HISTORY OF BETA BETA STATE

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2 HISTORY OF BETA BETA STATE

3 On January 21, 1949, at Queen's Surf Restaurant, fourteen women established The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International in Hawaii. Of the fourteen women, seven were founders and seven were charter members. The founders were Eva Phillip Curry, St. Claire Anderson, Marvel Bernshouse, Phyllis Byrnes, Olga Larson and Viona Whitlow. These founders were society members from different chapters and states on the mainland. They felt so strongly about the fellowship in Delta Kappa Gamma that they sought each other to establish a Hawaii state organization.

At the home of Eva Curry in Wahiawa, the seven founders met to select seven charter members of Beta Beta State. The charter members were Sistan Castro Alhambra, Leonora N.

4 At the home of Eva Curry in Wahiawa, the seven founders met to select seven charter members of Beta Beta State. The charter members were Sistan Castro Alhambra, Leonora N. Bilger, Lela Robinson Brewer, Eleanor A. Kellog, Clorinda Lucas, Margaret Ottman, and Mary I. Rhodes. These women leaders helped the state organization expand to the fourteen chapters that now make up the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International in Hawaii, Beta Beta State.

5 Members of Beta Beta State worked immediately to look for and invite deserving women educators into our Society. Beta Beta became Alpha Chapter on February 20, The other thirteen chapters are: Beta Chapter December 29, 1954 Gamma Chapter January 12, 1957 Delta Chapter April 18, 1958 Epsilon Chapter April 18, 1958 Zeta Chapter April 23, 1960 Eta Chapter December 2, 1961 Theta Chapter December 29, 1962 Iota Chapter June 12, 1967 Kappa Chapter May 9, 1970 Lambda Chapter April 9, 1979 Mu Chapter April 16, 1982 Nu Chapter April 20, 1986 Xi Chapter August 1, 1986

6 Beta Beta State Founders The following stories of each founder will serve as reminders of their achievements so we may be ever mindful of our present and future challenges. Beta Beta State has grown to fourteen Chapters since its founding in Seven women led the way: like the ancient voyagers, they read the stars in the firmament of education and charted the direction of our Beta Beta State. They founded Beta Beta State, organized it, and helped charter the first few Chapters in the state. As we remember the achievements of these seven founders, let us continue to aspire to their levels of achievement and seek deserving educators to join Beta Beta State chapters of The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International,

7 MRS. EVA PHILIP CURRY came to Hawaii from Washington State. She settled in Wahiawa, Oahu. She missed the fellowship of Delta Kappa Gamma so she wrote to International Headquarters for names and was able to contact six other Delta Kappa Gamma members who had been transplanted to Hawaii for one reason or another. They became the seven founders of Beta Beta State. Eva Philip Curry, a member of Iota Chapter, became the first Beta Beta State President though her tenure was cut short when she had to return to the mainland because of poor health. Our state scholarship is named in her honor. She passed away in 1950.

MISS ST. CLAIRE ANDERSON, Beta Chapter, was teaching at the Kamehameha Schools on exchange from South Carolina where she was a member of Alpha Eta State when Eva Philip Curry contacted her.

8 MISS ST. CLAIRE ANDERSON, Beta Chapter, was teaching at the Kamehameha Schools on exchange from South Carolina where she was a member of Alpha Eta State when Eva Philip Curry contacted her. She chaired the initiation of Beta Beta State on January 21, 1949 at Queen's Surf and was the Recording Secretary. St. Claire went back to Gerard College in Philadelphia for two years and then returned to her home in Charleston, South Carolina in She passed away in 1963.

MRS. RUTH ORCUTT BACON was contacted by Eva Philip Curry at the Punahou Music School where she taught from 1946 to 1955. Ruth is a concert pianist and composer who began teaching piano at age 14.

9 MRS. RUTH ORCUTT BACON was contacted by Eva Philip Curry at the Punahou Music School where she taught from 1946 to Ruth is a concert pianist and composer who began teaching piano at age 14. She had been an associate professor of music at Kansas University and had won a number of national competitions both for performance and compositions. Ruth was a soloist with the Honolulu Symphony, playing her own composition in She considers her greatest honor to be the teacher and coach of prize-winning students. She met and was swept off her feet by Mr. Bacon, a preparations Supervisor at Ewa Plantation. They lived at Ewa Plantation until his retirement. Ruth Orcutt Bacon has been a member of Delta Chapter since 1961.

MRS. MARVEL BERNSHOUSE received her degrees in Latin, French, and English from the University of Minnesota. She was a member of Alpha Omicron State in North Dakota before coming to Hawaii.

10 MRS. MARVEL BERNSHOUSE received her degrees in Latin, French, and English from the University of Minnesota. She was a member of Alpha Omicron State in North Dakota before coming to Hawaii. She was elected First Vice-President of Beta Beta State at its founding and became the second Beta Beta State President in After serving in many capacities at both chapter and state levels, Marvel became State Executive Secretary in 1964 and continued in that capacity for 27 years until We are indebted to Marvel for keeping records for us even before we established the position of Executive Secretary. Marvel was Co- Chairman of the Southwest Regional Conference held in 1975 in Honolulu. She was a Charter Member of Beta Chapter when she passed away on January 20, 1995.

11 MISS PHYLLIS BYRNES was a teacher at Kamehameha Schools when she was contacted to help establish Beta Beta State. She came from Beta Chapter in Texas to become Beta Beta State's first Treasurer. Unfortunately, Phyllis had to return to her Cathedral School of St. Mary in Garden City, New York. She passed away in 1950, only a year after the founding of Beta Beta State.

12 MISS OLGA LARSON served as a school nurse and health coordinator in several states before she came to Hawaii from Alpha Eta Chapter in Texas. She escorted the initiates at the Beta Beta State founding on January 21, 1949 at Queen's Surf. Olga served as Alpha Chapter President and as Beta Beta State Parliamentarian. She left Hawaii for California in 1966, and then transferred to Arizona in It was there that she passed away in 1986.

MRS. VIONA WHITLOW began her Delta Kappa Gamma career in Epsilon Chapter of North Dakota in 194l only twelve years after the founding, in 1929,of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International.

13 MRS. VIONA WHITLOW began her Delta Kappa Gamma career in Epsilon Chapter of North Dakota in 194l only twelve years after the founding, in 1929,of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. She served as the third President of Beta Beta State. Viona, commercial educator in North Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota, received the Teacher's Silver Medal in Gregg Shorthand from Dr. John Robert Gregg in She became co-owner of Honolulu Business College. Viona passed away in 2001.

14 Beta Beta State Charter Members In the Program for the initiation of Beta Beta State, Mrs. Sistan Castro Alhambra, Dr. Leonora N. Bilger, Mrs. Lela Robinson Brewer, Miss Eleanor A. Kellogg, Mrs. Clorinda L. Lucas, Mrs. Margaret Ottman and Mrs. Mary I. Rhoads were listed as Pledge Founders representing either Honolulu or rural Oahu. The seven women were the Beta Beta State Charter Members. These are the women to whom we owe the opportunity to be part of Beta Beta State.

15 MRS. SISTAN CASTRO ALHAMBRA was a Honolulu Pledge Founder. She served as the first Sate Scholarship Chairman and also Program Chairman. She had received her education in New Mexico and at the Territory of Hawaii Normal School with majors in Home Economics and Early Childhood Education. She taught for five years in Manila, at St. Mary s Episcopal Kindergarten and in Paauilo. She was the owner and operator o Fairyland Kindergarten in Honolulu. In Alpha Chapter she served as Program Chairman, Corresponding Secretary and Parliamentarian. She was honored as the first Filipino to graduate from the Territorial Normal School. She passed away in 1987.

DR. LENORA BILGER was a Honolulu Pledge Founder. She was the Membership Chairman and demonstrated her enthusiasm by having new members recruited to join on the day of State Chartering.

16 DR. LENORA BILGER was a Honolulu Pledge Founder. She was the Membership Chairman and demonstrated her enthusiasm by having new members recruited to join on the day of State Chartering. She received her degrees in chemistry from the University of Cincinnati, including a PhD in At various times she was a professor at Sweet Briar College in Virginia, Officer of Civilian Defense during WWII, Secretary of Labor and Industrial Relations for the Territory and became had of the Chemistry Department at the University of Hawaii in She helped design the Building that is named for her. She served as Chapter Parliamentarian and Chairman of the Legislative Committee. She became a Delta Kappa Gamma International Honorary Member in She passed away in 1975.

MRS. LELA ROBINSON BREWER was a Honolulu Pledge Founder and served n the Publications and Publicity Committee. She was a Beta Beta State President in 1961-63.

17 MRS. LELA ROBINSON BREWER was a Honolulu Pledge Founder and served n the Publications and Publicity Committee. She was a Beta Beta State President in She became a charter member of Epsilon Chapter. On the International level she served on the Committee for Leadership Training. After attending Kearny, Nebraska State Teachers College she received both her BA and BEd from the University of Hawaii. She taught kindergarten in Nebraska and moved to Hawaii in 1925 where her first positions included Pepeekeo, Waialua, Kawananakoa, Lincoln, Lunalilio, principal at Waiakea-waena (Hilo), Helemano School and Manoa Elementary School. She was Principal at the Preparatory Department of Kamehameha Schools from She received the Bernice Pauahi Ke Ali`i Award for her work there. She passed away in 1979.

MISS ELEANOR KELLOG was a Rural Oahu Pledge Founder. She served as the Chairman of the Nominations Committee and the Pioneer Women Committee. She was Beta Beat State Presidents, `951-53.

18 MISS ELEANOR KELLOG was a Rural Oahu Pledge Founder. She served as the Chairman of the Nominations Committee and the Pioneer Women Committee. She was Beta Beat State Presidents, ` She was a charter member of Delta Chapter in 1958 and served as chapter President in Her education was at Oberlin College and the University of Hawaii. She will be remembered as the Principal of Ewa Elementary and Junior High School for twenty years. She had taught in Colorado, Maui, Hilo and Honolulu before assuming that position. She passed away in 1977.

19 MRS. CLORINDA L. LUCAS was a Honolulu Pledge Founder and served as Legislation Committee Chairman. She was Beta Beta State President tin She served on the Southwest Regional Conference Committee as Director of the Conference in A charter member of Epsilon she held a number of leadership positions in the chapter. She had graduated from Smith College and received a certificate from the New York School of Social Work. In Hawaii she was a social worker and in 1960 became the Director of the School of social work at the University of Hawaii. She received many honors for her work. Among them bing honored by the Hawaiian Civic Clubs at their Holoku Ball in She also received from her alma mater, Punahou, the O in Life. She passed away in 1980.

20 MRS. MARGARET OTTMAN was a Rural Oahu Pledge Founds and the first Scholarship Committee Chairman. Gamma Chapter will remember her as its first President when she became a charter member in She received her educational the University of Hawaii and a M.S. from Columbia University. She held positions in Social Work and Special Education. She passed away in 1982.

21 MRS. MARY I. RHOADS was a Rural Oahu Pledge founder who served as Chairman of Necrology. She was a teacher at Leilehua High School. She is not listed as an active member after the Directory. The 1969 Directory notes her passing.

The University of Toledo Archives Manuscript Collection

The University of Toledo Archives Manuscript Collection Finding Aid Papers, 1927 to 1972 UM 48 Size: 3 linear feet Provenance:, 1969 Access: Open Related Collections: Click here to enter text. Processing