They would need permission to create a fraternity on campus. Tolle Wright recalled, “We were disturbed that some of the potentially excellent students in the Training School were finding themselves disillusioned in the daily routine and classes, perhaps feeling that there were really no rewards for excellence in performance.” Īfter their picnic discussion, the six nursing students took their idea to their teacher and director, Ethel P. The women felt that “there was no real outside life for which a student could word toward achievement or recognition.”
Īt the time of Sigma Theta Tau’s creation, there was very little recognition for excellence in nursing.
SIGMA THETA TAU PROFESSIONAL
After describing to her friends such collegiality and belonging, the idea was born to create an organization dedicated to interpersonal and professional development for those in the nursing profession. Tolle Wright studied at Indiana University Bloomington in 1919 and had been, in her own words, “imbued by the campus spirit,” a feeling she missed when she moved to Indianapolis to attend the IU Training School for Nurses. The initial idea to start Sigma Theta Tau emerged from a desire for a sense of recognition and belonging in the nursing profession. The six lived in three adjoining rooms, so the young women quickly became friends as they lived and studied together. The six women “were just simpatico,” as one founder later described the friendship. Courtesy of the IUPUI University Library Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives Courtesy of the IUPUI University Library Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives (Top to bottom) Dorothy Garrigus, Mary Tolle Wright, Marie Hippensteel Lingeman. It was Tolle Wright who “called the meetings, kept the ‘stars’ together, and pushed them on to make their dream come true.” (Top to Bottom) Elizabeth Russel Belford, Elizabeth McWilliams Miller, Edith Moore Copeland. The leader of the six stars was Mary Tolle Wright from Lebanon, IN. She was a talented pianist and was said to have a “lovely voice.” Įlizabeth Russell Belford, from Jeffersonville, IN and the quiet Marie Hippelsteel Lingeman of North Manchester, IN were both admired for their “great executive abilities.” Įlizabeth McWilliams Miller was the only non-Hoosier of the bunch, hailing from Olney, IL. Moore was loved for her “cheerful attitude” and enthusiasm while Garrigus was known for her “nice disposition,” as well as her love for children.
Įdith Moore Copeland and Dorothy Garrigus Adams came from Brazil, IN. Often referred to as “The Six Stars, ” the founders of Sigma Theta Tau were Elizabeth Russell Belford, Edith Moore Copeland, Marie Hippelsteel Lingeman, Dorothy Garrigus Adams, Elizabeth McWilliams Miller, and Mary Tolle Wright. “The Six Stars:” The Founders of Sigma Theta Tau Throughout the years, IU women helped to build the society into Sigma Theta Tau International (Sigma), a thriving organization that now has over 135,000 active members in more than 90 countries. These six women founded Sigma Theta Tau, a nursing honor society. The women went for a picnic along the “Old Tow Path,” and discussed the possibility of creating an honorary Greek-letter fraternity to do just that. On September 7, 1922, six students from the Indiana University Training School for Nurses in Indianapolis discussed a dream: to create an organization to recognize nursing merit and scholarship.
By: Samantha Riley, Bicentennial Intern, Class of 2020, French and Anthropology, IUPUIĮdited by: Ellie Kaverman and Bre Anne Briskey, Bicentennial Graduate Assistants
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