Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta FraternityΦÎ"Θ| Motto: One Man is No Man | | Nicknames: Phis, Phi Delts, Phi Deltas |- |  | Phideltcrest.jpg |
The Coat of Arms'' | | Founded: | December 26, 1848 atMiami University, (Oxford, Ohio) | Founders:
*Robert Morrison
*John McMillan Wilson
*John Wolfe Lindley
*Ardivan Walker Rodgers
*Robert Thompson Drake
*Andrew Watts Rogers>- | Executive Vice President
*Robert Biggs>- | General Council President
*Rudy M. Porchivina>- | Members | - | Official Colors: | Azure (Blue) and Argent (White) | | Official Flower: |  | White_carnation.jpg |
White Carnation | | Member Badge: |  | Phideltbadge.jpg |
| | Pledge Pin: | | | Flag: |  | Phideltflag.jpg |
| | Official Mascot & Goddess: |  | Athena_owl.jpg |
The owl and Pallas Athena|- | Phi Delta Theta Fraternity Website | |
Phi Delta Theta (
ΦÎ"Θ) is an international
fraternity founded in 1848 at
Miami University in
Oxford, Ohio. Its headquarters is located on the Miami University campus. Phi Delta Theta along with
Beta Theta Pi and
Sigma Chi form the
Miami Triad. The Fraternity has approximately 165 chapters in over 40 states and six Canadian provinces. The Fraternity has initiated nearly 218,000 men between 1848 and 2005. Chartered house corporations own more than 120 houses valued at $50 million. There are nearly 70 recognized alumni clubs across the U.S. and Canada.
Phi Beta Kappa was the first Greek letter organization founded in the United States when it was created on December 5, 1776 at the
College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. 63 years later, Beta Theta Pi was founded at Miami University in Ohio, the first fraternity founded west of the
Allegheny Mountains. In protest against the president of the university, members of Beta Theta Pi and other students blocked the entrances of the main educational and administrative building in what became known as the
Great Snowball Rebellion in 1847.
|
Room where Phi Delta Theta was founded. It is used by undergraduates of the parent chapter in recognition of achievement |
A year later, after the president expelled most of the students involved in the uprising, Phi Delta Theta was formed. Six men staying in a dormitory the day after Christmas formed the Greek-letter society. Robert Morrison, a senior, proposed to fellow classmate John McMillan Wilson they bond together to form a secret society. They invited juniors Robert Thompson Drake and John Wolfe Lindley; sophomores Ardivan Walker Rodgers and Andrew Watts Rogers into the fold. The first meeting was held in Wilson's room at Old North Hall, now called Elliot Hall.
During the early meetings, the founders wrote The Bond of Phi Delta Theta, which is the fundamental law of the Fraternity. It has remained unchanged ever since. The Founders also designed the badge, consisting of a shield, eye and scroll with the Greek letters on it. The first branch of Phi Delta Theta was founded at
Indiana University in 1849.
The War Between the States was difficult for all fraternities. Battles put fraternity brother against fraternity brother, although fraternal bonds may have led to the release of many prisoners or better treatment for others.
During the two decades from 1870 to 1890, the growth of the Fraternity was very rapid, due principally to the efforts of Walter B. Palmer, Emory-Vanderbilt 1877, and George Banta, Franklin-Indiana 1876. The two were given the title Second Founders for their work.
Phi Delta Theta is known as an international fraternity. The first Phi Delta Theta chapter in
Canada was installed at
McGill University in
Montreal, Quebec on April 5, 1902.
The Founders of Phi Delta Theta: | Robert_morrison.jpg |
Robert Morrison (1833 - 1902) |  | John_lindley.jpg |
John Wolfe Lindley (1826 - 1907) |  | Ardivan_rodgers.jpg |
Ardivan Walker Rodgers (1824 - 1856) |  | Andrew_rogers.jpg |
Andrew Watts Rogers (1833 - 1901) |
 | John_wilson.jpg |
John McMillan Wilson (1825 - 1874) |  | Robert_drake.jpg |
Robert Drake (1822 - 1873) |
Phi Delta Theta along with many other fraternities has an educational foundation fund. Part of the foundation's aim is to award scholarships to deserving undergraduate members and those pursuing advanced degrees in various graduate schools. Each year it provides over $150,000 in scholarships. The foundation is also essential in supporting various programs such as the Phi Delta Theta Leadership College, the Leadership Consultant Program and portions of the General Convention. The foundation, which was founded in 1962 with only $4,708 has since grown to over $14 million.
The Accolade
In 2004, the fraternity began a member development program for undergraduates called
The Accolade. It is designed to enhance a member's collegiate and overall fraternity experience. Some of the program's personal development activities include goal-setting, time management and career development. Though the program is intended for new undergraduate members, it is available to all members including senior members and alumni. Though Phi Delta Theta is no longer part of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, they were recognized by them for the Best Use of a Foundation Grant for its support of The Accolade. [
1]
Emerging Leadership Institute
The Emerging Leadership Institute (ELI) is an annual event held at the fraternity's headquarters during the summer where newly initiated undergraduates are given instruction in various leadership classes as well as participating in programs which help to improve their respective chapters. It is attended by selected undergraduates from every chapter.
For many years, Phi Delta Theta had no
official philanthropy. However, the organization was long associated with the Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (ALSA) because of Lou Gehrig, an alumnus, who died of the disease.
Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a deabilitating neuro-muscular disease and has since become known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Though there had always existed a relationship between ALSA and Phi Delta Theta, it wasn't until November of 2002 when the General Council made the partnership official. Undergraduate as well as alumni chapters from all across North America regularly organize various events raising money for research.
Even though Phi Delta Theta technically does not have a sister sorority it has the distinction of having close connections with two sororities:
Delta Gamma and
Delta Zeta. George Banta, a Phi Delt from Franklin-Indiana, was instrumental in helping to expand the Delta Gamma sorority. For his efforts he was the only man ever initiated into Delta Gamma. Banta would later perform initiation ceremonies for new members of the sorority including that of Lillian Vawter, his fiancée. Guy Potter Benton, a graduate of the Phi Delt chapter at Ohio Wesleyan University was president of Miami University in 1902 when he helped with the founding of Delta Zeta. Dr. Benton aided in the preparation of a ritual, badge, and colors. For his work, Delta Zeta named him the Grand Patron of the sorority and is the only man to ever wear the Delta Zeta badge.
* First fraternity to adopt a pledge pin (1894)
* First fraternity to adopt an alumnus pin (1894)
* First fraternity to adopt a pledge manual (1886)
* First fraternity to adopt a National Day of Celebration (1889)
* First fraternity to adopt life subscriptions to the fraternity magazine (1875)
* First fraternity to expand west of the Mississippi River (
Austin College, 1853)
* First fraternity to own a chapter house (
University of California, Berkeley, 1873)
North-American Interfraternity Conference
In 2002, Phi Delta Theta, along with
Kappa Sigma left the
North-American Interfraternity Conference due to ideological differences.
Alcohol free housing policy
In 1997, Phi Delta Theta spearheaded the initiative of having alcohol free housing within its chapters by the year 2000. The policy has since been adopted by other fraternities including
Theta Chi and
Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI).
Alcohol Free Housing Five Year Progress Report When Phi Delta Theta announced the inception of an alcohol free housing policy, the announcement was met both by hope and scepticism. While some viewed that the ban of alcohol in housing facilities was a welcome return to the founding principles of the fraternity, others felt that it would hurt the fraternity because of the drastic cultural shift. Five years later, however, the critics have been proven wrong as evidence by significant improvements in many areas of fraternity life and operations. Since the implementation of the Alcohol-free Housing Policy, the all undergraduate grade point average rose from a 2.77 in 2000 to nearly a 3.0 in 2005. The insurance policy of individual members have also gone down as risk management violations have decreased. Perhaps the most telling area is in membership, where Phi Delta Theta showed an increase of new members. In 2004, Phi Delta Theta had 3,102 new members while other fraternities averaged 2,415. In 1990, chapters of Phi Delta Theta were 18% larger than the typical fraternity chapter. In 2004, they were shown to be 30% larger. Also, in 2004, Phi Delta Theta was one of only 13 national/international fraternities to show an increase in total undergraduates from the previous year with an increase of 4.2%. The significance of this is highlighted by that fact that Phi Delta Theta had less chapters than other fraternities. Competitively, Phi Delta Theta has remained a constant among others. In terms of new members it ranked ninth in 1990, eighth in 2000 and ninth in 2004. Many alumni members have credited the alcohol free housing policy in continuing this trend.
By the numbers
Sports awards named after members
*
Grantland Rice Trophy - Presented by the
Football Writers Association of America to the National Champions of college football.
*
Doak Walker Trophy - Presented to College Football's top Running Back by The
Southern Methodist University Forum.
*
John Outland Trophy - First presented in 1946 by the
Football Writers Association of America, honoring the nation's outstanding interior lineman.
*
Lou Gehrig Memorial Award - Presented to the
MLB player best exemplifying the giving characteristic of Lou Gehrig both on and off the field.
*
The Davis Cup - The Davis Cup is the largest annual international team competition in tennis. One of the cornerstones of the tennis year, this prestigious event gives players the chance to represent their country in an otherwise individual sport.
|
The signature of Lou Gehrig indicating his membership into Phi Delta Theta |
A complete list can be found at:
Prominent Alumni of Phi Delta ThetaArt and architecture*
Francis Chapin - Painter
*
William Hook - Painter
*
Hank Ketcham - Cartoonist, Creator of
Dennis the Menace (US)*
Frank Lloyd Wright - Architect
Business*
Robert Allen - Chairman,
AT&T *
William Allen - CEO,
Phillips Petroleum *
John Y. Brown, Jr. - Co-Founder,
Kentucky Fried Chicken and former Kentucky Governor
*
Barber Conable - President,
World Bank *
Powell Crosley - Inventor, Owner of
Cincinnati Reds*
William H. Danforth - Founder,
Ralston Purina Mills Pet Food Company*
Paul S. Gerot - President,
Pillsbury Mills Corporation*
William F. Harrah - Founder,
Harrah's Hotel and Casinos*
Mark Hurd - CEO,
Hewlett-Packard*
F. Ross Johnson - CEO,
RJR Nabisco*
Robert Kinter - President
ABC*
James T. Lenehan - President,
Johnson & Johnson *
James McLamore - Founder,
Burger King *
John Willard Marriott - Founder,
Marriott Corporation*
Warren Lee Pierson - Chairman of Board,
TWA Corporation*
Roger Smith - Chairman,
General Motors*
Frank Stanton - President
CBS*
Edward K. Thompson - Managing Editor of Life popular weekly pictorial magazine
*
Jim L. Turner - CEO,
Dr. Pepper Entertainment*
Bill Bixby - Actor, Director, Writer,
The Incredible Hulk,
My Favorite Martian*
Dirk Benedict - Actor,
The A-Team*
Ted Bessell - Actor, Daytime
Emmy Award Winner
*
Dabney Coleman - Actor,
Tootsie,
Stuart Little*
Mike Connors - Actor, Golden Globe Winner, Emmy Award Winner for
Mannix*
Tim Conway - Actor,
McHale's Navy,
The Carol Burnett Show*
Colby Donaldson - Actor, Runner up on
Survivor: The Australian Outback*
George Eads - Actor,
'
* Roger Ebert - Film Critic, Author
* Donald Gibb - Actor, Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds
* Dean Hargrove - Producer, Emmy Award Winner for Perry Mason, Matlock
* Van Heflin - Academy Award Winning Actor
* Jeffrey Hunter - Actor King of Kings
* Francis D. Lyon - Academy Award Winning Editor
* Michael McDonald - Actor, MADtv
* Jamie Murray - Actor, MTV's The Real World
* Brock Pemberton - Founder of the Tony Awards
* Burt Reynolds - Actor, Golden Globe winner, star of Smokey and the Bandit
* Bob Schieffer - CBS News Anchor
* Sonny Shroyer - Actor, Dukes of Hazzard
* Donald Simpson - Producer, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, Days of Thunder, Bad Boys, The Rock
* Robert Wise - Academy Award Winning Director/Producer West Side Story, Sound of Music
Literature
* Ray Stannard Baker - Biographer, Pulitzer Prize winner
* Louis Bromfield - Pulitzer Prize winner for Early Autumn
* Po Bronson - Writer
* Reynolds Price - Writer, essayist
* William Tate - Poet, social commentator
* William Allen White - Editor, writer, Pulitzer Prize winner
Military
* John Henry Balch - Medal of Honor Recipient WWI
* John C. Black - Medal of Honor Recipient Civil War
* William P. Black - Medal of Honor Recipient Civil War
* Henry V. Boynton - Medal of Honor Recipient Civil War
* Robert W. Cary - Medal of Honor Recipient, Peace Time. Distinguished Service Cross WWI
* Charles G. Cooper - Commanding General, Pacific Fleet
* Frederick Funston - Medal of Honor Recipient Philippine-American War
* Robert Hampton Gray - Victoria Cross Recipient WWII
* Leonard D. Heaton - US Major General Surgeon General
* Charles Horner - Commander NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command, Commander of Allied Air Force for Desert Storm
* Edward P. King - Commanding Officer, Bataan WWII
* John S. McCain, Sr. - Commander of all land-based naval aircraft in the South Pacific, WWII
* Scott O'Grady - USAF Captain shot down over Bosnia, rescued 6 days later
* Alexander R. Skinker - Medal of Honor Recipient WWI
* Leon Vance - Medal of Honor Recipient WWII
Politics
* Jean Baptiste Adoue - Mayor of Dallas, Texas
* James Baker - Secretary of State, Founder of James Baker Institute
* Jon Corzine - US Senator
* John Foster - Secretary of State
* Garde Gardom - Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (Canada)
*Victor R. Hansen-Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. in charge of Anti-Trust Division
* Benjamin Harrison - President of the United States
* David Houston - Secretary of Agriculture and Treasury
* Harold Ickes - Secretary of the Interior
* Sam Nunn - US Senator, Founder of
* James C. McReynolds - Supreme Court Justice
* Sherman Minton - Supreme Court Justice
* Robert P. Patterson - Secretary of War
* Max Sandlin - US Congressman
* Tom Schieffer - United States Ambassador to Japan
* Adlai Stevenson - Vice President of the United States
* Frederick Moore Vinson - Chief Justice Supreme Court and first man to serve in all three branches of Federal Government
* Ernest Vandiver - Governor of Georgia
* John Jarman-Congressman from 5th District of the State of Oklahoma
* E. Keith Thomson-Lone Congressman from the State of Wyoming
* Mark White - Governor of Texas
Space Exploration
* Neil Armstrong - Commander of Apollo 11 and first man to walk on the moon
* Jon McBride - NASA Astronaut, Space Shuttle Columbia
* F. Story Musgrave - NASA Astronaut, Space Shuttle Challenger, Space Shuttle Columbia
Sports'''
*
Terry Baker -
Heisman Trophy winner
*
Dwight F. Davis - Tennis player, namesake of the
Davis Cup *
Morgan Ensberg -
Houston Astros,
MLB player
*
Weeb Ewbank -
NFL Coach
*
Ralph Friedgen - Head Coach,
University of Maryland, College Park football
*
Lou Gehrig -
New York Yankees, Baseball Hall of Fame
*
Jack Ham -
NFL Hall of Fame linebacker
*
Tom Harmon -
Heisman Trophy winner
*
Hughie Jennings -
Detroit Tigers, Baseball Hall of Fame
*
Jim Otto -
NFL Hall of Fame center
*
Bill Payne - President, 1996 Atlanta Olympic Committee
*
Grantland Rice - Legendary sportswriter
*
Detlef Schrempf -
NBA All-Star
*
Steve Tasker - All Pro
NFL player
*
Bill Toomey - 1968 Gold Medalist, Decathlon
*
Doak Walker -
NFL Hall of Fame halfback, Heisman Trophy Winner
*
Gary Williams - Head Coach,
University of Maryland, College Park basketball
*
Trey Wingo -
ESPN Anchor
For a complete list of Phi Delta Theta chapters, see:
Phi Delta Theta chapters*
Phi Delta Theta website
