Florence Tomlinson Meyers Wallace, Gamma Theta Chapter, Drake (1905-1999)
Though she was Grand President only a few months (1930), Florence Tomlinson Meyers (Wallace) left an indelible mark on the Fraternity.
In high school, she won awards in leadership, service and journalism, and was the first female to edit the school’s newspaper and annual. As a Gamma Theta, Florence was correspondent to The Key and chapter President; she attended her first Kappa Convention in 1924. Two years later, she became the first assistant to Executive Secretary Della Lawrence Burt, Beta Xi – Texas, and made herself indispensable until her return to Drake to serve as assistant to the dean of law in 1928.
That year, she was unanimously elected National Registrar and she assumed once more duties of the assistant to the Executive Secretary. She was faced with the collection and binding of Fraternity files and completion of chapter files. She had presided over the installation of Gamma Chi – George Washington and Gamma Psi – Maryland in 1929 and so was familiar with the procedure when she went to the installation of Delta Alpha – Penn State in October 1930 as Grand President.
When elected, she was 25 years old, which was young compared to the Presidents who had served since 1912. Just a month before her election in July, she had married Irving Meyers. In December, Florence’s pregnancy with her first child, a daughter, made it necessary for her to resign; Vice president Alice Barney was appointed to fill the unexpired term, December 1930-1932.
Florence, who also had a son, was twice widowed but continued to pursue a life full of activities, work and honors, including the international presidency of the PEO Sisterhood, a philanthropic and educational organization. In March 1973, Florence received from Kappa her 50-year pin and whispered to Fraternity President Marian Schroeder Graham that it was the “happiest day of her life.”