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State Historian Audrey Doak is pleased to announce that the complete history of Xi State is available online to all members. This comprehensive history is in two volumes:
- Frontiers: A Xi State History - written by Pearl Cross in 1978
- Xi State History, Volume II - compiled by co-historians Martha Marshall and Audrey Doak
The files are in pdf format, which requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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Xi
State History Highlights
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Compiled
in 1994 by Xi State Historians
Martha Marshall and Audrey
Doak, Alpha Alpha chapter
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Xi
State (Tennessee) was admitted into the Delta Kappa Gamma Society
on November 30, 1935. It was the fourteenth state to be
organized into the national Society. The state organization
was developed by Dr. Annie Webb Blanton, the Society's founder,
who spent long hours planning, developing hand written correspondence
and traveling great distances to supervise each detail.
The
historic meeting took place in the luxurious Hermitage Hotel,
Nashville. Here Dr. Blanton met with sixteen well known
educators from Chattanooga, Johnson City, Memphis, Murfreesboro,
and Nashville, including Ada Hartsook, Julia Hodgson, Helen Lucy
Shane, Julia Green, Amanda Russell, E. May Saunders, Maycie K.
Southall, and Ina Yockley. Because one more educator was
present than was allowed under the regulations for charter members,
one name, that of Tommie Reynolds, was drawn from the group with
the understanding that this person would not be considered a state
charter member, but instead would be initiated the first member-at-large
of Xi State.
Dr.
Blanton sent handwritten letters to possible charter members describing
their duties and responsibilities. AFounder of Delta Kappa
Gamma takes her place for life. "She must have had
at least five years of experience: She should be a woman well
known in the state in her line of work, a teacher of fine character,
good personality, and good social qualities. "We like
to have about half college teachers and half public school teachers,
and women of different lines of work, residing in different parts
of the state."
Despite
Miss Blanton's growing leadership in the field of education she
was concerned about the possibility of missing her classes to
do the work of the Society. It is for this reason that she
scheduled her trip to Nashville for the Thanksgiving holidays
so as to give herself enough time to complete the long railroad
trip home in time for her Monday classes.
She
filed an expense account of $9.96 for the initiation and luncheon
which included tips to waiters $3, 17 bows of ribbon at 8 cents
totaling $1.36, roses $2, etc. Additional expenses for this
day included 19 luncheons at $1.50 totaling $28.50. Fees
and dues collected from each member were $10 including initiation
fee, $3 dues, and $1 scholarship fees. (The cost of the
luncheon was included in the initiation fee.)
The
state Charter of Incorporation 65143 was recorded December 19,
1935. Officers for 1935-1938 were Dr. Maycie K. Southall,
President; Mary Morrow Frizzell, First Vice-President; Mary Mackinlay,
Second Vice-President; Julia Greene, Treasurer; Mary Hall, Corresponding
Secretary; Elizabeth Oehmig, Recording Secretary; Ada Hornsby
Earnest, Parliamentarian.
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Early
Years
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Dr.
Southall set as her major goal the task of recruiting new members
and organizing chapters throughout the state. Six chapters
were organized during her biennium: Alpha (Chattanooga), Beta
(Nashville), Gammma (Johnson City), Delta (Murfreesboro), Epsilon
(Memphis), Zeta (Knoxville).
State
conventions were held at the Hermitage Hotel on the Saturday following
the TEA convention in 1936 and 1937. In 1938 Dr. Southall
became the president of the national Society. In 1939 Tennessee
was joint hostess with North Carolina for the national Convention.
As
Dr. Southall retired from her position as Xi State president,
she challenged the Society to face up "to the reason Xi State
was organized and to look at the education in Tennessee as it
is in its present very low state." She warned that
"the educational situation is critical and is steadily growing
worse." The decades of the forties and fifties realized
great advances in Tennessee's educational system and in the Delta
Kappa Gamma Society.
Women
educators who headed Xi State were: Dr. Mildred Dawson,
Miss Flora Rawls, Miss Mary Katherine Tanner, Miss Eula Jarnagin,
Miss Mary Hall, Miss Louise Oakley, Mrs. Helen Zuccarello, and
Mrs. Alyse Morton. Delta Kappa Gamma grew nationwide from
fourteen states to thirty-five, while Xi State grew in membership
to 1,647.
During
the war years problems of rationing and travel prohibited large
attendance at the state meetings. The post was period saw
the "Normal Schools" grow into universities, which offered
graduate degrees in education and administration. Gradually
the one-room schools faded, and were replaced by con presidents
urged members to adhere to the Seven Purposes of the Delta Kappa
Gamma Society. Annual Xi State meetings were held at Sewanee,
University of the South.
Society
members took on a different look as decorative hats and white
gloves were discarded and long formal dresses and academic robes
were seen less frequently. New emphasis was given to organization,
communication, and finance. members were urged to support
legislation to improve schools, professional growth, and status
of women. (Tenure, sick leave and retirement enhanced the
role of the teacher.) The fifties brought enrichment through libraries,
supplementary textbooks, films, records, filmstrips, in-service,
courses of study, and various innovation.
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The
Sixties
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President
Ival Asinger ushered in the sixties as the nation faced the challenges
of school integration, decline of educational values, drug abuse,
overcrowding of schools and classes, the Vietnam War, inter-cultural
understanding, and women's rights.
Xi
State published a books spotlighting a large number of Tennessee
teachers, Light From Many Candles. Mrs. Aslinger's
biennium was followed by those of Nora Smith Barker, Ruth McDonald,
Gertrude Michael, and Eleanor Osteen. The Society continued
work on the status of women, public kindergartens, and future
teacher organizations. A Leadership Development Conference
for chapter presidents, regional workshops, and an Honor Roll
for chapter presidents were initiated.
As
the sixties drew to a close President Eleanor Osteen summarized
significant changes which occurred during the decade, "terrorism
in our country, lack of discipline in our schools, and absence
of teacher dedication," however, she remained confident that
the problems would be resolved. By 1969 Xi state membership
had risen to 2,583.
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The
Seventies
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The
decade of the seventies brought a continued need for public kindergartens.
President Margaret Hopper set this as her main goal, and saw the
legislature adopt it during her biennium. World Fellowship
and Expansion outside North America also caught the imagination
of the Society..
Dr.
Southall and Miss Mary Hall were selected for the first Xi State
Achievement awards. Dr. Ruth Knowlton considered the creation
of a Delta Kappa Gamma chapter in Guatemala to be the highlight
of her term. The Leadership Development Conference at Henry
Horton State Park was first held in 1972. Mrs. Souci Hall
had many goals as she faced her biennium: 1975-International Woman's
Year, 1976-U.S. Bicentennial, and 1977-Looking Toward the Golden
Anniversary of Delta Kappa Gamma. Literacy was the crucial
educational problem. Considerable emphasis was placed on
equal pay for women and for state legislation of educational programs.
In
1976 Xi State placed a plaque in the TEA Building honoring Ann
Robertson Cockrill, the first Tennessee teacher. More scholarships
were developed to include the Evangeline Hartsook, Lottye McCall,
Mary Hall, Maycie Southall, Regular Summer Studies Awards, and
the Special Award.
In
1979 one hundred and five Xi State members traveled to Dallas
to help celebrate the Society's Golden Anniversary. The
theme was "We have defined our purpose; Let us shape our
destiny." The first Legislative Seminar was held in
1979. Dr. Sherer pointed out that the greatest education
problem of the time was repercussions of negotiations. Membership
in 1978 was 3,584.
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The
Eighties and Early Nineties
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At the beginning of her biennium Dorothy Morton suggested that it would be appropriate for members to accept new resolutions among which were: participate more fully in chapter activities, place greater priority on attendance, assume responsibilities in your chapter, develop an understanding of officers' duties and community work, be more active in recruitment, become more informed, participate in seminars, workshops, and state conventions.
Presidents Elizabeth Whorley Bradley, Patsy Pope, Isabel Wheeler, and Lois Jones forged forward with enthusiasm and skill offering a full package of programs and activities which brought Xi State recognition for its work and achievement.
During the eighties CIEC (Children's International Education Center) was formally organized, TEFT (The Educational Foundation Thrust) quilts were made, Interest Weekends were enjoyed, art shows were advanced and the high school essays were introduced. Xi State sold iris note paper at the World's Fair and celebrated its Golden Anniversary. Dr. Sherer served as Southeast Regional Director and Second Vice President of International. "Spotlights" were introduced at the state level in 1987. Much attention was given the state Career Ladder. Xi State participated in Tennessee Homecoming '86.
The nineties were motivated by the educational theme of preparedness for the twenty-first century. Presidents were Dr. Willene Paxton, Janice Sorsby, and Linda McCrary. Xi State's highest priority has been the preparation for the International Convention at Opryland on July 26-30, 1994.
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