Portland Alumnae Chapter
Beta Psi Charter Members
Back Row: Hattie Fannings Gaskin, Florence Mills Morton, Lena Hillsman, June Runnels Key, Fannie Stills Chatman, Lucille Triplett Morgan. Front Row: Myrtle Dargan, Mabel Lockett Martin, Mignon Lilly Cabell, JoAnna Young Bradford, Geneva Turner Jordan. On the date of the chartering ceremony, Soror Myrtle Dargan (left), from California, sat in for Ellen Torrance, who had been assigned to overseas duty as a member of the American National Red Cross.
On March 24, 1945, the Beta Psi Chapter was chartered in Portland, OR, becoming the first and only chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in the state. Since the chartering took place in the middle of the war years, service activities primarily focused on assistance and involvement with men in the military.
In the late 1970s, Grand Chapter made a decision to permanently eliminate mixed chapters composed of alumnae and collegiate sorors. After several discussions and granted extensions, the Portland Alumnae Chapter (PAC) was chartered in 1981. Our chapter heritage has been a reflection of the changing racial attitudes in the State of Oregon. The Beta Psi and PAC chartering sorors were challenged by Oregon laws that prevented the Black population from moving freely throughout the city and state, regulating where to eat, live and play. The Beta Psi and PAC sorors continued to challenge those arrogances and helped propel the city into one that has become accepting and welcoming to citizens of all races and nationalities.
Our Heritage & Archives Board reflects the growth that PAC has achieved to become an active and respected organization in the community, not only through our programs, but by the actions and achievements of the professional sorors in the Portland Metro and Vancouver, WA area. We have hosted four regional conferences (1951, 1978, 1997 and 2016), provided nearly $400,000 in scholarships to local area youth, received local and national recognition for our programs and events, and brought our dream to reality by purchasing and renovating our June Key Delta Community Center.
The history of Beta Psi and Portland Alumnae Chapter is long and illustrious. Through inspiration, imagination and innovation, the chapters have moved forward in continuance and the communication of Delta Sigma Theta’s dynamic mission.
Portland Alumnae Charter Members
1. Harriet Glosson Adair
2. Faye Williams Bell
3. Jewel Folkes Bowman
4. Janeen Shawn Bowman
5. JoAnna Young Bradford
6. Pauline Miller Bradford
7. Mary C. Broadus
8. Thelma Unthank Brown
9. Fannie Stills Chatman
10. Aletha Emanuel Chavis
11. Lillian Smith Cunningham
12. Hazel Bell Davis
13. Patricia Pitts Dickerson
14. Natalie Griffiths Ettlin
15. Theresa Allen Flowers
16. Barbara Brooks Friday
17. Marlene Hardy Fuller
18. Hattie Jordan Gaskin
19. Marian Genita Gilmore
20. Laura Brooks Glosson
21. Evelyn Lagarde Hairston-Couser
22. Edith Friday Harriston
23. Addie Jean Thompson Haynes
24. Mocelyn Larremore Hendix
25. Jean Shorty Hartzog
26. Lena Mae Hillsman
27. Andrea Ricks Hollie
28. Lessie Carter Houston
29. Lois Meador Irving
30. Jean Lowe Jackson
31. June Roe Runells Key
32. Delores Fay Harris Laners
33. Ellen Torrance Law Driggins
34. Jacquelyn Brown Means
35. Helen Bailey Medlock
36. Florence Mills Morton
37. Linda Harris Nickerson
38. Mattie Jewel Peterson
39. Freddye Webb Petett
40. Berna Deane Plummer
41. Bernadette Brummell Plummer
42. Christine Washington Poole-Jones
43. Lydia Williams Roy
44. Margaret Smith Russell
45. Lois Lanel Sayles
46. Sherrie Lynn Medlock Simon
47. Jean Chatman Stevenson
48. Lucy Ellen Thomas Edwards
49. Kay Dean Toran
50. Lesley Diane Unthank
51. Lois Jenkins Washington
52. Jean Patterson Washington
53. Sharon McCurley White
54. Gessippina Bonner Williams
55. Myrna Yvonne Williams
56. Edith Washington Wilson
57. Cyviria Myer Woods