Delta Gamma - History

History

Delta Gamma was founded in December 1873, in Oxford, Mississippi, at the Lewis School for Girls near the University of Mississippi. The group was founded by Mary Comfort Leonard, Eva Webb Dodd, and Anna Boyd Ellington.

The badge of Delta Gamma is a golden anchor and may be worn only by initiated members.

Before the adoption of the golden anchor, the symbol of Delta Gamma was simply an "H" for the word "hope." In 1877, the original "Hope" badge was changed to the traditional symbol of hope, the anchor. Today's badge has a small rope wrapping around the top of the anchor, with the Greek letters Tau Delta Eta (ΤΔΗ) on the crosspiece. Delta Gamma's motto is "Do Good," and its flower is the cream rose. The Hannah Doll is their mascot.

The early growth for Delta Gamma was confined to women’s colleges in the southern United States. Within a few years, Delta Gamma had established itself in the northern United States and later to the East with the help of George Banta, a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and Delta Gamma's only male initiate. Because of the assistance provided by Banta, Delta Gamma retains close historical ties with Phi Delta Theta. Delta Gamma was one of seven charter members of the National Panhellenic Conference when the first inter-sorority meeting was held in Boston, Massachusetts in 1891. Delta Gamma and the six other charter members formally joined the National Panhellenic Conference in 1902. Today, the National Panhellenic Conference is the governing body of sororities in America with 26 members.

Today Delta Gamma has 146 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada, as well as 230 alumnae groups in the United States, Canada and England. The oldest existing chapter of Delta Gamma, Eta, is located at the University of Akron in Akron Ohio and was founded in 1879.