January 27, Countdown to Riverside City College's 100th Anniversary

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1 January 27, 2014 Countdown to Riverside City College's 100th Anniversary This is the second of two parts on sororities at RCC. Last week Zeta Phi and Delta Chi Delta were pictured. This week: the Gamma Nu and Sigma Phi Kappa sororities. The Gamma Nu sorority was founded in This group sponsored after game dances, sold homecoming corsages and gave a baseball banquet in the spring. Below is a photo from the 1950 Tequesquite yearbook. In the 1951 yearbook photo below, Gamma Nu pledges Mary Jane Flanagan, Jane Johnson and Earnestine Williamson are described as being proud to be given a chance to keep the campus clean. Mary Jane Flanagan Merrick would later return to the college in the areas of Speech, English, Guidance, Student Activities and Assistant to the Dean of Students ( ). The second image below, from the April 1954 issue of the Tiger Times newspaper, shows Gamma Nu pledges going through their initiation. The 1957 yearbook said of the sorority:

2 ACTIVITY-Wherever Gamma Nu s gather, there is always something doing. This year they sponsored, among other things, the Marti Gras Ball and the Pennies for Hungry Drive. Many members viewed as the year s highlight, their pledge dinner dance which was held at the El Mirador in Palm Springs. The two yearbook photos below show Gamma Nu sorority members performing community service duties. The 1955 photo on the left show pledges Shirley Cote, Renee Beatty and Dolly Pendleton visiting the County Hospital. They brought gifts and sang songs to the patients. The 1957 photo on the right pictures Gamma Nu member Pat Swanson visiting and assisting a student at the California School for the Deaf. The 1958 yearbook reported: BUSY BEAVERS-Having social gatherings such as the pledge dinner dance was only one phase of Gamma Nu s activities. They also served the community in many ways, a few of which were visiting the county hospital, repairing toys for crippled children, and collecting toys for Korean orphans. The 1958 photo below shows Gamma Nu pledges being initiated into the sorority by singing in the Quadrangle. The 1961 yearbook described the sorority as: GREGARIOUS GAMMAS-Wherever you went this year, you were likely to find a lively but efficient group of Gamma Nu s with a skillful finger in the pie. They sponsored the baseball team, put on a sensational pledge dinner dance in Hollywood, staged an outstanding after-the-game dance, and graced the beach en masse at Laguna during spring vacation. Below left is a 1959 photo of Gamma Nu Irene Valdez pouring a cool drink for RCC athletes Gary Sinclair and Anthony Scott. That year the sorority was taking care of its adopted basketball team. In the 1962 photo on the right, Gamma Nu s Marge Noller and Sherry Minner entertain two children at the Settlement House in Riverside.

3 From the 1966 yearbook: GAMMA NU was organized in 1950 to unite congenial young women for the purpose of friendship through organized activity. The ultimate goals of Gamma are scholastic achievement and service to the school and the community. The group sponsors RCC s 1966 State Championship Basketball Team and honored them with two banquets. They provided service to the Gheel House of Mental Health, and adopted a platoon of Marines in Viet Nam, as well as ushering at school programs. The Gamma Nu group photo below is from that same 1966 yearbook. The sorority made it into the early 1970s then disbanded. Sigma Phi Kappa was founded in That first year their undertakings were described in the yearbook as: Among the many activities and services of this group were: the baseball dance, the procurement of 20 pints of blood, and entertaining at the hospital. True to their motto, strengthening of character, friendship, and understanding, these women promoted much friendship and service throughout the year. The yearbook photo below documents the first-year membership of the sorority. In the 1960 yearbook, Sigma Phi Kappa activities were described as: SENSATIONAL SIGMAS-During this year the friendly faces of the Sigma Phi Kappa girls brightened the hall of the Community Hospital. They also sponsored the basketball team and elected a basketball king at their annual banquet. The group participated in the Homecoming activities, and held an after-game Halloween Dance. Highlights of the year included the pledge dinner, theater-going and sightseeing in Hollywood, and an excursion to Laguna Beach.

4 In the top yearbook photo below, 1960 Sigma Phi Kappa pledges (Judy Wellington, Sheila Hardesty and Pat Kaiser) fulfill their initiation by cleaning the Quadrangle Sundial. The 1961 photo of the float was Sigma Phi Kappa s contribution to the Football Homecoming Parade. In the (bottom right) 1966 photo, Sigma Phi Kappa Corinne Tardive congratulates Jerry Dueker on the occasion of his being elected Basketball King at the after-game dance sponsored by the sorority. From the 1964 yearbook: BASEBALL BELLES-Sigma Phi Kappa has had a busy year of service. At Homecoming, the group sold mum corsages. Candy canes were likewise sold at Christmas and parties given for the children at Matthews Cottage. Being the campus sponsor for the baseball team, the girls held a dinner for team members at the end of the season. Again this year a scholarship cup was awarded by the sorority to the Greek organization with the highest grade point average. In 1966 the yearbook pictured only four members in the Sigma Phi Kappa sorority and by 1968 the group was no more.

5 Pictured below are three 1959 pledges being initiated into their respective sororities. Top to bottom are Ruth Outlaw (Sigma Phi Kappa), Carole Wasco (Gamma Nu) and Barbara Briggs (Delta Chi Delta). On the right are the sorority pins of Delta Chi Delta (top) and Gamma Nu (bottom). The glory days of the RCC sorority movement spanned some 25 years but the end of the 1960s saw the general demise of Greek organizations on the campus. It is 2 years and 6 weeks until RCC s 100 th Anniversary on March 13, The Riverside City College Instructional Media Center is bringing you this five year countdown to RCC s 100 th Anniversary. Our intention is to give everyone a weekly glance at the many people and events that have been a part of the college. Our thanks go to the RCC Digital Library Archives and the District s Office of Strategic Communications and Relations for allowing us to use their photo and newspaper collections. Thanks as well to all of the RCC students and Faculty Advisors that were a part of the yearbook and newspaper staffs. Thanks also to Tom Johnson and Gilbert Jimenez who wrote the book about RCC s history. Riverside City College A 65 Year History is available in the RCC Digital Library. For copyright purposes, all images originating from Riverside City College publications and the District s Office of Strategic Communications and Relations are the property of the Riverside Community College District.