History of The Delta
Conversation
100 Years Ago...
The March 1918 issue of The Delta saw the United States embroiled in World War One, with the conclusion not coming until November of the same year. The issue opens up with a rather startling account however of the very early days of the war. Lieutenant Evan Shelby Connell, M.D. (Tulane) recounts his experiences trying to get out of Europe when the war was declared, having found himself in Vienna doing post-graduate work when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. Connell leaves Vienna for Berlin and is there when the German Empire declares war on Russia: “It was not until Germany declared war on Russia that I awoke to the seriousness of affairs, and then made a “run for it.” I shall never forget the feeling of relief when the Belgian frontier was crossed, nor the peaceful beauty of Liege, the valley of the Meuse and Namur as I passed on my way to Paris.”
Connell’s journey takes him from Paris, during the mobilization of armed forces, to London and finally to the United States but not before sailing through treacherous waters in fear of a submarine attack. Upon the entrance of the United States in the war he was commissioned a First Lieutenant and transferred to Camp Dodge, Iowa for ambulance company work.
50 Years Ago…
The Spring 1968 issue opens with a wonderfully written piece from then Executive Director Richard R. Fletcher (Penn State) with a title that seems appropriate even today: Why Fraternity? An exemplary writer, Fletcher’s words are still true today.
“Because the focus of true fraternity is on people, not things, it is reasonable to expect that those whose experience has been truly fraternal will enjoy lives which are people-centered, avoiding the tragedy of the inversion which uses people to satisfy love of things. It is therefore not surprising that thus far higher education has not come up with a better alternative for fraternity in its true dimensions. A true fraternity is a vehicle for the development of the better man who will help mold the better society— and that is mankind’s goal.”
25 Years Ago…
The Spring 1993 issue of The Delta served as the published annual report for the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation for the year. The issue recounts the usual items issued in an annual report but also includes a full description of a historic first for the Fraternity and Foundation as both the Foundation’s Directors and the Fraternity’s High Council met jointly. What is now something that occurs annually, if not more frequently, at the time this was a significant moment. The joint meeting included a tour of Headquarters and another significant first, the official union of both the Ethical Leadership Center and the Headquarters Shrine into a unified educational comp