Amanuensis Monday: Myrtle Vanevery and Delta Sigma Sorority

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

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Below I transcribe a couple newspaper articles from the St. Louis Star and Times mentioning my grandmother, Myrtle Vanevery Deutsch (1900-1951).

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St. Louis Star and Times, June 26, 1933, p. 6.

DELTA SIGMA OFFICERS 

Miss Florence E. Slatery, 5879 Delor street (left), as national president, today opened the annual convention of the Delta Sigma Sorority at the Coronado Hotel. Above (right), is Mrs. David Campbell, 5927 Kingsbury avenue, national treasurer, and below is Miss Myrtle Van Every, chairman of the committee in charge of a bridge luncheon to be given tomorrow afternoon at the Glen Echo Country Club in honor of visiting delegates. The Delta Sigma is a national philanthropic organization. More than 200 delegates and local members are attending the convention, which will continue with business sessions and social entertainment until Thursday evening.

St. Louis Star and Times, Sept 13, 1933, p. 14

Sorority Has Rush Tea

Missouri Alpha Chapter, Delta Sigma Sorority, began its fall rush season Saturday with a tea at the home of Miss Florence Slatery, 5879 Delor street.

In the receiving line were: Miss Esther Linquist, national secretary of the organization, and Miss Myrtle Van Every, president of the local chapter. Chapter officers presided at the tea table, decorated in pink and lavender, sorority colors.

Invitations were issue to the following rushes: Misses Dorothy Burscheid, Naomi Burton, Inez Green, Mildred Johnson, Terrye Kuntzsch, Evelyn Leatherbury, Melba Proctor, Marle Townsend, Lillian Woodruff and Mrs. Richard Hauk.

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Notes:

1. Both of these articles were found in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch archives There are actually four newspapers in the collection: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (1874-2016), St. Louis Star and Times (1910-1950), St. Louis News (1978),  St. Louis Times (1978-1979). When the archives were first released earlier this year, the Star and Times articles weren't searchable.

2) I'd seen references to her activity in the Delta Sigma sorority previously, but this is the first article that mentioned she was President of the local chapter. And this is also the first article that identifies Missouri as the Alpha Chapter.