Alpha Sigma Phi was originally a class society for sophomores when it was founded at Yale in 1845. (In those days it was not unusual for Yale students to belong to four different fraternities during their four years of study.

Louis Manigault, principal founder of the fraternity, was descended from the Huguenots who settled in South Carolina in the 1600s.

The fraternity's publication, The Tomahawk is one of the oldest fraternity publications. It first appeared in 1847, was shut down in 1852 by the Yale faculty. It has been in continuous publication since its second founding in 1907.

Between 1864 and 1875, Alpha Sigma Phi existed under a different set of Greek letters, Delta Beta Xi, when the original Alpha Sigma Phi was suppressed by the Yale faculty. Only one chapter (Delta at Marietta College, Ohio, founded in 1860) kept the name and traditions of the original fraternity; between 1875 and 1907, it was the sole surviving chapter of the fraternity after Delta Beta Xi was shut down by Yale faculty. (Today, the Delta Beta Xi key is the highest honor bestowed upon a fraternity alumnus.)

In 1907, members of the Yale Masonic Club revived Alpha Sigma Phi at Yale, and the members of Delta chapter initiated them.

Alpha Kappa Pi fraternity, which consolidated with Alpha Sigma Phi in 1946, had a faculty advisor (Rev. Albert H. Wilson) who was a Regent of Sigma Nu fraternity.

Famous Alpha Sig alumni:

Vincent Price (Alpha (Yale) 1930) - distinguished stage and screen actor.
John Kasich (Zeta (Ohio State) 1973) - former Congressman from Ohio and now commentator for Fox News.
Tom Watson (Tau (Stanford) 1970) - golf professional and player on the Senior PGA Tour).
Ted Cassidy (Beta Nu (W. Virginia Wesleyan) 1939) - Lurch on The Addams Family.
Stephen Schnetzer (Gamma (U Mass) 1967) - Cass Winthrop on Another World.
Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr (Alpha (Yale) 1913) - Distinguished theologian.
Dr. C. Everett Koop, MD (Alpha Eta (Dartmouth) 1938) - former Surgeon General of the United States.
Willard Scott (Beta Chi (American University) 1946) - former NBC Today show weatherman; also was the first Ronald McDonald when the character was introduced in the 1960s by McDonalds.
Frank Wolf (Upsilon (Penn State) 1960) - U.S. Congressman from the 10th District of Virginia.
John Ogden Merrill (Kappa (Wisconsin) 1914), founder of the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.
Andrew Dickson White (Alpha (Yale) 1850) - first president of Cornell University (He was also a member of Psi Upsilon.)
Warren Buffett (Omicron (U Penn) 1948) - investor and principal stockholder of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.
Hubert H. (Skip) Humphrey III (Beta Chi (American) 1962) - Former attorney general of the state of Minnesota, son of the late U.S. Senator and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Lost out to Jesse Ventura for the governorship of Minnesota in 1998.
Billy 'White Shoes' Johnson (Gamma Xi (Widener University) 1971) - Former college and professional football player.

Famous Alpha Alpha (Oklahoma) chapter alumni:

Ross Swimmer (#544, 1962) - Former principal chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Major General Alvin L. Gorby (#9, 1923) - Former Surgeon General of the U.S. Army.
Joe A. Smalley (#185, 1930) - Former Speaker of the Oklahoma Assembly and state senator. The U.S. Army Reserve Center in Norman is named after him.

The coolest thing about Chi Omega is that we have ONE male member. One of our founders was a very nice dentist, Dr. Charles Richardson.

Dental Gold baby!
-M

Re: I too had heard...
 

Re: I too had heard...
 

On the fraternity side of the coin, Chi Psi claims His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco as a member. He's a member of Chi Psi's Amherst chapter.

Actually, the term "sorority" was coined specifically for Gamma Phi Beta. Before Gamma Phi Beta's founding, the term did not exist. :)

XOXO,
Annie.

just a few Phi Beta facts:
 

Phi Beta also has a secret whistle! I just learned it last year, as it's not really used anymore. But our national president is from a super-traditional chapter & she taught us. :D

We are the only national fraternity that unites all art forms, inlcuding histories and therapies (music, drama, dance, visual art, etc.)

Patricia Neal is also one of our alums along with Chi Omega-which I just learned in is this thread!

Elizabeth Taylor is probably one of our more famous alums.
(You can read about others at phibeta.com. They are mostly artists and musicians that not everyone would immediatly recongize).

The first PFA president was Mary Elin Frohmader, a Phi Beta.

Phi Beta is run entirely by volunteers. Our National Council is like the national exec board and they reside all over the country. They meet in person once a year.

I'm sorry lilsnakeyk, but we only have 2 national philanthropies. They are Maine Sea Coast Mission and Gerentology. Alzhiemers is a concentration in gerentology for us (although for personal reasons I would really like to see us actually adopt it). The other one was tried for a breif period in the late eighties/early nineties, but not an actual national philanthropy.

Sigma Kappa is the number one contributor to Alzhiemer's research.

We are the first organization to have a structured new membership program and a new membership book (Promise) published.

The actress who played Topanga on Boy Meets World is a Sigma Kappa.

One heart one way ot all of my Sigma Kappa sisters!!!!!

hey kt,

i believe it's spelled "Peyton" Manning :)

Oh, and i think James Dean was just a pledge, i don't believe he was ever initiated. I was flipping through channels one night, and saw our crest on A&E and they were talkin bout it. :D

Kitso
KS 361 times i'll take Pat Riley and Bear Bryant over any coaches you got :D

Actually, AggieSigmaNu361 and ktsnake, Peyton Manning was the QB for Tennessee. Eli Manning is the QB for Ole Miss.

The founders of KKG wore their keys in their hair sometimes.

Straight off National's webpage, it's 4:
Gerontology

In 1954 Sigma Kappa became the first national sorority to
recognize the need for continued, comprehensive work on
the study of aging and the needs of elderly populations.
Collegiate and alumnae members throughout the country
volunteer their time and talent in support of numerous
projects to assist and benefit the elderly.

Alzheimer's Disease

In 1984 Sigma Kappa responded to an increasingly critical
problem facing older Americans by adding Alzheimer's
Disease research and education to its philanthropic
activities. Research grants are made each year to
universities and other institutions actively engaged in the
fight against Alzheimer's Disease.

Inherit the Earth

This program ties Sigma Kappa's interest in older citizens
with its interest in the environment. Through Inherit the
Earth, collegians, alumnae and older citizens work together
to improve local environments.

The Maine Sea Coast Missionary Society

Since 1918 Sigma Kappa has paid homage to its Maine roots
by supporting the activities of the Maine Sea Coast
Missionary Society. The Maine Sea Coast Missionary
Society delivers critical services to people in need while
striving to redress the root causes of those needs. With the
help of the 75-foot mission vessel, Sunbeam V, direct
programs and services include church and pastoral work,
assistance to those in sickness and poverty, financial aid,
food banks, recycled clothing shops, crisis intervention,
youth programs, and ministries in the field. The Mission
serves the islands from mid-coast to Downeast Maine, as
well as mainland Hancock and Washington counties.

-
And the girl on "Boy Meets World" is Ashley Welkos (stage name= Maitland Ward). She's a Gamma Theta, which happens to be lilsnakeyk's chapter! She's the tall redhead that lived with the two older brothers in the later seasons, not Topanga. :) I watch the show on Disney all the time. :o

I thought this was pretty interesting...KD is the only sorority with a national holiday, National Women's Friendship Day. The third sunday of every september.

Some fun AGD facts that haven't been mentioned
 

* My fav Alpha Delta Pi fact is that we were the first secret society ever formed for women in the world in 1851.

* Alpha Delta Pi's original Greek-letter name was Alpha Delta Phi but it was later changed to Alpha Delta Pi to avoid confusion with the existing men's fraternity.

* New Members in Alpha Delta Pi are called "Alphas", collegiate members are called "Deltas" and alums are called "Pis" so we are always a part of Alpha Delta Pi!!!
:)

Leslie, dear sister, you know I love you, but the yellow font is hard to read, lol!;) :D

BTW, someone mentioned that their top leadership positions are volunteers..the Alpha Gamma Delta Volunteer Service Team (wooohoo!!)) includes our IHQ officers, advisors, leadership consultants, area coordinators, The exception (I believe) of the Executive Director who is paid.

In 1904, 11 women created an organization that would provide educational, philanthropic and leadership opportunities for women - Alpha Gamma Delta Fraternity. The Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation was created in 1962 to ensure that the Fraternity's mission would live on into Alpha Gamma Delta's second century, allowing women of all ages to make positive differences on their campus and in their communities - leaving a legacy for generations of women to follow.

The MISSION of the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation, Inc. is two-fold:

To generate financial resources to fund the educational, philanthropic and leadership purposes of Alpha Gamma Delta Fraternity

To support those purposes, for both members and non-members , through financial grants for scholarships; leadership training; diabetes research, education and equipment; emergency financial assistance; wellness issues; and programs that enhance high personal standards of ethics and values.

The head of the Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation is a wonderful man named Gale!

I don't know if this is the most interesting but it's definitely cool. ZTA was the first women's fraternity chartered by the state of Virginia and the first ever to be chartered by a special act of the legislature. I had read it somewhere before but found it again in Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities - 20th edition.

Re: More Alpha Gamma Delta Facts....
 

Actually, because Canada's a little stricter when it comes to heraldry. If I remember correctly (and I'd hafta check it with a picture of the AGD coat of arms) the helmet design of the coat of arms closely resembles that of the one on the Queen's coat of arms. (Queen Elizabeth II is not just the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but also of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.)

ktsnake...you can add Frank Solich Football coach at Nebraska to your list




I've heard that Beta Theta Pi has more "firsts" than any other fraternity, which doesn't surprise me, since we are one of the oldest, and all those that are older than we are don't have quite the breadth of domain...

In SAI we say e-ota and not eye-ota because it is more musical

some of our famous sisters are:
Cheryl Crow
Shelly Breen (from the Christian group Point of Grace)
Natalie Wood
Dr. Loretta Long- Better known as Susan, from Sesame Street
Sarah McLaughlin
Heather Payne (also of Point of Grace)

we have a lot of other famous sisters but they're all composers and opera divas ;-)

[QUOTE]
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by SoCalGirl

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Prof that suggested GPhiB use sorority, the same guy that told Alpha Phi to pronounce Phi like fee?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Professor Coddington had connections to Alpha Phi, Gamma Phi Beta, and Alpha Gamma Delta, now known as the Syracuse Triad.


__________________

QUOTE]

Yes, but it was Dr. Frank E. Smalley who coined the word sorority...

Sorry if that was already in the thread, there is a lot to read.

the first man to die in the civil war was one of our founding fathers, noble leslie devotie...as the story goes he war drunk and walked off a pier and drowned. im not sure how true this is