Pink and blue : The Unknown Story

Part 1

By Ben Graham’52

This article was the result of a suggestion of brother Paul Nobis’55 to Brother Ben Graham’52 while at the chapter house at the march 1999 Fraternal’50s ceremonies. The article was researched and abridged by Ben Graham’52 from the history of Theta chapter of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity by Samuel Raymond Thomburg’15.

Walter E. Dennison of the Theta chapter , proposed and successfully won the adoption of the present colors of the fraternity- pink and blue- at the national convention of 1879. The use of these colors had begun six years earlier, in 1873, at the Theta chapter as excerpted below from a letter written by W.V. Cox, Theta chapter class of 1874.

In reply to your enquiry about the adoption of the beta colors , pink and blue , the present fraternity colors of Beta Theta Pi were first worn in Delaware, Ohio, in 1873 when as now. Theta chapter class of 1874.

In early would not do for a Greek who had three or four attractive young ladies, to settle down to one girl. For in numbers their safety. This embarrassing situation was discussed in old Beta Hall on Sandusky street. The president of the chapter thought that “color wearing” would be effectively worn by all. To wrong interpretations and disagreeable social misunderstanding by badge wearing would be obviated.

The selection of distinctive colors then came up. One of the members , now a Methodist Bishop, who had at that he was more fond of one of his flock when she wore pink, and of the other when she wore blue.

In deference to the feeling of the prospective wearer of the cloth , one of the brother exclaimed, “We want both, “ “Let it be pink and blue ,” and those colors were selected. Soon the dedicated shades of pink and blue in either dresses, rosettes, ribbons , bows , or badge were worn by the best looking girls and boys in Delaware . These distinctive colors , seldom worn before in our little college town , henceforth became “the fad”.

At the Beta convention held in Cincinnati late 1873, these colors , pink and blue, were suggested by members of Theta chapter for adoption by the fraternity. But members of sedate years and less romance than those of Theta , and with an utter abhorrence of “the French colors” said “No!” the noes had it without a vote and in 1873 the colors scheme was ruthlessly rejected. Six years later, however , another effort by Theta chapter was successful, and the colors were adopted.