Page 15 - 1909 November - To Dragma

10 TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA 0MICRON PI

INSTALLATION OF RHO

Thirteen must hereafter be considered the lucky number of Alpha
Omicron Pi. I n our thirteenth year we admitted a new chapter, com-
posed of thirteen very active and ambitious members, which will
undoubtedly prove very fortunate for us indeed,—and even they
were next thing to making our thirteenth chapter.

The first to hear inklings of the beginning of this happy event
last year, was Bess Medbourne, who had left Theta and DePauw
the year before, to study oratory at Northwestern. Later we three
Zeta alumnae, Corris Damon Peake, Laura Buchanan Shockey and
I , who then made up the sum total of Alpha O's in Chicago, went
out to Evanston to see for ourselves what was starting our way.
Still later in the winter, Mrs. Campbell came down from Detroit
in her official capacity to "inspect" the girls and the college. After
that there was the long, slow waiting for results, at times hopeful
and at others anxious.

The last few weeks before the close of school at Northwestern
last spring, were certainly very exciting for a baker's dozen girls at
that institution, and for a few alumnae, who had become very much
interested in them. Then the climax came in the shape of tele-
grams, which informed us that their petition to Alpha Omicron Pi
for a charter had passed, and that Rho chapter must be installed
Friday, June eleventh.

Mrs. Campbell arrived in Chicago at the enterprising hour of
7 :30 in the morning, and we spent most of the day "adopting" our
new sisters. When we finally reached Evanston after our long
journey from Maywood, the girls refreshed us with an informal
little luncheon at Pearson's Hall, after which we repaired to the
home of Mrs. Rowe, one of their patronesses, for the installation.
There we had almost the whole house to ourselves, and Mrs. Rowe
says that the Rowe home will always be open to Rho chapter in the
future. Bess Medbourne, who had already gone home, and Grace
Norris, Theta. came up for the installation, so there were four alum-
nae to handle the ten enthusiastic candidates. Three of the girls
had been obliged to return home earlier, so we initiated the following
girls as charter members: Carolyn Piper, Graduate; Laverne Dol-
beer, Graduate; Gladys Kaye, '09; Edith Baxter, '09; Merva Dol-
sen, '10; Julia Norton, '10; Avalyn Kindig, ' 1 1 ; May Barlow, ' 1 1 ;
Merl Anderson, '11 ; Edith Moody, '12. (The others who made up
the thirteen, Fay Smith, '10. Margaret Wyne. '11. and Anne Curry,
'12 were initiated at the opening of the fall term.)