- South Dakota State University
- Weight Class: 177 lbs.
- South Dakota State University
- Weight Class: 134 lbs.
On February 25, 1924, the South Dakota Chapter of Alpha Zeta at South Dakota State College was chartered with 19 Charter members, as telegraphed by Harry Potter, General Secretary of Alpha Zeta. This effort began with a December 24, 1919 letter of inquiry from S.D.S.C. President Willis E. Johnson. During the application process, the applying group of approximately 25 men was called the Hopkins Club; this process included 3 failed attempts before success finally came under S.D.S.C. President C.W. Pugsley, who was a member of Alpha Zeta, as were many other S.D.S.C. faculty.
The national Fraternity of Alpha Zeta, the oldest fraternal society in agriculture, was founded on November 4, 1897 at Ohio State University and now is a global network of diverse agricultural and natural resources professionals recognizing, developing and promoting leaders with common values and integrity. Alpha Zeta's purpose is to promote agriculture in its broad concept while encouraging and developing its actual and potential leadership, fellowship, service and a spirit of love and fraternity are involved."
In 2016, the South Dakota Chapter of Alpha Zeta is an honorary fraternity for top students in the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences at South Dakota State University. It's involved in many campus activities, including Career Fair, Ag Day, etc. Some of its community activities include mentoring youth, visiting nursing homes, fence-mending and invasive weed eradication at the Girl Scout's Camp Wildwood, fund-raising for community service projects, such as the Harvest Table, the Food Pantry, etc.
- South Dakota State University
- Weight Class: 150 lbs., 158 lbs.,165 lbs.
- South Dakota State University
- Weight Class: 174 lbs., 184 lbs.
Dr. Alfred Durham, a member of Kiwanis, founded the Altrusa Institute in Nashville in 1917. Record numbers of women were going to work during World War I. Dr. Durham saw the need for women's civic organizations. While he would organize the clubs and collect a portion of the dues, Dr. Durham envisioned the Altrusa Institute as a chain of national clubs where business and professional women could meet and exchange ideas.
Dr. Durham's idea caught on. He organized clubs in Nashville, Louisville, and Dayton before he moved on to Indianapolis where he met Mamie L. Bass.
Mamie L. Bass had served as the Superintendent of the Women's Division US Employment Services as well as being a partner in her brother's architecture firm and assisting her brother in organizing a Rotary chapter in Indianapolis. While she admired Dr. Durham's Institute, Bass felt that Altrusa could serve a higher purpose. In June 1918, when Altrusa held its first convention in Indianapolis, Mamie L. Bass's vision became reality. The Altrusa Institute became a classified service organization for women.
Now a classified service organization, the Altrusa Institute renamed itself the National Association of Altrusa Clubs and adopted By-Laws that laid the groundwork for today's Altrusa's. Soon after, Mamie L. Bass created the Principles of Altrusa which defined Altrusa as "a builder of women" and an organization based on merit and accomplishment. The Principles were officially adopted in 1921 along with a major club building effort. By 1922, Altrusa had 20 clubs.
Since the organization required its members to be working professionals, Altrusa decided to make vocational education for women a national policy. Vocational Guidance expanded over the years to include not only scholarships and guidance for young women but older women as well.
Altrusa became international in 1935 when Altrusa organized its first club in Mexico. From that first step over US borders in 1935, Altrusa moved into` Puerto Rico, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, India, Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Ireland, Great Britain, Bermuda, Canada, and New Zealand. In 1946, Altrusa sent its first representative to the United Nations.
In the sixties, Altrusa's began to look to America's youth as the future of Altrusa. In 1966, ASTRA was established. ASTRA service clubs target young women ages 13 to 21 and encourage them in their educations, professions and service to society. Expanding on its commitment to youth, Altrusa adopted literacy as ongoing service in 1977, and in 1997, Altrusa Foundation adopted Camp Safe Haven for children with HIV/AIDS.
The eighties and nineties brought many exciting changes to Altrusa. With the end of Communism, the former Soviet Union saw its first Altrusa clubs. With its increasingly global outlook, Altrusa expanded its projects beyond literacy and education. In 1989, Altrusa adopted a resolution to promote environmental concerns.
Today, despite issues of international concern, Altrusa is, first and foremost, a community based, grassroots organization that seeks to solve the problems in our back yards. Busy Altrusa's raise money for local charities, volunteer at battered women's shelters, help runaway teens, build houses for Habitat for Humanity, and so much more. Inspired by Thoreau, Mamie L. Bass put it best, "it is not enough to be good; Altrusa's must be good for something."
Altrusa clubs are grouped by districts pertaining to their geographic location. District Seven is composed of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
The Amateur Athletic Union is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has more than 700,000 members nationwide, including more than 100,000 volunteers.
In 1931, with 37 members, the Brookings Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) came into being under the presidency of Miss Gertrude Young. However, it was not until 1950, after much effort on the part of the members, that the national group granted current and retroactive membership to all women holding degrees from SDSC.
Throughout the years, activities have been many and varied. One of the first programs was the promotion of a kindergarten. The branch operated and supported a private kindergarten in the basement of the city library from 1932 until 1941 when it was incorporated into the public school system. During World War II, the branch was active in projects to aid the war effort. Members helped distribute gas and sugar rationing cards, did Red Cross work and aided in salvaging materials such as paper and tin cans. Over the years, contributions to the National Fellowship Fund have been made regularly with the branch earning the money through many projects including bridge benefits, style shows, benefit movies, and through the selling of maps, engagement pads, books, calendars, and note cards.
Scholarship and fellowship programs have been of vital concern over the years. A small fellowship to a State College girl in the junior class started the local program. In 1962, the program was replaced with one that awarded a scholarship to a senior in high school and one to an incoming senior at South Dakota State College. In 1964, after the death of Miss Gertrude Young, the names of the local scholarships were changed to the Gertrude Young - AAUW Scholarships to honor the memory of the first president of the Brookings branch.
Over the years, study groups were developed and became more and important. In 1954, three groups - child study, money management, and international relations - joined two established groups - music and crafts. In 1963-64, a new structure was imposed on the study approach. The groups since then have centered in four interests areas - community problems, cultural interests, education and world problems. Many action programs have been the result of these study groups and other special concerns of the members. Some of these have been supporting educational television, promoting books and magazines distributed in foreign countries, and a resolution proposing a room for retarded and emotionally handicapped children in local school systems. Study groups have also concerned themselves with problems in urban space, consumer education, innovations and crises in education and values in society, science and the arts. Interest has also centered on the legislative process, particularly in the areas of education and women's rights.
Founder: Banks, Dennis