On January 4, 1852, Mary DuPont Lines, Mary Myrick Daniel and Marth Hardaway Redding met to lay the groundwork for the Philomathean Society at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. Over the next two months, the three Founders gathered additional members, created a constitution, devised an Initiation Service and adopted secret and open mottos. March 4, 1852 marks the day when the Philomathean Society was introduced to the Wesleyan campus and is the date Phi Mu observes as our Founders’ Day.
Collegiate and alumnae chapters choose to celebrate Founders’ Day in a variety of ways – and there is no right or wrong way to celebrate our founding! Many collegiate and alumnae chapters host annual Founders’ Day events – and these are often a highlight of the year for the chapters and all attendees. There is an open Ritual Service you can utilize if you wish to invite non-members or you can opt to use the closed Ritual Service if only members will be in attendance. If your schedule doesn’t allow your chapter to celebrate on March 4, choose a date that works for you. It’s always a great idea to wear your badge on Founders’ Day to show your Phi Mu pride.
Regardless of how you choose to celebrate, be certain to use proper punctuation! Because we have three Founders, we celebrate Founders’ Day not Founder’s Day!
Dallas Alumnae Chapter Celebrating Founders’ Day