PEO sisterhood

[badgeguy]

I was wondering if anyone on here was a member of this group, or know anyone associated with the group.

I am looking at the history of the organization back when it was a sorority in Iowa. According to the old Bairds manuals, the original org became chapters of Phi Mu (need to double check this....) but now I see that this organization still exists today.
I would like to learn more about the transition from collegiate group to non collegiate, and if there are any old badges left from when it was a college society.

Thanks
BG

[AZ-AlphaXi]

The last collegiate chapter of PEO, chapter S in Iowa, became the Beta chapter of Alpha Xi Delta in 1902.

PEO continues today as a community organization.

[nyapbp]

Badgeguy, I am a P.E.O. and I've written about the transition from a college organization to a community one.

How the P.E.O.s at Iowa Wesleyan Became Alpha Xi Deltas
http://wp.me/p20I1i-9L


Happy Birthday, P.E.O. Sisterhood! P.E.O.s Help Women Reach for the Stars
http://wp.me/p20I1i-Ay

[badgeguy]

Thanks for the correction and information. Do you have to know what school was known as the Beta chapter of PEO?

Also, do you know if the current PEO Hq has any old badges from the 1870s or 1880s?

Thanks again for the info!
BG

[nyapbp]

P.E.O. did not name chapters by Greek letters.

Chapter B- Belden's Female Seminary, Mount Pleasant, Iowa (also known as Mt. Pleasant Seminary). Pi Phi had an early chapter there although it's not listed in Baird's.

Chapter C - Jacksonville Female Academy, Jacksonville, IL (Pi Phi also had a chapter here 1881-84).

Chapter D - Oskaloosa, Iowa 1873. This was the start of the community based chapter.

Chapters B and C were relatively short-lived. Chapter A became Chapter AJ and later Chapter S. It was the only collegiate chapter after Chapters B and C closed.

The HQ is in Des Moines. I recall seeing a goodly number of badges (all looked basically the same - a gold star) and I think there were some from the 1870s and 1880s.

[nyapbp]

Oh, they call their badges emblems. Took me forever to remember that.

[AOII Angel]

I know several PEOs. It seems to be a family thing. Actually, all the PEOs I know are Texans.

[nyapbp]

Badgeguy - to answer your original question - the emblem did not change even though the members of the organization shifted from college age women to community women. It's always been a gold star with the letters P.E.O. on it. In the last decade, members have been given the option of having the standard pin back emblem or a tie-tack back. The emblems also have the name engraved on the back. It may have been a little bigger at one point, prior to 1900. The only members whose emblems are a little different are those who serve as State/Provincial/District Presidents and those who serve on the International Board. The International Board members have bigger emblems with a diamond on the top point. (see the cover of the P.E.O. Record http://www.peointernational.org/peo-record )

[nyapbp]

Sorry to be taking up so much of this thread. It's also interesting to note that many sorority members are P.E.O.s. One of Delta Zeta's founders was a P.E.O. State Chapter President. Alpha Xi Delta's Ella Boston Leib was an Illinois State Chapter President. One of Kappa's founders was a P.E.O. I've written about several of them. A P.E.O. friend just gave me a copy of her book about the history of P.E.O. in Oklahoma. When I looked at the list of Oklahoma State Chapter Presidents, one jumped out at me as a Pi Phi name. After a little research, it was the same woman who presided at one of Pi Phi's early conventions. It's always fun to find the overlap between the P.E.O. and NPC groups. (Yes, the periods are always used between P.E. and O). The connection between Alpha Xi Delta and P.E.O. was especially strong in the early 1900s.

[badgeguy]

Thanks for all the info. If you happen to come across any pictures of badges that date to the 1870s, is love to have one...picture that is.

Thanks.
BG

[badgeguy]

So I found an old pin, has 1881 on back, but wasn't sure if that was a date or member number.



I wasn't sure also if these were the pins as used by the sorority when it was "collegiate" in nature.

Ive never seen one this old, only ones from the 1900s, so that is why I was asking in my OP.

Thanks.

[nyapbp]

The emblem has always been the star, even when P.E.O. had collegiate chapters. The size and styling have changed over the years, but it has basically remained the same. As far as I know, there has never been a published directory of membership, so it is difficult to track down emblems and members.

[nyapbp]

I just saw the 1881 on the back and "B". That would limit it to handful of states with Iowa being one. Each state uses the alphabet with in the state. Today there is/has been a chapter B in every state (as far as I know) and in the Canadian provinces, but this was not the case in 1881. The organization was slowly spreading across the country from its Iowa roots. (I don't think the badge would be from the collegiate chapter B because of the 1881 date).

[badgeguy]

Do you happen to have a copy of the history of PEO that was written? When did the society stop being "collegiate" if you will. According to the 1890 Edition of Bairds Manual, which was the first time it shows up in the books it states:

"This is a Ladies Society in some of the colleges of Iowa. It has existed for over twenty years, and does not seem to be confined to collegiate institutions. It is rumored that it has published a journal called the 'P. E. O. Record.' Diligent inquiry has failed to elicit any further information. Total membership estimated at 1,500"

Thanks for all the info. Its a curious group because of it starting out as a collegiate society and then become a very large non collegiate group, which to my knowledge there is only a couple other groups who've done this. (Unless you count the high school orgs that became community sororities after they were banned from high schools....)

BG

[AOII Angel]

You can tell by the t bar clasp and catch that it dates back to the late 1800s. It's a beautiful pin.