Beta Sigma Phi Celebrates 85 Years

Category: Community News Community News
Published: 01 June 2017 01 June 2017

Beta Sigma Phi 1 RS Mary Lou Smith, right, presented Lorraine Anglin, left, as Founder's Day Dedicatee.Beta Sigma Phi 2 RSMembers of Chapter of the Year, Eta Lambda, from left, are Brenda Arellano, Monica Teran, Yvette Gonzales, Jocelyn Arellano, and Bertha Gavaldon. Not pictured are Valerie Morales, Kelsey Washington, and Kandice Barraza.

Beta Sigma Phi Celebrates 85 Years

On Thursday, April 27, Grant County members of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority gathered together at the Silver City Woman's Club to celebrate Founder's Day. Beta Sigma Phi is an International sorority, founded in 1931 by Walter W. Ross. The purpose of Beta Sigma Phi is to bring women of all walks of life together to establish bonds of friendship and sisterhood through learning, cultural growth and through service to others.

Beta Sigma Phi is made up of numerous chapters. Last year, Grant County had four chapters—Laureate Theta, Preceptor Tau, Xi Beta Phi, and Xi Beta Psi. With the help and guidance of Xi Beta Phi, Grant County gained a new chapter this year—Eta Lambda. The formation of a new chapter is really exciting for our community and for Beta Sigma Phi. About 15 years ago, Grant County had 9 chapters. Throughout the years many chapters lost momentum and eventually dissolved. The formation of a new chapter sparks hope that Beta Sigma Phi may continue to grow again in Grant County in the years to come.

This was an eventful year for Beta Sigma Phi, with much to be celebrated at Founder's Day. This year, Founder's Day was dedicated to Lorraine Anglin. A member of Laureate Theta, Lorraine received the honor of Dedicatee because of her notable fidelity to the ideals of Beta Sigma Phi, and for her involvement in the community and her continued service to others.

A Memorial Ritual took place in honor of Estella Alvarez. Estella was a member of Preceptor Tau. She passed away in April, and will be greatly missed by all.

Raquel De Los Santos, member of Xi Beta Psi, received the Ritual of Order of the Rose. Order of the Rose is an honor received by members who have upheld the ideals of Beta Sigma Phi and have actively participated in sorority for 15 years.

One woman from each chapter was given the honor of Woman of the Year. Cynthia Nanez was named Woman of the Year from Laureate Theta. Preceptor Tau honored Kathy Terry, and Xi Beta Psi honored Carmen Reese. Sally Valenzuela-Quevedo was honored by Xi Beta Phi, and Monica Teran was honored by Eta Lambda.

Pledge of the Year Awards are give to first-year pledge members of sorority who show promise and express an active desire to uphold the ideals of Beta Sigma Phi. Jennie Gavaldon received the honor of Pledge of the Year from Xi Beta Phi. Valerie Morales, Brenda Arellano, Yvette Gonzales, Kandice Barraza, Jocelyn Arellano, Bertha Gavaldon, Monica Teran, and Kelsey Washington, all members of Eta Lambda received the honor of Pledge of the Year. Chapter of the Year Award was also presented to Eta Lambda.

Every year, members of Beta Sigma Phi contribute to the Dorothy and Walter W. Ross Memorial Scholarship Fund. Two scholarships were awarded and presented at Founder's Day as well. Scholarships recipients were Mikayla Pena and Hallie Merrifield.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.