Kappa Beta Gamma (ΚΒΓ) was founded at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The sorority is recruiting both inactive and new chapters to expand the sorority's ideals and provide more leadership opportunities for women.
In 1916, twelve women of Marquette University founded the first sorority on Marquette campus. These twelve worked enthusiastically toward their goal and on January 22, 1917, Kappa Beta Gamma was founded at Marquette University. Their purpose was to unite the members in the bond of sisterhood; to develop friendships among the members during their college days, to improve the members morally, socially, and intellectually, and to perpetuate the support of college university, alma mater and of God and country. The first officers of this group were:
Teresa Jermain (President)
Myra Thewalt (Vice-President)
Jeannie Lee (Secretary)
Mary Weimar (Treasurer)
Mary Weimar was also the designer of the Kappa pin.
Kappa Beta Gamma grew throughout the years. As a local group on the Marquette campus, the members of Kappa Beta Gamma were first in intellectual pursuits and social activities. However, many of the members expressed interest in expanding onto other university campuses. On May 14, 1947, Founders Day, the dream of many years became a reality when Alpha Chapter was installed at Saint Louis University; St. Louis, Missouri. The chapter at Marquette University became known as Beta Chapter.
On April 2, 2011, Kappa Beta Gamma became an International Sorority when the Upsilon Chapter was added at the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia.
The official colors are blue and gold. The star is the symbol, while the official flower is the forget-me-not. KBG has 2 official jewels, the blue sapphire and white pearl.
Preamble to the National Constitution is as follows: "Realizing the benefits to the college woman arising from sisterly relationships, we do hereby establish this social sorority, for the purpose of improving its members morally, socially, and intellectually."
When the sunshine falls all golden on a mist of silvery hue
There's a chain of friendship woven around a chosen few
No others can compare to the memories we have shared
Our hearts will always remember the friendships we have known
When our college days have ended and we bid our fond farewell
On you Kappa Beta Gamma our hearts will ever dwell
ΚΒΓ National Headquarters are located in Detroit, Michigan. The first National Officers were chosen from the Beta Chapter and were elected to a two-year term. These officers were:
Georgia Klein (President)
Ann Calla (Vice-President)
Gertrude Cobbeen (Secretary)
Gloria Oberst (Treasurer)
Here are our chapters:
Delta: University of Detroit Mercy, (Detroit, Michigan) (Installed June 1948)
Theta: St. Norbert College, (De Pere, Wisconsin) (Installed 1963)
Kappa: Marian University, (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin) (Installed August 2, 1997)
Lambda: Northern Michigan University, (Marquette, Michigan) (Installed July 13, 2002)
Rho: Caldwell University, (Caldwell, New Jersey) (formerly ΔΝΣ: Delta Nu Sigma, a local sorority) (Installed June 18, 2009)
Sigma: Wake Forest University, (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) (Installed December 4, 2010)
Upsilon: University of Victoria, (Victoria, British Columbia) (Installed April 2, 2011)
Phi: Penn State Harrisburg, (Middletown, Pennsylvania) (Installed January 22, 2011)
Chi: Brandeis University, (Waltham, Massachusetts) (Installed January 15, 2011)
Alpha Beta: University of Connecticut, (Storrs, Connecticut) (Installed November 12, 2011)
Alpha Gamma: Simon Fraser University, (Burnaby, British Columbia) (Installed November 24, 2012)
Alpha Delta: St. Joseph's College, (Patchogue, New York) (Installed October 26, 2013)
Alpha Epsilon: Lawrence Technological University, (Southfield, Michigan) (Installed December 7, 2013)
Alpha Zeta: University of Louisiana at Monroe, (Monroe, Louisiana) (Installed December 6, 2014)
Alpha Eta: Central Methodist University, (Fayette, Missouri) (Installed May 3, 2015)
Alpha Theta: Thompson Rivers University, (Kamloops, British Columbia) (Installed July 31, 2015)
Alpha Iota: University of Lethbridge, (Lethbridge, Alberta)(formerly KΠX: Kappa Pi Chi, a local sorority) (Installed April 16, 2016)
Alpha Kappa: New York (Installed August 27, 2016)
Alpha Lambda: Shippensburg University, (Shippensburg Pennsylvania) (Installed April 9, 2016)
Alpha Mu: University of Wisconsin- Green Bay, (Green Bay, Wisconsin)(Installed December 3, 2016)
Active Colonies:
Alpha Xi: University of British Columbia at Okanagan, (Kelowna, British Columbia)
Alpha Omicron: University of Ottawa, (Ottawa, Ontario)
Alpha Pi: Ryerson University, (Toronto, Ontario)
Alpha Rho: McMaster University, (Hamilton, Ontario)
Inactive chapters are:
Alpha: St. Louis University, (St. Louis, Missouri) (Installed May 14, 1947; Closed 1977)
Beta: Marquette University, (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) (Installed Jan. 1917; Closed 1970)
Gamma: Creighton University, (Omaha, Nebraska) ( formerly KZK: Kappa Zeta Kappa, a local sorority) (Installed Spring 1948; Closed in 1953)
Epsilon: Loyola University Chicago, (Chicago, Illinois) (Installed Spring 1954; Closed 2007)
Zeta: Loyola University New Orleans, (New Orleans, Louisiana) (Installed 1961; Closed 1966)
Eta: Catholic University of America, (Washington, D.C.) (Installed 1961; Closed 1983)
Iota: St. John's University, (Jamaica, New York) (Installed 1968; Closed Unknown)
Mu: Findlay Region, (Findlay, Ohio) (Installed July 12, 2002; Closed 2005)
Nu: Franklin & Marshall College, (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) (Installed 2003; Closed 2007)
Psi: (Lawrenceville, Georgia) (Installed April 28, 2011; Closed February 20, 2017)
Xi: Frostburg State University, (Frostburg, Maryland) (formerly ΓΣΧ: Gamma Sigma Chi, a local sorority) (Installed Oct. 27, 2007; Closed 2013)
Omicron: Shippensburg University, (Shippensburg, Pennsylvania) (formerly ΘΚ: Theta Kappa, a local sorority) (Installed 2009; Closed 2015)
Pi: Keene State College, (Keene, New Hampshire) (formerly ΤΦΞ: Tau Phi Xi, a local sorority) (Installed February 8, 2009; Closed 2015)
Tau: University of Minnesota-Duluth, (Duluth, Minnesota) (Installed November 20, 2010; Closed 2016)
Alpha Alpha: Trine University, (Angola, Indiana) (Installed July 9, 2011; Closed 2016)
