The tenth of the month seems a grand time for founding an “organization of our own.” In my opinion, that is a theme common to the founding of a good many, if not most or nearly all, Greek-letter organizations (GLOs). There are 12 GLOs founded on the tenth of a month.
Five organizations were founded on December 10. The University of Virginia was the founding campus of the oldest of the groups founded on December 10. The year was 1869 and five young men, the “Five Friends and Brothers,” met in 46 East Lawn. The organization they founded is Kappa Sigma. Its founders are William Grigsby McCormick, George Miles Arnold, John Covert Bord, Edmund Law Rogers, Jr., and Frank Courtney Nicodemus. The growth of Kappa Sigma is credited to Stephen Alonzo Jackson, an 1872 initiate. Kappa Sigma chapters donated a record $3 million to charitable causes during the 2012-13 academic years, in addition to a million volunteer hours.
On December 10, 1899, Delta Sigma Phi was founded at the City College of New York. It was formed because a group of friends tried to join an established fraternity. The friends were Christian and Jewish. They organized a fraternity of their own on December 10, 1899. The chapter was called Insula due to its location in the island of Manhattan. In late 1902, incorporation papers were signed in the name of Delta Sigma Phi.
Pi Kappa Phi was founded at the College of Charleston in 1904. Its roots can be traced to a short-lived organization, Nu Phi, founded in part to help a group of men who were disillusioned with the role of college’s fraternities in campus politics. The Nu Phis sought to gain control of the Chrestomathic Literary Society. Nu Phi’s name stood for “non-fraternity.” When some of the Nu Phi’s proved disloyal, the men formed Pi Kappa Phi. Its founders are Andrew Kroeg, Simon Fogarty and Harry Mixson. Push America is Pi Kappa Phi’s own philanthropy. Chapters are encouraged to take part in activities serving and benefiting people with disabilities. These events include the Journey of Hope, a 4,100 mile bike ride across the country.
Eighty-one years after Pi Kappa Phi was born, Lambda Alpha Upsilon was founded at SUNY Buffalo. On December 10, 1985, 16 founding fathers came together to form an organization to provide support, both social and cultural, to Latino students. The organization’s founders are Antonio Adorno, José Betances, Miguel Buitrago, Manuel Cáceres, José Chiu, Ronald Ellín, Daniel Figueroa III, Victor Gutiérrez, Justo León, Julio Martínez Jr., José Núñez, Antonio Rodríguez, Daryl Salas, Manny Sánchez, José Soto, and Simón Vélez.
On December 10, 1998, a sorority for South Asian women, Sigma Sigma Rho, was founded at St. John’s University in the borough of Queens, New York. Sisterhood, Society, and Remembrance are cornerstones of the organization. The founders are Tejal Kundaiker, Payal (Suchdev) Walsh, Rinku (Suchdeva) Thomas, Priya Sahani Sood,. Vandana Kakwani-Pathak, Sonia (Sharma) Wadhwa, Dr. Nisha (Rana) Diler, Minna John, Dr. Lovleen (Kandhari) Sharma, and Mrs. Eshna (Firoz) Kalam.
In addition to the five founded on December 10, there are four Greek-letter organizations which were founded on October 10. These organizations are Alpha Phi (1872, Syracuse University), Delta Tau Delta (1858, Bethany College), Alpha Gamma Rho (1904, Ohio State University), and Tau Epsilon Phi (1910, Columbia University).
The tenth day of three other months also celebrate the founding of a GLO. Theta Chi was founded on April 10, 1856 at Norwich University. Alpha Pi Sigma, a Latina based sorority, was founded on March 10, 1990 at San Diego State University. Tau Kappa Epsilon was founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University.
© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2013. All Rights Reserved.
