History

Four women at Asbury College in Greencastle, Indiana established a society for women that would expand the horizons of collegiate women forever. This society, founded by these four women:

Bettie Locke Hamilton

Alice Allen Brant

Bettie Tipton Lindsey

Hannah Fitch Shaw

was Kappa Alpha Theta, the first Greek letter fraternity among women. It was founded January 27, 1870 at Indiana Asbury University, now called DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. Theta's four founders were forward-thinking women who were among the first ever admitted to the college. They came together to share common interests of scholarship and friendship. The motivating force behind the group was Bette Locke, who was asked to wear the badge of a men's fraternity but was denied initiation. She decided to organize her own fraternity, Kappa Alpha Theta. Our founders were women of vision, and it is their dedication to the pursuit of virtuous womanhood that still inspires us today. Bettie Locke was one of the first women admitted to the newly co-ed Asbury, which was quite an achievement. (Many people at the time didn't believe in higher education for women.) Her father was a Beta Theta Pi and her brother was a member of Phi Gamma Delta, so she'd been exposed to the fraternity lifestyle. Bettie had many friends at Asbury's Phi Gamma Delta, and when one asked her to wear his badge as a token of friendship, Bettie declined.

Because she did not know the secrets and purposes, which the letters represented, she replied, she could not wear them. There was even some thought of initiating Bettie into the fraternity, but, fortunately for Kappa Alpha Theta, they decided instead to present her with a handsome silver fruit basket engraved with the Phi Gamma Delta letters.

Bettie was impressed with the fraternity ideal and searched for its women's counterpart from which to form a chapter at Asbury. Finding none, her father suggested she create her own women's fraternity. She told her friend, Alice Allen, of the idea and together they wrote the constitution and by-laws, planned the ceremonies, designed a badge, and sought other women on the campus worthy of belonging to the new Kappa Alpha Theta.

With Bettie Tipton and Hannah Fitch, the four initiated themselves on January 27, 1870 and proudly announced the new organization by wearing their black and gold badges to Asbury's chapel service on March 14.

Soon, Alpha Chapter grew to 22 sisters and began establishing chapters at other colleges.

Information and photos from the book Sixty Years in Kappa Alpha Theta: 1870-1929 by Estelle Riddle Dodge, National Historian. Published 1930.