Top to bottom: Alice, Ethel, Helen, Ruby, Mary, Alice

Alice Maud Jones Horner

A lady of charm, character and poise. Maud was a perfect blonde with blue eyes, fair skin and brilliant coloring. The Jones family of ten was famous for its congeniality and warm hospitality. For four years after graduation she taught school and then met and married William Ferebee Horner. They had one adopted son, Lewis. Maud loved fun. She had a sense of humor and a quiet strength underlaid with a firm gentleness and kindness that inspired loyalty and made her beloved. Maud was an avid tennis player and was voted "The Girl We All Love" by her classmates. She was the first Grand president. Her brother, Plummer Jones, developed the first constitution, bylaws, and ritual ceremonies. Maud Jones was the first of the Founders to die-August 20, 1920.

Alice Grey Welsh

Alice was a wonderful, loyal Zeta whose devotion carried through the years. Blonde Alice was a real personality with "a vast gift of accomplishment and originality." Alice was known by her classmates as vivacious. She was devoted to riding and she started a riding club in Richmond, Va. She was a charter member of the Deep Run Hunt Club. Alice loved travel and excitement and by choice, not chance she was never wooed in matrimony. Alice Welsh was the 5th founder to die-June 21, 1960.

Della Lewis Hundley

Della Lewis traced her lineage back to Queen Anne of England. She was the only Founder in the state of Pennsylvania. She entered college at the age of fifteen. "A quiet, fragile girl," she was referred to by her classmates as "our orderly Della." She was a delicate and wistful beauty. After college she taught school, and in 1907 she married William M. Hundley, a newspaper editor. They had no children. Della Lewis was the second Founder to die-July 12, 1951.

Mary Campbell Jones Batte

Mary Campbell was never called anything but Cammie. She was the only daughter and her childhood was a merry one with five devoted brothers in attendance. She never knew the meaning of the word lonesome. Why she was not spoiled no one knew, but she wasn't. It was Cammie who was sent the famous strawberries by her admirer. She married S. Basset Batte and lived in Norfolk, Va. She had two sons. Mary Jones was the fourth Founder to die-December 3, 1957.

Helen May Crafford

Helen May Crafford came from a family prominent in the educational world. Poised, charming, and brilliant, she had no close acquaintenance with the domestic arts, nor a hankering for them. An excellent horsewoman and a good shot, she rode to the hounds and chased many a hapless fox over hill and dale. Learning came easily to her, and she had the high attributes of character demanded by the close little group that became Zeta Tau Alpha. In addition to having fun and making good grades, she also excelled in German. Teaching became Helen's life-long profession and love--a very rewarding one for her. "Teaching," she once said, "is more than just a way to earn a living. It is a way of life, and a good way." Helen Crafford was the seventh Founder to die-September 17, 1964.

Ruby Bland Leigh Orgain

Growing up, Ruby evidently was not known as a "natural born cook." She was reared in a home guided by deep religious principles. Ruby was careful with her pennies and emphasized that "idle spending was unknown to my pocketbook." A girl with many friends she was referred to as our "sympathetic Ruby." She married on October 25, 1906, in Washington, DC to Albert Marcellus Orgain, Jr. She had two sons and a daughter. Parke Leigh was the only daughter of a Founder and followed in her mother's footsteps by becoming a ZTA. Mrs. Orgain's home is in Dinwiddie, Va and her heart-warming messages contribute much to our Themis.

Ruby Leigh Orgain is the only secretary the Founders ever chose and she had been their spokesman since Shirley Kreason Strout called them together to organize in 1924. Mrs. Orgain celebrated her 100th birthday on December 4, 1979.

Frances Yancey Smith

Fanny loved to drive and ride, especially on her favorite horse, Dexter. She felt "very modern" wearing the new long divided skirts that were fast coming into fashion. All four Smith children had curls, and while those curls were being made each morning the children were "drilled in catechism and Bible verses." Frances was a person of great executive ability, a lovely Christian character and was one of the most popular girls in school, though she never chose to marry. She died on April 23, 1977.

Alice Bland Coleman
Ethel Coleman Van Name

From the Tide-water section of Virginia came Alice Bland and Ethel Lee Coleman, the inseparable brown-eyed sisters. Their home was another famed for its hospitality, where young people merrily gathered. Ethel was described by her classmates as considerably poised and gracious. Alice was sparkling, generous, and gracious. While both were popular, they had brains in their pretty heads. Alice specialized in music and taught until she retired because of illness in 1907. She never married, but oversaw the writing of The History of Zeta Tau Alpha. It was their father who gave the oysters that inspired the party to announce Zeta Tau Alpha to the community. Ethel taught school and on June 20, 1909 married Arthur LaGrange Van Name. Her only son, Arthur, Jr. became a physician.

Alice Coleman was the third Founder to die-June 11, 1956. Ethel Coleman was the sixth Founder to die-January 24, 1964.

Bruce Houston Davis

She was not considered one of the nine founders, but was of the guiding forces in making Zeta Tau Alpha an International organization. With her great leadership abilities, she also became the second Grand President.

                                                            

Thanks to the FRED chairman at Eta Theta chapter.