alpha Chapter at Monmouth College was reinstated and the Alumnae Club was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with and support it. In 1941, the Chapter and Alumnae Club entertained at a tea for the official opening of Holt House.

For almost 90 years, the Monmouth Alumnae Club has been working with the Illinois Alpha Chapter by supporting literacy, serving the club’s community in so many different ways and ultimately, having fun! While there was once talk of having to become a pocket club, many sisters had the determination, dedication and perseverance to keep it active by making phone calls to everyone to renew interest and by distributing a survey to see how the young alums would like to become more involved. Their efforts worked and the club has been building and gaining strength ever since.

The club has the four key officers represented as well as the Cookie Shine Chairman and Song Leader, Alumnae Advisory Committee, and Chapter House Corporation officers. Members celebrate the Monmouth Duo each year with Kappa Kappa Gamma, and host the Panhellenic luncheon every three years and the luncheon with the Galesburg Alumnae Club every other year.

This upcoming year will be a wonderful time to be a Pi Phi alum, especially in Monmouth. The club has witnessed the completion of the new Illinois Alpha home, and will be celebrating 100 years of existence along with the 150th anniversary celebration! As a result, the club’s theme this year is “Honoring the club’s past, creating the club’s future.”

Philanthropic Service

The Monmouth club was one of the clubs that received a Fraternity Day of Service 500 Book Grant for the last two years; in 2017, members will distribute books to 21 preschool sites in Warren County, which includes the library and its three branches. The club also donates to the Local Impact Grant Program, which Pi Phi Foundation matches, and to the Library Summer Reading Program. Students Arrive Ready for School (STARS) also receives donations from the club. Each year the club promotes the Angel Tree, a gifting program in which members can take children’s names off of the tree and in turn buy Christmas gifts for them. The club has also fulfilled a donation requirement to the Friendship Fund, the Literacy Fund, Holt House and the Foundation.
 

Meaningful Mementos

The club has the ritual books, which have been used for many years. Club members are very fortunate to live in the community where Pi Phi began and have access to Holt House at any time. Anyone who has seen Holt House knows there are many items not necessarily relevant to the club, but certainly to Pi Phi in general.
 

Awards and Club Recognition

• Outstanding Club (2011)
• Premier Club/Premier Club Runner Up (2015)
• Superior Club (2014, 2013, 2012)

Notable Alumnae

• Jo Ellen Dollinger, Illinois Governor’s Volunteer Service Award
• Melinda Fry, One of 25 Women throughout the state of Illinois to be honored and recognized for her work in Philanthropy, Monmouth Chamber of Commerce 2016 Citizen of the Year, and will be inducted into the Greek Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 1st during Monmouth College Homecoming festivities
• Karen Angotti, Monmouth Chamber of Commerce 2015 Citizen of the Year and a Woman recognized in the Warren County Historical Museum
• Denise Turnbull, Curator at Holt House, Birthplace of Pi Beta Phi

Philanthropic Service

Each year, the club hosts a flower sale in the spring. This flower sale raises thousands of dollars each year to support the club’s increasing contributions to the national Fraternity and its Foundation. Additionally, the profit from the club’s fundraiser supports many local philanthropies that share Pi Phi's literacy mission. For example, they have sponsored a “Christmas Sharing” program in the club’s community focused on providing children-in-need with books. The club also has participated in the Day of Service in conjunction with the Chicago West Suburban, Illinois, Alumnae Club at the local Barnes & Noble store where they host a celebration of Dr. Seuss'^® birthday including, face painting, stories and games. Barnes & Noble then donates a portion of proceeds back to the club’s local clubs. Additionally, they host an independent Day of Service at an area school or after-school program for local at-risk children. The event included an interactive reading of "The Cat in the Hat." Every child receives her own Dr. Seuss book to take home, donated by the club. A.N.G.E.L.S. has been another way in which they get involved with philanthropy. For the past 8 years, the club has provided a support network for a small group of girls called the A.N.G.E.L.S. This club was formed by one of the club’s own outstanding members with several former (2^nd grade) students of hers, with the intent of fostering the importance of literacy and education. The girls are generally from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Several of the A.N.G.E.L.S. members have now graduated from high school and the club has provided small scholarships to each of the graduates to help offset college expenses.
 

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Excellence (2014, 2013, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006)
• Club of Superior Performance (2012)
• Excellence in Communications (2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006)

Emma Harper Turner Award

• Jeri Simak (2015)

Evelyn Peters Kyle Award

• Rachel Abbot (2014)
• Jacquie Harrell (2009)

The History of the Southern Illinois Alumnae Club

When Fran Becque moved to Carbondale, Illinois, in the fall of 1990, she was disappointed there wasn’t an alumnae club in the area. She contacted Central Office and was provided a list with about 30 names on it. If she could get at least 10 of the women to pay alumnae dues and join the club, it could be chartered. She called a meeting at her home and three women showed up, looked at the list, and began recruiting. The women who have belonged to the club over the years have enjoyed getting together for lunch several times a year and keeping the Pi Phi connection in their lives.

Philanthropic Service

The club has been awarded several Fraternity Day of Service book grants, and books have been provided to the Carbondale Boys and Girls Club and the I Can Read program.

Notable Alumnae

• Fran Becque, Pi Beta Phi Archivist and Historian
• Jane Hayes Rader, University of Illinois Board of Trustees member

Philanthropic Service

The club joins in on Dr. Seuss^® reading events with at-risk preschoolers and donates school supplies.

The History of the Lake Shore, Illinois, Alumnae Club

The Lake Shore, Illinois, Alumnae Club was originally conceived as the junior group of the North Shore, Illinois, Club in 1949. Eventually the group transitioned to alumnae club status and they became a strong, small club. There is a core group of women who have been together for over thirty years, but they are always happy to welcome new members! Current members live anywhere from the city of Chicago to Lake Bluff in the northern suburbs.

One of the club’s favorite meetings is the club’s May Salad Supper. It is then that most of the planning for the next year happens and members enjoy a wonderful dinner together. This past May, the club hosted Daphney and Libbie from the Ring Ching Roadshow as well as Jenny Schmidt from Headquarters. It was a great evening, complete with a Pi Phi Trivia game and prizes. The event helped to spread enthusiasm for the club’s 150^th Anniversary. All the members of the Lake Shore Club want to wish the club’s cherished Pi Beta Phi a very Happy Anniversary! Ring Ching!

Philanthropic Service

The club has a long history with the local philanthropy organization, Mary Lou’s Place; it’s a shelter for women and children who have had to escape a domestic abuse situation. The club has supported them with necessities drives, holiday gifts and various cleaning and organizing projects. Every few years, some of the professionals who work at Mary Lou’s Place have come to speak at a meeting with the Northwestern University chapter, Illinois Epsilon. They speak on topics such as identifying abuse and how to find help. Through the years, many area collegians have volunteered at the shelter.

The club also hosts an annual literacy event with a local bookstore in the club’s area, The Book Bin. Before the holidays, the owner has a book review and sale for the club’s members and friends, and then donates a portion of the proceeds to the club’s literacy cause. The rest of the year is filled with craft projects, Founders’ Day celebrations, speakers, trips to the city, gourmet dinners and fundraisers as needed.

Awards and Recognitions

• Premier Club - Small Club (2018)

The History of the Muncie, Indiana, Alumnae Club

The Muncie Alumnae Club was founded and chartered in 1949. The members were very instrumental in paving the way for the Gamma Gamma local sorority to become Pi Beta Phi in 1952. There are a few current club members who were charter members of this chapter. The club membership consists of twenty-eight paid active members and five associate members who pay dues but do not participate in the club’s meetings.

The club has experienced the normal transitions through the years. During the 1970s and 1980s, club members were very involved in fundraisers, such as making wooden spice plaques, crafting leaded glass ornaments and selling candles. For years they also sold items from Arrowmont. The club’s current fundraiser is selling “world-famous” Abbotts caramels; over 100 pounds are sold each year!

The Muncie, Indiana, Alumnae Club has six meetings a year, each with a different theme: September is the Salad Carry; November is Greek Fest; December is a Holiday Brunch in a member's home; January is a get-together; March is a movie and lunch outing; and April is the Founders' Day meeting with the chapter.

Notable Alumnae

• Lucy Baker Warner, Grand Council member
• Emily Wallace, Alumnae Province President
• Mary Ann Olinger, Province President 1971-1975; National Director of Alumnae Advisory Committee 1975- 1976;National Director of Extension 1976-1979
• Julie Simmons, 500 Festival Queen​

The History of the Indianapolis, Indiana, Alumnae Club

The club’s first meeting was held in 1904 and the official club charter was signed in 1906. The membership has grown from 27 members to over 2,000 in the Indianapolis area. The earliest recordings of philanthropic efforts took place in 1920, during which the club held events to raise money for the Settlement School.

Philanthropic Service

Current philanthropic programs include the club’s 11^th annual Champions Are Readers^® (CAR) program with an Indianapolis school, making a yearly large book donation to the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital and several smaller donations to organizations around the city including schools and after-school programs.
 

Awards and Club Recognition

• Alumnae Club Yearbook (1994, 1993, 1991, 1990)
• Alumnae Yearbook - Honorable Mention (1992, 1991, 1987)
• Club of Excellence - Region Three (2010)
• Club of Excellence (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2007)
• Co-winner Lambda Province Ideal Club (2001)
• D.C. Alpha Award - Alumnae Advisory Committee (1998, 1987)
• Excellence in Communications (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001, 1995)
• Excellence in Literacy Initiatives (2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)
• Excellence in Membership (2010, 2009)
• Nashville Award (Excellence in Promoting purposes of Pi Beta Phi) –Honorable Mention, (1991)
• Northern Virginia Community Service Award- Honorable Mention (1989)
• Top 10 Alumnae Club (1993, 1991, 1990)

Notable Alumnae

• Barb Weihmuller Angotti, Graduate Fellowship Committee Chairman 1995–97
• Nancy Glover Carr, Nu Collegiate Province President 2003–05
• Molly Megagan Cava, Province Coordinator 1984–88
• Barb Baebler Cecil, Alumnae Province President 1978–82
• Shirley Gayda Dora, Collegiate Province President 1988–95
• Elsa Barker Eskew, Committee on Extension 1937–38, Province Vice President 1934–36,
• Dorothea White Flint, Supervisor of Chapter Accounting 1954–58
• Barb Anderson Gates, Arrowmont Board of Governors Secretary 1992–93 & 1988–90, Arrowmont Board of Governors Chairman 1990–92, Alumnae Committee for Continuing Education Chair 1987–88, Alumnae Province President 1982–86
• Virginia Brockett Green, Committee on Settlement School 1952–58, Province Vice President 1948–52
• Anne Wells Hayes, Alumnae Province President 1992–95
• Helen Anderson Lewis, Director of Recruitment & Pledging Province President 1946–50
• Betty Blades Lofton, Pi Beta Phi Foundation President 1997–2000 and 2002–05, Pi Beta Phi Foundation Board 1991–2000 and 2002–05, Grand Vice President of Philanthropies 1991–97, 1^st Alternate Delegate to National Panhellenic Conference 1991–93, 2nd Alternate Delegate to National Panhellenic Conference 1989-91, Director of Membership 1987–91, Collegiate Province President 1984–87
• Barbara Douglas McQuiston, Province Vice President 1958–62
• Marilyn Weigand Pecsok, Province Coordinator 1989–95
• Helen Forsyth Raup, Supervisor of Manuals 1965–67, Province President 1962–65
• Shannon O’Donnell Ross, Collegiate Director of Region Two 2005–2007, Director of Chapter Support Region One 2003–2005, Nu Collegiate Province President 2001–03, Pi Beta Phi Foundation Emma Harper Turner Fund Chairman 2013–present
• Dee Ann May Scott, Collegiate Province President 1987–88
• Julie Pratt Simmons, Collegiate Province President 1971–72, Director of College Panhellenics 1972–73, 2^nd Alternate Delegate to National Panhellenic Conference 1971–73, National Panhellenic Conference Delegate 1973–76
• Louise Kelch Vandivier, Emma Harper Turner Memorial Fund Committee 1976–80
• Mary-Patricia Patter Warneke, Holt House Committee 1967–72
• Marianne Reid Wild, Grand Vice President 1946–52, Assistant to Grand Vice President 1934–46, Providence Vice President 1931, Grand President 1952–58, National Panhellenic Conference Delegate
• Elisabeth Long Young, International Risk Officer 2005–2006, Director of Alumnae Communications 2003–05, Assistance Officer 2002–05, Alumnae Province President Lambda and Nu Provinces 2000–03
• Jill Grossman, Collegiate Province President 1978–80, Alumnae Province President 1976–78, Sharon Smith Pierce, Director of Membership 1975–79, Second Alternate Delegate to National Panhellenic Conference 1973–75, Director of Panhellenic 1973–75

• Audra Snyder Lindley Bailey, instrumental in bringing the American Field Service program to Indiana
• Mavilla Rainey Richter, Miss Indiana 1937
• Jill Mackey Carrel, 2011–2015 Director - Collegiate Region Three
• Grace Drasic, 2015 Leadership Development Officer
• Ellen Ferringer, 2007 Financial/Housing Specialist - Collegiate Region Three, 2009 - Financial/Housing Specialist - Collegiate Region Three
• Ruth DeHass Balfour, namesake of the Balfour Cup; this award, given to the best chapter in the fraternity, was originally called the Ruth DeHass Balfour Memorial Cup. It was given to the fraternity by Lloyd G. Balfour after the death of his wife. They had been married only a few years when she died.

The History of the Greater Kansas City, Kansas, Alumnae Club

The Greater Kansas City, Kansas, Alumnae Club's community believes that there is no finer example of delivering on the Fraternity’s mission than to promote friendship, develop women of intellect and integrity, cultivate leadership potential and enrich lives through community service. The club helps alumnae do this. 

Throughout the club's long history, members have consistently responded to changes in member needs, interests, demographics and geography. In the 1940s, working girls met for dinner on the evenings of the alumnae club luncheon meetings. A Junior Club (Night Group) was formed in 1964 to attract young alums just out of college. In 1970, the club name was changed to Kansas City-Shawnee Mission, Kansas, Alumnae Club to incorporate members living in Johnson County, Kansas. In 2013, the club’s strategic plan prompted the name change to the Greater Kansas City, Kansas, Alumnae Club to reflect the current member profile.

The club has had a long tradition of leadership and service to the international Fraternity. Since 1927, 45 club members have served as international officers, including four members of Grand Council. In 1985, Kansas City was privileged to host the Pi Beta Phi Convention.

The century of philanthropic service started in 1918, when the club adopted a soldier from Gatlinburg and sent him needed items during World War I. In 1927, the Greater Kansas City, Kansas, Alumnae Club was asked to serve as an official fundraising committee for the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity $50,000 Endowment Fund. When the campaign was completed in 1939, the club was its largest contributor. The club championed the Settlement School and was a top Arrowmont^® contributor for many years. That legacy continues each year in the club’s ongoing commitment as a top 10 contributor to Pi Beta Phi Foundation. 

For almost 60 years, the club’s very successful New York Theater Tour has been one of the longest running benefit projects of any alumnae club in Pi Beta Phi. The 501c3 Scholarship and Special Needs Fund remains an important outreach for collegians and alumnae in need. Being selected as a Signature Event City for the 2016 Fraternity Day of Service distribution of 20,000 books recognized the club’s commitment to literacy initiatives.

In 1990, the club won its first Premier Club Award, the first of many top honors that both the club and its leaders continually receive in recognition of the quality Pi Beta Phi alumnae experiences that are offered in Kansas City.

The successful fall “kick-off” event, formerly The Progressive Dinner and now Progressive Pi Phis, continues to bring new Pi Phis to their first event, while for many it is a reunion. The club adapted the format to two homes instead of three, hoping a streamlined format fit everyone’s busy lives better. 

The club support the club’s three closest collegiate chapters with significant number of members for their Alumnae Advisory Committee and Chapter House Corporation groups, and monetary support for the four closest chapters.

The Golden Arrows have a group and programming just for them, they call it Golden Girls, and the club pays for events that are specific to them. Museum Tours, Halloween luncheons, Garden Teas and many other fun events have been popular. The club offer rides and recruit to get new faces there.

Young alumnae too have their own options, and for all-club events that charge a fee they offer a Young Alum price to encourage them to attend.
 

Philanthropic Service

The Greater Kansas City, Kansas, Alumnae Club sponsors—and has for many years—at least four R.E.A.D. days each year, which involves bringing the trained reading dogs to residents of a retirement home and also to a second grade classroom. The club works with an underserved elementary school group every year for local Fraternity Day of Service, doing a different literacy project each time. The members also serve by collecting books for the club’s local literacy partners, and the club’s main partner is Reach Out and Read KC.

In 2015, the club started assisting a local Jewish Women’s Association in their project to get jewelry to children in lower income schools to give to the significant woman in their lives for Mother’s Day. In the club’s first year of this, they collected over 25 pounds of jewelry!

The club hosts a series of events that tie into a local not-for-profit, The Family Conservancy Group. This organization gives parenting and life skills training to young mothers and fathers, and rewards them for completing the training by gifting them with diapers, wipes and other needed items.
 

Awards and Club Recognition  

• Club of Excellence (2008)
• Excellence in Programming (2014)
• Premier Club (2009)
• Top 5 Donor to Pi Beta Phi Foundation (2014, 2013)

Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award

• Joanna Glaze (2014)

The History of the Lawrence, Kansas, Alumnae Club

The Lawrence, Kansas, alumnae club celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2015 with a brunch and reflection on the club's history. The club was chartered by Headquarters in 1915, but Pi Beta Phi alumnae had been meeting in Lawrence, Kansas, much earlier than 1915. The Kansas Alpha chapter of Pi Beta Phi was established in 1873 at the University of Kansas as the first sorority on campus. There are records of Pi Phis as far back as 1895, which was the first year that The Arrow was published in Lawrence, Kansas, by the Kansas Alphas. There was a strong desire among Pi Phis to continue their sisterhood after their college experience had ended. 

Pi Phi's from Lawrence rode the train for days to attend early conventions. They gathered to socialize and to support their sorority and their universities, and to continue on with the traditions of Pi Beta Phi. In the early days, dues were just a few cents. Once Pi Phi established the Settlement School in Tennessee and Arrowmont, the Lawrence alumnae club began supporting these efforts with an annual Arrowcraft sale and by purchasing magazines through the Pi Beta Phi Magazine agency. 

For as long as records date back, the club has maintained around 50-70 members. Members live in and around the Kansas area. While the majority of members are Kansas Alphas or Kansas Betas, the club has had members from colleges in New York, Idaho, Iowa, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, Illinois, Louisiana, D.C., California, Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri. The club typically holds 6-7 formal meetings each year, including celebrating Founders' Day each April. Members have participated in social events including Cookie Shines and Pink Parties, Beau and Arrow Parties and wine tastings with significant others, lunches and happy hours and cultural field trips. The Lawrence Alumnae club also has an active book club that meets 4-5 times a year for rousing discussions about interesting and timely books.

Club members have served on AAC and House Corp boards, as regional and international officers and on the Foundation board. They have attended many conventions and leadership conferences as well. In 1985, the club sponsored the Legacy Lunch at the Kansas City Convention. According to the records, 125 Pi Phi women were in attendance at the lunch and Headquarters provided $200 towards the cost of food.

The club established an endowed scholarship in 1997 through the University of Kansas that recognizes junior or senior women from Kansas Alpha each year for the academic excellence and involvement in the sorority. Club members have written countless RIFs and mentored collegians and young alumnae. The club also belongs to the local panhellenic association and partners with other sororities to raise funds each year to help provide scholarships to a high school female from each of the high schools in Lawrence, Kansas.

In February 2017, the club joined with the Greater Kansas City Alumnae Club and the Kansas Alpha Chapter to perform an alumna Initiation. This was a magical experience for all and a fitting way for the club to celebrate 150 years of Pi Beta Phi. Working alongside the Kansas Alpha executive board was so much fun, and being a big part of initiation again brought each member back to her own initiation.

Most of all, club members have exhibited the spirit of true friendship and have supported one another through the good times and bad, through marriages and divorces, births and deaths, job promotions and career changes, and highs and lows through lively meetings, shared philanthropy, love of college, good food and lots of wine.

Philanthropic Service

The club has supported many community organizations and Pi Beta Phi causes throughout the years. Members have decorated trees and wreaths for The Shelter Inc., an organization that provides emergency shelter and foster care for children. The club has sponsored events for the Lawrence Library Foundation and its summer reading program. The club has given Pi Phi Local Impact Grants to Douglas County CASA and the Ballard Center (community organizations that serve youth in the community). Members donate annually to the Pi Beta Phi Foundation Literacy Fund, and have adopted countless families at the holidays and donated thousands of books to local organizations. 

The History of the Louisville, Kentucky, Alumnae Club

The Louisville, Kentucky, Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi was founded in the winter of 1912. The club, having no open chapter to support, spent its time supporting the development and success of the Settlement School. The club was issued a charter on May 29, 1923 and had twelve members. The 54th Convention was held in Louisville, Kentucky.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Traditional Performance (2015)
• Emerging Excellence Award (1998)
• Excellence in Communication (1999)
• Ideal Club Nominee - Kappa Province (1999)

Evelyn Peters Kyle Award

• Thelma Knebelkamp Long (1999)

Notable Alumnae

• Ruth Truman Wilson Cogshall was an artist, actress, secretary and teacher in Louisville, Kentucky; she painted paper dolls of the founders that are now located at Headquarters.
• Sue Grafton, Kentucky Alpha, author of the Kinsey Millhone mystery series
• Julie Wray Herman, Kentucky Alpha, mystery author

The History of the Richmond Area, Kentucky, Alumnae Club

The Richmond Area Alumnae Club in Kentucky was first chartered in August 2007.

Philanthropic Service

The club is very proud to participate in FDS500, which is part of Pi Beta Phi's Fraternity Day of Service. The Richmond Area Alumnae Club has participated the last four years, pairing with the Madison County Library for three of those years.

The History of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Alumnae Club

The Baton Rouge Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club represents 80 years of very strong connections to Pi Beta Phi and Baton Rouge. The club has a long history of supporting Louisiana Beta. Local alumnae were instrumental in starting the this chapter, and have continued to support the chapter through the years. The club assists in honoring graduating seniors with luncheons, teas and suppers. Gifts at these events range from arrow necklaces, leather address books, cookbooks, recipe boxes and jewelry boxes. Sometimes, especially now, the alumnae club and chapter gatherings are co-hosted with the Mothers Club. Club members also participate in recruitment and often write Recruitment Information Forms (RIFs). There is also club participation in the chapter through the Alumnae Advisory Committee, Chapter House Corporation and the Slightly Older Sister mentors.

The club is proud of the many sisterhood events it hosts as well. Friendships span decades, and many women who graduated in the 1940s and 1950s still attend club events. And, women who were Alumnae Advisory Committee advisors or previously on Chapter House Corporation are now friends with younger members. To forge these friendships, members hold potluck suppers, a favorite of the club. Monthly coffee meetings and Dsessert and bridge parties have been held for more than 40 years, and in recent years have transitioned into Halo Happy Hours. The Angel Exchange at Christmas is another longstanding tradition that members always enjoy.

Club members are involved with the Louisiana Beta chapter in helping with Founders' Day celebrations, Halloween parties, Easter Egg Hunts, Homecoming and other celebrations such as the Louisiana Beta’s 75th Anniversary; members are also involved with the Fraternity as a whole. The club hosted the Canadian Breakfast at the 1960 Convention, as this was the first Convention in Lambda Province. The club also participated in the New Orleans Convention, and have had representatives attend many other conventions throughout the years.
 

Philanthropic Service

The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Alumnae Club is known for its long history of supporting the Settlement School and Arrowmont^®. In 1949, the club’s members decided to host the Settlement School Benefit Coffee, selling items made at the school. These items included handwoven purses, brooms, linens, baby items, placemats and rugs. Proceeds were donated back to the Settlement School, and when Arrowmont was established, two annual scholarships were also funded. Sales continued until 1991. Arrowmont workshops were held by the scholarships recipients, upon their return from Arrowmont. Proceeds from the workshops were also used to fund the scholarships.

The club's Round About Town Calendar raises funds for the Baton Rouge Youth, Inc., and Arrowmont Scholarships. The club also hosts a Guest Day Luncheon and Fashion Show, and from 1986 to 1990 participated in Project Wildflower. Project Wildflower was a multi-year beautification project of local highways. Club members' Angel and Arrow Dues benefit the Pi Beta Phi Foundation and Arrowmont Scholarship, too.

Notable Alumnae 

• Laura Leach, Chairs Education First, an organization she started to stress the importance of funding education in Louisiana
• Jan Breen, President of St. Joseph’s Academy

The History of the Louisiana Northshore Alumnae Club

The Louisiana Northshore Alumnae Club was chartered on December 17, 1979 after beginning as a pocket club in 1976. Unfortunately, the club’s records and scrapbooks were damaged beyond repair by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, and so the early history is constructed according to the memory of charter member Madge Ernst. Madge remembers, “There were seven or so ladies including Barbara Miltenberger, Rosalie Robinson, Evelyn Chalaron, Ginny Beu and me. The group met at the Covington home of Barbara Miltenberger to charter an alumnae club for Pi Beta Phi on the Louisiana Northshore." Rosalie Robinson was the primary organizer and first President. Most of the new members of the Louisiana Northshore Alumnae Club had been members of the New Orleans Alumnae Club.

In addition to Rosalie, other early club officers were Vice President Barbara Minnis, Secretary Barbara Miltenberger, Treasurer Jerry Jackson and Recruitment Chairman Madge Ernst. The club’s main focus was recruitment.

The Louisiana Northshore Pi Phi Alumnae Club started the Panhellenic Tea for high school senior women; the event was held at Rosalie’s plantation, Sunnybrook. Only Pi Phi and Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae participated for the first three years until more sororities became involved. From 1990 to 1991, there were 30 dues-paying members and the club’s programming for the year included New Decorating Trends, a Holiday Luncheon and Style Show, Christmas Creations, a Ponchatoula Outing for lunch at the Bavarian Restaurant, the spring Panhellenic Tea at the New Covenant Presbyterian Church in Mandeville and a Founders’ Day Celebration at the Shadows Restaurant.

In 1993, Tedie Cahill was initiated as an alumna initiate at Louisiana Alpha. In the meantime, a Slidell Alumnae Club was chartered on March 17, 1997 in Eastern St. Tammany Parish. Leslie Patrick led the club as its first President and the club flourished after its chartering; Elizabeth “Libby” Bentson was serving as President when Hurricane Katrina caused destruction all across St. Tammany Parish in 2005. After this tragic event, club cohesion was difficult. Both alumnae clubs struggled to hold their organizations together. The Slidell Alumnae Club decided to return their charter on December 11, 2013 and became part of the Louisiana Northshore, Louisiana Alumnae Club. The Louisiana Northshore, Louisiana Alumnae Club then represented all of St. Tammany Parish. During the 2015-16 Fraternity year, the Louisiana Northshore, Louisiana Alumnae Club received Superior Club status and had 45 dues paying members. Member Suzanne Inabnet was awarded the Alumnae Region Two Evelyn Peters Kyle Award.

Philanthropic Service

The club has hosted Champions Are Readers^® for the past three years, sponsored three alumna initiates, and received four Pi Beta Phi Foundation Fraternity Day of Service 500 book grants for St. Tammany Parish school students. The alumnae club has offered support to these three chapters: Louisiana Alpha, Louisiana Beta, and Mississippi Alpha.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Superior Performance

Evelyn Peters Kyle Award - Alumnae Region Two

• Suzanne Inabnet
• Barbara Henry

The History of the Winnipeg Area, Manitoba, Alumnae Club

The chapter was founded in 1930, just prior to the Great Depression and the war years. Members supported the forces overseas through various events and fundraisers. A great flooding of the Red River occurred in 1950, an event that disrupted the community. Many Pi Phis learned how to fill and stack sand bags for the dikes to stop the river from flooding further.

Philanthropic Service

Manitoba Alpha Pi Beta Phis have volunteered their time to the Arrow in the Arctic event and to Arrowmont in their fundraising efforts.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Emerging Excellence Club – Omicron Province (1997)

Notable Alumnae

• Shirley Bradshaw, elected to the office of Theta Province Vice President at the 39th biennial Convention and the only Canadian to serve as a national officer
• Linda Greenaway, Miss Winnipeg
• Elaine Protheroe and partner William Trimble, Ice Waltz Champions of Canada 1955
• Evelyn Morris, Broadway actress known as Judith Evelyn
• Isabel Clark Winkler, former assistant to Amy Burnham Onken
• Norma Shirley Campbell, Panhellenic President in 1949

The History of the Chesapeake, Maryland, Alumnae Club

When a few Pi Phis met at the Panhellenic Club of Annapolis decades ago, they decided to start a local Pi Phi alumnae club. The club celebrated its 34th year in 2016.

Other Club Names:

Washington D.C. Alumnae Club, Maryland-D.C. Alumnae Club
 

The History of the Maryland-D.C. Suburban Alumnae Club

The Maryland-D.C. Suburban Alumnae Club was chartered in 1960. At that time, it existed alongside the Washington, D.C. Alumnae Club and the Northern Virginia Alumnae Club. The three clubs have always celebrated Founders’ Day as a joint effort, rotating the host club among the three. When D.C. Alpha recolonized, the Washington, D.C. Alumnae Club supported the chapter by forming a young alums subset, which later morphed into the Nation’s Capital Alumnae Club; this allowed the older generations to continue their “lunch bunch” events independently. When it became clear that the women of D.C. were not being fully supported by an alumnae club that offered what they needed, the Maryland-D.C. Suburban Alumnae Club agreed to absorb the non-Nations Capital Alumnae Club members into the club’s roster. Thus, since 2015, the membership of the Maryland-D.C. Suburban Alumnae Club includes all Pi Phis from the D.C. suburbs on the Maryland side, plus all D.C. Pi Phis who have been out of college for 15 years or more. This allows the Nation’s Capital Alumnae Club to focus on young alums and events that appeal to this demographic, while giving the older Washington D.C. alums an outlet for a wider variety of interest groups.

Philanthropic Service

In the 1990s, the club supported a local women and children’s residence called Crossway Community, which served an at-risk-for-homelessness population. Most recently, the club has adopted a local elementary school, JoAnn Leleck at Broad Acres Elementary School, to help with reading groups, to support the literacy needs of the school and to provide donations of children’s books. Members assisted in the Fraternity Day of Service 2017 events in the Washington D.C. area, in conjunction with other area alumnae clubs (Northern Virginia Alumnae Club and Nations Capital-D.C. Alumnae Club).

Notable Alumnae

• Marianne Reid Wild, Grand President (1952-58)

The History of the Bostonian, Massachusetts, Alumnae Club

The Bostonian, Massachusetts, Alumnae Club has evolved greatly since it was chartered as the West Suburban (Boston), Massachusetts, Club in 1961. Initially a handful of women living in the suburbs of Boston who met during the daytime, the club had only a few meetings annually for several years. These annual meetings typically include a kickoff in the fall, an Arrowcraft sale at a member’s home later in the fall, a holiday event and a Founders' Day celebration in April.

In subsequent decades, the club grew greatly and adapted during the 1980s and 1990s to encompass city dwellers and full-time workers, as well as a more diverse age range to include recent college graduates. The members shared some events each year with Pi Phis living in downtown Boston. Eventually the club began to consider all Pi Phis in the metropolitan Boston area as potential members of the club, thus becoming known as the Greater Boston, Massachusetts, Alumnae Club, and now the Bostonian, Massachusetts, Alumnae Club.

Club members fondly remember successful past events and the spirit of sisterhood, whether at their annual Arrowcraft sales, the "Make It, Bake It, Sew It, Grow It Auction" with one of the club’s members as a hysterically funny auctioneer, Founders' Day events at a local country club or joining together to write notes to a local collegian when Pi Phi was colonizing at her university.

The Bostonian, Massachusetts, Alumnae Club of today has grown significantly in both its membership and the scope of its sponsored activities, including various interest groups and several events each month. The large and diverse membership allows us to easily support a host of annual events, which in turn attracts more interest to the club’s membership, a reminder of the lifelong commitment all Pi Phis share.
 

Philanthropic Service 

The Bostonian Alumnae Club participates annually in Pi Phi's Fraternity Day of Service celebrated in honor of Dr. Seuss’^® birthday. Past years have included events at the Tierney Learning Center in South Boston, Boston Public Library and Lynn Public Library. The activities involved were reading to children, creating bookmarks and donating books to the attending families. The Bostonian Alumnae Club collects new and gently used children's books at all club events to donate to local literacy projects. The club also participates in an annual member event to create "chemo caps" to donate to cancer patients.
 

Meaningful Mementos 

The club has a Cookie Shine Sheet signed by members at the club’s Kickoff event every year. Some members have many years of club participation written next to their names.

The club also has a Club President's pin which contains several jewels and has been passed down from President to President for many years.
 

Awards and Club Recognition 

• Club of Excellence (2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2006)

Notable Alumnae

• Evelyn Murphy, former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (1987-1991)
• Stacey Lucchino, wife of former Boston Red Sox President and Chief Executive Officer Larry Lucchino and a dedicated volunteer for the YMCA, the Home Base Program, The Jimmy Fund, several charitable organizations that help the homeless, veterans and at-risk youth, and a member of the Board for McLean Hospital. She recently appeared in the movie Fever Pitch.
• Mish Michaels (Mishtu Mukherjee), an Emmy Award winning broadcast meteorologist and environmental reporter for WBZ-TV News 

Other Club Names

Greater Springfield, Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts Alumnae Club
 

The History of the Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts, Alumnae Club

The Pioneer Valley Alumnae Club was originally established on February 19, 1910, and was chartered in 1912 under the name of “Western Massachusetts Alumnae Club”. Founders included Vermont Beta Grace Goodhue Coolidge, who eventually became First Lady when her husband, Calvin Coolidge, was elected President of the United States in 1923.

In 1954 the club was chartered under the name of “Greater Springfield, Massachusetts, Alumnae Club” and rechartered in 1960. More recently, Patricia Noonan Lowell served as the Club’s President during the 1990s. Patty was incredibly dedicated and was an active participant at biennial Pi Phi Conventions. She also received the Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award. Lenore Bernashe became President in Year 2000 when Patty retired due to health reasons. In 2005, Lenore stepped aside to become the club’s Vice President and new leadership took over the office of President. The club’s name was changed to “Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts, Alumnae Club” in 2005.

The club may be small, but it is made up of enthusiastic members. The Pioneer Valley Alumnae Club is pleased to hold six or seven events per year. The club was recognized in 2010 for the club’s literacy campaign. The club teamed up with the Granby, Massachusetts, Girl Scout Troops #40097 and #40093, helping the girls decorate bookplates that were later submitted to Pi Phi’s Headquarters.

Philanthropic Service

The Pioneer Valley Alumnae Club has an ongoing partnership with the Providence Ministries for the Needy (Margaret’s Pantry, Holyoke, Massachusetts) by donating food items. Additionally, they are pleased to support Breast Cancer Research with the “Rays of Hope” walk each year, and they will continue the club’s support for the Ronald McDonald House with the club’s aluminum tabs donations. 

Notable Alumnae

• Grace Goodhue Coolidge was a founder and first President of the alumnae club. Meetings often took place at her home on Massasoit Street.
• One of the club’s most distinguished members is Wisconsin Beta Jane Kaltenbach Townsend, a retired biology Professor Emerita at Mount Holyoke College. Jane was a loyal part of the Marine Biological Laboratory community since 1958, which was also the year she joined Mount Holyoke. Over the years, she brought many Mount Holyoke undergraduates to the Marine Bilogical Laboratory community, many of whom stayed in her Woods Hole home. In 2005, the Dean of Faculty at Mount Holyoke wrote: “It is with particular pleasure to note that biology Professor Emerita, Jane Townsend, who allegedly retired from the College more than a dozen years ago, continues to both teach and publish at an enviable clip. She has published 16 papers since 1993, such as ‘Glycoconjugate localization in larval and adult skin of the bullfrog’ (Journal of Morphology), and ‘Immunocytochemical detection of integrins alpha 3 and beta 1 in allographs of the marine sponge’ (Biological Bulletin), both in 2004. Jane, they congratulate and thank you!” Jane now resides at the Holyoke Healthcare Center where she enjoys many regular visitors, including those Pi Phis whom she has touched over the years with her kindness and terrific sense of humor.

The History of the Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Alumnae Club 

The year 1929 was filled with excitement and new beginnings. Penicillin was discovered and Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Closer to home in Dearborn, Michigan, construction had begun on Henry Ford's Greenfield Village. In April of that year, 11 Pi Phi's decided to officially charter an alumnae club. The charter members were Genevieve Clark Angstman, Adrienne Atkinson Beaudette, Hazel Storz Eaton, Jean Royce Groves, Marjorie Beebe Hadley, Florence Maston King, Martina Marsh McKinney, Dorothy Chittendon Owens, Flora Boyle Quinn, Bess Kempf Ranney and Betty Jackson Shaffner.

Four of the 11 charter members had already been meeting in a Birmingham home as early as 1924. Most of the early members had large homes with the latest modern conveniences, such as oil furnaces and electric refrigerators. Few held jobs outside the home and nearly everyone had live-in help. Many wondered if the ritual should be read at the opening and closing of the meetings. "If they did [read it aloud], they had to whisper so the maid wouldn't hear," said one member.

Pi Phi meetings typically started with a luncheon. Usually there was no programming except those that supported the national interests of Pi Phi. The one special event each year was the Village Mart at the Community House that included the sale of handwoven items from the Settlement School.

In 1945, membership grew to 45 members and several daughters of the charter members became active in the club. In the late 1940s and 1950s, the club began to send a delegate to convention. Later in the 1970s, the club membership grew to 150 Pi Phis.
 

Philanthropic Service

In the 1950s, the club was involved in Pi Phi's work at Children's Village, an organiation dedicated to providing fun for children who were wards of the state. Members also sell crafts made at the Settlement School, donate to the National Kidney Foundation and are involved in the Champions Are Readers^® (CAR) program. Through CAR, the club has adopted a third-grade classroom in Southfield, Michigian; the club members tutor the children in that classroom and donate books.

The club has enjoyed being part of the Beanie Baby Hugs Project, for which the club’s members knit 12-inch blankets and then use them to wrap a Beanie Baby. The Optimist Club gives these Beanie Babies to young cancer patients in the hospital. Angel Bears is another philanthropic cause of the club; members have supported this cause for almost 20 years, along with the former North Woodward Alumnae Club.

The Book Buddies Program at Birney Middle School matches a middle school student with a university student at University of Michigan. They correspond with each other and after several months, the middle school student visits his or her buddy at the University of Michigan. In turn the middle school students demonstrate reading and writing exercises to "teach" the college students. Club members have volunteered in the middle school classrooms and provide financial support to this endeavor.

Literacy Angels helps the children at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. This group received 500 brand-new books thanks to a grant from Pi Beta Phi Foundation. The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Alumnae Club presented the books to the Children’s Hospital Foundation at their Dr. Seuss^® Event on March 4, 2016. Tony Werner, the Children’s Health Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer, said upon receiving the books: “When children are receiving medical care they face many challenges and can feel as if they have very little control over what goes on around them. Books are often used as a distraction mechanism to help alleviate some of the anxiety and stress children may be experiencing, making donations like this extremely important.” The Literacy Angels of Pi Beta Phi, a new interest group created in 2015, volunteered alongside the Reach Out and Read coordinator, Sue Scott, to distribute books and read to children visiting the hospital that day. About 100 books were passed out at the Dr. Seuss event, and the remaining books were placed in waiting rooms, clinics and lobbies throughout the hospital where children are encouraged to take a book with them when they leave.
 

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Excellence (2009)
• Club of Superior Performance (2016, 2015, 2014, 2010, 2008)
• Club of Traditional Performance (2013, 2011)
• Excellence in Communication (2016, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2003, 2002, 2001)

Young Alumna Achievement Award

• Michelle Woodhouse (2016)

Notable Alumnae

• Margaret Strum Allesse, community philanthropist

The History of the Traverse Bay Area Alumnae Club

The charter gathering was held on October 24, 1978 at he home of Barbara Waechter Good. Michigan Beta roommates spearheaded the creation of the club and served as charter officers: President Janet Wickham Gregory and Secretary Leslie Ferguson Sibery

The club was very active for over thirty years and, after a brief hiatus, is excited to once again be an official alumnae club for Pi Phi’s 150^th celebration year. Since 1978, the club has continued to hold several meetings each year, celebrate Founders’ Day, hold Cookie Shines and support local philanthropies. After viewing a slideshow on Arrowmont in 1979, members held an Arrowcraft sale at the home of Janet Gregory in 1980 and a second sale at the First Congregational Church in 1983. Members also held a Panhellenic luncheon to encourage other local groups to form alumnae clubs; the citywide luncheons continued for over 25 years. The club has held “Monmouth Duo” dinners with area Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumnae. They spearheaded local meetings to acquaint high school seniors with fraternity life on campus. Now as an official club once again, members look forward to meeting many new area Pi Beta Pi sisters. 

Philanthropic Service

The club supports various local organizations each year.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Emma Harper Turner Award, Theta province – Sally Bridges Benner (2005)

Notable Alumnae

• Dr. Joan Griner Licht, dermatologist
• Ann Appleford Devries, author
• Donna Crocker Johnston, artist
• Della Gillett, teacher; Della Gillett was the first Pi Beta Phi sister to teach at the Settlement School in Gatlinburg in 1913. She was a librarian and was from Traverse City, Michigan!  Pi Phi created a statue to honor her for our “100 years of Literacy” celebration in 2012.  The statue is in the centennial plaza, she is offering a McGuffy reader to s student, and is proudly wearing her Pi Phi pin.  She taught there a year, returned to Traverse City, and married Theron Morgan.

Philanthropic Service

• Annual Read-A-Thon

Awards and Club Recognition

• Excellence in Communication

Notable Alumnae

• Carol Warren

The History of the St. Paul, Minnesota, Alumnae Club

The St. Paul Alumnae Club distinguishes itself with a wide variety of programming options, support for the club’s local Minnesota Alpha Chapter and joint activities with the club’s neighbor, Minneapolis Alumnae Club. The club’s theme this year is “Aiming for the Stars” and members plan to carry it into Convention. The club has been fortunate to be awarded FDS500 Books for two years in a row, and members greatly enjoy delivering these books to the students of Valentine Hills Elementary.

One of the highlights of 2015 was co-planning and attending the 125th Anniversary Celebration for Minnesota Alpha. Grand Council President Paula Shepherd and her husband actually drove Libbie across the country to attend the club’s event! Supporting Minnesota Alpha is one of the club’s passions; it has nine members who serve either on Alumnae Advisory Committee or Chapter Housing Corporation for the chapter.

Philanthropic Service

• Fraternity Day of Service: 500 Book Donation to Valentine Hills Elementary
• Fundraisers for Women’s Advocates, a shelter for battered women and their children, including: the annual “Panty Raid,” an October event that collects new underwear for women and children; and the March book drive for their children’s program and clothing collections.

Meaningful Mementos

• Handmade angel earrings that were sold at the Minneapolis Convention in 1977
• A song that was written by one of the club’s members and won a Pi Beta Phi Award for creative writing
• The club’s Recipe Collection of cards that were sold as a fundraiser in the 1980s and are still used for dinners today

Awards and Club Recognition

• FDS 500 Book Donation recipient (2017, 2016)
• Premier Club (Small Club) - Second Runner Up (2016)

Notable Alumnae

• Carol Warren, Grand Council
• Two former members that have rooms dedicated to them at the Minnesota Alpha Chapter House: Barbara Lauder (deceased) and Therese Brown Jensen (currently living in Omaha)

Philanthropic Service 

From 2015-2016, the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Alumnae Club began working with a local after-school tutoring center in Hattiesburg called Aldersgate Mission. The Mission is located in a low-income housing development, Aldersgate, which is in Hattiesburg. The club worked along with the Mississippi Alpha chapter of the University of Southern Mississippi spending time serving there through tutoring the older students and reading to the younger students. The club had a free lending library built for the students by prisoners in the Stone County adult learning program. It was filled throughout the year using books donated by alumnae club members at all of the club’s events and meetings.

Also during the 2015–2016 year, the club was asked to help organize and participate in the Fraternity Day of Service Signature Event in Jackson, Mississippi, under the direction and guidance of the Jackson-Metro, Mississippi, Alumnae Club. The club helped provide 20,000 books to the children of Mississippi. Throughout the club’s history, the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Alumnae Club has worked closely with the DuBard School for Language Disorders on the campus of The University of Southern Mississippi. The club, along with members of the Mississippi Alpha chapter, has gone to the DuBard school on a monthly basis to read to the children. Both organizations have also supplied children’s books to the school regularly.

Awards and Club Recognition 

• Club of Superior Performance (2016)

The History of the Jackson Metro, Mississippi, Alumnae Club

The Jackson, Mississippi, Alumnae Club was founded in August 1941 after 14 Pi Phis answered a notice in the town’s daily newspaper. The regular meetings took place every Wednesday at the home of Wisconsin Alpha Adina Hampton Wallace, during which members enjoyed dessert and sewed the Red Cross. The club became inactive in 1945, mostly due to members moving away during WWII or difficulty of transportation. 

In 1960, members in Jackson rechartered the club. Every month, various members hosted the annual Settlement School tea in their homes, and they typically celebrated Founders’ Day at the Jackson Country Club. The Jackson Alumnae Club continued its involvement throughout the years with annual Easter egg hunts for patients at the local children’s hospital, socials events, various luncheons and providing meals for the local chapters. One big event that the Jackson Alumnae Club sponsored every year was State Day, a full day of fun for collegiate and alumnae Pi Phis in Mississippi. The various activities at State Day included skit performances, singing songs, exhibits, slide shows and fashion shows. 

In 2005, the name of the Jackson, Mississippi, Alumnae Club was changed to the Jackson-Metro, Mississippi, Alumnae Club, but shortly thereafter, the club became inactive due to lack of membership and leadership. After more young alumnae moved to the area in 2010, the Jackson-Metro, Mississippi, Alumnae Club was revamped and recharged. Since then, the club has received Club of Excellence for three years and received a Fraternity Day of Service Signature Event in 2016. The Jackson-Metro, Mississippi, Alumnae Club hosts an annual alumnae and collegiate Christmas Party at a local alumna’s home, conducts a fundraiser for the Pi Beta Phi Foundation’s Literacy Fund, celebrates Founders’ Day by recognizing anniversary members, supports the club’s three Mississippi chapters by writing Recruitment Information Forms (RIFs) for recruitment and volunteers much of the club’s time with literacy efforts in the Jackson area.

Philanthropic Service

• Fraternity Day of Service 2016 Signature Event

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Excellence (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013)
• Ideal Alumnae Club - Lambda Province (1987)
• Superior Club (2013, 2012)

Notable Alumnae

• Gertrude C. Ford, DC Alpha, artist, writer and founder of the Gertrude C. Ford Foundation
• Jane Menefee Schutt, DC Alpha, civil rights activist, appointed to the Mississippi Advisory Committee to the US Commission on Civil Rights, served on the board of directors of the Mississippi Council on Human Relations, worked with the Head Start Program, received the Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. Award in 1973 and the Church Women United Valiant Award

The History of the Columbia, Missouri, Alumnae Club

This club is mainly a social club. The club meets monthly during the school year for social events. Some members serve on Chapter House Corporation and Alumnae Advisory Committee. 

Philanthropic Service

The Columbia, Missouri, Alumnae Club supports “Syd’s Kids.” Sydney Hampton is an active member of the alumnae club and teaches at a pre-school near the government project housing in central Columbia, Missouri. Through Pi Beta Phi Foundation grants, Sydney has been able to acquire books for her classroom and for home visits to the students’ homes.

Philanthropic Service

For five years the club has been volunteering and cleaning books at Spread the Word Nevada. These books are then distributed into the hands of at-risk children so they can have books at home.

The History of the Northern New Jersey Alumnae Club

The Northern New Jersey Alumnae Club was founded in 1927. The group is comprised of a number of women ranging in age, from recent graduates to Golden Arrows. In June 2016, the club was recognized as a Club of Excellence by Pi Beta Phi due to the club’s outstanding membership, events and collegiate involvement. The club serves Morris and Essex counties, as well as portions of Sussex, Union and Somerset counties. Club members support collegiate chapters at Princeton University and Lafayette College. The Northern New Jersey Alumnae Club has had 47 club presidents in the past 90 years. Numerous alumnae also have served Pi Beta Phi on the regional and national level.

Meaningful Mementos

Ceramic figurines of the Pi Beta Phi founders were created by club member Anne Kline Albright (New York Delta) in 1954. One set of figurines was donated to the Fraternity at the 1954 Convention and is currently on display at Holt House. The second set of figurines remained with the club for more than 50 years and were displayed prominently at the club's Founders’ Day celebrations. A few figurines were inevitably broken by the club; the remaining figurines were donated to the Pi Beta Phi Headquarters in St. Louis.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Excellence
• Emerging Excellence Alumnae Club
• Excellence in Alumnae Engagement (2020)
• Ideal Club

Alumnae Original Song Award

• Anne Chestnut Bartlett, Michigan Gamma (1985)

Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award

• Betsy Hughes Phillips, Pennsylvania Eta (2021)
• Janet Senderowitz Loengard, New York Delta (2014)
• Wynne Whitman, Pennsylvania Eta (2010)

Emma Harper Turner Leadership Award 

• MaryMargarget McDonough, Maryland Beta (2018)

Notable Alumnae

• Anne Chestnut Bartlett (Michigan Gamma), Collegiate Province President; Chairman of Nominating Committee
• Kathleen “Katie” Hale Hein (Pennsylvania Beta), Traveling Graduate Consultant; Collegiate Province President
• Susan Crabb Johnson (Indiana Epsilon), Alumnae Province President; Province Coordinator; Crest Award Committee
• Karen Davis Jones (Pennsylvania Epsilon), Collegiate Province President
• MaryMargaret McDonough (Maryland Beta), Collegiate Province President; Province Coordinator; Director of Academics
• Julie Geiger Shannon Mercer (Kentucky Beta), Collegiate Province President; Director of Chapter House Corporations; Director of Collegiate Extension and Recruitment
• Kay Murray Pirrong (Wisconsin Gamma), Chairman of Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts Board of Governors; Alumnae Province President
• Joan MacBain Stettler (Pennsylvania Beta), Chairman of Loan Fund Committee
• Rena Rodeman Thorsen (Maryland Beta), Pi Beta Phi Foundation Trustee
• Jane Turner Campbell (Missouri Alpha), Collegiate Province President
• Nancy Salter Keene (Nebraska Beta), Alumnae Province President
• Anne Logan Heflin (Missouri Alpha), Province Vice-President and Music Chairman

Northern New Jersey Alumnae Club Presidents

• 1927-29 Vibert Potts Duncan
• 1929-31 Jessie Baker Wade
• 1931-33 Marguerite Harwood Elder
• 1933-35 Marion Hallowell Evans
• 1935-37 Margaret Bohn Rymer
• 1937-39 Elizabeth Landon Owens
• 1939-41 Charlotte Merwin Jordan
• 1941-43 Margaret Loop Deck
• 1943-45 Evelyn Miller Slifer
• 1945-47 Ruth Bridge Spence
• 1947-49 Helene Diffendafer Bower
• 1949-51 Edith Briscoe Smith
• 1951-55 Eloise Wright Clark
• 1955-57 Delores Coleman Cochran
• 1957-59 Marilyn Berg Spoerl
• 1959-61 Anne Logan Heflin
• 1961-63 Jean Dunbar Socolowski
• 1963-65 Helen Hodgkins Miller
• 1965-67 Peg Nicholson Ray
• 1967-69 Jody Cole Mines
• 1969-70 Jeanne Klier Storch
• 1970-72 Ann Dungan Newell
• 1972-74 Joan MacBain Stettler
• 1974-75 Yvonne Jividen Eisnaugle
• 1975-77 Judith Rogers Knight
• 1977-79 Anne Chestnut Bartlett
• 1979-80 Martha Gage Mayfield
• 1980-81 Ann Dungan Newell
• 1981-83 Margery Ryder Howes
• 1983-85 Nancy Salter Keene
• 1985-87 Ruth Davis Blakeney
• 1987-89 Susan Crabb Johnson
• 1989-90 Julie Geiger Mercer
• 1990-91 Kay Murray Pirrong/Nancy Bogenes Lau
• 1991-93 Karen Davis Jones
• 1993-95 Joan Michiels McCullough
• 1995-97 Cynthia Reilly Feeley
• 1997-99 Allison Brown McGeough
• 1999-01 Kathleen Hale Hein
• 2001-03 Bonnie Borton
• 2003-05 Yvette Ruiz Hober
• 2005-07 Bevan Ovens Ruland
• 2007-09 Jennifer Carlson Jaruzelski
• 2009-11 MaryMargaret McDonough
• 2011-14 Betsy Hughes Phillips
• 2014-16 Leslie Magnus
• 2016-17 Laura Purcell

Philanthropic Service

• Book drives

Other Club Names

Greater Raleigh North Carolina Alumnae Club, Durham-Orange County, North Carolina Alumnae Club
 

The History of the North Carolina Triangle Alumnae Club

Chartered in 1946 as the Raleigh, North Carolina, Alumnae Club, the club went dormant in 1947. It was then re-chartered in 1971, went dormant again in 1975, rechartered in 1993 as the Greater Raleigh, North Carolina, Alumnae Club and merged with Durham-Orange County, North Carolina, Alumnae Club in 2002. That is the year that the club’s name was officially changed the North Carolina Triangle Alumnae Club. This year marks another club rejuvenation; members recently held a Kickoff Brunch that was the largest event ever held by the club — 28 chapters were represented!

Philanthropic Service

Club members participate in the Boys and Girls Club of Brentwood event called Wake Up and Read.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Excellence - Region Two (2010)
• Club of Superior Performance (2009, 2008)
• Excellence in Communication (2010, 2009, 2008)
• Province Winner as Ideal Club (1996)

Notable Alumnae

• Amy Dailey, Virginia Zeta, Alumnae Resources Officer
• Amy Lorenzen Southerland, South Dakota Alpha, Director Membership for Pi Beta Phi
• Elizabeth Jackson Chacon, Georgia Alpha, CHC President/North Carolina Delta

Philanthropic Service

As part of Read > Lead > Achieve^®, the club hosts a Dr. Seuss^® Party for the Boys and Girls Club of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Meaningful Mementos 

The Piedmont Area Club is proud to have been recognized in The Arrow twice since the club began, as well as having the local newspaper cover a recent Dr. Seuss Party hosted by the club. 

Notable Alumnae

Club member Anne Smith, her husband and adult children have begun a grand project of making Christmas balls of grapevine and lights. They have included their neighborhood in a workshop where they teach all to make these lovely balls. Then, they hang them in the trees along their street. It provides a wonderful outing for the city families to drive through the neighborhood and look up at these lovely Christmas decorations. The making of balls has spread like wildfire to many area neighborhoods. Anne and family have enlarged their project to include all who participate in their workshops. Everyone brings canned food for those in need. During the Christmas season, they collect and distribute the food to the hungry.

The History of the Red River Valley, North Dakota, Alumnae Club

The Grand Forks and Fargo, North Dakota, areas had a large number of dedicated alumnae who served on Alumnae Advisory Committees and Chapter House Corporations. However, these women, along with many other alumnae in the area, desired an outlet for fun and friendship, which led to the creation of the local alumnae club. In the club’s short history, they have enjoyed many evenings filled with just that, along with lots of sisterhood. The club has also enjoyed supporting the club’s local chapter, North Dakota Alpha, and partnering with the collegians on many philanthropic activities; they hope to build on that foundation in future years.

Philanthropic Service

Club members volunteer on Dr. Seuss^® Day at local bookstore and annually donate a filled bookshelf to a local organization collected by North Dakota Alpha.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Superior Performance
• Spirit Award (2012)

Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award Winner

• Mae Marie Blackmore (2013)

The History of the Cleveland East, Ohio, Alumnae Club 

In November of 1907, ten Pi Phis met to organize a social group which would later become the Cleveland, Ohio, Alumnae Club. The club’s involvement in philanthropy began with a $0.25 contribution to a committee working on a mountain school question in 1910, and they sent a delegate to Convention in 1912. By 1913, the club’s bylaws were drafted, and the Cleveland, Ohio, Alumnae Club was formed with dues of $0.75. Then, $10.00 was sent to Settlement School for books.

By the 1920s, the Cleveland Pi Phis were leaders in establishing the Cleveland Panhellenic. Ten sororities chose a Pi Phi for its first president and many events of note occurred. Grand President Amy Burnham Onken visited in 1927. Also, 25 Cleveland Pi Phis attended the Eastern Conference where the portrait of Grace Coolidge was given to the White House. The silver blue cord that unveiled the portrait was pulled by one of the club’s members.

Between 1920 and 1930, the Settlement School was the focus of the club’s activities. Many rummage sales and other money making projects, described as feverish, raised an average of $2,000 a year. By working together many friendships were formed, and the club members became close. In the 1940s, the war became the foremost concern. Projects centered around helping others in areas such as the United Service Organizations, the Red Cross and Pi Phi National’s War Service Committee. A junior group was formed for those out of college less than 10 years. There were joint meetings twice a year. Then in 1942, because of gasoline shortages, distance became a problem. Cleveland West, Ohio, Alumnae Club was chartered in 1944. Although separate, both clubs continued to celebrate Founders’ Day and to share other meetings and projects.

The 1950s and 1960s was a special time for friendship. Grand President Marianne Reid Wild was the speaker at Founders’ Day in 1954 and 1968. Arrowmont^® and Arrowcraft became the philanthropic focus.  Arrowcraft sales were held yearly as an outlet for products made in Gatlinburg’s craft community.  Cleveland East, Ohio, Alumnae Club was honored for the second most sales, then nationally for top in sales for clubs of their size. To support Arrowmont, the club provided scholarships to local craftpersons. It was not all work and no play. The club has always had meetings, parties and interest groups such as out-to-lunch, bridge and book club. 

Between the years of 1970 and 2000, the club’s focus turned to literacy as the club spent time donating books to hospitals, shelters and schools. A Pi Phi was President of Cleveland Panhellenic in 1986.  Many members have also participated in local philanthropies and have been honored for their service.  The club was proud of the good work done to help others.

In recent times, the club has developed more social interest groups.  The club continue to participate in literacy projects and support Read > Lead > Achieve^®. Through the years, many have held positions beyond the local club including National Historian, Grand Vice President, Province President, Province Vice President, national committee members, Director of Alumnae Communications, Board of Governors member and Active Chapter Province President.  Cleveland East, Ohio, Alumnae Club has always supported the Ohio collegiate chapters. Now, they have Ohio Lambda at Case Western Reserve University here in Cleveland.  As they work and spend time together, they have formed bonds of wine and silver blue.
 

Awards and Club Recognition

Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award  

• Betty Calhoun (1997)

The History of the Cleveland West, Ohio, Alumnae Club

The Cleveland, Ohio, Alumnae Club was founded in 1907. On April 10, 1944 the Cleveland, Ohio, Alumnae Club became two clubs — Cleveland East, Ohio, Alumnae Club and Cleveland West, Ohio, Alumnae Club. From the beginning, the East and West clubs came together to celebrate Founders' Day and this continues today. The first annual Arrowcraft sale for the club was in 1959 and this tradition continued for many decades. In 1992, Cleveland West, Ohio, Alumnae Club was number five in the nation for Arrowcraft sales. They held an annual bridge tournament for decades and the money raised benefitted The Cleveland Psychiatric Institute and the library at the Orchard school on Cleveland’s west side. The club was instrumental in establishing the Orchard school’s library. For many years, they sold pecans to raise money. In 1995, they sold 506 pounds of pecans and the monies raised were donated to Pi Phi philanthropies. The members of the Cleveland West, Ohio, Alumnae Club span the ages from recent college graduate to octogenarian. The club is proud of the fact that some of the club’s members have been part of the Cleveland West, Ohio, Alumnae Club for over 50 years, proving that sisterhood is truly a lifelong experience.
 

Philanthropic Service

The club has an annual Arrowcraft sale to benefit Arrowmont^®, rummage sales to benefit the Settlement School^® and has created and managed the Eta Province Assistance Fund which provided grants for sorority expenses to Pi Phis attending Ohio colleges. Alumnae clubs in Ohio contributed annually to this fund. One year they awarded $1,113.00 to 11 girls representing all six active chapters in Ohio. The current philanthropic aim is to provide local assistance to Pi Phis in need rather than general fundraising.
 

Meaningful Mementos

One of the significant items that the club has is a spoon from the 19th Biennial Convention in 1906. It is silver-plated with hand engraved Pi Beta Phi Greek letters on the handle and in the bowl of the spoon. A framed artist rendering of the Pi Beta Phi badge commissioned by the Cleveland Panhellenic council in 1965 is another item they treasure, and a Cookie Shine sheet signed by club members. New signatures are added each year at the club’s annual Cookie Shine. The club also has a Pi Beta Phi pillow from Ohio Alpha in 1975, which has been passed down from President to President.

Notable Alumnae

• Barbara Sands Olsen, Grand Vice President Alumnae, National Historian
• Lucy Baker Warner, Grand Vice President Alumnae

Other Club Names

Miami Valley, Ohio Alumnae Club
 

The History of the Dayton, Ohio, Alumnae Club

The Dayton, Ohio, Alumnae Club was originally called the “Miami Valley, Ohio, Alumnae Club,” which was chartered in February of 1920. 

Philanthropic Service

In 2015, the Dayton, Ohio, Alumnae Club collected over 4,000 books during a spring book drive. The community pitched in by dropping off hundreds of books at area Grismer Tire & Auto Service Centers. Project READ and the Foodbank distributed 1,800 books to children during one of the weekly Good to Go food distributions. The remaining books benefited readers of all ages in the Dayton area.

Notable Alumnae

• Lois Huston Ross, Grand Council

Philanthropic Service

This year, one of the Enid, Oklahoma, Alumnae Club’s members hosted an all-Greek luncheon. Alumnae from National Panhellenic Conference sororities attended and were asked to bring a children's book to donate.

The History of the Midwest City, Oklahoma, Alumnae Club

The small club of Midwest City, Oklahoma, Alumnae was started in the 1970s. At that time, about half of the club’s members were working and raising families, while the other half were retired. Now, membership consists of almost 100% retirees who continue to find joy in the club’s Pi Phi sisterhood.

Philanthropic Service

The club works with children at elementary schools in the community.

The History of the Lake Oswego-Dunthorpe, Oregon, Alumnae Club

In the past 16 years, the club’s average membership has been 60 alumnae. A few loyal members have retained their membership even after moving away. Since 2000, 11 members have paid their dues in all 16 years, and five of the club’s 16 founders are still dues-paying members. One founder has paid dues every year since 1967 and has served as Alumnae Club President three times. The club’s youngest member is a 2011 initiate and the club’s oldest member was initiated in 1940. The club’s Diamond Arrow member, Patricia Bouchard Sprigg, California Alpha, is still an active member. Two of the club’s members made the largest donations during Pi Phi Giving Day 2016 and 2017. One of the club’s members has served as Timekeeper at the last four Pi Beta Phi conventions (2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017). In looking through the club’s archives, dues were $4 when the club was founded in 1967. The club’s first official newsletter was sent out in October 1973, and the first partially computer-generated newsletter was created in fall 1986 (sections were still printed out, cut and pasted onto graph paper). In 1995, the first fully computer-generated newsletter was created and distributed, and the fall 2000 issue was the club’s first full-color newsletter.
 

Philanthropic Service

The club hosts Fraternity Day of Service events at elementary schools and women’s shelters. The annual silent auction provides the funds for the club’s donations to local literacy-based groups. Various other organizations are supported on a year-by-year basis.

Lake Oswego-Dunthorpe Alumnae Club co-hosted the 2017 Fraternity Day of Service Signature Event in Portland Metro with the Portland Alumnae Club.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Excellence (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006)
• Excellence in Communication - Overall (2014, 2012, 2009)
• Excellence in Communication – Regional/Province (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2001, 2000, 1998)
• Excellence in Membership and Recruitment – Overall (2016)
• Ideal Club - Province  (2004, 2003, 2001, 2000)
• Premier Club (Small Club) - First Runner Up (2014)
• Premier Club (Small Club) - Second Runner Up (2016)
• Top 10 Club - Overall - when there were provinces (2003)

Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award

• Mari Lou Psihogios Diamond (2009)

Notable Alumnae

• Mari Lou Psihogios Diamond, Oregon Alpha, Alumnae Province President (1998–2004), Alumnae Membership Specialist (2004–2008), Emma Harper Turner Fund Member (2009–2012) and Emma Harper Turner Fund Chairman (2011–2012), Fraternity Housing Corporation Member (2009–2012)
• Maja Tanaka Berge, Oregon Alpha, Alumnae Regional Membership Specialist (2008), Alumnae Regional Director (2009–2011), co-chair of Fraternity Day of Service Signature Event for Portland Metro (2017)
• Chanel LaChappa Sheragy, California Iota, Alumnae Regional Membership Specialist (2011-2013), Alumnae Regional Director (2013–2015), Co-chair of Fraternity Day of Service Signature Event for Portland Metro (2017)
• Alison Burcham, Oregon Beta, Regional Programming Specialist (2014–2017), Alumnae Regional Director (2017-present)
• Heather Butler Skogen, Oregon Beta, Collegiate Regional Director (2007–2011), Collegiate Regional Specialist

• Carolyn Much Reil, Oregon Gamma, Collegiate Regional Specialist (2016–present)
• Lauren Carrier, California Nu, Collegiate Regional Specialist (2011–2014)
• Lauren Jenkins Smith, Oregon Gamma, Collegiate Regional Specialist (2014–present)
• Helen Yu, Michigan Beta, Collegiate Regional Specialist (2013–2016)
• Kathy Graham Gadler, Illinois Zeta, President of Portland Alumnae Panhellenic (2010–2013)
• Cherie Brambilla Beatty, Oregon Beta, published a children’s book in 2009
• Layne Gray, Oregon Alpha, published a novel in 2015 and was mentioned in the Summer 2016 issue of The Arrow
• Patricia Bouchard Sprigg, California Alpha, published a novel in 2015

Other Club Names

Philadelphia Alumnae Club
 

The History of the Philadelphia-Main Line, Pennsylvania Alumnae Club

Chartered in 1902, the Philadelphia Alumnae Club was the third club to be formed, following Baltimore, Maryland in 1900 and Athens, Ohio in 1901. The club was started with the assistance of founder Jennie Horne Turnbull. For decades it grew much as the city of Philadelphia grew, with a steady migration to the suburbs after WWII. Without a collegiate chapter in the city, and with most members of the club residing in the suburbs, the old charter was amended 60 years later to read "Philadelphia-Main Line Alumnae Club" in 1962. With the addition of even more members from the Delaware County Club in the late 1980s, it were a very active group with a large membership, even without a chapter nearby.  

Philanthropic Service

The club was a very sociable group whose members had a lot of fun, but when it came to raising money for Arrowmont^® and selling Arrowcraft items, work continued all year long. Summer workshops were held in members' basements to create additional crafts to sell; money for these items went toward club needs, while all profits from Arrrowcraft went directly to the Arrowcraft Shop. For decades, a large luncheon was held in the fall, with all of the cooking, serving and clean up done by members. Others manned the sales of a vast array of beautiful table and bed linens, clothing, baby items and wooden toys as well as the club’s own creations. It was a full-time job for the women who took on this chairmanship each year, and they won many awards for their efforts, including the International Arrowcraft Sales Award, Top Ten Club awards and First in Arrowcraft Donations Award, among many others. 

When the Fraternity decided to end club sales of Arrowcraft, the club’s focus shifted to exploring options with local charities. The club began a partnership with The Melmark Home, a facility for children with special needs. Members worked with the children and raised funds for the home. In the early 1980s, the club held the first fundraising event to enable a chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation to locate in Philadelphia; musical entertainment, food and hundreds of flowers helped raise the seed money for the Foundation's city location. Its needs have been met in part for the last three decades by a huge Phillies Night with Pi Phis and friends getting together at the stadium for dinner and baseball. The ALS Association has benefitted from Pi Phis walking or sponsoring participants in the ALS Walk each year. Most recently, the club has been very active in two endeavors to promote reading in inner-city schools: First Book^® Philadelphia, which supplies free books to children, and Reach Out and Read-CHOP, a reading program by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Awards and Club Recognition

The Main Line Club has also been extremely active in Pi Phi on regional and national levels, with many of the club’s members serving as Province Presidents and Province Coordinators over the years. Several members have served on the national level on Grand Council, Directors of Membership and Chapter House Corporations. Individual awards have been won numerous times, with both the Evelyn Peters Kyle and Emma Harper Turner Province Awards going to many of the club’s members. Always active on the Panhellenic Council, the Panhellenic Award was recently won by one of the club’s youngest members.

The biggest and best changes came to the club when they finally gained an active chapter at Villanova University. Members served on Alumnae Advisory Committees and Chapter House Corporations. Members still serve in this capacity at Villanova and have the joy of helping the chapter with their needs as well as including collegians in club meetings, events and programs. The club’s Founders’ Day Dinner and Cookie Shine are exciting indeed, with attendance from more than 100 Pi Phis of all ages!

With a lavish tea party every year for the club’s many Golden Arrows, dinner meetings once a month, an Out-to-Lunch Bunch, Halo Happenings, a Fall Fest and the many fundraisers for the club’s designated charities, even the newest initiates at Villanova have a good idea of all that is to come after they graduate. In turn, members have the opportunity to get to know so many wonderful young women who are carrying on the traditions and the spirit of Pi Beta Phi.

Philanthropic Service

For more than 40 years, the Pittsburgh-South Hills Alumnae Club has participated in the Pittsburgh Panhellenic Association's annual fundraiser to provide scholarships to sorority women who are juniors at a local college. The club plans the corresponding luncheon event every 10 years or so. The club also does an annual project with the Family Links of Pittsburgh, benefiting the club’s philanthropy.

The History of the Columbia, South Carolina, Alumnae Club

On April 8, 1933, Maude M. Hawkins wrote Ruth Barrett Smith requesting a charter for the Columbia, South Carolina, Alumnae Club. She was advised by Mrs. Smith the club needed a minimum of ten members. Thirteen Phi Phi’s then signed a petition requesting the charter for the Columbia, South Carolina, Alumnae Club as follows: President Maude M. Hawkins, South Carolina Alpha; Secretary Susan G. Sparks, South Carolina Alpha; Treasurer Sarah Davis, South Carolina Alpha; James E. Adams, Indiana Delta; Wyatt Aiken, Louisiana Alpha; Martha Aiken, South Carolina Alpha; Jane B. Bayard, South Carolina Alpha; Charlotte Coker, South Carolina Alpha; Lois Quattlebaum, Virginia Alpha; Helen Terry, South Carolina Alpha; Emily Mullins, South Carolina Alpha; L’Artigue Griffin, South Carolina Alpha and Julia Park, South Carolina Alpha.

On the 75^th Anniversary of the club’s charter, they held a champagne brunch anniversary celebration at the Seibels House, a Columbia historic home. One charter member who was still living, L’Artigue Griffin Fishburne, attended. The program included a remembrance of each charter member with a wine carnation. All of the Pi Phis who were initiated during the 1930s sat together at a table as invited guests and it was special to have them there for the anniversary. Those were Mary Lees Graham McGeary, Polly Norris, Wilbur Kirkland Hayes and L’Artigue Griffin Fishburne. This was a great event in the club’s history because of these wonderful women who still loved Pi Phi and who had so much fun sharing their memories. 

Another club highlight was the rare honor to serve as one of five alumnae clubs to host Pi Phi’s Fraternity Day of Service Signature Events, February 26–27, 2016. Through Pi Beta Phi Foundation, 20,000 free books were given to children throughout the state of South Carolina. The club were excited to have 130 recipient groups that participated. It was truly a team effort with 300 volunteers who unloaded, sorted, passed out books or provided food for volunteers.

Also, one of the unique things about the Columbia, South Carolina, Alumnae Club is that in 2016 they had seven alumnae who do not live in Columbia, South Carolina. These alumnae live in Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia or West Virginia, but they continue to support the club by paying local dues. The club appreciate and treasure these former alumnae who want to stay connected with their members. 

After starting with thirteen members, the Columbia, South Carolina, Alumnae Club has grown to 102 members. The club members are excited to have both South Carolina Alpha and South Carolina Beta recently recolonized, which has rejuvenated the club’s support and the number of members who want to assist with chapter support.
 

Philanthropic Service

The Columbia, South Carolina, Alumnae Club was one of the five hosts for Pi Phi’s Fraternity Day of Service Signature Events in February 2015.
 

Meaningful Mementos

Leadership awards of engraved silver bowls are presented to two alumnae club members every two years at the club’s Founder’s Day. They are selected by the Nominating Committee. The first bowl, which has been presented since 1970, is the Mary Lees Graham McGeary Award for distinguished alumnae service which uses the criteria similar to the Evelyn Peters Kyle Award. Mrs. McGeary served as the Alumnae Advisory Committee Chair for South Carolina Alpha for over four decades. The second bowl, which has been presented since 2008, is the Brenda Williams Hellams for outstanding alumnae leadership which uses the criteria similar to the Emma Harper Turner Award. Ms. Hellams has officially and also unofficially served in various leadership roles for the Columbia, South Carolina, Alumnae Club.
 

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Excellence (2015, 2014, 2013, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006)
• Excellence in Chapter Support - Small Group (2014)
• Excellence in Communication (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006)
• Excellence in Membership and Recruitment - Small Group (2014, 2013)

Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award 

• Mary Geiger Lewis (2014)

Emma Harper Turner Leadership Award

• Joanne Flowers Duncan (2009)

Notable Alumnae

• Sarah Ruth "Sis" Mullis

The History of the Lowcountry, South Carolina, Alumnae Club

The Lowcountry, South Carolina, Alumnae Club was chartered on October 26, 2006 under the leadership of Co-Presidents Janet Wickham Gregory and Edie Smith. The club is based in Beaufort, South Carolina, which is located between the Charleston, Hilton Head, and Savannah Alumnae Clubs. It is a retirement area and the club is so excited to share its Pi Phi roots with the new sisters from the many states who have settled here. This is an active and social club with many Golden Arrows. 

After a visit from Hurricane Matthew this fall and lots of rescheduling, the club is off and running. The current club theme is “Celebrating 150 years of Pi Beta Phi." The club's mission is “To share our bonds of sisterhood and promote literacy in the Lowcountry," and the club's motto is “Friendship, fun, philanthropy, and food." There are five general meetings a year, which include the Beaus and Arrows couples event; the “The BLUES – books, lunch, and you” literacy luncheon; the Christmas luncheon at the Beaufort Inn; various themed meetings over the years such as “College Memories,” “Here’s to the Pi Phi Cookie Shine,” “Southern Cooking Demonstration with Historic Pi Phi recipes,” “Hearts and Health,” floral arranging and the traditional Founders’ Day Celebration. 

The club also has many interest groups. “The Darts" (Dinner and the Arts) have attended several shows at the Beaufort Performing Arts Center. One of these shows was the Hen Party, where two of our club members, Janet Gregory and Nancy Law, members of The Beaufortettes (Tap Dancing Divas), opened the show. "The Arts" (Angel Road Trips) have traveled to the Monet Exhibition at the Telfair Museum in Savannah, taken the Historic Home Tour in Charleston, and toured Middleton Plantation. The Mah Jongg group donates their winnings to support local literacy efforts. The club is excited to host a joint 150^th Founders’ Day this year and have invited the three surrounding alumnae clubs to attend. The Region Two Director, Harper Whitten, and Foundation Trustee, Kathy Ewing, will be the special guests at this event.

Philanthropic Service

The club has participated in the Fraternity Day of Service and presented the Champions Are Readers^® program yearly.  Members held a Panhellenic Literacy Luncheon to fund the CAR program when it first began, and are now pleased that the Pi Beta Phi Foundation supports the program for the clubs. Members have presented the CAR program in past years at public and private elementary schools, the YMCA pre-school and after school programs and the “Thumbs Up” program. Members are most excited that this year, the club secured a grant of 500 books from Pi Beta Phi Foundation for the local Saint Helena Elementary School. 
 

Meaningful Mementos

The club has a very special Cookie Shine Sheet created for them by President Ann Ruebensaal Morrow. They gave their past presidents oyster shell angels at their tenth anniversary Founders’ Day Celebration last year and to a very special visitor to their club and the South Carolina Lowcountry, Past Grand President Sis Mullis.
 

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Excellence (multiple years)
• Club of Superior Performance (multiple years)
• Evelyn Peters Kyle Club Service Award, Region Two - Gay Farmer (2013)
• Premier Small Club (2017)
• Spirit Award - Region Two (2015)

Emma Harper Turner Leadership Award

• Janet Gregory (2017)

Notable Alumnae

The club boasts Judge Jane Fender, and two authors. Stephanie Austin Edwards wrote “What We Set in Motion” and Rebecca Sprecher wrote “Flying – A Novel.” Becky is also a new alumnae initiate of the Lowcountry Alumnae Club. Club President Janet Gregory was featured in the Summer 2016 Arrow as Dance Captain of Beaufortettes (Tap Dancing Divas) for realizing her dream since high school to be a Rockette and using her dancing skills as a celebrity reader for the Signature Fraternity Day of Service in Columbia, South Carolina. In November she was surprised by The Today Show and, at age 69, actually danced with the real Rockettes in Radio City Music Hall, with her story going viral with over 1.5 million views on Facebook.

The History of the Greenville, South Carolina, Alumnae Club

Dr. Alexia Latimer, known to us as “Lex,” served as the club’s first president. Lex taught Advanced Placement courses at Eastside High, co-authored a calculus textbook and pioneered bringing computers into the classroom. The next president was Kimey Reid. After Kimey, Ellen Fitzgerald Stephen was only able to serve one year of her two-year term as president.

During these early years, there were two active chapters in South Carolina – South Carolina Alpha at the University of South Carolina and South Carolina Beta at Clemson University. Because this club is very close to Clemson, Greenville, South Carolina, Alumnae Club stayed very busy. The club members were up and down the highway to Clemson, serving on their Chapter House Corporation and Alumnae Advisory Committee, helping with Recruitment and Initiation behind the scenes, baking arrow-shaped cookies for Cookie Shines and making snacks for the girls to enjoy during exams. The club invited the South Carolina Beta chapter to Greenville for joint meetings of alumnae and collegiate members with supper and a speaker to entertain. The club shared Founders’ Days with the women of South Carolina Beta, alternating locations every other year between Clemson and Greenville. The club presented the graduating Seniors with a gift of an Arrowcraft wooden cutting board. 

In the early 1980s, Sara Oliver Millener was the next president. The Club voted to send the upcoming president to Convention the summer immediately following her election. So, Sara was the club’s delegate to the Dallas, Texas, Convention. Jill Lanman Schneider was elected president in 1983. She was the club’s nominee for the Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Award. Darlene Judkins Knight became the club’s president shortly after her marriage, and during her term she had her first daughter and became pregnant with her second daughter. Carolyn Cook Edmonds was the club’s in-coming president and delegate to the New Orleans convention. She came back to the club on fire with wonderful ideas to implement during her two-year term.

Established in 1990 and named for the South Carolina state flower, The Order of the Jessamine recognizes outstanding contributions by women to the club’s upstate communities. Greenville, South Carolina, Alumnae Club members whom have been tapped for membership in The Order of the Jessamine include Jill Lanman Schneider, Susanne Hathaway Hite and Jane Earle Furman Pressly. 

Macy Hancock Cravens attended the San Diego, California, Convention as the club’s delegate. EC Orfanedes was the Clemson chapter delegate, and she was kind enough to help carry those famous mints to be sold at the Convention Boutique. Susanne Hathaway Hite became the next president. During this time EC Orfanedes was awarded Clemson’s Norris Award given to the “Best All Around Student” in her graduating class. Lisa Mathiasen agreed to serve as the next president, and she was followed by Lori Deatheridge. Macy Cravens served the next four years as president before Larissa Helper, a South Carolina Beta, volunteered to be the next president in 2001. That Spring she was graduated from Clemson, got married and left for Convention. She was only able to serve for one year, and then realized that being a newlywed, attending graduate school and being a first-year teacher was more demanding than she realized. Renee deGravelles Demos graciously agreed to serve the second year of this term.

In 2003, Sally Faner Bornmueller, as president, led the team to participate in the Champions Are Readers^® (CAR) program to an underperforming school, Hollis Academy, by reading to the children and celebrating with a big cake with the CAR logo on it, as well as lots of other treats. Lisa DeLuca Alexander introduced the club to “The Cat in the Hat” Day, a program of the National Education Association’s Read Across America in celebration of Dr. Seuss’® birthday.  

Vicki Miller Rubenstein served as Club president. During this term the club adopted the South Dakota Alpha chapter at the University of South Dakota, which had no local alumnae support. The club sent cards, emailed notes and sent treats for finals. Lisa DeLuca Alexander attended the 2009 Convention in Dallas, Texas. In 2011, Alison Jeanette Pilgrim became the President, and then Sally Faner Bornmueller in 2015.
 

Philanthropic Service

The Greenville, South Carolina, Alumnae Club donates books to an underperforming elementary school, participates in the Champions Are Readers^® (CAR) program, participates in “The Cat in the Hat” Day for pre-school children in cooperation with the Lapsits organization in support of the National Education Association and has been able to be a part of Pi Phi’s Fraternity Day of Service 500 program, which helps provide books to teachers for their own classrooms.

Meaningful Mementos

The club has three items that they cherish. The first is a beautiful wooden candle holder to use for Founders’ Day, which was custom made for the club in 1979 by William Dassie, husband of Marion Newell Dassie. The club also has a wooden hand-turned arrow custom made for us to hang on the door of the hostess’ home for meetings; the members also treasure a Cookie Shine cloth on which to spread the club’s cookies and candies.

Notable Alumnae

• Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg, former Grand President
• Anna Catherine English, Mrs. South Carolina 2015

The History of the Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Alumnae Club

The club began when an alumna, Kathy Witte, in the area sent invitations for a “meet and greet” for early April 1993. The interest was very positive, and that very afternoon those women elected a full set of officers for the new club! With 20 enthusiastic women, the Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Alumnae Club received a charter, dated April 19, 1993.

The early philanthropy of the club was Arrowmont^®, and later they embraced literacy, donating and reading children’s books to those at Volunteers in Medicine. In 2004, the club began to support the Hilton Head Children’s Center with the club’s literacy endeavors. Then in 2014, First Book^®, with which Pi Beta Phi partners, reached out to alumnae chapters to join the Read > Lead > Achieve^® campaign. After reading applications, First Book would send 500 books to be donated to the 100 most worthy of programs and the Children’s Center was deemed one of them. The club attended the Center with books in hand on March 2, 2014, Pi Phi’s Fraternity Day of Service. Because this same date also honors Dr. Seuss’^® birthday, the club’s philanthropy chairwoman, Anne Senf, dressed in a Cat in the Hat costume and read said book to the children. This was an extraordinary day for the children and for the members of the club, as well. Although Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Alumnae Club members continue with the club’s literacy program, such as donating books to the Children’s Center, the club’s most recent philanthropy is Hope Haven, which grants help to women and children in domestic strife. Their mission is to provide comprehensive services that lead to healing for child abuse victims and adult victims of sexual violence. One of the club’s members, Gloria Daly, has been active in this worthy cause, and since 2008 the club had been supporting Hope Haven of the Lowcountry. The club has donated children’s books for the lobby, presents for the children during the holiday season and supports their annual fundraiser, Lilies on the River. The dedication of support has been much appreciated.

Because they are not geographically near an active Pi Phi chapter which they could serve and advise, the club is a social one with fall luncheons, Christmas parties, Founders Day celebrations, spring picnics and even Monmouth Duos with the Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae in the area. All in all, the Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Alumnae Club is thriving with a lovely sisterhood of angels, full of fun, caring and giving.

Philanthropic Service 

The Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Alumnae Club participates in supporting literacy through donating to First Book recipients and is also involved in Hope Haven sponsorships.

The History of the Nashville, Tennessee, Alumnae Club

The Nashville, Tennessee, Alumnae Club was chartered in 1929 by ten alumnae of the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity. Locally, over 1,200 Pi Beta Phi members live in the middle-Tennessee area. These members were initiated into collegiate chapters at colleges and universities across the country. The Nashville, Tennessee, Alumnae Club supports the local collegiate chapter of Pi Beta Phi at Vanderbilt University, the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center and the Arrowmont^® School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Additionally, the Club supports the Nashville Alumnae Panhellenic Council.

Philanthropic Service

Christmas Village, started in 1961, is one of the oldest charitable events in Nashville. The event is supported and run entirely by volunteers from the Nashville Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club. During its 55-year history, the event has generated over 10 million dollars benefiting thousands of people, supporting causes such as special hearing and speech programs at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, patients recovering from traumatic brain injury at the Vanderbilt Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute and funds and scholarships for aspiring artists at the Arrowmont School for Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The first Christmas Village in 1961 raised $1,000. In 2015, Christmas Village raised $585,000, bringing cumulative donations to over $10 million.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Alumnae Club of Excellence - Regional (2014)
• Alumnae Club of Excellence (2015, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010)
• Excellence in Communication (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010)
• Excellence in Community Service - Regional, Large Club (2013)
• Excellence in Community Service (2011, 2010)
• House Corp Award (2010)
• Premier Club/Premier Club Runner Up (2016)
• Top 10 Alumnae Organization for Foundation Giving - Regional (2015)
• Top 10 Alumnae Organization for Foundation Giving (2014, 2013, 2011, 2010)

Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award

• Becky Griffith (2015)
• Bernice Denton (2010)
• Kathy Swinea Nevill (2014)
• Martha "Monk" Baird (2011)

Young Alumnae Achievement Award

• Ashley Ryan Lawrence (2015)

Evelyn Peters Kyle Angel Award for Club Service

• Lisa Roes Karpos (2014 Nominee, Alumnae Region Two winner)

Emma Harper Turner Leadership Award

• Elizabeth Wheeler Parrish (Nominee, Alumnae Region Two winner)

The History of the San Antonio, Texas, Alumnae Club

The San Antonio, Texas, Alumnae Club is a huge supporter of Pi Phi's University of the Texas Alpha Chapter Austin. Many of the club members are Texas Alphas who continue to stay involved locally.

One club tradition includes providing the chapter with a wonderful dinner during recruitment. It is something all the members look forward to each year.

Philanthropic Service

As a club, the annual fundraiser to benefit literacy has always been a gathering of friends and food. In the past, members used to do progressive dinners at alumnae club member homes. In the more recent years, the club hosts the Gourmet Soirée. The women who started this event 15 years ago will be chairing the event again this year. The event is a cooking demonstration by a notable chef then a luncheon serving the food shown in the demonstration. At this event, members sell signed cookbooks and raffle tickets. Funds raised in this event benefit Pi Beta Phi Foundation and the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, where the club has a book cart and a book bag program.

The History of the Amarillo, Texas, Alumnae Club 

The Amarillo, Texas, Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi was chartered on October 7, 1949. The Amarillo, Texas, Alumnae Club has remained a strong and vibrant promoter of literacy, friendship, philanthropy, leadership and community service in the Amarillo community and the Texas panhandle for almost 70 years.

Philanthropic Service

The Amarillo, Texas, Alumnae Club has championed literacy efforts in the Texas panhandle for over six decades. Club efforts include but are not limited to book drives and fund raisers, reading annually to local elementary school children and monetary donations toward literacy efforts in the Amarillo area. 

The History of the Houston, Texas, Alumnae Club

The Houston Alumnae Club was chartered in 1921. Much like the city of Houston, the Pi Phi Alumnae Club is made of up a diverse group of women of all ages and from colleges all over the country. There are two main groups in the club: the Senior Group and the Junior Group. However, there are many different ways to get connected within one of the club’s many interest groups. The overall mission is to further the friendship of members of Pi Beta Phi, to strengthen the local chapter and international organizations and to aid in the maintenance of Pi Beta Phi philanthropies.

Philanthropic Service

Every other year, the club participates in Spring Style Show and the Ungala. Members are active participants in the annual Fraternity Day of Service and the Champions Are Readers^® (CAR) program and hosted a signature Fraternity Day of Service event in 2014.

Awards and Club Recognition

• Club of Excellence, Region Four (2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011)
• Excellence in Chapter Support (Large Group) - (2014)
• Excellence in Communcation (2015, 2013, 2012, 2011)
• Excellence in Communication - Region Four (2016, 2014)
• Excellence in Literacy Initiatives - Large Group (2016)
• Excellence in Membership and Recruitment - Large Group (2016. 2014, 2013, 2011)
• Premier Club (Large Group) - Second Runner Up (2015, 2014, 2012)
• Spirit Award (2014)
• Top 10 Alumnae Organization for Foundation Giving (2015, 2011)

Emma Harper Turner Leadership Award (Region Four)

• Elizabeth (Liz) Rotan (2016)

• Suzanne Gerum Stiles (2013)

Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Crest Award

• Ann Bernett Stern (2014)

• Becky Foster Crane (2013)

• Martha Kaiser Justice (2012)

Young Alumnae Achievement Award

• Leslie Fletcher (2014)

Arrowmont Scholarship

• Terry Thompson (2013)

Notable Alumnae

• Beryl Longino Bentsen, widow of former Senator Lloyd Bentsen

• Barbara Bush, wife of former President George H. W. Bush

The History of the Brazos Valley, Texas, Alumnae Club

From 1927–1929 this club was organized in the ranch home of R. H. Seale located on the Old San Antonio Road at Texas Highway 6 in Robertson County, Texas. Charter members of the club were Kathleen Clinton Seale, Zenobia Webb Myers, Mildred Ewing Armstrong, Nonie Mason Field, Margaret Boulware Campbell and Sara Allen Cofer. The club was organized primarily for the purpose of recommending outstanding local young women to Pi Phi chapters and, of course, for camaraderie. This remained the focus of the club until 1975 when sororities were established at Texas A&M University. Pi Phi was admitted to membership in College Station Panhellenic Association in 1985. The alumnae club had been active during the ten-year interval in raising funds to help support a new chapter. When Texas Eta colonized at Texas A&M University, club members of the club acted as “Big Sisters” to the charter members, served on the Chapter House Corporation and Alumnae Advisory Committee and celebrated Founders Day with the chapter.

Philanthropic Service

The Brazos Valley, Texas, Alumnae Club's philanthropic efforts include a Christmas ornament sale (ornaments made by members) held in the home of a Pi Phi alumna and garage sales.