THE HISTORY OF ALPHA BETA CHAPTER  OF SIGMA GAMMA RHO SORORITY, INC.

 

The groundwork was laid for establishing the Alpha Beta Chapter on February 9, 1931, when thirteen young women came together, expressing a desire to form a chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. at Tennessee A & I College in Nashville, Tennessee. Martha M. Brown was the spark and the inspiration for the group. Brown, the first Librarian at the institution, had great leadership ability and made herself available for counsel and advice as the ladies moved to get a chapter charter. To meet all the chapter requirements, it took several months of work and planning. Martha Brown, the driving force behind the effort, contacted the National Officers of Sigma Gamma Rho and assured them that the ladies at Tennessee A & I would eventually meet all requirements.

 

On February 28, 1932, Alpha Beta Chapter was granted a charter to operate at Tennessee A&I College.

The charter members were:

 

Edna Arnold

Genevieve A. Jones

Evelyn Bacon

Minnie B. Prather

Ethel M. Balhoun

Emma L. Raybon

Ima A. Raiford

Mildred R. Robinson

Martha M. Brown

Eliza Vernon

Mattie A. Carnes

Bessie M. Whitman

Louise E. Dunford

 

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority was the first of the Pan Hellenic Organizations to be officially organized at Tennessee A & I College, now called Tennessee State University. Alpha Beta Chapter hosted the First Southern Regional Conference May 6-7, 1938 at Tennessee A & I College.

 

Martha Brown was the first campus adviser to Alpha Beta Chapter, and in honor of Brown, the library at Tennessee State University was named the Martha. M. Brown Memorial Library. Soror Brown was an advisor to Alpha Beta until 1940 when Soror Helyne G. Wilhoite became an advisor and remained at that post until the early 1960s when Katie Kinnard White was named adviser and Bettye J. Van Buren became an assistant adviser. Others who have served as adviser include Dr. Darlene Huddleston Anderson, Dr. Eva J. Morris, Mrs. Daisy Holloway, Mrs. Yuvonne Joslin, Mrs. Renae Jordan Collins, Miss Valerie Bracey, Miss Sheresa Matthews and Dr. Latoya Reed just to name a few.

 

The first undergraduate to serve as Southeastern Regional Anti-Grammateus was an Alpha Beta Soror, Anna Kinnard/Broome. Cora Ed-wards was the first Alpha Beta Soror to hold the office of Southeast Youth Services Coordinator. During the 1960s the chapter won virtually Every award available to undergraduates at the Regional level. Alpha Beta was named Chapter of The Year at the 1965 Boule in New York. The chapter was represented at that Boule by Celestine Swanson and Anna Kinnard, who served as special assitants to the Grand Basileus, Soror Annie Neville.