Tri Psi History

Our Founding

Tri Psi was founded on October 2, 1914 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Our founders were very courageous women, creating Tri Psi during a time that women had very few rights. Imagine, in 1914, women still did not have the right to vote!

Our co-founder Sarah Ida Shaw (the same co-founder of Delta Delta Delta) wrote to Tri Psi in 1914:

“I thoroughly believe in Tri Psi, for a mother is still a girl’s best friend, and no barrier should be raised between them. Tri Psi, I believe, can link the Delta Delta Delta daughter more closely to the Tri Psi mother, as the latter follows the girl’s course through college with a completer understanding.”

Sarah Ida Shaw co-founded both Tri Delta and Tri Psi. She gave both sororities their names, their colors, their flowers, and their rituals for initiation. She designed both of the sorority badges. Everything she did was full of meaning and emotion for both the daughter’s sorority as well as their mothers. 

Symbols and Traditions

Our name: Psi Psi Psi

Our colors: Violet, Green, and Gold

Our badge: Designed for mothers of Tri Deltas, by Sarah Ida Shaw, after the pelvic bone. Sarah wanted a design that would not be confused with other organizations. It is also another example of the special significance she gave to the Tri Psi theme of motherhood.

Our flower: The Violet, the mother of the Pansy.

Our jewel: The Pearl is the Tri Psi jewel, and is represented on the badge with the number of pearls representing the number of Tri Delta daughters.

Did you know…

Ψ Membership in Tri Psi is lifetime. You can be a Tri Psi long after your daughter graduates.

Ψ Tri Psi proudly sponsors a collegiate scholarship fund and a graduate scholarship fund created exclusively for the support of Tri Deltas. 

Ψ Tri Psi is open to all mothers or any woman acting in the capacity of mother to a Tri Delta.

Our Heritage

The first convention was in 1920. Over 50 mothers attended the first convention in Indianapolis. Can you imagine driving to convention in your Model T car? There was no happy hour since that was the year prohibition started. It was the beginning of the roaring 20’s!

In 1929, the mothers of Tri Psi celebrated their 9th convention. 

• They came to convention with the stock market at its peak, 381.17. 
• It was the year the Academy Awards were started. 
• The president was Calvin Coolidge, 7-up was invented and Popeye made his debut. 
• Two weeks after returning home from the Tri Psi convention the stock market crashed and it was the beginning of the Great Depression.

Throughout history Tri Psi mothers continued on with their loyalty to Tri Psi and to Tri Delta. They made it through the depression, World War II, and many other struggles of their time. To all of our sisters from the past 109 years that stuck with it and persevered, through good times and bad, we thank you.