History

Delta Gamma was founded in 1873 in Oxford, Mississippi, at the Lewis School for Girls 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 Delta Gamma's 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 great results and have not been disappointed…" - The Shield

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.

 

Our Local History

The Arlington Alumnae chapter of Delta Gamma was founded in March of 1965 by 28 young Delta Gamma alumnae.  This group set a standard that our chapter continues to maintain 54 years later.

Our chapter has a history rich in service to the Fraternity and leadership in the community.  In April of 1965, Mid-Cities Panhellenic was formed and our chapter was one of five charter members of that group.

Service to the community is centered in our Fraternity's philanthropic work, "Service for Sight."  Over the years, our chapter has aided visually impaired students and donated money for the visually impaired department of the Arlington City Libraries.   

This community service has earned us recognition by our national Fraternity and the local community.  We have won the H.K. Stuart Spirit of Giving award from the fraternity three times--more than any other alumnae group in the nation. In 2005, our chapter was recognized by the Star Telegram as a STARS winner of the Small Organization of the Year.  Our Fraternity has awarded the Arlington chapter a "First in the Nation in Service for Sight" hours many times in the past decade.  In addition, several of our members have been recognized by our Executive Office with national fraternal awards.

Our chapter is affiliated with the Gamma Tau collegiate chapter at Texas Christian University.  We also support the endeavors of a number of other collegiate chapters in Texas, and each year we send finals care packages to our local collegians at their respective universities.  In this spirit of sisterhood, we foster the belief that membership is for a lifetime.