Historically Speaking

Kay and Kylie shed light on how Mother's Day, Julia Ward Howe the most famous woman in America, and Kappa Kappa Gamma are all connected. 

Kay and Kylie take a look at how we came to use a tiny silver triangle with a light blue sigma within a dark blue delta as our New Member Pin. Spoiler alert - it didn't start as a pin!

Kappas are natural leaders who have sought ways to serve the community since the earliest days of our sisterhood. Join us as Dr. Mary Osborne, Director of the Stewart House Museum and Denise Rugani, former Fraternity President and Current Ritual and History Director share with us the history of philanthropy in Kappa Kappa Gamma.  

Historically Speaking cohost Kay Larson is back! In this episode Kylie and Kay look back at two articles from 1888 and 1988 - both discussing recruitment. Spiking? Lifting? Double Membership?? Some things may stay the same, but we sure have come a long way. 

Colleges and universities often close in the fall around Thanksgiving and again in December. Historically students spent that time a bit differently than they do today - and often not by choice. 

In April 2009, Kappa Kappa Gamma placed two historic markers in Monmouth, Illinois, highlighting the places that played such an important role in the founding of Kappa Kappa Gamma. In October 2020 for her Voyage of Discovery podcast, Dr. Mary Osborne interviewed former Fraternity President Denise Rugani about the placement of those markers. Enjoy this replay in honor of Kappa's 151st anniversary!

Why do we celebrate Founders Day on October 13? When and where did the actual ceremony come from? And what about those neat pins people get? Kylie and Dr. Oz answer all the pressing questions around Founders Day and the ways in which we celebrate. 

We're proud to be Kappas, but what about our sisters who are both Kappas AND members of other women's fraternities? Is that even allowed? Kylie is joined by special co-hosts Denise Rugani and Mary Osborne to discuss women who were members of not one sorority, but two! 

Kay and Kylie dive into the history of Kappas who are no longer in school. Kappa is for a lifetime, but that was a bit harder to see for our young Founders and early members. We trace the timeline of activity of alumna members and how their roles have changed in the organization. Well, we get to it AFTER we sort out the whole awkward pronunciation thing. 

In 1909 the Beta Epsilon Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma held initiation at Tiffany's. Wait, what?? Kay and Kylie explore some of the historical ties between Kappa Kappa Gamma and the famous company with the little blue box. Special guest Dr. Oz lends a bit of trivia to help tell the story. 

Kay and Kylie answer the question about the significance of the key. Spoiler alert, it's not just because it's the shape of our membership pin!

As we approach the 101st anniversary of the initiation of Rose McGill into Beta Psi Chapter at the University of Toronto, we reflect on the  beloved namesake of Kappa Kappa Gamma's well known financial assistance program. But Rose was more than just a name. Newly released records help fill in the gaps of Rose's story so that we can better know this brave and inspiring sister. 

We may not have any famous relatives, but we all have some famous sisters! Kay tells us about Lucy Webb Hayes, Kylie covers her favorite First Lady from Iowa, Lou Henry Hoover, and surprise, Dr. Oz shares all the details on Dr. Crawford, her ultimate research unicorn. Check out our special episode of Historically Speaking as we kick off women's history month!  

Kay, Kylie, and Dr. Oz answer the question "Was Kappa the first and maybe the only women's fraternity to have a retirement home for alumnae?" We're not sure if we're the first or only, but we do know that plans for The Hearthstone were ambitious and ahead of their time. Kappa's venture into alumnae clubhouses didn't last but was interesting nonetheless. 

Kappa Kappa Gamma is proud of our heraldically correct coat-of-arms that was approved in 1912. Through the years, however, it has often been called the crest. Kay and Kylie attempt to explain why it's actually both! 

Kay and Kylie welcome special guest Dr. Mary Osborne, Director of the Stewart House Museum, to chat about the holiday traditions of the Victorians. Dr. Oz found lots of interesting examples of gifts exchanged by the different generations of the Stewart family. 

When Monmouth College's newspaper The College Courier announced the founding of Kappa Kappa Gamma on October 13, 1870, there was an article just below about another new group called Lambda Mu. Is the Monmouth Duo really the Monmouth Trio? 

Kylie and Kay try to figure out which of the National Panhellenic Conference organizations began first. Spoiler alert - it's not Kappa Kappa Gamma. The devil is in the details!

It's just a chat, between people who like history - particularly Kappa history.

We were asked how the Founders celebrated holidays, but we really only know about the very first Kappa social - a Halloween Party at Lou Stevenson's house, with a bonus trip to the cemetery, and stories about ghosts at Headquarters. Enter...the Pink Lady!

Kylie and Kay hit the highlights of Kappa's founding, using letters from the Founders and the newspaper article that announced the arrival of this new organization on October 13, 1870.

Kate Shelly saved a train full of passengers from imminent doom - all before she went to Simpson College and joined Kappa Kappa Gamma.