Biographical / Historical
Preferred Citation
Arrangement
Scope and Contents
Conditions Governing Use
Conditions Governing Access
Processing Information
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: Allenian Society Records
creator:
Allenian Society
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.2016.08.30
Physical Description:
4 boxes
(2 linear feet)
Date (inclusive): 1908-2008
Date (bulk): 1939-2007
Abstract: This collection contains the scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, and various correspondence of the members of the San Jose State
College Allenian Society sorority from 1908-2008. Most of the material dates from 1939-2007 and focuses on the Allenian Society’s
local activities prior to their merger into the national Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority group in 1949.
Biographical / Historical
The Allenian Society was a sorority founded at San Jose State Normal School on November 10, 1896. Originally called the Allenian
Rhetorical Society, it was named after Professor Charles H. Allen, a former president of the Normal School at San Jose from
1873-1899. The main purpose of the society was to better the group’s members through exchange of ideas and debating various
issues. In the 1910’s, the society restricted their membership to forty members and reinforced it to be a women-only fraternity.
The group also began shifting towards a more social approach, dropping the “Rhetorical” in their title and encouraging members
to participate in campus activities, reaching out to and making lasting relationships with the school faculty. The Allenian
Society was the oldest of the local women’s social organizations at San Jose State Normal School and was soon followed by
several others including Sappho, Erosophian, and Browning. During the mid- 1940’s, many social organizations on campus began
looking to expand nationally. By 1948, all local sororities except for the Allenian Society had gone national. Fearing that
their local group would not be able to compete with nationals in rushing, the Allenian Society soon began looking for a national
group to join. As the last local sorority at San Jose State College to go national, the Allenian Society became the Delta
Chi Chapter of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity on January 28, 1949. Similar to the Allenian Society legacy, the Kappa Kappa
Gamma Fraternity is one of the oldest of the woman’s Greek letter societies. Their focus was to encourage women in the academic
field and provided a multitude of resources such as undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, graduate counselor scholarships,
and a students’ aid fund. The years following the transition as a local to national chapter had an uphill progression. However,
starting in 1964, public attitude towards fraternities in California shifted when charges were made regarding racial discrimination
in Greek membership. While the Delta Chi chapter was free from charges, it was among the many chapters on campus that were
subsequently closed. The Delta Chi chapter was officialy closed on January 26, 1972. As of 2016, the San Jose State University
chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma remains inactive.
Preferred Citation
Allenian Society Records, MSS-2016-08-30, San Jose State University Library, Special Collections & Archives.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in two series: Series I. Photographs and Printed Matter; and Series II. Scrapbooks. Series I is
arranged by format and then chronologically; and Series II is arranged by size, then chronologically.
Scope and Contents
This collection includes material relating to social events relating to the Allenian Society at San Jose State Normal School
and San Jose State College prior to their merger into the national Kappa Kappa Gamma Greek society in 1949. The records within
this collection range between the years 1908-2008, with the bulk of the material ranging from 1939-2007. The documentation
includes a San Jose Normal School Senior Yearbook from 1914, a copy of their Society’s history, various photographs of Allenian
members, newspaper clippings related to Allenian Society members and events, and event programs. There is also memorabilia
from Allenian events and milestones. The scrapbooks from 1930-1948 include newspaper clippings related to Allenian Society
members and events, whereas the scrapbooks from 1994-2007 include records and photographs from reunion events and correspondence
between members.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright has not been assigned to the San Jose State University Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for
permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions
also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational
purposes.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Processing Information
Collection processed, and finding aid written, by, Rita Wang (2016).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
San Jose State Normal School
Women -- Societies and clubs
San Jose State College -- Students
Greek letter societies -- California -- San Jose
Allenian Society