From collection Member List
Denny was perhaps the most excited of the Founders when the prospect of starting their own Fraternity was proposed. She had been particularly envious of the beautiful bows and ribbons worn by the other girls on campus who were members of Kappa Alpha Theta or Kappa Kappa Gamma women's fraternities.
Musically, Denny was advanced in piano study when she entered the School of Music. Her remarkable execution and ability to compose were the envy of many other students and she had the reputation of being able to accomplish more work in less time than any other student in the school.
Denny was elected Alpha Chi Omega's first recording secretary. It is her hand-written minutes that document the first organizational meeting of the Fraternity on October 15, 1885. She played a historic role in those early years in other ways as well. It was Denny who purchased the first Alpha Chi Omega badge and generously allowed other Founders and members to wear it throughout her college years. It is the only original badge of the Fraternity still in existence. She also served as one of the first delegates of the Fraternity, traveling to Albion, Michigan with Mary L. Jones (Alpha, DePauw University) to establish the Beta chapter at Albion College.
Denny left DePauw in her junior year after the death of her father. She moved to Indianapolis to live with her older half-sister and took a position as a saleslady and assistant bookkeeper for the Pearson Piano Company. It was at Pearson that she met Scobey Cunningham, a salesman for the company. They were married and later had two sons. In Indianapolis, Denny served as one of the charter members of the Beta Beta alumnae chapter.
Ear trouble that began many years earlier eventually led to deafness in her old age. She learned to read lips and continued to travel, shop and visit with her friends, including her dear friend and fellow Founder Olive Burnett (Alpha, DePauw University). It was not until an accident destroyed the vision in one eye that she began to gradually withdraw and rarely left home. Bertha Deniston Cunningham died on October 2, 1950.
Related Items
The First New Members
In the fall of 1885, the seven original founders invite eight friends from the School of Music to join Alpha Chi Omega.
Alpha Chi Omega Founded
Seven female students at the DePauw University School of Music meet with Dean James Hamilton Howe at his invitation to begin the process of forming "a society for musical and social improvement."
Estelle Leonard and Bertha Cunningham at Convention Photograph, c. June 1937
Founders Estelle Leonard (Alpha, DePauw University) and Bertha Deniston Cunningham (Alpha, DePauw University) pose together at the 1937 National Convention in Glacier National Park.
Alpha Chi Omega Goes Public
The members of the new women's fraternity, Alpha Chi Omega, announce their presence by parading across campus to attend chapel at Meharry Hall in East College.
The Badge Adopted
The design for a lyre badge is adopted soon after the founding in the fall of 1885, and Bertha Deniston Cunningham (Alpha, DePauw University) purchases the first badge.
Bertha Deniston Cunningham Badge, 1885
The only original badge known to still be in existence, this badge belonged to Founder Bertha Deniston Cunningham (Alpha, DePauw University) and was created in 1885. The 3/4-inch badge features 28 pearls and seven garnets. Unlike many la...
Bertha Cunningham with Books Photograph, December 9, 1934
Founder Bertha Deniston Cunningham (Alpha, DePauw University) poses in her living room with 16 war books and five Alpha Chi Omega scrapbooks. The Alpha Chi Omega scrapbooks (including all of the pages) can be found on this site.
Bertha Deniston Cunningham, Founder Burial Marker
DATE OF BIRTH: July 28, 1869 DATE OF DEATH: October 2, 1950 CEMETERY South Park Cemetery 405 S. East Street Greensburg, IN 47240 The Cunningham family is located in a mausoleum on the cemetery grounds.
