The year was 1869. Few greek letter fraternities had been founded, and those that had only accepted men. Bettie Locke, Theta’s first founder, was one of only a handful of women pursuing a college degree at Indiana Asbury (now DePauw) University, where she was friends with many members of the all-male Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. She saw the opportunities available to them for personal, academic, and moral growth, and wanted an organization that would provide the same opportunities for her and her female classmates. Unable to find such an organization, she created one with the help of her friend Alice Allen. The duo would later be joined by classmates Bettie Tipton, and Hannah Fitch. They created a constitution, wrote bylaws, designed our fraternity badge, and, finally, on January 27, 1870, Kappa Alpha Theta, the first greek letter fraternity for women, was born.
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The Four Founders:
Bettie Locke Hamilton
Alice Allen Brandt
Bettie Tipton Lindsey
Hannah Fitch Shaw
Fraternity Symbols:
Our flower: The black & gold pansy
Our fraternity badge:
Our fraternity crest:
Our symbols: Twin stars & the Theta kite
Dylan Lauren (Beta Rho, Duke) Daughter of Ralph Lauren; Owner of Dylan’s Candy Bar in NYC Sheryl Crow (Alpha Mu, Missouri) Grammy award-winning singer Melinda Gates (Beta Rho, Duke) Wife of Bill Gates; co-founder of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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Notable Alumnae:
Laura Bush (Beta Sigma, Southern Methodist University) Wife of President George W. Bush Lynne Cheney (Beta Omega, Colorado College) Wife of Vice President Dick Cheney
Keri Strug (Beta Xi, UCLA) Gymnast; won gold medal in the 1996 Olympic Games Tory Burch (Beta Eta, UPenn) Fashion designer of women’s apparel and accessories
Rue McClanahan (Gamma Tau, Tulsa) Actress; played Blanche on the sit-com “Golden Girls”
Nancy Kassebaum (Kappa, Kansas) First U.S. Senator elected to a seat not formerly held by her husband
Sophie L and Amanda bike along the Seine in Paris
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Kappa Alpha Theta is the first Greek letter fraternity created for women.