Editing (Lydia) Elmie Warner Mallory

(Lydia) Elmie Warner Mallory, Lambda Chapter, Akron

The tall, beautiful, energetic and compassionate (Lydia) Elmie Warner Mallory became President after May Westermann’s first term, 1904-1906. She tried to gauge university sentiment toward fraternities by carrying out extensive correspondence with deans of women and college presidents. Opinions of Kappa ran the gamut, with one complaining about members “strolling out-of-doors with men late on summer evenings.”

Elmie pressed for alumna organization and was conservative on extension. “Rushing –  with its accompanying festivities and rapidly-formed friendships –  is one of the greatest evils of fraternity live, she said, urging that “honor, scholarship, sincerity and conservatively-formed friendships…be our watchwords…!”

In college days Elmie was known as a singer and public speaker. She went on to become an editor and reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, child psychology columnist for the Detroit News, psychiatric social worker, child guidance leader, owner and director of a nursery school, teacher, lecturer and author. She had two children and her sole daughter, Cynthia, became a member of Beta Delta Chapter, Michigan, at 13, the youngest student on the Michigan campus. She is believed to be the youngest Kappa ever pledged (although in the early days of the Fraternity pre-college students were sometimes pledged secretly). Elmie was a Beta Delta adviser at the time.

Before becoming President, Elmie was a Province Convention delegate (1895), national delegate (1896), and Grand Registrar (1900-1904). After her term as Grand President, she became alumnae officer from 1906-1908, chairing a committee to organize alumna efforts (forerunner to the Director of Alumnae). Elmie Mallory – “a joy to behold and a joy to know – ‘a kindly, gentle, generous personality…’”

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