03/24/2026
Educator & Trail Blazer
Dr. Martha Foote Crow (May 28, 1854 – January 1, 1924) was an American educator and writer who played an important role in the development of higher education for women.
Martha entered the newly founded Syracuse University in 1872. Regretting the lack of a fraternity for women, she cofounded Alpha Phi fraternity, the first women’s fraternity in the northeast. From the beginning of Alpha Phi, she dreamed of establishing an international fraternity. Her dream eventually became reality: today, the Alpha Phi International Fraternity is an international sorority with 175 active chapters.
Graduating with honors in 1876, she pursued academic work across the U.S. while continuing her own education and eventually earning her Ph. D. in English literature in 1886.
After tragically losing both her husband and daughter in 1890, Crow dedicated herself to research, traveling internationally to survey women’s education. She published essays, poems, and books, including a biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe written for girls and “The American Country Girl”, a sociological exploration of the lives of young women in rural America.
Throughout her life, she stayed connected with Alpha Phi. She hosted receptions and attended events and conventions whenever possible. In 1922, she famously donated her engagement ring to launch the Martha Foote Crow Foundation for Alpha Phi.
Martha passed away on New Year’s Day 1924 and is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse.
