1872-1899

Grand Convention, 1872

Grand Convention, 1875

Flora Tingley, Secretary:

"On this bright beautiful May morning, when all were bright and happy in meeting sisters who we love with a love that needeth no encouragement but is spontaneous – we, the representatives of three of the flourishing chapters of Kappa Alpha Theta, met in mass convention, for the purpose of increasing the interest and the welfare of the Kappa Alpha Theta society."

Grand Convention, 1876

Grand Convention, 1879

With five chapters represented, "internal progress is shown by this convention's establishment of the Grand chapter, a new form of government for Kappa Alpha Theta. Under this new form Alpha continued as the National chapter, the presidency and all administrative power remaining in her hands; but the Grand chapter, composed of one member from each chapter, elected by that chapter, became the legislative body, empowered to make all arrangements for its own conventions, elect its own officers."

Grand Convention, 1881

Grand Convention, 1883

Extracts from Jessie Boulton's letter (Iota/Cornell):

"After dinner on Thursday, Feb. 22 … if you have smelling salts, please produce them now … We held our first and second sessions in the Phi Gamma Delta rooms and the third in the Sigma Chi rooms !! Think of the generosity of the Greencastle boys and the glorious freedom of western ideas! I thought of the possibility of our Cornell boys tendering us the use of their rooms and smiled. At the rooms were met by a half dozen boys, one of whom made us welcome in a very neat speech, in which he told us they felt very much honored by our acceptance of their hospitality! The gentlemen then retired … the convention opened in earnest with singing and prayer, after which we listened to an address of welcome from one of the Greencastle girls."

Grand Convention, 1885

Grand Convention, 1886

"I was startled by the visit of a near neighbor, telling me the arrival at her home the night before of a young lady from Kansas, who said she was a Theta, come to attend a Theta convention. As I was the nearest Theta, the neighbor came to me to know what to do with her. Now there was to be a Theta convention in Wooster, but not for a whole week. This delegate, mistaking the time, had arrived a week in advance! … of course I took the unfortunate Miss Kansas in and she was passed on, during the week, from one to another of us. A few days later, the delegate from Vermont arrived. Not be mistake, but that she might have the protection of a young man friend and a St. Bernard dog … and owing no doubt to their assistance, Miss Vermont landed directly in our hands and hearts."

Grand Convention, 1887

Grand Convention, 1889

Grand Convention, 1891

Grand Convention, 1893

Grand Convention, 1895

Grand Convention, 1897

Grand Convention, 1899

This organization called a Fraternity is a strange thing in some phases, when one pauses to really think about it, and nothing serves to emphasize its peculiar and distinctive features as does the fraternity convention. Girls from the north, south, east and west, girls of widely differing ideas and temperaments, education and surroundings, hard students and fun loving social leaders … flock together at these Biennial meetings, and yet that little fraternity pin with all its significance unites them all into a harmonious comradeship, and those three days are filled with a store of happy memories and association which belong purely to a fraternity convention.