Page 22 - 1917 May - To Dragma

228 TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI
THE INSTALLATION OF ETA CHAPTER
The installation of Eta—what memories the phrase brings to my
m i n d ! I t was a rainy, blustery day when I first landed in Madison
w i t h Vera Riebel at the station to meet me, eager to tell me a l l the
developments of the situation thus far, and anxious to have me meet
and pass upon the girls that she and Shirley M c D a v i t t had gathered
as a nucleus f o r a chapter at Madison. T o most of you the details
of the very beginnings of the chapter are history now, but for those
of you who have not heard, I shall state the facts briefly.
Acting upon invitation from the local Panhellenic at Wisconsin
University to install a chapter there, Shirley McDavitt, Kappa, and
Vera Riebel, Rho, went to Madison early in the fall and with the
help of the Dean and Assistant Dean of Women attempted to pick
out girls strong in college life and activities, who might readily absorb
and carry on the ideals of Alpha Omicron Pi. Naturally there were
many discouraging moments and much hard work connected with the
undertaking and I do not think we can shower too much praise
upon these girls who through strenuous efforts and a tireless giving of
time and self have made our new chapter at Madison a fact. Shirley
M c D a v i t t had had to leave after a few weeks and then the task f e l l together.
upon Vera's capable shoulders. Mrs. Swanson, our Registrar, had
gone up to help over one week-end when matters were not progressing
so smoothly, and then shortly after, on the rainy, blustery day before
mentioned, I arrived in Madison to help Vera cinch the whole matter
i f possible. A n d the day's stop that I had intended to make
lengthened into three—and three such days as I shall never forget.
H o w we tramped around i n the sleet and rain, meeting girls here and
encouraging girls there—and always in between times calling on the
Dean! Finally we asked for a Panhellenic meeting, put our problem
up to them quite squarely, seeking to know i f they would advise go-
ing ahead for a petition with the material we already had. A n d
their reply was so favorable, their spirit of good w i l l so manifest,
that we went back quite encouraged and helped the girls prepare
their petition for Grand Council.
Then came the days of waiting, f a r harder f o r them than f o r us,
I presume, f o r after a l l it was not long before word came that the
petition had passed, and that Mrs. Swanson and I were to install.
Unfortunately Mrs. Swanson could not go upon such short notice but
made Vera her delegate, and once again we started f o r Madison, to
finish the work we were both so keenly interested i n . W i t h us went
Julia Fuller of Rho, and the next day Grace May, Kate Blum, Ger-
TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI 229
aldine K i n d i g of Rho, and Mable Wallace of Iota, joined us in time
for the installation.
W h a t a busy time we did have! There were so many things to be
done i n such a f e w hours—the needed certificates to be obtained f r o m
the Dean, the reporters of the papers to be interviewed, the place to
be arranged f o r the installation and banquet, real estate men to inter-
view about a house—well, we d i d get through i n time to dress f o r
the installation at five o'clock at the Park H o t e l ! A n d then once
more I had the beautiful privilege of giving the installation service,
this time even more impressive to me because I knew the girls upon
whom I was conferring the dear privileges and sacred duties of
our fraternity.
W e made quite a staunch showing as later on we gathered around
the banquet table, nine quite new A l p h a O's and their two pledges
and the seven of us who had come up to assist at their debut. Our
happy time was somewhat marred by Vera's sudden illness—she
had come f r o m a sick bed to help install "her girls"—but neverthe-
less the toasts were given and fealty sworn to A l p h a O w i t h much the
same b e a u t i f u l spirit that we find wherever A l p h a O's are met
I t was late at n i g h t before we finished discussing the details of
their organization, going over the rituals and giving to them the
hundred and one "pointers" that are so necessary f o r a successful
chapter. A n d before we knew it the time f o r leave-taking had come,
and i t was a tired but still happily excited crowd of us that got on-
to the t r a i n that was to carry us back to Chicago as we slept. Even
Vera was feeling better, and there was nothing but our physical
weariness to mar the happy beginning of Eta Chapter of Alpha Omi-
cron Pi.
MERVA DOLSEN HENNINGS, RHO,
Installing Officer.