After the Field Secretary program began in the 1940s (read more about the beginning here), it continued to be revised and updated in order to best meet the needs of our collegiate chapters as the decades progressed.
In the mid-1960s, one of the major changes to the program was to ensure that every chapter received a visit from a Field Secretary once per year. Around the same time, the program shifted from being supervised by the executive secretary, a staff role now called the executive director, to being supervised by a member of the Fraternity Council.
“Since [1964] a coordinator of field secretaries has directed training, communicating and scheduling of visits, each chapter having at least one field secretary visit during the course of the year. Her visits are planned so that she may become attuned to the chapters needs and problems, if any. This enables the province collegiate chairman then to make greater contributions to the chapter during her subsequent visits.” ~ Fall 1966 ANCHORA
As the end of the 1960s approached, the changes to the Field Secretary program proved to be successful and their roles became clearly defined. Their responsibilities included inspecting and clearing chapter files, organizing conferences with each officer, and reporting on the state of the chapter as well as campus life and conditions. This provided a framework through with the province secretary (now called a regional volunteer) could provide specific solutions for any problems, offer help where needed and help train chapter advisers. These core responsibilities and job functions remain in place today!
The establishment of the Anchor In at Delta Gamma’s Central Offices (now called Executive Offices) in 1965 provided a space where the Field Secretaries could train and rest together. Halfway through each school year, it was common to have an “in-gathering,” which brought together Field Secretaries, officers and sometimes a couple of collegiate representatives. They would meet to assess the year and share new ideas and programs. This led to a closeness between the field secretaries and lasting, life-long friendships. Winter in-gatherings are also still a part of the program today.
They were familiar with typewriters, long distance phone calling cards, maneuvering airports and transportation within different cities. Typically, Field Secretaries would send a postcard to a chapter two weeks ahead of their visit, to notify the chapter to start making the necessary accommodations. Ahead of their arrival, it was usually the chapter president’s responsibility to organize a pickup from the airport. They would stay either in the DG house, a dormitory guest room or a nearby hotel.
“I was hired and sent to cover all the major universities [in] California. At UC Berkeley, during my short visit I became close to the current president. She offered her sister’s apartment in [San Francisco] for a place to settle at least temporarily if I decided to move to the area. With a safe place to set up a new life, I moved within the next 6 months to be greeted by 8 DGs who were ’65 grads and started a 50-year plus love affair and residence in California. I treasure DG for changing the course of my life!” - Judy Crist Levin, Epsilon-Ohio State
Chapters were required to provide the Field Secretary with a typewriter for her to write reports in triplicate and on carbon paper, to be mailed back to Executive Offices once per week. During their visits, they would meet with all officers of a chapter, their advisers and the Panhellenic representatives on campus. They would attend any events that were occurring at the chapter as well any chapter meetings.
As we entered the 1970s, training continued to take place at the Anchor In with a mid-year in-gathering held during December. This was changed from a January in-gathering meeting, in order to accommodate the early 1970s changes to the traditional school year schedule.
Pictured here are the 1974-1975 Field Secretaries: Chris Hookanson Youngberg, Alpha Lambda-Drake, Missy Skaff Cohlmia, Gamma Upsilon-Wichita State, and Wendy Uecker Born, Alpha Omicron-Miami (Ohio). The first photo shows the three o them in front of a map of all DG collegiate chapters at the time.
"The second would have been when we were hanging out at Anchor In for either training or for In Gathering," Wendy remembers. "It looks like a selfie but I think Chris took this with an Instamatic, the popular camera at that time. How things have changed!"
Each Field Secretary was able to schedule a short break every month for sightseeing and exploring the cities where they were traveling. Carole Bennie Shay, Beta Eta-Texas, describes her most impactful memory as one with Delta Mu-Florida Atlantic chapter: “At the end of my visit, I had a break, and the entire group took me to the Bahamas for the weekend! I even won $100 at the casino! Delta Mu closed soon after my visit, but I’m sure those women are amazing alumnae now. I’m sure they have no idea of the impact they had on my understanding of sisterhood.”
During the mid-70s, the name of the position was changed to “Field Consultant,” which is what they would continue to be called for the next several decades. They often kept personal journals, where they would record their individual experiences. Their reports showed that life on the road was quite lonely sometimes, as there was little communication between them while on assignments. Typically, they would be traveling in different parts of the country (usually there were only 3-4 consultants hired per year), so there was little opportunity for them to meet up in between chapter visits.
In some years, the Consultants would write to each other (CC'ing all of their fellow consultants by using carbon paper copies) in addition to sending shared novels to one another - the original 'virtual' book club. “There were no electronic communication tools, no social media, online games or any other type of digital entertainment like we have now,” Carole recalls. “Calling long-distance by phone could get expensive, so I only called home once a month.”
During her time as a Field Consultant, Karen Nelson Gullet, Delta Beta-Kentucky, kept a book of memories detailing her time in the role.
“It was called The Nothing Book which our ‘coach,’ Mrs. Mastio, gifted us for Christmas after our first semester in the field,” she shared with us. “It includes my memories of Convention in the summer of 1976 in Kansas City, our conditioning and training at the Anchor In and [the] visits to the collegiate chapters.”
Interested in learning more about how the Field Consultant program evolved? Stay tuned for our next blog post exploring the changes the Field Secretary Program went through during the 1980s & 1990s. If you have questions about the Collegiate Development Consultant program today, email CDCapplications@deltagamma.org.
Pictured: Jean Pierce, Epsilon-Ohio State
Did you know that Delta Gamma’s well-known Collegiate Development Consultant (CDC) Program used to be called the Field Secretary Program?
The program informally began in 1941. A member of the Fraternity Council, First Vice President Roberta Abernethy, Epsilon-Ohio State, asked Jean Pierce, a recent Epsilon graduate, to travel to Colorado for a special assignment with Phi chapter. Though the trip wasn’t the intentional creation of a formal program, it was such a success that Jean continued to take on special assignments when she started working as Roberta’s assistant at Delta Gamma’s first Central Office (now known as Executive Offices).
The Field Secretary Program officially began in 1945, when four Field Secretaries were hired to support what was, at the time, Delta Gamma’s most intensive expansion program. The name Field Secretary was chosen as it mirrored one of our prominent volunteer roles at the time – the Province Secretary. There was a big demand for the position as expansion, or the creation of new chapters, was at full force and many new chapters needed help with organization. The number of women going through the recruitment process with our collegiate chapters began to triple and quadruple during the post-World War II era, and chapters began calling for assistance to handle the influx of members.
Throughout the 40s and 50s, Field Secretaries would travel to chapters to address and aid specific problems and help new chapters in getting started. They were sent as needed to chapters that needed special attention and support. In 1947, of the three Field Secretaries hired, “two were assigned to specific areas, while one was designated a Traveling Secretary,” as noted in the fall 1995 issue of the ANCHORA.
During these years, there were typically only three or four women who were hired for the position. They were recent graduates and considered outstanding members of their chapter.
“I was the only Field Secretary in 1956-1957 and it was a wonderful adventure,” shared Beverly Bosh Yorke, Alpha Theta-North Dakota.
When asked to recount some of her most notable memories of her time as a Field Secretary, Beverly shared that she “travelled coast-to-coast on small airplanes, trains, buses, cars, [and] met with chapter members, alums and various faculty members.”
During this era of the Field Secretary Program, young alumnae like Beverly would often travel with a portable typewriter and write their reports and expense accounts while heading to their next destinations, often by overnight trains.
“My wardrobe had to be versatile for the various climates, [and] casual and more formal events,” Beverly remembers. “It all needed to fit in one suitcase, certainly a challenge! This position got me ready for my next career move as a flight attendant, which I truly enjoyed as well.”
Interested in learning more about how the program evolved? Read this next blog post exploring the changes the Field Secretary Program went through during the 1960s & 1970s
Delta Gamma has stood the test of time. It remains the same and yet totally different. Below, read additional quotes that complement our ANCHORA’s summer feature to learn more of what like was like as a DG through the decades.
1962: I have always enjoyed volunteering and being involved in a community, whether it be a college community or a local community. In college I volunteered on Founders Day committee, planning parties and designing and building a Homecoming float one year. In communities I have volunteered with Delta Gamma alumnae, helping with Aid to the Blind, on collegiate campuses and with various local organizations.
1962: I learned how important philanthropy was to the Greek system. We raised money for sight conversation and Aid to Blind and supported other sororities and fraternities in their fundraisers.
1974: We did vision screening for the University child care center. We also raised money for our philanthropy.
1990: I fell in love with philanthropy through DG! I was philanthropy chairman one year and was in charge of Anchor Splash, trick or treated with my big sis & little sis for old eye glasses or donations to The Lions Club, volunteered feeding and tutoring the homeless, worked phone lines at the Crisis Center Hotline with my sisters and became a United Cerebral Palsy VIP fundraiser.
2017: by volunteering at the local nursing home and writing letters to soldiers overseas (sisters for soldiers) with my sisters
1958: Founders Day was always special for me. Alumnae would come and we always had a luncheon on the second floor of Bun's Restaurant. Much like today, chapter roll call was taken, the chapter history was read, the candle-lighting ceremony took place, singing of "The Omega Toast" and then the fun started and toasts were given - standing with one foot on a chair, raising our glasses of water high, going around the tables giving individual toasts then ending with "DG ‘till we die."
1974: Not purely social, but I loved our big/little reveal string party. This was the most wonderful sisterhood event I ever witnessed.
1990: Rush retreats and rush, because so many fun memories were made during those times and I got closer with my sisters. Swaps and formals, because they helped me get to know people on campus and make funny memories with my sisters (especially searching for themed costumes).
1993: We went to Nashville to the Opryland Hotel one year for spring formal. We all rode buses and it was so much fun.
2006: Our crawfish date party was always the best event of the year! It was a more casual party with crawfish served during the day, usually with a band playing and so much fun.
2018: My personal favorite has to be our semi-formals and formals. I never had a particularly great experience at any of my high school’s homecomings or proms, it was high stress and filled with high school drama. So, to have the opportunity to get all dolled up again to go to an event where I know I’ll be surrounded by loving, supportive, and fun sisters in college is great! Our last formal was Mamma Mia themed, and it was such a blast! Many songs from the soundtrack were played, and the dance floor was filled with sisters dancing and belting their hearts out!
1962: job opportunities other than teaching, nursing, secretarial
1962: Getting married in college and then possibly not continuing on to finish degree was common. I know some of my sisters say now the wished they had waited to marry and gotten their degree.
1986: equality to men in pay and in opportunity
2005: The economy was just at the beginning of the downturn so finding jobs was extra hard at that time. After graduation, many of us took some time to find our first jobs.
2008: I graduated in 2011, before the “Me Too” movement became prominent. I experienced a sexual assault as a collegiate member and didn’t know how to talk about it with my friends or family. It was a lonely place to be, despite the sad reality that a significant percentage of our sisters have been through the same thing. Although I don’t know how many of my sisters were sexually assaulted, I am confident that many of us suffered through the experience and the aftermath silently. I hope that collegiate members today feel more empowered to speak up on this issue today.
2012: My chapter had a lot of women, including me, who suffered from mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Many women also were victims of rape and sexual assault.
1958: Our only mode of communication was to write letters and postcards or call a friend on the phone.
1974: mostly letters and some phone calls, but they were expensive
1993: We wrote letters! It’s so funny to write that. My two best friends' parents were in the Air Force and stationed in Hawaii so my mom would let me call them long distance once a month over the summer.
2005: Facebook and texting even though it took forever (thanks T9)
2016: We had Snapchat group chats and used Facebook a lot to share pictures of what we were doing on breaks.
2018: group FaceTime
1958: Because our house would be called a "lodge" today, we had a housemother living on the second floor, and mainly we would hang out or perhaps bake cookies. Most of our evenings would be spent in dormitories in study groups or conversation with other women living on our floor.
1970: We watched TV or played cards. There was always at least one card game going in the living room.
1974: We watched Star Trek in the common areas. Occasional forays to movies or to Sweet Williams for ice cream.
1993: We all piled in to the chapter room every day at noon to watch Days of Our Lives together. We spent a lot of time grouped in the hall or in rooms hanging out and spending time together.
2006: We watched our favorite shows (Gossip Girl and Grey's Anatomy) in the chapter room together, and did homework together in our rooms.
2017: Bachelor Mondays in the Anchor Room (casual sitting room upstairs) and crafting nights during big/little season.
1962: To experience sisterhood, which certainly lived up to all I had heard. To this day my favorite friends are all Delta Gammas. About 10 of my Gamma Phi sisters and I keep in touch all the time. I keep in touch all the time with about 10-15 of Delta Gamma sisters I meet through alumnae involvement. When I say all the time, I mean weekly or monthly through phone calls, texts, emails and even Facebook. The old saying, "Delta Gamma is for a lifetime" certainly is played out in my Delta Gamma friendships.
1981: the friendliness of the women and the sense of belonging
1989: The friendships was my favorite part! We had so many diverse sisters. Everyone truly cared about the other even if we didn’t hang out all the time. We were always there for each other.
2002: I really liked the forever feeling I got from Delta Gamma. It was clear that Delta Gamma friendships didn't end at graduation and there were a lot of ways to maintain your involvement with the organization as a whole no matter where you were.
2005: The women are incredible, kind, intelligent, fierce and compassionate. And they are still some of my best friends!
2006: I wanted to join our chapter because the girls were so friendly and welcoming, and I was a legacy and had a strong sense of family ties to DG.
2015: I joined because the girls felt the most honest. Delta Gamma felt like the place I could learn to be the best version of myself.
2018: I felt really lost and alone when I first got to college, so after a semester I decided to see what the sorority community was all about, went through informal recruitment, and found a home away from home at DG. I can be very shy and I usually stay quiet around new people but at Delta Gamma recruitment events, I didn’t feel anxious or shy. I could actually talk to the women I met. I stayed for the entire three-hour long event and just absolutely found where I belonged. Delta Gamma was special to me because it was the first place at college that I felt comfortable and at home.
1958: I think giving me self-confidence is one of the earliest skills I learned through DG. We had speakers at our chapter meetings frequently, who taught us social graces, how to present ourselves, and prepare us for life after college.
1963: speaking and leadership
1981: leadership and social skills
1986: thinking about others, speaking up, leadership
1993: leadership, self-control, overcame debilitating shyness, empathy, mercy, forgiveness, self-worth
2006: leadership, teamwork, and social skills
2015: leadership, public speaking, confidence in myself, conflict management resolution, collaboration, teamwork, excellent communication
2018: My leadership skills have improved a lot since I have been in Delta Gamma, as well as my people skills. I am much more comfortable talking in front of people and just striking up conversations with new people has gotten a lot easier.
1962: We had to wear dresses to dinner as well as chapter and we had to wear black dresses to formal chapter.
1962: Formal chapter meeting was once a month. Dresses, pantyhose, heels, we did complete ritual on coming in, handshake, password were all included.
1990: We had a suite in a Panhellenic building. Meetings were casual most nights, we wore running shorts or leggings and big tees or sweatshirts (basically exactly what college kids are wearing today). We had formal meeting the first Monday of the month. We did the handshake to enter formal meetings.
1993: Weekly meetings were informal three weeks of the year. Once a month we dressed up for "Formal Active" which was held after the weekly meeting. Roll was always in alphabetical order, pledges and then actives. I am certain I can recite my pledge class roll call even today.
2011: It was very formal. We wore "Pin Attire," i.e. dresses, nice tops and dress pants. Each name was called out for attendance. It was very organized with an agenda for each meeting.
2014: We wore business casual clothes most meetings, which were dresses or pantsuits, and we lined up in alphabetical order most times to take attendance. The president would host the meetings, and every other CMT officer would give their announcements, and we would usually have a bonding activity at the end before we did our secret vow.
2018: Formal and informal meetings aren’t too different. We just have to dress up and sit in alphabetical order while the president reads the written greeting. We use GIN to check in our attendance for informal chapter rather than taking it one name at a time for formal.
1958: The very best part about being a Delta Gamma is ready made friends, called "sisters," no matter where in this world you find yourself. These friendships give me "hope" for the future generation of women.
1963: As an only child, I now have sisters who are always there to listen, commiserate with and offer a helping hand. 1985: My sisters are the best part! Looking back, we were so lucky to be just good down to earth friends and sisters. We lived together, loved each other through sorrows and triumphs and the everyday stuff. Some of my best adult friends are still my sisters, 30 years later!
1990: The lifelong friendships, the fun and special memories, and the person I became through my involvement, and now- sharing all of this with my DG legacy, Lindsay, are my favorite things . We just attended Founders Day together with my alumnae group!
1993: Post-college connections has been the best part! Many of my best friends today I met through the alumnae group or while serving on house corps. Many of these women I did not know in college but we're in book clubs, we travel together, and we serve our communities.
2005: Having a home away from home with women striving to be better versions of themselves. We supported each other rather than tore each other down. We were down-to-earth, funny and we welcomed all. Just recently, many women who were in the chapter with me became moms at the same time, so now we have our own Facebook group, Anchored Moms where we discuss the highs and lows of motherhood as well as turn to for advice. It’s been great to reconnect with sisters who have moved out of the area so I don't get to see them at the Central New Jersey Mommy and Me Special Interest Group events. It’s almost like having a virtual SIG!
2018: The best part about being a Delta Gamma is the community. I can go somewhere 1,000 miles away from home and meet another DG and instantly have a connection in the new place. Wherever I go, I know that I’ll probably find a sister somewhere close.
2018: To me, the best part about being a Delta Gamma is belonging to an organization that empowers women to embrace their individuality in a safe setting with a national network of women who will love and support them, as demonstrated this year by all the support of collegian and alumnae chapters to our sisters at Harvard.
Did you know that five chapters chartered in the first decade of Delta Gamma’s founding are still open today? The chapters are Lambda-Minnesota, Omega-Wisconsin, Sigma-Northwestern, Zeta-Albion and Eta-Akron, our oldest chapter today.
An excerpt from The Shield shares more about their history:
Delta Gamma’s chapter roll of the first decade, 1873-1883, likely reflects American education for women at that time. Of the 15 chapters founded during this decade, only five remain today. All five schools were comparable in size at that time and in fact, Albion had more students than the University of Wisconsin. The Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 allowed many states to receive federal land to build colleges. Among them were these five schools that flourish today, each of which has the distinction of having a single letter Delta Gamma chapter on its campus: The University of Minnesota (Lambda): established by the Territorial Act of 1851, opened its doors in 1868 and was coeducational from its beginning. The University of Wisconsin (Omega): is identified by the Encyclopedia Britannica as one of the state universities that was awakened to new life by the Morrill Act. Northwestern University (Sigma): had recently absorbed Evanston Female College to become coeducational. Albion College (Zeta) and the University of Akron (Eta) (then Buchtel College) were church-related schools. Buchtel was chiefly supported by its location in a busy commercial center and by parents wanting their children to enter a Universalist institution. Albion was destined to thrive by its advantageous location on a main railroad line. The various chapters used the power of the handwritten letter to keep their bonds with one another strong. Members wrote long, revealing letters expressing their innermost thoughts and aspirations to their new sisters at other schools. When the members of the Akron chapter wanted to invite the wife of President Garfield to become a member, for example, they asked their Mississippi sisters for approval, considering differences in political allegiances. The President was assassinated before her invitation, which was endorsed by the southerners, could be arranged.
We are fortunate for the preservation of our history and these chapters continued involvement in our story. You can find more Delta Gamma history here.
