gamma phi beta
home about us photos sisters philanthropy contact us
the alpha chapter at syracuse u
about us
photos the house
international history
alpha
fun facts
newsletter
news & events



  About Us
Gamma Phi Fun Facts

Founded:November 11, 1874 Syracuse University - Gamma Phi Beta was the first women's group to coin the term "sorority" (previous groups were called "women's fraternities")
Founders:Helen M. Dodge, Francis E. Haven, E. Adeline Curtis, Mary A. Bingham
Object:To promote the highest type of womanhood
Official Flower:Pink Carnation
Colors:Brown and Mode
Creed:Love, Labor, Learning, Loyalty
Open Motto:"Founded Upon A Rock"
Symbol:The Crescent Moon
Int'l Philanthropy:Camp Fire USA
Local Philanthropy:Camp Good Days and Special Times
Badge:The Gamma Phi badge was voted the most beautiful sorority badge and it is the only badge designed by Tiffany and Co.

Famous Gamma Phis

Margaret A. Wilson &
Jessie Wilson Sayre:
Daughters of President Woodrow Wilson
Marguerite Higgins:won the Pulitzer Prize in 1951 for International Reporting for her reporting on the Korean War
Hope Summers:actress who was best known for her role as Aunt Bee's friend Clara Edwards on the TV series The Andy Griffith Show
Anne Gross Hayes:the wife of the famous Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes
Carol Hartford:Cultural Affairs Coordinator for the White House
Susan Howard:an actress probably best known for her role as Ray Kreb's wife Donna in the TV series Dallas
Kristie Alley:Best known for her roles on Cheers and "Look Who's Talking"
Kristen Chenoweth:Won a Tony Award in 1999 for her role as Sally Brown in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and was nominated in 2004 for playing Glinda in "Wicked." She has a leading role in NBC's "West Wing" and has also been in a number of films
Mary Beth Peil:Best known for her role as "Grams" on Dawson's Creek
Jayne & Joan Knoerzer:The original Doublemint gum twins
Cloris Leachman:an Oscar-winning actress who won the 1971 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Ruth Popper in the movie The Last Picture Show
Lynn Martin:Secretary of Labor under President Bush
Rebecca Romero:New York fashion designer
Mindy Weiss:Celebrity event coordinator
Mary Wells Ashworth:Won Pulitzer Prize in 1958 (along with two co-authors) for the book George Washington: a Biography
Dr. Laurel Clark:Astronaut on the Columbia
Kelli McCarty:Miss USA 1991
Krista Ritacco:Director of Operations for Speech Writing at the White House
Donna Wolf Steigerwaldt:the owner, Chairman, and CEO of Jockey International
Helen Griffith Kaiser:1st female sales engineer for GE
Tina Santi Flaherty:1st VP of Colgate Palmolive Co.
Helen Andrews Guthrie:Board of Directors for Nabisco, Inc.
Janet Butel Graham:Famous Cancer Researcher