The History of Alpha Pi State

On May 11, 1929, Dr. Annie Webb Blanton greeted her Austin friends and those who had come by train to help her found Kappa Gamma Delta, later to be renamed The Delta Kappa Gamma Society.

The founding of the Society was the culmination of several years of dreaming and planning. "Ideas for the structure of the organization, its purposes and procedures had been evolving gradually. Letter after letter from Dr. Blanton to the prospective Founders carried drafts of the Constitution and Ritual to be scrutinized and criticized. Before the night was over, the founding group of twelve women educators had worked through the mass of details needed to organize the society.

Almost eleven years later, South Dakota became the 40^th state to organize in the new Society. It was November 25, 1940 in Aberdeen, South Dakota, sixteen state founders and twenty five State Charter Members were initiated into Delta Kappa Gamma. Dr. Annie Webb Blanton, Founder of Delta Kappa Gamma conducted the initiation ceremony.

Alpha Pi State Founders
November 25, 1940

Dr. Marjorie Beaty
Miss Florence Bohri
Mrs. Helen Cooledge
Mrs. Gertrude Flyte
Miss Joy Hamrin
Miss May C. Hogan
Miss Lottie M. Jones
Miss Katherine Klein

Miss Florence Krieger
Mrs. Lillian Love
Miss Catherine MacLaggan
Miss Charlotte Noteboom
Mrs. Hazel Peterson
Mrs. Dorothea Rish
Miss Grace Walkins
Mrs. Katherine Druse Young

To prove that they were worthy members of the society, they were charged with the obligation to go back to their communities and organize Chapters keeping in mind that members of Delta Kappa Gamma are Key Women Teachers.

Alpha Chapter Chartered: April 11, 1942 Organizer: Florence Krieger	Beta Chapter Chartered: April 19, 1942 Organizer: Hazel Peterson and Georgia Morse
Gamma Chapter Chartered: May 24, 1942 Organizer: Katherine Druse	Delta Chapter Chartered: February 15, 1947 Organizers: Eva Walken, Ella McIntire, Jessamaine Coolidge, Wava K. Larens, Margaret Long and Marie Grimes
Epsilon Chapter Chartered: November 21, 1948 Organizer: Florence Krieger	Zeta Chapter Chartered: April 9, 1949 Organizers: Florence Krieger and Maxine Wiseman
Eta Chapter Chartered: April 30, 1949 Organizers: Florence Krieger and Charlotte Noteboom	Theta Chapter Chartered: May 28, 1951 Organizers: Maxine Wiseman and Joy Hamrin
Iota Chapter Originally Chartered: Fall, 1953 by Maxine Wiseman, dissolved April 23, 1954 Chartered: Reorganized April 25, 1959 Reorganizers: Wava K. Larsen and Clara Ollenburg	Kappa Chapter Chartered: May 5, 1956 Organizer: Wava K. Larsen
Lambda Chapter Chartered: May 11, 1957 Organizer: Wava K. Larsen	Mu Chapter Chartered: May 24, 1965 Organizer: Theta Chapter
Nu Chapter Chartered: September 10, 1966 Organizer: Vera Sprout	Xi Chapter Chartered: May 4, 1968 Organizer: Vera Sprout and Eta Chapter
Omicron Chapter Chartered: April 14, 1975 Organizer: Mu Chapter and Theta Chapter	Pi Chapter Chartered: October 22, 1977 Organizer: Epsilon Chapter, Janet Shelver and Letitia Stormo
Rho Chapter Chartered: January 21, 1978 Organizers: Alpha Chapter, Janet Shelver and Velva Sterrett	Sigma Chapter The 300^th Active Society Chapter Chartered: October 19, 1985 Organizers: Erna Rieger, Elaine Gordon and other Pi Chapter officers
Tau Chapter Chartered: August 24, 1998 Organizers: Xi Chapter, Vera Sprout, Mary Geffre Johnson and Joan Johnson	Upsilon Chapter Chartered: May 1, 1991 Organizer: Betty Hainy

Past State Presidents

1940 – 42	Katherine Druse (Young)	1975 – 77	Velva Sterrett
1942 – 44	Hazel V. Peterson	1977 – 79	Dr. Janet Shelver
1944 – 46	Hazel V. Peterson	1979 – 81	Letitia Stormo
1946 – 50	Florence Krieger	1981 – 83	Sharon Griffith
1950 – 53	Maxine Wiseman	1983 – 85	Dr. Mary Weinfauf
1953 – 54	Gladys Scown	1985 – 87	Dr. Iva May Larson
1954 – 55	Anita Moore	1987 – 89	Mary Geffre Johnson
1955 – 57	H. Elva Smith	1989 – 91	Betty Hainy
1957 – 59	Dr. Wava Larsen	1991 – 93	Ruth Anderson
1959 – 61	Clara Ollenburg	1993 – 95	Norma Echmann
1961 – 63	Leila Meldahl	1995 – 97	Shirley Pullman
1963 – 65	Vera Sprout	1997 – 99	Darlene Kaye Telkamp
1965 – 67	Catherine Heavlin	1999 – 01	Brenda Martens
1967 – 69	Ruth Helland	2001 – 03	Elizabeth Woods
1969 – 71	Cle Youngworth	2003 – 05	Keitha Neuharth
1971 – 73	Y’Vonne Pailing	2005 – 07	Dr. Rhonda R. Anderson
1973 – 75	Florence Bruhn	2007 – 09	Mary Kay Black