Association History

You have to know where you’ve been to know where you are going. Kappa holds a special place in its heart for Fraternity history, but every association of our organization has unique beginnings of its own. Each plays a part in shaping us today and continuing the Kappa tradition beyond college.

A History of the Waco KKG Alunmae Chapter - by Tommye Lou Davis

Our Waco KKG Alumnae Chapter began on September 26, 1935, as the Athenean Alumnae Chapter.  The Waco Alumnae group of the Athenean Club had been an active, vital alumnae group for many years.  Once the Athenean Club went national in 1977 affiliating with Kappa Kappa Gamma fraternity, the Athenean Alumnae group affiliated with the national association and became the Waco Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma.  

In 1973 the alumnae group of the Athenean Club had leased a room from Baylor University in Alexander Hall to be used exclusively for the Baylor chapter.  The lease price was $15,000.  A note was secured and subsequently paid off one year later, due to the extraordinary fundraising efforts of the alumnae group.  At the time of the lease agreement with the university, Tommye Lou Whittenburg Davis was president of the alumnae group.  There were many alumnae such as Billie Ruth Walker, Lynn Klatt, Kitty Snelling Stokes and Peggy McGregor who were actively involved in the fundraising that allowed for the lease agreement.  Once the chapter affiliated with Kappa, the room was named the Cornelia Smith Room of Kappa Kappa Gamma.  Dr.  Cornelia Smith was an early faculty sponsor of the Athenean Club and was the chair of the biology department.  She was a remarkable “renaissance woman”---highly respected in the academic world--- who remained close to the Baylor chapter until her death at age 101.   

In the year 2000, Baylor University agreed after many years of negotiations to allow the panhellenic women of Baylor to raise money in order to build a building, which would house all of the panhellenic groups on campus.  Kappa alumnae were heavily involved in this fundraising effort.  The building is named the Stacy Riddle Forum in honor of Kappa, Stacy Riddle, who gave the defining gift of $1.5 million, making the building effort a reality.  Thousands of Baylor women contributed to the effort while many from the Waco Alumnae Association were an integral part of the fundraising effort.  This panhellenic building gives each sorority a 4,000 square foot suite.

The Waco Alumnae Association has supported the Baylor chapter over the years in many ways.  The active House Board, Advisory Board and Alumnae Association are all vital parts of the Epsilon Upsilon chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma.  The women of the alumnae association are community leaders and a crucial part of civic endeavors in Waco, central Texas, and Baylor University.