National History

Delta Gamma was founded by Anna Boyd Ellington, Eva Webb Dodd and Mary Comfort Leonard in 1873 in Oxford, Mississippi, at the Lewis School for Girls near the University of Mississippi. The early growth for Delta Gamma was confined to women's colleges in the South. Within a few years, Delta Gamma was established in the North and then later expanded to the East. In 1891, Delta Gamma was one of the seven charter members of the National Panhellenic Conference when the first inter-sorority meeting was held in Boston.

 

As the population moved West, so did Delta Gamma. What began as a club in the South soon became an international fraternity in both scope and thinking as Delta Gamma established itself not only in the United States, but also in Canada. Through the years, goals and achievements have grown as Delta Gammas continue to live by the motto set forth by the Founders, "Do Good."

 

Our Three Founders

The trio grew up together in Kosciusko, Mississippi, attended the Lewis School in Oxford and founded Delta Gamma during a lonely Christmas holiday. Anna and Eva were first cousins and Anna and Mary shared the same birthday. Each of the three Founders was a woman of strong character and special talents. Their biographical sketches, taken from the ANCHORA, winter 1955, give a glimpse into history that remains alive today through the legacy of Delta Gamma.

 

As women of Vision, the three Founders hold much in common with modern women. Although Eva married at twenty, Mary married at twenty-four and Anna at twenty-six, Mary and Anna were preludes to the force of working women today: they both taught school prior to their marriages. Mary returned to teaching following the death of her husband. Anna, widowed after eight years of marriage, and Mary, after nine years, were not unlike many single mothers of today, striving to provide a nurturing home for their young children. Eva and Mary were vigorous and active women throughout their lifetimes, proving age is but a state of mind. Eva lived to be 79 and Mary to be 84. All three were actively involved in making their community a better place in which to live.

 

Mission Statement

Delta Gamma offers to women of all ages a rich heritage based on principles of personal integrity, personal responsibility and intellectual honesty. Its primary purpose is to foster high ideals of friendship, promote educational and cultural interests, create a true sense of social responsibility, and develop the finest qualities of character.

 

Facts, Symbols, and Insignia

 

 

Only initiated members wear the official badge of the Fraternity. In 1877 “H” badge changed to an anchor, which is the traditional symbol for hope.

 

 

The Fraternity flower is the cream-colored rose.

 

 

 

The Fraternity colors are bronze, pink and blue.

 

 

The crest of Delta Gamma has special meaning to its members. The colors of the crest are cream for the rose at the apex of the crest; gold for the three, five five-pointed stars on the shield, the rope around the shield and outline of the scroll ribbon; burnt maize for the flanking ornaments of the rose and the Greek letters, Tau Delta Eta; blue for the lower two-thirds of the shield; green for the upper third and center section of the shield and the leaves of the rose; and rose for the Greek letters Delta Gamma which appear on the center section.

 

 

The motto of Delta Gamma is “Do Good.”

 

The mascot of Delta Gamma is the Hannah Doll.

 

 

To learn more about the Gamma Tau chapter of Delta Gamma, please click here.