The Baltimore Alumnae Association
Kappa Kappa Gamma Baltimore Alumnae AssociationBiennium Accolades: Congratulations to Baltimore Alumnae Association members for your recognition at Convention 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona! For the biennium of 2008-2010, Baltimore Alumnae Association won the Patsy Bredwick Lebang Philanthropy Award and the Rheba Ott Shryock Chapter Assistance Award. We were honorably mentioned for the Communications/Public Relations Award, and we were a Regional Finalist for the McNaboe Most Outstanding Association Award. Congratulations, Baltimore Kappas!
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History: The first president of the Baltimore Alumnae Association was Nina Vest Douglas who had been the informal leader of the few Kappas who lived in Baltimore. One of the early names which is familiar to many of us is that of Alice J. DuBreuil. An early accomplishment of this alumnae group was the sponsorship of a local club, Tau Kappa Pi, on the Goucher campus. This local club became Delta Theta chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. The installation of Delta Theta was held on the campus of Johns Hopkins University in Levering Hall in September, 1933.
It was 1938 before the Baltimore Alumnae Association held its first dinner meeting. Dues for that year were $2.00 and the meetings were held on the first Monday of each month.
During the war years 1939-1945 the Association’s activities reflected the events of the period. In 1940 profit from a White elephant sale went to a fund for refuge children. The next year a speaker addressed the topic of preparing homes for air raid drills. Speakers were heard on women volunteers in defense work and representatives from the WACS and WAVES spoke to the group. When the Goucher chapter disbanded in 1942, a $25.00 war bond was presented from the active chapter to the Alumnae Association. In 1943 the Service Woman’s Lounge was officially opened at 312 North Charles Street on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings. It contained an Elizabeth Arden Powder Bar, free Philip Morris cigarettes, cokes and donated baked goods. Today the lounge is recorded in records of the Maryland Historical Society.
From 1945-1950 the cultural-minded group took many Baltimore Museum tours, heard lectures by professors from Hopkins, Goucher, and the Maryland institute. The first function involving husbands and escorts was a picnic in 1949. In that same year $200 worth of magazine subscriptions was earned for the Rose McGill Fund and our very own Louise Wise was chosen Province Director of Alumnae.
By 1951 the association boasted of 50 paid members and the philanthropy projects was the newly opened Montebello State Hospital. By 1960 the Philanthropy changed to Western Health District as Montebello was receiving help from so many other groups. In addition Kappas were volunteering as teacher’s aides at the Towson Day Care Center. This philanthropy was followed by one at City Hospitals where Kappa Ann McDowell was in charge of volunteers. Kappas made tray favors for the patients.
Since then the Baltimore Alumnae Association has sponsored an owl at the Zoo, helped fund A Children’s Place in downtown Baltimore, and established a Kappa Kloset at the now defunct Elan Vital.
The Association now has another Kappa chapter to advise with the chartering in October, 1999, of Eta Epsilon at Johns Hopkins University. Vista the Eta Epsilon web site.