Our Founders

 

 

From the beginning of Alpha Chapter, Sarah Ida Shaw and Eleanor Dorcas Pond included their two senior classmates, Isabel Morgan Breed and Florence Isabelle Stewart, as Founders. Therefore, the Fraternity has always recognized the four seniors as Founders of Delta Delta Delta.

Sarah Ida Shaw

The inspirational force behind the founding of Tri Delta

The inspirational force behind the founding of Tri Delta was Sarah Ida Shaw. One of the most outstanding students in her class at Boston University, Sarah's academic excellence was recognized by Phi Beta Kappa. In creating Tri Delta, she employed her knowledge of Greek, geometry and mathematics, as well as Egyptian and Hindu legends and lore. Tri Delta owes to her the beauty of the Rituals and the knowledge that commitment to an ideal greater than ourselves can bring a new dimension to our lives.

Eleanor Dorcas Pond

The influential developer of Ritual

Eleanor Dorcas Pond was valedictorian of her high school class and was awarded a scholarship to Boston University. A person of high intellectual ability, she was also a fun-loving but practical young woman, a perfect complement to Sarah Ida Shaw's visionary personality. It was Eleanor who suggested the name be a triple letter, and she also influenced the development of the Ritual, badge, emblems and Constitution.

Isabel Morgan Breed

Grand Treasurer from 1889-1893

Isabel Morgan Breed came from Lynn, Massachusetts. She had refused sorority bids because deep religious convictions made her question being a part of a selective organization. After learning about the values and aims of Tri Delta, she consented to becoming a member. Her service in Tri Delta was limited to serving as Grand Treasurer from 1889-1893, but her interest was unabated, and in her quiet and orderly life she reflected great credit upon the Fraternity.

Florence Isabelle Stewart

Grand Secretary from 1889-1893

Florence Isabelle Stewart was the youngest child of a village doctor who was in his 70s when she entered Boston University. Because the family had little money, Flora struggled to remain in school. During her first years she commuted from Medway with her high school friend, Nellie Pond. Flora was an excellent student and salutatorian of her high school class. She served as Grand Secretary from 1889-1893, but was inactive in the Fraternity after this time.