The Oldest Fraternity/Sorority
 

How long has your Greek Letter Org. been established?

Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity, INC.
March 17, 1906 GO RED!!!!

Phi Kappa Tau was founded in the Union Literary Society Hall of Miami University's Old Main Building in Oxford, Ohio on March 17, 1906. The four honored founders were:

» Taylor Albert Borradaile
» Clinton Dewitt Boyd
» Dwight Ireneus Douglass
» William Henry Shideler.

Fraternally,
D

The Force of Many, The Power of One

ALPHA SIGMA TAU Sorority
November 4, 1899 Michigan State Normal College (currently Eastern Michigan University)

100 More years baby!!

Alpha Sigma Phi was founded at Yale College (now Yale University) nearly 160 years ago on December 6, 1845.

The three principal founders were:

Louis Manigault
Stephen Ormsby Rhea
Horace Spangler Weiser

It was originally founded as a sophomore class society at Yale (in those days it was not unusual for Yale men to belong to four different fraternities; some of these class societies are now fraternities open to all four classes. Delta Chapter at Marietta College in Ohio was the first all-class chapter, and kept the fraternity alive when the mother chapter at Yale was closed down. In 1907 the fraternity was reestablished at Yale by members of the Yale Masonic Club, with the assistance of Delta chapter.

Delta Gamma was founded at the Lewis School for Girls in Oxford, Mississippi at Christmas Time in 1873.

The founders were:

Mary Comfort Leonard
Eva Webb Dodd
Anna Boyd Ellington

The hall of the Union Literary society has seen some history!
 

At nine o'clock in the evening on the eighth day of the eighth month in the year 1839, eight earnest young men, all students at Miami University, held the first meeting of Beta Theta Pi, in the hall of the Union Literary Society, an upper room in the old college hall, known as Old Main. The eight founders in the order in which their names appear in the minutes were:

John Reily Knox, 1839
Samuel Taylor Marshall, 1840
David Linton, 1839
James George Smith, 1840
Charles Henry Hardin, 1841
John Holt Duncan, 1840
Michael Clarkson Ryan, 1839
Thomas Boston Gordon, 1840

"of ever honored memory"

That was 165 years ago, making Beta Theta Pi the 6th oldest fraternity in existence, and the first to be founded west of the Alleghanies.

Best Founder:
 

Best Founder:

Horace Spangler Weiser

of Alpha Sigma Phi.

His nickname was Bud, and the King of Beers is named for him.

Mr. ASPhi, Ralph ________, told me that.

Alpha Delta Pi was originally founded as the Adelphean Society at Wesleyan Female College in Macon, Georgia on May 15, 1851.

The six founders were:
Eugenia Tucker Fitzgerald
Octavia Andrew Rush
Ella Pierce Turner
Mary Evans Glass
Sophronia Woodruff Dews
Elizabeth Williams Mitchell

The name was changed to Alpha Delta Phi in 1905, and in order to avoid confusion with the fraternity with the letters Alpha Delta Phi, the name changed again to Alpha Delta Pi in 1913.

The sisterhood of Alpha Delta Pi continues strong in its traditions 153 years later!

Theta Delta Chi Fraternity was founded at Union College (Schenectady, NY) on October 31, 1847 (in the building then known as West College).

Six founding fathers are:
Abel Beach
Theodore Brown
Andrew Green
William Hyslop
William Akin
Samuel Wile

Sigma Kappa Sorority was founded at Colby College in Waterville, Maine on November 9, 1874.

Five founding sisters:

Mary Low Carver
Elizabeth Gorham Hoag
Ida Fuller Pierce
Frances Mann Hall
Louise Helen Coburn

Our Alpha, Beta and Gamma chapters were all at Colby, due to size restrictions. According to our first constitution each chapter was only allowed 25 members. We expanded in 1904 with our Delta chapter at Boston College.

130 years strong in November! :)

Sigma Nu, founded January 1st, 1869

Frank Hopkins, Greenfield Quarles, and James McIlvaine Riley are our founders.

Delta Zeta Sorority was founded at Miami University on October 24, 1902. Our 6 founders were:

Anne Simmons
Anna Keene
Mary Collins
Mabelle Minton
Alfa Lloyd
Julia Bishop

Delta Zeta's official Founders' Day (October 24) was chosen because it was also Alfa Lloyd's birthday.

We're one of the youngest sororities in NPC
founded 1913 Hunter College New York, New York

10 founders

Lillian Gordon, Ethel Gordon, Josephine Ellison, Shirley Cohen, Fay Chertkoff, Claire Wunder, Estelle Melnick, Rose Sher, Jeanette Lipka, and Gwen “Rae” Zaliels

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It's my birthday too! :D

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Re: Best Founder:
 

Brother Ralph F. Burns... Mr. Alpha Sig! He's since entered Omega Chapter, but his son Jonathan is now Grand Secretary.

Phi Beta Kappa -- 1776 -- College of William and Mary

Delta Tau Delta -- 1858 -- Bethany College

Delta Upsilon was founded on November 4,1834 on the campus of Williams College by 30 men ten each from the Jr., Soph. and Freshman classes.
DU was founded in opposition to the Sigma Phi and Kappa Alpha Societies that had appeared at Williams in 1832 and 1833.

Funny, while in the scheme of things, LXA 1909 at Boston University by Warren C Cole is a Youngster.

Funny in respect to the Original Union Triad who mostly are still very small in Chapter size and The Miami Triad who have caught up to others such as LXA in size.

Miami Triad was more progressive than Union Triad.

Growth is still the life blood of any and all GLOs.

Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity was formally founded on October 15, 1898, at the Virginia State Female Normal School (now known as Longwood University), in Farmville, Virginia (one of the "Farmville Four").

Our 9 Founders were Alice Maud Jones Horner, Frances Yancey Smith, Alice Bland Coleman, Ethel Coleman Van Name, Ruby Bland Leigh Orgain, Mary Campbell Jones Batte, Helen May Crawford, Della Lewis Hundley, and Alice Grey Welsh.

And thanks to Grace Eclan (a loyal sister), ZTA is the only female fraternity chartered by the legislature of the Commonwealth of Virginia (the act was passed March 15, 1902).

"Deeds Survive the Doers"

Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity was founded on April 17, 1893, at Lombard College (now Knox) in Galesbug, Illinois. I believe we were officially incorporated as a national fraternity in Illinois April 17, 1901, but I'd have to check our charter and see.

Our ten founders were:
Cora Bollinger Block
Alice Bartlett Bruner
Almira Lowry Cheney
Frances Elizabeth Cheney
Bertha Cook Evans
Eliza Drake Curtis Everton
Julia Maude Foster
Lucy W. Gilmer
Harriet Luella McCollum
Lewie Strong Taylor

Alpha Xi was the 10th women's organization to join the National Panhellenic Conference (in 1902), and our first NPC chair wrote the Panhellenic Creed, still recited today.

Sorry, I'm picky about this because our advisors were picky about it...it's now Longwood University!

Alpha Sigma Alpha
Nov. 15, 1901
Longwood University

HOO RAH!!!
PHI TAU...Thanks AlphaFrog

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I have the cutest paddle I made for my Phi Tau (real) dad

It was:

ALPHA
...H....K
..SIGMA
.........P
...T....P
...ALPHA
...U

(Sorry about the periods, it won't hold it's spacing without them)
Natural Wood paddle with the wood letters and wood ASA/FKT letters
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Alpha Phi was formed in 1872 - October 10
Syracuse University
10 founding sisters
Our open motto "Union hand in hand"

Delta Delta Delta Fraternity

Thanksgiving Eve, 1888

Boston University

Four Founders-
Sarah Ida Shaw
Elenor Dorcas Pond
Isabel Morgan Breed
Florance Isabelle Stewart

Re: Best Founder:
 

I met Mr Alpha Sigma Phi, Ralph Burns at a national leadership confrence in 1987. As I recall he was holding a Bud Light in his hand.

Phi Mu was established on January 4, 1852 at Wesleyan College in Macon, GA. It was originally called the Philomathean Society.
Our 3 founders were:
Mary Ann DuPont Lines
Mary Elizabeth Myrick Daniel
Martha Bibb Hardaway Redding
On March 4, 1852, the name was changed to Phi Mu Fraternity (This is what we observe as Founder's Day).
:D

Alpha Kappa Alpha is the oldest Greek-letter organization established in America by Black college women. AKA was founded on January 15th, 1908 on the campus of Howard University in Washington, DC.

We honor sixteen visionary women as the founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha:

Ethel Hedgeman-Lyle
Beulah Elizabeth Burke
Lillie Burke
Majorie Hill
Margaret Flagg Holmes
Ethel Jones Mowbray
Alice P. Murray
Lavinia Norman
Norma Elizabeth Boyd
Anna Easter Brown
Sarah Meriweather-Nutter
Joanna Mary Berry-Shields
Lucy Diggs Slowe
Carrie Snowden
Marie Woolfolk-Taylor
Harriet Josephine Terry

Psi Upsilon founded November 24, 1833

The 7 founding founders

Robert Barnard '37, Samuel Goodale '36, Sterling G. Hadley '36, George Washington Tuttle '36, Edward Martindale, Merwin Henry Stewart '37, and Charles Washington Harvey '37

OOOOH, Very Interesting, LXA-Tri Delta = Boston U!:cool:

A few years difference in age, but still all in all just the same!:) YEA!;) :)

Sigma Sigma Sigma was founded April 20, 1898 at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) in Farmville Virgina. The State Female Normal School (Longwood University) serves as the birthplace of four other national sororities (the Farmville Four).

The eight founders of Sigma Sigma Sigma: Margaret Batten, Louise Davis, Martha Trent Featherston, Isabella Merrick, Sallie Michie, Lelia Scott, Elizabeth Watkins, and Lucy Wright

The Epsilon Rho chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma, at Minnesota State, recieved it's charter on May 5, 1990.

Ah Yes and there is a Tri Sigma Chapter at PSU, KS, Home of the Gorillas!:)

Many of My LXA Brothers have wives and children who are Tri Sigmas.:cool:

Soft Spot Here!:)

A comment and a question:

Both Alpha Delta Pi and Phi Mu (first and second secret societies for college women, respectively) were founded at Georgia Wesleyan College for Females - which was also the first college in the United States to offer a full degree to women.

I live fairly near Washington & Jefferson, and we were driving through campus the other night. For the life of me, I could not remember which two fraternities were founded there (let alone whether it was a college or a university!)! Any help there?

We have quite a few of my lovely sisters who are currently dating LXAs. I recently did myself, he was a fine gentleman.

talkin 'bout old chapters
 

Years ago I walked into a chapter (invited) of an old Union Triad
fraternity. They were having an argument about muted colors in
the library and how they ought to get new drapes prior to the
rushing season, even though the eight pledges they were going to take had already been pocked-pledged.
The house had been free and clear about fifty years and the club
had about a thousand alums. The parking lot was full of MGs &
Corvettes.
That chapter folded in the 80s.

I believe one of them is Phi Gamma Delta aka FIJI.

Thank you!!

TKE...
 

TKE was founded on a COLD Tuesday, January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University - as a society known as The Knights Of Classic Lore...

Relatively young, but nevertheless, currently the largest in the world...

GO BEACH!!!

Thanks RUASTgrrl! Great to see you on here!
:) Tau Love to our founders,
Mable Chase
Ruth Dutcher
May Gephart
Harriett Marx
Eva O`Keefe
Adriance Rice
Helene M. Rice
Mayene Tracy


HOWEVER,

The first Greek letter fraternity in the U.S. was Phi Beta Kappa, organized at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, VA, on December 5, 1776.

The first national sorority was called I.C. Sorosis, now Pi Beta Phi, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, IL, in 1867.

The first national sorority to bear a Greek letter name was Kappa Alpha Theta, founded at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN, in 1870.

And both are still at Boston U (although there was a gap of time when they weren't).

Kappa Sig - 1869 U. of Virginia, where the 5 friends and brothers started the Zeta chapter.

DePauw is in IN, not IA.
Indiana vs. Iowa