Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter

Honoring a Founder

HONORING A FOUNDER

In alignment with our Founders Day celebration each year, the Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter holds a Litany of Remembrance Ceremony to honor Pauline Richardson Oberdorfer Minor, one of 22 Founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Upon graduation from the Philadelphia High School for Girls in 1910, Founder Minor matriculated at Howard University where she served as the treasurer of Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. After earning her Bachelor’s degree from Howard University, Founder Minor taught at the Avery Normal Institute in Charleston, South Carolina, and the Gay School in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Pauline Richardson Oberdorfer Minor died in 1963 at the Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, and was buried in a pauper’s grave at the Historic Eden Cemetery in Delaware County. As a result of extensive research diligently conducted by Dr. Geraldine Myles and members of the Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter, Founder Minor’s final resting place was uncovered 50 years later. On Saturday, March 28, 2015, following her long overdue Omega Omega Ceremony, the Philadelphia Alumnae Chapter, under the leadership of President Maxine C. Harvey along with Committee Co-Chairs Marion Johnson and Dr. Antoinette Nottingham, unveiled a monument to forever honor our cherished Founder! This beautiful headstone not only marks Founder Minor’s gravesite, but also the three adults with whom she was buried. We are making a difference in our community today because she, as one of our twenty-two Founders, shared a courageous vision launched in 1913.

Click here for more information about our phenomenal journey.