About Elizabeth Wilson

Sorority life for Ms. Elizabeth Wilson started on a St. Louis streetcar on a crisp afternoon in the fall of her freshman year. She had just recently communicated with her father that she felt overwhelmed and lonely in the all-female collegiate environment where she now found herself. That afternoon on her trip downtown she was met by a bubbly, talkative woman by the name of Mary Edna Barrett. Mary Edna was a member of Alpha Sigma Tau, and she spoke enthusiastically of the Sorority the entire 20-minute streetcar ride downtown. As they parted ways, Mary Edna invited Elizabeth to recruitment, and on June 15, 1934, she became a member of the Pi Chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau at Harris State Teachers College. Elizabeth studied education and dedicated her life to educating others, whether as a remedial reading teacher in the classroom or as a volunteer in Alpha Sigma Tau.

Elizabeth was quite involved in the Sorority in her collegiate days, but her influence far supersedes the years she spent in college. Past National President Carrie Washburne Staehle was a frequent visitor of the Pi Chapter and took a liking to young Elizabeth. Mrs. Staehle mentored Elizabeth’s involvement beyond graduation which led her to be a very active alumna volunteering and ultimately directing almost every area of the Sorority. She was also able to cultivate the deepest, most meaningful friendships of her life with the women in the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter.

In 1964, Elizabeth Wilson was installed as the sixth National President of Alpha Sigma Tau. At that time, the National President was also the director of the Central Office, what we know today as National Headquarters, and it was frequently run from the home of the President. During her tenure, Elizabeth was able to procure a small office space above a family friend’s small business which became the first official Central Office, or National Headquarters, of the Sorority.

Elizabeth served as National President for eight years and directed the Central Office well beyond her tenure as President. She was kind, highly intelligent, and extremely humble. She believed in social and ethical responsibility and that fraternities and sororities were about “the social, intellectual, and moral development of their members.” Elizabeth Wilson gave her life to Alpha Sigma Tau and knew everything about every area of the organization during her time in leadership. Any time a question was unresolved, the common response was, “Ask Elizabeth!”