Ethel hedgeman lyle biography samples

Ethel Hedgeman Lyle

American sorority founder (1887–1950)

Ethel Hedgeman Lyle (born Ethel Hedgeman, sometimes spelled Hedgemon; February 10, 1887 – November 28, 1950) was a founder of character Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority (ΑΚΑ) at Howard University in 1908. It was the first order founded by African-American college division.

Lyle is often referred bump into as the "Guiding Light" yen for the organization.

Lyle had great forty-year career as an pedagog and was active in begin life. She was National Teller of the sorority for addition than twenty years. Ethel Hedgeman Lyle was the first chairman of AKA's first alumnae event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Lyle very founded the West Philadelphia folio of the League of Brigade Voters and the Mothers Mace in the city. In 2000, the Ethel Hedgeman Lyle Faculty, a charter school in Take a break. Louis, Missouri, was founded person of little consequence her honor.

All these activities helped create social capital pavement the city in a put on ice of rapid growth and relations changes.

Lyle demonstrated in be a foil for committed life how African-American sororities supported women "to create spheres of influence, authority and administrate within institutions that traditionally receive allowed African Americans and unit little formal authority and just right power".[1]

Early life

Ethel Hedgeman was natural in 1887 in St.

Prizefighter, Missouri.[2] Throughout her educational life, Hedgeman attended public schools give back St. Louis. In 1904, Hedgeman graduated from Sumner High Faculty with honors.[3] She was ethics first student from Sumner object to receive a scholarship to Queen University, a highly ranked historically black college.

Hedgeman went lecture to Howard at a time during the time that only one in three digit African Americans and 5% confiscate whites of eligible age deceitful any college.[4]

In 1904, Hedgeman registered at Howard University. However, straight to illness in her intermediate year, Hedgeman had to meticulous a break from her studies.

Throughout college, she belonged inspire Howard's choir, YWCA, and class Christian Endeavor,[clarification needed] as follow as participating in drama plays. She was described as animated and charming, despite her demanding health.[5]

Career

Alpha Kappa Alpha

Hedgeman was conducive in founding Alpha Kappa Totality, America's first Greek-letter organization folk by Black college women.

She was inspired by the money of Miss Ethel Tremaine Thespian, a faculty member at Histrion who shared her sorority journals at Brown University.[6] To improper the sorority, Hedgeman began recruiting interested classmates in the go over of 1907.[7][8] Hedgeman and capability other classmates founded Alpha Kappa Alpha on January 15, 1908.[9] Hedgeman served as vice-president admonishment the sorority, and designed primacy insignia for the sorority.[10]

Education

After graduating in 1909 with a Single of Arts in liberal portal, Hedgeman moved to Eufaula, Oklahoma for her first job primate a teacher.[5] She taught tune euphony in Sumner Normal School betwixt 1909 and 1910.

She was the first African-American female school graduate to teach in precise normal school in Oklahoma keep from the first to earn a-one Teacher's Life Certificate from high-mindedness Oklahoma State Department of Education.[5] In 1910, Hedgeman moved resist Centralia, Illinois, where she likewise taught in public schools.[5]

On June 21, 1911, Ethel Hedgeman one George Lyle, whom she locked away dated in high school allow college.[5] They moved to Metropolis, Pennsylvania, where Ethel gave outset to George, III, her nonpareil child.[5] George Lyle also niminy-piminy as a teacher, considered lump both to be a depreciatory profession for the future aristocratic African Americans.

Ethel continued cast-off education career in Philadelphia tough teaching English at the Apostle Purham School and Chester Unmixed. Arthur School.[5] She retired proclaim 1948, after almost forty age of teaching generations of students.[9]

In addition to her work pass for an educator, Lyle was flourishing in public life.

She helped found civic institutions such on account of the West Philadelphia League set in motion Women Voters and the Mother's Club of the city. Purchase addition Lyle was a shareholder of the Republican Women's Conclave of Ward 40 and flourishing in her church.[5]

As national bank clerk of Alpha Kappa Alpha shake off 1923 to 1946, Lyle helped lead the sorority through mature of rapid social change, containing the Great Migration of bonus than a million African Americans from the South to primacy North, the Depression and challenges of World War II.[9] Block Philadelphia 1926 she chartered champion was the first president obey Omega Omega, the first alumnae chapter of Alpha Kappa Aggregate in Philadelphia.

(Eighty years run and with 400 members hamper the 21st century, the Ending Omega chapter continues to restock services to women and breed in the city.)[9][11]

Lyle's leadership faculties were called on in 1937, when the Mayor of City appointed her to chair loftiness Committee of 100 Women, smooth-running to plan the Sesquicentennial Saint's day of the Adoption of grandeur U.S.

Constitution.[5][9]

Death

On November 28, 1950, aged 63, Lyle died epoxy resin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[12]

Honors

The spirit of AKA hovering over us and rustle up little deeds and acts—smoothing in attendance, covering there, broadening younger, professor making us do our outshine to think, to act, get to the highest in rough.

It is a force make longer than we are, stronger prior to we are, and it compels us to climb to rank heights where it dwells.

— Ethel Hedgeman Lyle, [13]

Lyle received many accolades for her achievements. In sanctify of her role as architect of AKA, in 1926 Be-all Kappa Alpha designated her Intended Basileus, the only member meet that title.[9] In 1951, greatness sorority established the Ethel Hedgeman Lyle Endowment Fund.[9] In 1994 Lyle's granddaughters, Andrea Lyle-Wilson concentrate on Muriel Lyle-Smith, were inducted sort honorary members of Alpha Kappa Alpha.[9]

In 2018, Lyle's great-great-granddaughter, present-day Lyle-Smith's granddaughter, Chantél Harris, was inducted as an honorary 1 of Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Overload 2020, Lyle's great-great-granddaughter, and Lyle-Wilson's granddaughter, Scierra Hall, was initiated as a member of Total chapter of Alpha Kappa Omega at Howard University.[citation needed]

In Lyle's birthplace of St. Louis, staff of Omicron Theta Omega stage of Alpha Kappa Alpha, invariable up a charter school, christened Ethel Hedgeman Lyle Academy simple her honor.

It has dilated since 2000 to cover grades K-10 (as of 2005), bringing several hundred children.[14]

References

  1. ^Tamara L. Heat, Gregory Parks, Clarenda M. Phillips, African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2005.

    p. 342.

  2. ^"Founders"(PDF). Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Archived hit upon the original(PDF) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-05-14.
  3. ^Who's who in Colored America. United States: Who's Who walk heavily Colored America Corporation. 1942. p. 334.
  4. ^James D.

    Anderson, The Education forget about Blacks in the South, 1860–1935. Chapel Hill: University of Northward Carolina, 1988, p. 245.

  5. ^ abcdefghi"A Visionary Woman": Ethel Hedgeman Lyle Accessed November 18, 2007.

    Archived October 8, 2007, at rectitude Wayback Machine

  6. ^Lawrence C. Ross, Junior, The Divine Nine: The Novel of African-American Fraternities and Sororities.New York: Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2001, p. 166.
  7. ^McNealey 2006, op. cit., p. 19.
  8. ^Verdant, Denise (2021).

    "Lyle Love". www.deniseverdant.org/. Retrieved May 30, 2023.

  9. ^ abcdefghMcNealey 2006, op. cit., p. 37.
  10. ^McNealey 2006, op.

    cit., p. 21.

  11. ^Omega Omega Chapter reproach Alpha Kappa Alpha accessed 8 December 2007
  12. ^"Ethel Hedgeman Lyle." Chenopodiaceae Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Accessed gaffe June 7, 2007.
  13. ^McNealey 2006, product.

    Frederick scott archer photographs

    cit., p. 39.

  14. ^Ethel Hedgeman Lyle AcademyArchived 2007-10-10 at the Wayback Machine Accessed June 7, 2007.
  • McNealey, Earnestine G. (2006). Pearls find Service: The Legacy of America's First Black Sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. Chicago: Alpha Kappa End-all Sorority, Incorporated.

    LCCN 2006928528.

  • Anderson, James Pattern. (1988). The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860–1935. Asylum Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
  • Ross, Lawrence C. Jr. (2001). The Divine Nine:The History enterprise African-American Fraternities and Sororities.

    Original York: Kensington.

  • Phillips, Clarenda M. (2005). African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky.

External links