In 1948, the Santa Barbara campus of the University of California was reconized for extension by the National Panhellenic Conference member fraternities. Seven of the eight local fraternities sought affilation with Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Phi, Chi Omega, Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, Pi Beta Phi, and Sigma Kappa. It was Tau Gamma Sigma, one of the four pioneer groups which had been founded in 1924, that approached Alpha Phi. With strong alumnae chapters in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, the collegiate chapter had prospered throughout the years.
When only two years old Tau Gamma Sigma had moved into a rented chapter house and they continued to live there with local custom. For several years they had occupied a spacious three-story dwelling at 2532 State Street. They remained in this house until the 1960's when the chapter built a house at 840 Embarcadero Del Norte, in Isla Vista next to the UCSB campus.
The formal pledge service was held in the Beta Delta chapter house on the campus of UC Los Angeles on June 4th, 1949. Six months of preparation for membership in Alpha Phi followed. Then dawned the momentous day of the founding of the fraternities fiftieth chapter, January 27, 1950. The fraternities president, Margaret Coshun Hutchinson (Psi) presided over the initiation of sixteen collegiates and then of the thirty-one alumnae members of Tau Gamma Sigma.
The charter members of Gamma Beta chapter were Patricia Bowdey, Donna Clark, Marilyn Collins, Nancy Cramer, Peggy Crooks, Jo Ellen Dryden, Carlene Etter, Juanita Gebb, Ann Irvine, Marilyn Moore, Joan Schlegel, Marilyn Seavey, Elaine Strbel, Charlene Walker, Peggy Ward and Pat Young.
The initiation ceremony was held in the living room of the chapter house, which had been made ready by Beta Delta and Beta Pi girls who brought the necessary equipment with them from Los Angeles. For the banquet they adjourned to the Montecito Country Club where ninety-seven Alpha Phis gathered around tables which were aglow with silver and bordeaux in candles, white stock and red carnations, linked together with interwining branches of ivy. Patricia Bowdey, president of Gamma Beta chapter, graciously accepted gifts showered upon the group and expressed the depth of feelings aroused in the girls by the day's experiences.
The next morning the new initiates were interested spectators at a model chapter meeting conducted by the southern collegiates. In the afternoon they stepped into their role as representatives of Alpha Phi on the Santa Barbara campus when several hundred guests attended the reception given in their honor in their chapter house.
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Awards
Within the last few years:
- 01 Sigma Nu Basketball - 2nd Place Sorority
- 01 Lambda Chi Alpha's ISVT - 2nd Place (out of over 70 teams!)
- 01 Delta Gamma Anchor Splash - 2nd Place Sorority
- 01 Pi Beta Phi Bowling for Books - 1st Place Sorority
- 01 Beta Theta Pi Softball - 2nd Place Sorority
- 01 Greek Awards - Best Philanthrophy/Community Service
- 01 Greek Awards - Best Parent Relations
- 01 Greek Awards - Maggie Kellog Greek Woman of the Year - Melissa Rollins
- 00 Delta Gamma Anchor Splash - 2nd Place Sorority
- 00 Sigma Chi Derby Days - 3rd Place
- 00 Lambda Chi Alpha's ISVT - 4th Place
- 00 Greek Awards - Most Improved Chapter
- 00 Pi Beta Phi Bowling Tournament - 1st Place Sorority
- 99 Greek Awards - Most Outstanding Scholarship
- 98 FIJI Soccer Tournament 2nd Place Sorority
- 98 Sigma Nu Basketball 1st Place Sorority
- 97 FIJI Soccer Tournament 2nd & 3rd Place Sorority
- 96 FIJI Soccer Tournament 1st Place Sorority
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Fab Phis
- Greek Involvement
- Danielle McDonnell - Panhellenic Internal Vice President
- Delia Rau - Greek Conduct Board
- On-Campus Involvement
- Lauren Hansen - Peer Advisor, Communications Department
- Liz Skillen - Economics Teaching Assistant
- Rebecca Turek - Assistant County Editor, the UCSB Daily Nexus
- Order Of Omega
- Jen Zeligman - Vice President
- Corina Terrence
- Delia Rau
- Hana Ayoub
- Leslie Hughes
- Paula Moffat
- Sia Laron
- Athletics
- Women's Tennis - Myriah FitzGibbon & Juliet Miyagishima
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Gamma Beta Facts
Interesting facts about us:
- Our chapter was one of the first to be installed at UCSB on January 27, 1950.
- Our chapter, Gamma Beta, is the 50th chapter of Alpha Phi Fraternity.
- Our chaper house, which we still reside in at the corner of Embarcadero Del Norte and Sergovia, was the first sorority house built just for us at Santa Barbara in the 1960's. Prior to this date, the fraternity owned a house on State Street.
- 47 of our 100 members live in the chapter house.
- The stairs in our foyer form an 'A', and we used to have a 'Phi' fountain.
- We have a large library in the house, reserved for studying 24 hours a day.
- Our all house GPA is 3.104, which is above the all women's average. Seven of our sisters achieved 4.0's last quarter!
- Last year, we donated $2,000 from our Philanthropy Phi-Ball to the Alpha Phi Foundation. In addition, at the beginning of this year we doanted another $2,000 to the Alpha Phi September 11th Disaster Relief Fund.
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Past Presidents
- 2002 - Alicia Feis
- 2001 Delia Rau
- 2000 Natalie Paulson
- 1999 Nicole Myers
- 1998 Kate Lonker
- 1997 Gina Tenace
- 1996 Kristyn Fowkos
- 1995 Allison Gordon
- 1994 DeAnna Weslar
- 1993 Shellie Clark
- 1992 Jane Brennan
- 1991 Andrea Brown
- 1990 Jeni Weaver
- 1989 Jamie McCreary
- 1988 Kristin Hall
- 1987 Tiffany Riise
- 1986 Carla Burke
- 1985 Donna Mulfinger
- 1984 Lisa McCarthy
- 1983 Kimberly Chesher
- 1982 Maureen Smith
- 1981 Sheryl Cowan
- 1980 Andrea ?
- 1979 Barbi Beharry
- 1978 Jodi Rice
- 1977 - Lorie Juergens
- 1976 Mary Drab
- 1975 Susan Buckley
- 1974 Carol Eldridge
- 1973 Julie Johnson
- 1972 Suzette Hall
- 1971 Cathy Obrien
- 1970 Terry Brownell
- 1969 Corrine Stevens
- 1968 Suzanne Hiler
- 1967 Kathryn Gee
- 1966 Pearl Ohanian
- 1966 - Linda McCandless
- 1965 Linda Drawbolt
- 1965 - Kathlyn Cable
- 1964 Gretchen Stoskoph
- 1964 - Barbara Horn
- 1963 Jeanne Davidson
- 1962 Meg Branco
- 1961 Sue Ramsdell
- 1960 Carol McTuorn
- 1959 Joann Hilleford
- 1958 Faith Jackson
- 1957 Joan Lubke
- 1956 Beverly Panis
- 1956 - Nancy Strobridge
- 1955 Jean Johnson
- 1954 Jan Cameron
- 1954 - Jane Bawden
- 1953 Dorothy Dinsmore
- 1952 Quanita Gebb
- 1952 - Shirley Andrews
- 1951 Marillyn Moore
- 1951 - Wanda ?
- 1950 Patricia Bawdey
- 1950 - Peggy Ward
