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→The Early Years (Excerpted from The History of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity: 1870 to 1976)
May Whiting Westermann, Sigma- Nebraska, then national president, presided at the installation, with 170 Kappas present. The 25 charter members were made conscious of their relationship to the chapter of long ago when their new charter was handed by Mrs. Westermann to Fannie Glenn, a charter member of old Rho, who then presented it to Justine Heasley (Wagner), president of the new chapter.
In the early years the home of Sallie Reed Semans, mother of two chapter members, became Rho's headquarters. But by 1927 it was necessary for the chapter to rent rooms in town for their meetings and rush parties. The Kappas moved to various apartments until 1949, when a charming old stone house on West Winter Street was purchased with a loan from the Fraternity.
Since its re-establishment Rho has been concerned with building a close, congenial chapter. Classes often met for supper in the Kappa apartments, planned a variety of social functions, and even arranged house parties at summer cottages on Lake Erie.
Each decade presented different problems and challenges to the members. One of the hard problems of the thirties was the need for all sororities to retrench. The Depression affected all groups and many were forced to surrender their charters when their membership slipped dangerously low. Panhellenic proposed a strict pledge quota system, which helped some to equalize numbers. This pioneering action brought national recognition to the Ohio Wesleyan Panhellenic Council. Rho Chapter, though smaller in number as a result of the new system was able by frugal management to keep chapter dues at $5.00 per girl per month. Actives were able to save from their own limited expense money the cost of a handsome blue and blue Kappa blazer. These Kappa jackets were introduced with great pride one spring morning at chapel, when the entire chapter inaugurated this campus first.
During the 1940s, as the country geared for war the campus experienced many changes. The Navy V12 program placed cadets at Wesleyan, and it became a familiar sight to see them march from their quarters in Stuyvesant Hall to classes on the main campus. Chapter life was more quiet and subdued. Rho members spent a great deal of time working with the recreational program at the Veteran's Hospital in nearby Chillicothe.
Following the war the campus experienced a construction boom as old buildings were replaced with more modern and up-to-date structures.
The chapter was growing too, and the house on West Winter Street was expanded with the aid of another loan from the Fraternity. A recreation-chapter room was added at the back of the house and the kitchen was remodeled. This beautiful addition and stunning redecorating made the house more suitable for chapter activities. Alumnae contributed funds for a wood-burning fireplace in the chapter room dedicated "in loving memory of Sallie R. Semans - a loyal Kappa."
For fifty years Rho Deuteron Chapter has continued to be a vital part of the college community, winning its share of honors and distinctions. By 1970 Rho members could boast that more than 20 Kappas had served as president of the Association of Women Students; that the only two women editors of the campus newspaper, ''The Transcript'', had been Kappas. Each year Kappas have been elected to honoraries and selected as beauty queens. One long-remembered year saw six Kappas "capped" Mortar Board - a proud moment.
Certain chapter traditions still continue. Among them are the annual Christmas party for faculty, the spring luncheon for mothers, and the "Poppa Poppa Gimmie" party on Dad's Day. Fun is combined with seriousness and Rho members continue to support the school in many ways. In 1974 Kappas participated in a telethon to alumni across the country in an effort to raise funds for the university.
It would be remiss not to mention the loyal, small band of Rho Deuteron alumnae who have served faithfully with the chapter: Sallie Reed Semans; Margaret "Skip" Leland Russell, who was membership adviser for more than 20 years; Edna Hall Russell; and Dorothy Welch May, who not only helped to furnish the house with her own possessions, but moved in as housemother on two occasions. Lola Warfel Manuel, I - DePauw, was another loyal adviser.
Members of Rho Deuteron who have served as field secretaries are Marilyn Newman, 1953-54; and Martha Galleher Cox, 1943-46.
Martha Cox has a distinguished record of Fraternity service. She was director of chapters, 1946-48 and 1970; chairman of graduate counselors, 1948-54; extension chairman, 1945-46; ritual chairman, 1956-66; and director of philanthropies, 1966-70.
Margaret Easton Seney, currently chairman of Kappa's History Committee, was Rehabilitation Services chairman, 1956-66; assistant chairman of the Centennial Committee, 1966-70; and director of philanthropies, 1970-72.
Even today there is a reminder of the past at the Rho Deuteron Chapter House. On the piano stands a beautiful antique doll, a replica of Lucy Webb Hayes, dressed like her counterpart in the Smithsonian in wine velvet ornamented with a tiny Kappa key. (The doll was presented to the chapter by two past presidents, Elizabeth Monaghan Volk and her daughter, Deborah Volk Cook.) She is a symbol of the past to the future of a fine chapter.
==Highlights of 2011==
