History
Delta Gamma was founded in 1873 in Oxford, Mississippi, at Lewis School by three young women who were unable to go home for the Christmas break. Together, Anna Boyd, Mary Comfort and Eva Webb created a club of "mutual helpfulness."
They chose the Greek letters Delta and Gamma because of their desire to "do good." It remains motto today and a driving force in all we do. Delta Gamma is a sisterhood built on a commitment to making the world better through not only service, but also a deep appreciation for each individual.
What started with three women in Oxford, Mississippi, has since grown into an international Fraternity with 150 collegiate chapters and more than 215 alumnae groups. Delta Gamma's sisterhood continues to inspire women through the values that were built into our very first Constitution. Article II, written by our Founders in 1873, states:
"The objects of this Fraternity shall be to foster high ideals of friendship among women, to promote their educational and cultural interests, to create in them a true sense of social responsibility and to develop in them the best qualities of character."
While the Constitution spells out the values of a Delta Gamma woman in Article II, you can't tell the story of Delta Gamma without speaking of hope. The original pin of the Fraternity was the letter "H," which the Founders meant to stand for hope. A few years before she died, Founder Mary Comfort Leonard described the first pin:
"We went to a local jeweler and had our pin made, the letter 'H,' which stood for hope, for we hoped for great results and have not been disappointed…"
Delta Gamma Fraternity does not discriminate in its membership selection on the basis of race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, color, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, physical disability or other characteristics protected by state, provincial or federal law. Membership is open to all individuals who identify as women. Those selected for membership in Delta Gamma must have good scholarship, be of good character and standing, have an interest in activities that will enhance the academic atmosphere at the college or university, and have a sincere desire to contribute to the work of Delta Gamma.
All efforts are in place to guarantee those selected for membership in Delta Gamma have good scholarship, are of good character and standing, have an interest in activities which will enhance the academic atmosphere at the college, university or community, and have a sincere desire to contribute to the work of Delta Gamma. The Executive Offices will continue to work with the individual chapters to ensure that all policies and procedures are followed at all times.
For a complete list of our policies, please visit our library.
Local History
In 1930, six Delta Gamma alumnae living in the Edmonton area organized the Edmonton Delta Gamma alumnae association. The group was evenly split between American and Canadian members. According to the Winter 1930 issue of the ANCHORA, the new alumnae association was comprised of members hailing from Kappa - Nebraska, Lambda - Minnesota, Sigma - Northwestern, and Alpha Gamma - Toronto. The first president of the Edmonton alumnae association was Mrs. John Gillespie (Mary Harris; Kappa - Nebraska). Mrs. E.P. Hall (Alice Keith; Sigma - Northwestern) served as the first secretary.
The group planned to focus their energy on helping to charter a collegiate chapter of Delta Gamma at the University of Alberta following the university's lift of the ban on secret societies. The alumnae group was approached by a local sorority, Phi Gamma, about acquiring a Delta Gamma charter. The alumnae group hoped that, in helping to establish a collegiate chapter of Delta Gamma, "everyone will look up Edmonton, Alberta on the map and realize that a chapter in Edmonton would be a link between the Toronto chapter in the east and our British Columbia chapter on the west coast" (ANCHORA, January 1930: 97).
On March 12, 1932, the Edmonton alumnae association hosted it's first Founder's Day at the MacDonald Hotel for both local alumnae and the Beta Beta - Alberta chapter, which had been chartered on May 9, 1931. The highlight of the event was a song written and sung by the most recent initiates that mentioned each and every Delta Gamma in attendance. The song was both amusing and insulting but most importantly, it rhymed!
By 1932, Beta Beta - Alberta had begun to be the primary collegiate chapter represented in the Edmonton alumnae chapter, with three graduates of the Alberta chapter being elected as the group's newest officers.
Edmonton Delta Gamma alumnae and their fellow Canadian DGs were some of the first Delta Gammas to be actively involved in World War II relief efforts. Delta Gammas volunteered with the Red Cross or worked war jobs to help with the war effort. Many promoted the sale of war stamps or hosted alumnae events at which DGs knitted socks or other necessities for soldiers. Several others joined the Royal Canadian Air Force
The Edmonton alumnae chapter of Delta Gamma was officially chartered on July 11, 1949.
In 1950, the Edmonton alumnae chapter partnered with the Vancouver alumnae chapter to host the biannual Convention at the Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta. Convention was held from June 25 to 30 of that year.
In 2023, the Edmonton alumnae chapter and the Calgary alumnae chapter voted to merge and create the Alberta Alumnae Chapter of Delta Gamma.
