Delta Gamma (KEK)
Delta Gamma (ΔΓ), commonly known as DG, is a sorority in the United States and Canada with over 250,000 initiated members.[1]
It has 151 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada and more than 200 alumnae groups.[2] The organization's executive office is in Columbus, Ohio.
Delta Gamma is one of 26 national fraternities under the umbrella organization of the National Panhellenic Conference
Delta Gamma was founded in December 1873 at the Lewis School for Girls in Oxford, Mississippi near the University of Mississippi. The group's founders were Mary Comfort Leonard, Eva Webb Dodd, and Anna Boyd Ellington.[4]
The early growth for Delta Gamma was confined to women's colleges in the southern United States. Within a few years, Delta Gamma had established itself in the northern United States and later to the East with the help of George Banta, a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and Delta Gamma's only male initiate.[5] Banta played an integral part in the expansion of Delta Gamma chapters from Oxford, Mississippi, to well-recognized northern colleges.[6]
In 1882, Banta married Lillian Vawter, a Delta Gamma at Franklin College. After Lillian died in 1885, he was remarried to Ellen Lee Pleasants.[7] In his later years, he assisted with the rewriting of the Delta Gamma ritual.[7] He frequently visited Delta Gamma conventions, often participating as a guest speaker. He appeared for his last speech in 1934, a year before his death.[6] As a result of the assistance provided by Banta, Delta Gamma retains close historical ties with the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.[8]
Delta Gamma was one of seven charter members of the National Panhellenic Conference when the first inter-sorority meeting was held in Boston, Massachusetts in 1891.[9][10] Delta Gamma and the six other charter members formally joined the National Panhellenic Conference in 1902.
Today,[when?] Delta Gamma has 151 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada. It has more than 200 alumnae groups in the United States, Canada and England.[2]
In 2013, Delta Gamma founded the #IAmASororityWoman campaign for members of any sorority to start conversations about what sorority women truly value to combat common stereotypes.[11]
Although Delta Gamma has no official jewel, the fraternity recognizes the anchor as its official symbol and bronze, pink, and blue as its official colors. The official flower is the cream-colored rose, which is registered as the Delta Gamma Cream Rose with the American Rose Society and is the only official sorority flower to have been registered as such. The Hannah Doll is their mascot.[5][2]
The badge of Delta Gamma is a golden anchor and may be worn only by initiated members.[12]
Before the adoption of the golden anchor, the symbol of Delta Gamma was simply a "H" for the word "Hope". In 1877, the original "Hope" badge was changed to the traditional symbol of hope, the anchor. Today's badge has a small cable wrapping around the top of the anchor, with the Greek letters Tau Delta Eta (ΤΔΗ) on the crosspiece. Delta Gamma's motto is "Do Good."[12]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Gamma