Marian Schroeder Graham, Beta Phi, Montana (1908-1981)
As a Council member, Marian Schroeder Graham had lived through the difficult campus experiences of the previous two administrations. She brought to her administration wisdom from this experience and management skills to work with a Council that was composed in part by four future Fraternity Presidents.
As a Beta Phi, Marian was one of eight Kappa cousins and served her chapter as Rush Chairman and Panhellenic Delegate. After graduation in 1930, she became a teacher. Two years later, she married and eventually had one son and a daughter (who became a Kappa).
Marian was President of the Missoula Alumnae Association and then belonged to a number of Kappa groups as she moved around the country in the years that followed. She was Membership Adviser to Beta Phi, Montana, Scholarship Adviser to Delta Eta, Utah, and Finance and Chapter Council Adviser to Gamma Xi, UCLA. She was on recommendations boards, was Eta Province Director of Alumnae from 1953-1957 and for two years served as assistant to the Fraternity Director of Membership.
She was Panhellenic administrator at the University of Utah for five years and assistant to the rush director at UCLA before becoming Fraternity Director of Membership in 1966. In 1970, she became Director of Personnel, a newly-created position, but resigned a year later when appointed Director of Chapters (to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Martha Galleher Cox, Rho Deuteron, Ohio Wesleyan).
Marian said of her years as President (1972-1976) that she saw the “Trends of the turbulent ‘60s dissipating and warmth and communication coming back…” More chapters were planned, colonized and/or installed during her term than in all the previous 10 years combined, Epsilon Nu -- Vanderbilt, Epsilon Xi – Northridge, Epsilon Omicron – Davis, Epsilon Pi – Riverside, Epsilon Rho – Texas A & M, Epsilon Sigma – Virginia. Volume I of the new Fraternity History was published and most of the Fraternity manuals were updated and revised. (The Kappa Notebook had been issued just as Marian assumed office.) “My greatest honor is being a Kappa,” she said. It was the Fraternity’s good fortune that she was.