History
On a small wooden bridge spanning a small stream that flows through the northeast corner of the Monmouth College campus, three women held a secret conversation out of which grew the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity.
On October 13, 1870, six young women marched into the chapel at Monmouth College wearing golden keys with the Greek letters KKG in their hair. The Greek letter boys cheered and stamped their feet, and the minister had to quiet them all before beginning the service.
“Not one of us realized for years that what we were so proud of could ever turn out to be the wonderful thing it has become – Kappa Kappa Gamma.”
At the time, Greek letter fraternities existed only for men, and women were only able to join literary societies. Kappa Kappa Gamma is officially a women’s fraternity, rather than a sorority - a term that only came into use around 1890. This first public appearance is remembered as the Founder’s Day of the Fraternity. Founder’s Day is a time to honor those pioneering women of Kappa, and it is also a time for Kappa members of all ages to come together in sisterhood and friendship.
The Epsilon Omicron chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma was established at the University of California, Davis on January 21, 1975.
Kappa Firsts
Kappa is proud to boast many “firsts” throughout history. Here are a few of our achievements.
First women’s fraternity to utilize a Grand Council form of government, rather than a Grand Chapter form (1981)
First women’s fraternity to publish a magazine (The Key, in 1882)
First fraternity to extend invitations to attend a Panhellenic convention (1891)
First women’s fraternity to establish a Central Office (1922)
First women’s fraternity to establish a permanent Fraternity Headquarters (1952)
First fraternity to set up a career-networking program (1976)
First women’s fraternity to incorporate a Heritage Museum (1980)
Notable Kappas
Check out the newest batch of notable Kappas on MTV’s hit show Laguna Beach! Lo is a Kappa at UCSB (a few lucky ladies from our very own chapter got to meet her this past May on a roadtrip to SoCal!) and Casey (remember “The New Girl”?) is a Kappa at Pepperdine.
Nancy Humphries O’Dell
Epsilon Mu, Clemson, 1985
Co-Anchor of Access Hollywood
Jane Pauley
Delta, Indiana, 1969
Former anchorwoman for “Today Show,” NBC
Ashley Judd
Beta Chi, Kentucky, 1987
Actress; credits include A Time to Kill, 1996, Kiss the Girls, 1997, and Double Jeopardy, 1999
Jann Carl Sears
Theta, Missouri, 1979
Anchor for Entertainment Tonight
Katherine Brosnahan Spade
Omega, Kansas, 1982
Fashion Designer; co-founder of “Kate Spade brands”
Gretchen Carlson
Beta EtaΔ, Stanford, 1985
Miss America, 1989
Robin Burns
Beta Tau, Syracuse, 1971
Retired as Victoria’s Secret Beauty Corp. CEO.; former president and CEO of Estee Lauder Companies Inc.’s North American operations and its Donna Karan Cosmetics brand; served as president of Calvin Klein Cosmetics Co.; headed the cosmetics division of Bloomingdales
Ruann Ernst
Beta Nu, Ohio State, 1965
Business woman; retired as CEO of Digital Island in 2002; worked for Hewlett Packard and General Electric
Marian Simpson (Garber) Carter
Gamma Omega, Denison
Career in Radio - NBC, CBS
Nancy Hanschman Dickerson
Eta, Wisconsin, 1947
White House correspondent; publisher of Among Those Present, a 1976 memoir covering the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford administrations
Erin Moriarty
Beta Nu, Ohio State, 1971
CBS News; correspondent for 48 Hours
Patti Searight
Beta Nu, Ohio State, 1937
Radio and television executive; director of American Women in Radio and Television
Jane Swift
Zeta Theta, Trinity, 1985
First woman governor of Massachusetts
Mareta West
Beta Theta, Oklahoma, 1936
First woman astrogeologist; determined the crucial site for the first landing on the moon
