The Palo Alto Alumnae Club was created in 1945 by Frances Rothenburg (Carson), who moved to Palo Alto, CA with her small daughter to start a new life when she learned that her husband had been killed in the line of duty during WWII. There was no Theta alumnae group in this area at the time, so she contact Headquarters and personally called each person on the list of names they had sent her. The women met and formed the Palo Alto Alumnae Club. Frances was elected President for the first two years.



When Jan Mitchell became President in 1969, she decided that the Alumnae Club should take the next big step and become an Alumnae Chapter. The number of DPMs had grown significantly, and members can recall 70 to 90 Thetas gathering at the monthly meetings in Theta homes.



The next big change for the Alumnae Chapter occurred while current DPM Carol McPadden was President, in 1978. During her term, the Alumnae Chapter learned that a small group of women on Stanford University’s campus were actively interested in returning the sorority system to the campus. The Alumnae Chapter helped with the installation process of the Phi Deuteron chapter at Stanford.



Through the years, the Palo Alto Alumnae chapter organized various fundraising events for local philanthropies. The most notable event is the Table Setting Competition. The first “Table Setting Competition” was held at the Firestone home in Atherton, in 1964. Various local celebrities and companies were invited to decorate tables related to the theme, “Say it with Music,” and a contest was held for a $50 prize. By the time the seventh annual “Table Setting Competition” in 1970 was organized by current DPM Sharleen Fiddaman, it had evolved into one of the major benefits hosted on the Peninsula. The event was planned by 25 to 30 DPMs over a period of 14 months and was attended by approximately 600 guests.