Delta Gamma 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. In 1877, the Fraternity adopted the anchor as our symbol, the age-old symbol for hope.

Because serving others is at the root of Delta Gamma's history, the Delta Gamma Foundation functions as the philanthropic arm of the organization. The Foundation has been dedicated to sight conservation since 1936, when a member who was blind, Ruth Billow, Eta-Akron, asked the Fraternity to consider aiding the visually impaired. 

Now, Delta Gamma has over 150 collegiate chapters and over 200 alumnae groups across North America, comprised of more than 200,000 members. As Delta Gamma continues to expand, so does our ability to impact the communities that welcome Delta Gamma. We are here to do good, because when we do good, everyone we touch does better. That's the Delta Gamma way.

 

Article II of the Delta Gamma Constitution outlines the values that we hold true:

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.