Sigma Gamma Rho Centennial Collection
Scope and Contents
The Sigma Gamma Rho Collection contains materials documenting nearly a century of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.’s history, predominately from 1946 through 2014 but including some historical information dating back to the Sorority’s founding in 1922. These materials were collected by the Sorority from the Sorority’s Grand Basilei (Sorority’s Presidents) for the purpose of documenting the history of Sigma Gamma Rho in preparation for the 100th anniversary. The collection contains many materials from the Sorority’s Biennial Boule (international meeting)—especially board and meeting minutes—along with many materials documenting the Sorority’s activities, programs, and people such as correspondence, documents, ephemera, publications, artifacts, clothing, and photographs. The major recurring names in the collection include (alphabetically): Dr. Mynora J. Bryant, Corine J. Green, Evelyn Hood, Dr. Annie Lawrence-Brown, Joann Loveless, Dr. LaRona J. Morris, Helen J. Owens, Dr. Katie K. White, and Dr. Lorraine A. Williams.
Also included in the collection are two Time Capsules: the 75th Anniversary Time Capsule, and the 100th Anniversary Time Capsule. The 7th Anniversary Time Capsule was openened in 2022, while the 100th Anniversary Time Capsule remains closed until the 125th Anniversary in 2047.
Dates
- Creation: 1922 - 2022
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1946 - 2014
Extent
From the Collection: 27.38 Linear Feet (26 document cases, 5 cartons, 1 shoebox, 8 oversize boxes, and 2 flat file drawers)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Arrangement
This series is organized into 7 sub-series: 1) Annual/Biennial Boule (Sorority Meeting; 2) Correspondence and Documents; 3) Ephemera; 4) Publications; 5) Audiovisual Media; 6) Photographs; and 7) Artifacts and Objects.
Sub-Series 1: (Meeting) Annual/Biennial Boule (Sorority Meeting) has five subseries based upon the content of the materials: Board Minutes, Meeting Minutes, Programs, Souvenir Pamphlets, and Correspondence, Documents and Ephemera (COR/DOC/EPH). All subseries are arranged chronologically.
Sub-Series 2: (COR/DOC) Correspondence and Documents contains both personal and administrative papers of past Sorority Grand Basilei (Presidents). These materials are arranged alphabetically by the materials’ donor—or who is presumed to be the donor or otherwise creator. Multiple materials for a single individual are arranged chronologically.
Sub-Series 3: (EPH) Ephemera has two subseries: People and Topic. People is arranged alphabetically by the name of the individual referred to by the materials’ content. General materials that could be used for the research of an individual (e.g. newspaper articles and clippings, informational pamphlets about the individual) are included in a general research file under the individual’s name. Topic is arranged alphabetically by the title or subject referred to by the materials’ content (e.g. program, sorority chapter name, general ephemera formats). Scrapbooks are included in this series (Ephemera) and are categorized under both subseries; scrapbooks created by (presumably) or about an individual are in the subseries People under the individual’s name, and scrapbooks about a specific topic or Sorority chapter (e.g. Alpha Gamma Chapter) are in the subseries Topic and alphabetized based upon the topic title or chapter name.
Sub-Series 4: (PUB) Publications has two subseries: The Aurora and Other. The Aurora contains issues from the official Sorority publication under the same name. Issues are arranged chronologically based upon their publication. Also contains miscellaneous publications—including official publications from international leadership, official publications from local and regional chapters, and informal publications (e.g. large reports, proposals, manuals, histories) from all levels—arranged chronologically by their publication year. Before the chronological listing in Other, there are four general categories for general informational publications regarding the Sorority: Constitutions and By-Laws, Handbooks, National Programs, and Newsletters.
Sub-Series 5: (AUD/VIS) Audio/Visual is arranged by media type, equating to two subseries: tape cassette (primarily VHS) and digital optical discs (primarily CD and DVD).
Sub-Series 6: (PHO) Photographs has four subseries: From Text Files (TXT), People, Topics, and Years. From Text Files (TXT) contains photographs that have been pulled—due to storage and preservation purposes—from series 1-series 4, which all contain text or paper files. These materials are arranged in the order in which they previously appeared in the collection. People contains photographs of individuals and is arranged alphabetically. Topics contains photographs of events or things and is arranged alphabetically. Unidentified and undated photographs are included in this subseries. Years contains photographs from specific years and are arranged chronologically.
Sub-Series 7: (ART) Artifacts has two subseries based upon general material type: Clothing and Objects. Clothing contains Sigma Gamma Rho-themed attire and is arranged based upon the storage needs of the materials. Objects contains all other artifacts and is also arranged based upon the storage needs of the materials.
Processing Information
Processing Information Note: Merged with MSS 085, MSS 098, and MSS 099 during ArchivesSpace migration by Annie Benefiel in 2026.
In preparation for the centennial anniversary of the founding of Sigma Gamma Rho, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. put out a call for materials to its past Grand Basilei (Presidents) for materials in their possession that documented the Sorority’s history. The Sorority collected materials sometime around 2016. The past Grand Basilei—or their families—believed to have donated materials include: Dr. Lorraine A. Williams (1959-1962, 1967-1971), Dr. Annie Lawrence-Brown (1971-1976), Evelyn Hood (1976-1980), Dr. Katie K. White (1988-1992), Corine J. Greene (1992-1996), Dr. LaRona J. Morris (1996-2000), Helen J. Owens (2000-2004), Joann Loveless (2008-2012), and Bonita M. Herring (2012-2016).
The provenance of materials was not documented during the collecting process, and donor and donation information was not tracked. Special Collections received the materials in February 2020, and the processing of the collection began in May 2020. During processing, material provenance was primarily overlooked due to lack of documentation, and materials were arranged based upon material type and content. For the few materials that did have provenance (e.g. names on correspondence and documents, a name written on a box or inside the cover of scrapbook cover, etc.), the provenance was assumed, and this information was included in the metadata rather than creating a separate series or subseries for an individual.
Repository Details
Part of the Butler University Special Collections and University Archives Repository
4600 Sunset Avenue
Irwin Library 345
Indianapolis Indiana 46208 United States
specialcollections@butler.edu