Longwood's Mortar Board Chapter can trace its roots to an honorary fraternity then known as the Joan Circle of Alpha Delta Rho. This group of Longwood women formally organized in the mid 1920's and adopted Joan of Arc as its patron saint. She was chosen due to the fact that she was a symbol of a great leader to all women. Years later, the Joan Circle of Alpha Delta Rho decided, along with other ho
norary leadership fraternities in the area, to adopt and join a larger leadership organization known as Alpha Kappa Gamma. In 1966, Longwood's Alpha Kappa Gamma chapter, with the help of staff and faculty, including Dr. Caroyln Wells, the former Chair of the Department of Natural Sciences, decided to once again become a local organization by forming Geist. Geist is a German word that translates roughly to signify spirit, imagination, intelligence, and soul. These were the original ideals that the women in October 1966 felt exemplified the feelings and purposes of its members. The group's intentions were to comply with the affiliation requirements set by the larger national organization, Mortar Board. Geist adopted the duties of what was then known as Circus, and transformed their greatest event into what we all recognize today as Longwood's Oktoberfest. In 1993, Geist joined the national honorary leadership scholarship and service fraternity, Mortar Board, and became the Geist chapter of Mortar Board. As we can see from our past, this organization has gone through many changes, yet a few things have remained constant: the pursuit of leadership, scholarship, and service. In the past, and hopefully in the future, this will always remain...
