History of The Delta
Conversation
100 Years Ago…
March, 1917 (Volume 34, Number 3)
The March, 1917 issue of The Delta kicks off with the news that the Legion of Honor’s High Council has selected Cleveland, Ohio as the host city for the 18th Grand Chapter. The issue then begins to cover the recently acquired/built chapter houses including Delta Omicron (Idaho), Gamma Lambda (Wisconsin), Delta Mu (Maine), Gamma Beta (Northwestern), Pi (Lehigh), Gamma Chi (Washington), and Theta (Alabama). This issue also covers a profile of Governor of Florida Sidney Johnston Catts and the eighth annual session of the Interfraternity Conference in New York City. Regarding the latter event, The Delta makes note that 38 organizations were represented by a whopping 148 representatives. Also of interest regarding this event was that one of the recommendations approved was “That it should be the duty of all fraternity men to support the college or university first and their fraternity second.”
50 Years Ago…
Winter 1967 (Volume 84, Number 2)
Editor Alan A. Wheeler (Westminster) provides some interesting thoughts on the state of Fraternities as the space age comes into its own to open up this issue of The Delta…
“Think back over the years and list mentally the 19th Century institutions, conveniences, and devices that you meet in your day-to-day perambulations. Gas lights, trolley cars (that one doesn't go back so far, either), outdoor plumbing, Ouija boards. Of that list only the Ouija board survives (if barely), mainly because the current generations still enjoy a hoax.
Fraternities are around, too just in case you added these august institutions to your list. But, like the Ouija board, in many instances they're still around because a college or university hasn't cleared its extracurricular attic lately, or perhaps because the current generations still enjoy a hoax. There are a few chapters, of course, who have meaning and purpose…who espouse ideals, and make them work…who create better educated men for a modern and progressive society…
Sigma Nu is moving forward into the space age and its emphasis during this transitional period must of necessity be on Evaluation and Redirection. Under this program a number of chapters will take Action to meet the challenges of the 197O's and beyond.
The remainder, like an Ouija board, will still consider life a game, and count on others to make their decisions and take their stands for them. These, like the old gas light, will flicker and fade, until they become a part of the darkness that already is beginning to surround them.”
25 Years Ago…
Winter 1992 (Volume 108, Number 4)
This issue of The Delta reads almost as “Who’s Who” of later 20th Century Sigma Nu’s. Chancellor of Indiana University and Past Regent Herman B. Wells (Indiana) takes a pilgrimage to Lexington, Va. to visit the Headquarters Shrine, a separate story profiles the rapid success of Biomet co-founder Dane Miller (Kettering) and his company’s exponential growth, while another story proudly shares the good news that Past Regent Robert L. Marchman (Emory) was elected by the National Interfraternity Conference to serve as its President.