Tri Delta badges stolen
 

Approximately 5000 Tri Delta member badges worth $1.5 million were stolen from their IHQ in Arlington, TX on Thursday :mad: From the news report, sounds like these were new, unmarked badges.

Tri Delta Badges Stolen

*speechless*

Keep a watch on eBay......

This is awful. I'm thankful that the historical badges were not stolen. I've been to Tri Delta EO twice for NPC meetings and the display of historical memorabilia at that time (several years ago) was simply amazing.

They won't show up on ebay. They'll be melt.

That's awful!!! I hope they are able to find out who did this.

At least if they didn't steal the historic badges we know it was not a collector . . .
all kidding aside, this is awful. How in the world would bad guys (or gals) know 1. that the badges were at HQ and 2. where they were kept?

When we ordered my daughter's badge, I was surprised that her group keeps a stockpile of badges on hand at HQ, so you can get them really quickly. Our members have to order through IH, which then places the individual orders through H-J. As it was explained to me, the name engraving is the issue. We include that automatically, but in her case, her HQ sent the badge back to H-J for engraving, who sent it to her. Since her group includes a gold-filled badge with NM dues, I don't think special badge ordering is high volume. Tri Delta's insurance company will probably make them change their practices...hoping those badges were insured!

The article said "no signs of forced entry" "building very secure" "doors kept locked." What does that suggest?

*raised eyebrow*

I was thinking the same thing. So who ever did it I hope they get caught and are held accountable for this.

The possibility of an inside job? :( So sorry to hear Tri Delta. Hope the thieves are caught and your badges are retrieved.

I agree. It would make me sick to think of all the historic badges being gone. :(

Which even hints at it being an inside job even more....they leave the sentimental, yet more expensive items and go for the gold-filled newer, lesser valuable items. I do hope the culprit(s) are found.

Sadly, the same thing that whoever took them must have known right where they were does.

The logistics of getting away with 5,000 gold badges, which I would assume were in individual boxes, not a Smaug hoard, would take some time. There must have been cases and cases of badges. It seems like a sneaky insider would take a less noticeable amount. I'm betting on a professional job, done by someone with the connections to melt this much gold.

There is aiding and abeting .... And never understimated the power of a nitwit: They could have the cases sitting in a living room or the gift boxes put in the recycling .... I wouldn't be surprised to hear of a dunderhead move that identifies at least one perpetrator quickly.

Like being the only one who doesn't show up for work on Monday? And the only one with a freshly dug/filled hole in the backyard?

All I know for sure is this: Chuck Norris is going to be some kind of mad that anyone dared to take his sorority's gold...and in TEXAS!!!

LOL! Or having TriDelta boxes at the curb for pickup in front of your house. Here's one for you -- the perpetrator saves one to wear to work on March 3 ......

...And gets arrested on Badge Day.

*thumbs up*

Gosh I wish there was a like button for these posts. Chuck Norris is going to get his can of whoop ass ready.

I just hope the authorities can recover the badges prior to any damage and news of the same comes soon.

Chuck Norris is a Tri Delta?:confused:

According to one of the all time best recruitment threads in GC history, yes.

LOL!:p Guess I need to search for it and read it! Sounds like a good one! I am a huge Chuck Norris fan!

If I didn't have a rule about not getting my laptop out on weekends, I'd link to it. I haven't quite gotten the hang of links on my phone.

The Chuck thread has been bumped. Classic GC.

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...t=Chuck+Norris

Thanks, Dee. I wish Chuck would come back and post. I miss Chuck. *sigh*

Love it!

Decades ago during Leadership Consultant training at IHQ we got to see the safe where the returned badges were stored. Kinda creepy. I know it is special for a new initiate to get her very own badge....but what good are returned badges stored in a safe forever? Could the fraternity consider the value of the badges an asset, or use them as collateral? [For all I know they've been melting 'em down for years. Stewardship vs. sentiment.]

AOII does offer that option and has a list of badges for sale to sisters available from our IHQ - I have purchased one and I know other AOIIs that have done the same. A nice alternative to badges just sitting around in a vault when they could be worn and loved.

After I was initiated, a family friend from the same chapter gave me her badge. She was initiated in 1919. She was 83 at the time, and had no children. She told me she wanted to be sure it went to a sister who would wear it and treasure it. I wore her badge and mine throughout college, and shared her story many times when others would ask why I wore two badges. She lived to be 99, and when she died, she had her 1932 chapter directory in her nursing home room, which was also given to me. I do feel it's better to wear it than store it, and that's what she wanted.

I don't know if it is widely known in Zetaland, but ZTA IO does sell returned badges. I purchased a turquoise and pearl one from IO.

That is the sweetest thing!! I know that you treasure that badge & her memory.

And when I finally go to learn the answer to the last question, my badge will go to someone like you. Thank you for this beautiful image.

A statement was issued by our President saying that the badges that were stolen were the badges of deceased members that were in storage.

Crap, that is utterly heartbreaking.

Wow, this has gone from bad to worse. So sad.

Oh man, that is horrible. I hope they don't melt those badges. They are certainly worth more than the sum of their parts. I also hope all other groups take this as a warning to tighten security on their own badge archives.

Enormously sad. I hope the authorities locate them (pins and suspects) quickly.

This absolutely breaks my heart, not only because those badges were once loved and treasured by their owners, but their families realized the significance and sent them back for safekeeping. I hope whoever did this is found and brought to justice, and I also hope it is not someone that is a current member. The thought of someone who knows the significance of our badge and ritual doing such a thing is simply horrific.