How the strawberry became a symbol of Zeta Tau Alpha is a wonderful story. It was an event that helped define Zeta history. One day while Zeta was in its earliest days in 1898, a gift was sent to Mary ‘Cammie’ Campbell Jones by one of her admirers. This gift provided the inspiration for the first purely social gathering. The gift was a basket of strawberries and thus the first social was called a Strawberry Feast. The History of Zeta Tau Alpha recalls, "I don't know, " they wrote, "what there was in the occasion or the delicious berries to bolster up our courage, but then and there we decided, without a dissenting vote, to become recognized, but all the while our name hung wildly in the balance.

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We are so thankful that our founder received the now-famous strawberries back in 1898 and decided to share them with her group of 8 friends! As a result of the event, they decided it was time to become officially recognized as an organization at Longwood University (known as State Female Normal School).

Strawberries represent the friendship shared between 9 young women. So, we will carry this forward into our 50th anniversary, remembering where this started back in 1898, while enjoying how far we have come!