Bettie Locke was one of the first four women admitted in 1867 to Asbury College in Greencastle, Indiana. The first coeds were not welcomed by many male students at Asbury or the townspeople. The college provided organizations for frienship, leadership, and academic purposes; however, none included women. The Phi Gamma Deltas asked Bettie to wear their fraternity badge, but Bettie wished to be initiated as a member. They did not think that was possible and Bettie declined.

Bettie's quest for an organization of women with similar values and academic goals lead her to search for an existing women's fraternity. Bettie knew that education should be more than academic achievement. When she realized that none existed, her father, a Beta Theta Pi, encouraged her to form a Greek letter fraternity for women. Alice Allen, a close friend of Bettie's, was the first to know of Bettie's dreams for a women's fraternity. They worked together - studying ritual, and the organization of a fraternity. Two other young women, Hannah Fitch and Bettie Tipton, were selected to be among the founding members.

Bettie Locke	Alice Allen	Hannah Fitch	Bettie Tipton

The first formal meeting of Kappa Alpha Theta took place on January 27, 1870. Bettie Locke initiated herself standing in front of a mirror, and then initiated her three friends. Kappa Alpha Theta was born. Hannah became the president of the Alpha Chapter. The new members adopted a constitution, accepted the name of the fraternity, and designed the badge. Kappa Alpha Theta was kept a secret until it could be properly publicized by the members wearing the new badges. On March 14, 1870, the four members first wore their badges on campus. The first badges were very large: 3/4 of an inch by 1 inch. Kappa Alpha published a songbook in 1877, published a magazine in 1885, and in 1877, Kappa Alpha Theta went international, when Sigma chapter was chartered in Canada.

Today, Kappa Alpha Theta continues to honor the traditions set forth by the fraternity's founding members. Chapters strive to set a fine example of womanhood through participation in various service and social events. Kappa Alpha Theta's national philathropy is CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, an organization that works to provide abused and neglected children with better representation in the courts.