OUR FRATERNAL HERITAGE

Founder Alexander Frank Makay	Founder Harold Valentine Jacobs
Founder Henry Albert Tienken	Founder Alfred Moysello

It was in the autumn of 1906 that the history of Delta Sigma Pi began. Lifewas much different then as there were only 46 states and the major method oftransportation was by train. The airplane was flown for the first time only afew years earlier. The automobile was still a "toy" for thewell-to-do; there were no talking movies; radio was very new and most homes werewithout a telephone. It was a time after what is termed the IndustrialRevolution and before the times of world wars, the Great Depression and the Ageof Consumerism.

In the academic world at that time, the formation of schools of business wasrelatively new. There were only a handful of such schools in the United Statesin 1906 and one such school, known as the School of Commerce, Accounts, andFinance existed at New York University. There were approximately 300 students inattendance at this school at that time, including 70 freshmen representing theClass of 1909. Four members of that Class of 1909, previously unknown to eachother, soon were to start an association that would become what is known todayas the International Fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi.

These four young men met in their classes and were drawn closer together asthey shared the same subway route on their way home every evening. Occasionally,other classmates came along, but the four were regularly together and it wasthis time together that gave them the opportunity to get to know one another, tobecome friends, and to discuss topics of mutual interest.

One such topic was school affairs, and the domination of one organization oncampus. In the opinion of these four men, the overwhelming majority of studentsat New York University were ignored by this organization and, as a result,restricted from membership. These four, Alexander F. Makay, Alfred Moysello, H.Albert Tienken, and Harold V. Jacobs, decided they should do something for thebenefit of the student body at large. They decided to form a club that would beopen to all business students.

During that first year in school these four young men were occasionallyaccompanied by a fifth student who, in the spring of 1907, dropped from thegroup to accept the pledge of the only fraternity in the School of Commerce,Accounts, and Finance. It was at this time, and perhaps because of thisincident, that they felt there was a need for two fraternities in the school,and they approached their fellow students this time with the idea of joining afraternity. The response to their idea was very positive and, somewhat to theirdismay, they found students who wanted to be initiated immediately into theproposed fraternity which was not yet organized.

Makay and Jacobs had been members of high school fraternities so they wereassigned the duty of drafting a Constitution, Bylaws, and a Ritual. TheConstitution was finally drafted and adopted in the fall of 1907, yet theselection of a name for the Fraternity was not completed. Nevertheless, thesefour men proceeded with the next major order of business which was the electionof officers. Makay was elected the first president, and Jacobs and Moysello wereelected treasurer and secretary, respectively. They first approached their Classof 1909 classmates and, in short order, initiated several new members. Theyimmediately began to recruit the Class of 1910 from which they initiated severalmore members.

The year of 1908 was notable for the establishment of many aspects of theFraternity which are still in existence today. While the Constitution and Ritualhad already been approved, there was still no badge or "pin" as it wascalled at that time. In addition, the Fraternity still lacked a name. The nameof the organization had a high priority and the four founders agreed upon thethree words that best expressed the meaning of their Fraternity and had a friendof Moysello translate them into Greek with the resulting designation: DeltaSigma Pi. On April 2, 1908, the name Delta Sigma Pi was adopted by themembership and the bylaws were also approved at this meeting. The design of thebadge was approved shortly thereafter.

On April 29, 1908, at the third official meeting of the Fraternity, thereport of the committee appointed to suggest Fraternity colors was heard.Following the report, a motion to adopt the colors violet and gold was made;however, the motion died for lack of a second. A subsequent motion was made toadopt the colors purple and gold as the official colors of Delta Sigma Pi and atthat third meeting of the Fraternity, the colors which we know today wereadopted.

In 1909 the Founders graduated, but the Fraternity was being guided andnurtured by other dedicated officers and members. As the membership continued toexpand, so did the activities. A Fraternity publication made its firstappearance in 1911, but was mainly an internal newsletter. The name of thatpublication was simply DELTASIG. By 1912, the name had been changed to THEDELTASIG and was being published in a much more professional manner. Laterthe name of the official publication of the Fraternity was established as TheDELTASIG.

Also established in 1912 was the Delta Sigma Pi Scholarship Key. This awardwas developed to recognize the outstanding male senior in the Business schooland, eventually, was allowed to be presented in every business school where achapter of Delta Sigma Pi was active. Many of the early keys presentednationwide were won by members of Delta Sigma Pi; however, the Delta Sigma PiScholarship Key was at that time and continues today to be awarded to the mostoutstanding male or female senior in the School of Business where a chapter ofthe Fraternity is active.

In these early years, the Founders and their fellow Brothers realizedsignificant progress and set the foundation for an organization that has touchedthe lives of over 175,000 students of business.

The choice of the Northwestern School of Commerce for the second chapter ofDelta Sigma Pi marked the beginning of the nationalization of the Fraternity.Existing as a national fraternity was completely new to both Alpha and BetaChapter members and difficulties in communication were compounded by the factthat the two chapters were hundreds of miles apart.

Prior to the chartering of Beta Chapter, a meeting was held by the New Yorkmembers of Delta Sigma Pi in January of 1914 to form the national organization.This meeting was referred to as the Organizational Meeting and pertained tonational administrative matters. In addition, the first national officers wereelected, Walter N. Dean was elected president and Henry C. Cox was electedsecretary-treasurer. This meeting was called the Congress of Chapters, an eventwhich is known today as the Grand Chapter Congress. At this Congress ofChapters, two undergraduate chapters were represented; however, a group ofalumni was also present. At this early date, Delta Sigma Pi had an alumniorganization which was called a "graduate chapter," but by 1917 thisname was changed to an alumni chapter, a term the Fraternity used until about1920 when the alumni chapters were called "alumni clubs." Thedesignation "alumni chapter" was reinstated in 1982.

On January 29, 1915, the Executive Committee of Delta Sigma Pi met in NewYork to hear a report on numerous expansion possibilities. It was decided atthat meeting to pursue the installation of a chapter at Boston University and toestablish initial contact with many other business schools across the country.Of even greater significance at this meeting was the approval of a Statement ofPurpose for the Fraternity which was added to the Constitution as a Preamble. Itwas the desire of the individuals at this meeting to clearly state that DeltaSigma Pi was to be a professional fraternity for men.

The Preamble, adopted at that meeting in 1915, read as follows:

A fraternity organized to foster the study of business in universities; toencourage scholarship and the association of students for their mutualadvancement by research and practice; to promote closer affiliation between thecommercial world and students of commerce, and to further a higher standard ofcommercial ethics and culture and the civic and commercial welfare of thecommunity.

It was not until the 1947 Grand Chapter Congress in Minneapolis that thePreamble was changed to include the words "social activity."

The second Congress of Chapters was held at the Hotel LaSalle in Chicago inAugust of 1915. Representatives from the newly installed Gamma Chapter at BostonUniversity participated in the third Congress of Chapters held in New York inAugust of 1916.

As was the general practice at previous Congresses, much of the agenda of thefourth Congress of Chapters held September 1917 in Boston was devoted to chapterreports, to expansion prospects, and to uniformity in chapter operation. It wasat this meeting that H. G. "Gig" Wright made his first impact on thenational Fraternity as the delegate from Beta Chapter. His influence on thenational level began at this meeting and was to continue for many years into thefuture.

The war being waged in Europe eventually involved the United States andbecame known as World War I. As the United States went to war, many collegecampuses were drained of students and, as a result, most national and chapteractivities came to a standstill. Further growth of the Fraternity both in thenumber of chapters and in the number of members became dormant.

The post-war convention was held on February 10, 1920, at New York City andthe national officers were anxious to resume the many projects, especiallyexpansion of the Fraternity, that had been deferred due to the war. At thisfifth Congress of Chapters, which was referred to as the "FoundersMeeting" because all four Founders of the Fraternity were present, thethree undergraduate chapters were not fully active and the New York AlumniChapter had been reactivated during the previous month.

The year 1921 was indeed an outstanding one for the Fraternity. Although aCongress of Chapters was not held during this year, a special meeting of theBoard of Directors was held in New York on May 14. It was at this meeting thatthe red rose was adopted as the official flower of the Fraternity and theofficial pledge button, later called the pledge pin (which was approved inprinciple at the 1917 Congress of Chapters), was finally designed and approved.In addition, there was some question concerning the date of the actual foundingof the Fraternity, and Founder Alexander Makay, who was present at this meeting,informed the group that "Bert Tienken, Al Moysello, Harold Jacobs and Ifounded the Fraternity at New York University in 1907, the exact date beingNovember 7 of that year."

In these early years the Fraternity was growing and the chapters were dividedinto provinces and districts for easier administration. Also in the early 1920s,discussion concerning the establishment of a National AdministrativeHeadquarters and staff for the Fraternity commenced.

It was also during the early years of the 1920s that the Fraternity began anunprecedented level of expansion. Seven chapters were installed during 1921 andeight in 1922. By the mid 1920s, over 3,000 students of business had beeninitiated by Delta Sigma Pi and the roll of chapters was approaching 40.

With the election at the 1924 Congress of Chapters, Gig Wright left theoffice of National President after serving two terms. He was immediatelyappointed Secretary-Treasurer of the Fraternity and during that year establishedthe Central Office of Delta Sigma Pi as the administrative headquarters of theFraternity. The original Central Office was established at 222 West Adams Streetin Chicago.

With a greatly expanded chapter roll, the Eighth Congress of Chapters in 1926again set a record of having the largest attendance of any congress held up tothat time. The official registration totaled 167.

It was during the year of 1926 that the first Biennial Survey ofUniversities Offering an Organized Curriculum in Commerce and BusinessAdministration was published. This survey, prepared by the InternationalFraternity of Delta Sigma Pi, was widely used by various departments of theUnited States Government, major corporations across the United States, highschool guidance counselors, and individual students. The Biennial Survey wasproduced until the mid 1990s when more comprehensive reference sources hadbecome available commercially. It was also during this year that the "Roseof Deltasig," which was named for Rose Jacobs, the wife of founder HaroldV. Jacobs, was adopted as the official song of the Fraternity.

In 1928, the Professional Interfraternity Conference was organized with DeltaSigma Pi as one of the charter members. The organization flourishes today as theProfessional Fraternity Association, of which Delta Sigma Pi is a chartermember.

In 1931, the Great Depression was being felt nationwide. For the next fewyears, the individual chapters and the international organization as a wholewere struggling to survive. Eight new chapters were installed during thedepression years.

1932 was known as the Silver Anniversary of the Fraternity in recognition ofthe 25th anniversary of its founding. Founded during a depression, Delta SigmaPi would celebrate its Silver Anniversary during another depression year.Despite the state of the economy, the spirit of the celebration was not dampenedas 37 banquets celebrating the 25th anniversary were held across the country,attended by some 25 percent of the total membership initiated since 1907. Bythat time, the Fraternity had grown to some 55 chapters, 10 alumni chapters, anda total membership of over 8,700.

By 1937, 60 chapters had been installed. Although the depression was to endsoon, this did not signal an end to the difficult times that had beenconfronting the Fraternity for most of the 1930s. World War II began in 1939. Itwas not long before the United States was involved in this worldwide conflictand the Fraternity, like most organizations, came to a virtual standstill. Everyproject within the country was geared toward the war effort and during theperiod between 1937 and 1946, only four chapters were installed by Delta SigmaPi.

During the war years, chapters were active in many cases in name only as manychapter members found themselves in the Armed Forces. The DELTASIGmagazine became little more than a roster of Deltasigs who were serving the wareffort both at home and overseas. Deltasigs were scattered throughout the worldand the memories of Delta Sigma Pi and the receipt of The DELTASIG,wherever possible, provided comfort to these Brothers as they proudly servedtheir country.

It was during this time in its history that Delta Sigma Pi experiencedperhaps the greatest challenges. The combination of the Great Depressionfollowed by World War II had drained many chapters of members and financialstability. Having experienced a history of challenges which were turned intoopportunities, the leaders of the Fraternity were now faced with the biggestchallenges in nearly 40 years.

This period in the history of Delta Sigma Pi could indeed be viewed as thetime of the second founding of the Fraternity. A renewed spirit of Brotherhoodand fraternalism was evident, but it was not until the 17th Grand ChapterCongress that all chapter activities had been fully resumed. The Fraternity hadendured almost 10 years of depression followed by five years of war and muchtime had been lost.

Now with nearly 80 chapters and over 22,000 members, it was felt that if theFraternity was to continue expanding and providing the administrative servicesnecessary to serve the organization, a permanent national headquarters wouldhave to be established in the not-too-distant future. It was at the 1949 GrandChapter Congress that a fund was approved for the acquisition of a permanentnational headquarters and members were solicited for contributions.

By 1955, plans were nearly complete for the building of a nationalheadquarters building adjacent to the Miami University campus in Oxford, Ohio.It was also announced at the 20th Grand Chapter Congress held in Detroit in 1955that Henry Gilbert "Gig" Wright, who had served the Fraternity as itschief administrator in the form of Grand Secretary-Treasurer now ExecutiveDirector, for 31 years was retiring.

Also during the early 1950s, the Fraternity was once again expanding and bythe middle of that decade had reached a level of over 90 chapters, and totalmembership initiated since 1907 had surpassed the 30,000 mark. There were alumnichapters established in most of the major cities in the United States.

Upon the retirement of H. G. Wright in 1955, Assistant GrandSecretary-Treasurer James D. Thomson was promoted to the position of GrandSecretary-Treasurer. Jim Thomson, in conjunction with Past Grand PresidentsAlien Fowler and Robert Busse and Grand President J. Harry Feltham, was heavilyinvolved in the development of the plans for the establishment of the CentralOffice in Oxford. Construction began in late 1955, and by the fall of 1956,Grand Secretary Thomson had moved the Central Office operation from Chicago tothe permanent headquarters building in Oxford. On May 18, 1957, with GrandPresident J. Harry Feltham presiding, the permanent Central Office of theInternational Fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi was formally dedicated (at 330 SouthCampus Avenue in Oxford, Ohio) to Gig Wright for his many decades of service tothe Fraternity.

H.G. "Gig" Wright, longtime Grand Secretary-Treasurer, established the Central Office in 1924.	James D. Thomson followed in Gig Wright's shoes as the second Executive Director.

 

Delta Sigma Pi had been founded during a depression; it had celebrated its25th anniversary during another depression; and now, in 1957, it would celebrateits 50th anniversary during a recession. Since 1957 was also the year of a GrandChapter Congress, the Fraternity celebrated the anniversary in conjunction withthe 21st Grand Chapter Congress in New York City. Grand President Homer T.Brewer presided over this event and the only living Founder at that time, HaroldV. Jacobs, was present to join in the celebration of the Golden Anniversary ofDelta Sigma Pi.

By 1964, Delta Sigma Pi had grown to a Fraternity with more than 130 chaptersand the membership had grown beyond the 50,000 member level. By the mid-1960s,the indebtedness on the original Central Office building had been paid. TheFraternity was continuing its growth and the building was no longer large enoughto house the staff needed to run ever expanding Delta Sigma Pi. Under theguidance of Executive Director Charles Farrar and Grand President M. John Marko,two wings were added (completed in 1970) which virtually doubled the size of theoriginal building.

In 1965, the Grand Council, today known as the Board of Directors, approved aspecial certificate to be awarded to members of the Fraternity with 50 or moreyears of service to Delta Sigma Pi. It was called the Order of the Golden Helmetand Founder Harold V. Jacobs received the first such award. In the late 1960s,and the first few years of the 1970s, growth continued for Delta Sigma Pi. Bythe end of 1970, membership had exceeded the 70,000 level and 172 chapters hadbeen established. It was during this time that the Undergraduate of the YearProgram was established to recognize the outstanding undergraduate member of theFraternity. Now called "Collegian of the Year" and awarded regionally,the national winner serves on the Fraternity's Board of Directors.

While most of the 1950s and 1960s were considered relatively calm years forthe Fraternity, the 1970s were very different. There were three major issuesthat confronted Delta Sigma Pi in the decade. First was the Vietnam War. As thewar intensified during the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon years, college campuseswere thrown into turmoil. Fraternities were often viewed as the"establishment" and this, combined with the social upheaval in campuslife brought on by the war, caused a noticeable decline in undergraduatemembership.

With social change came the implementation of Title IX of the HigherEducation Act and with it a ruling that college professional fraternities,sororities, and organizations were discriminating by having single-sexmembership requirements. Also facing the Fraternity as challenges during the1970s were rampant inflation and the faltering economy.

Perhaps the most significant issue within Delta Sigma Pi during the early1970s however, was the question of coeducational membership. At the 29th GrandChapter Congress in 1973, a constitutional amendment to open the membership ofthe Fraternity to women was defeated. At the next Grand Chapter Congress in1975, the Grand Chapter directed the Board of Directors to evoke emergencypowers as provided in the Constitution and Bylaws to act on the coeducationalquestion as required. The Board of Directors authorized the chapters toimmediately initiate qualified female business students on November 7, 1975. Itwas not until 1977 in Toronto that the ratification of coeducational membershipin the Fraternity was passed by the Grand Chapter Congress.

During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, inflation was being brought undercontrol and growth of the Fraternity membership once again began to rival thatof the post-war years. In 1979, a milestone of significance was reached with theinitiation of the 100,000th member.

During late 1981, yet another milestone was reached as the 200th chapter ofthe Fraternity was installed at Southwest Missouri State University inSpringfield. The Diamond Anniversary year of the Fraternity was in 1982,culminating with recognitions and celebrations conducted at all of the RegionalConferences and a Fraternity-wide weekend celebration held in Cincinnati andOxford with over 350 in attendance.

The 1980s were a period of steady growth in membership and the number ofcollegiate chapters. It was during this period that Delta Sigma Pi expanded intothe state of Hawaii with the installation at the University of Hawaii at Hilo in1989.

Also during the 1980s, the Fraternity experienced an unprecedented increasein the number of training and leadership conferences offered to members and inlevels of participation. Additionally, the structure of the Grand ChapterCongress underwent significant changes to better serve the needs of themembership. Participation more than doubled. Record attendance occurred in NewOrleans in 1987 with nearly 900 Brothers. The 1997 Congress, again in NewOrleans, established a new record with nearly 1,100 attending.

As far back as 1945, Delta Sigma Pi began to give consideration to forming acharitable foundation to support its educational and scholastic endeavors. Inresponse to increasing needs, the Fraternity formed the Delta Sigma PiEducational Foundation. Today, the Delta Sigma Pi Leadership Foundation, havingmerged with the Educational Foundation in 1993, continues the strong traditionof supporting our Fraternity and its members. During the 1990s, the Delta SigmaPi Leadership Foundation became a key factor in the future of our Fraternitythrough its support of many new and important educational programs.

The three main areas of program support of the Leadership Foundation are:scholarships for academic achievement, leadership development and training, andpersonal and professional improvement.

Through these three program areas, the Leadership Foundation is able toprovide direct financial assistance to Delta Sigma Pi and its members. TheFoundation is recognized by the federal government as a charitable andeducational corporation and contributions are deductible for estate and incometax purposes. All Brothers are encouraged to consider supporting the LeadershipFoundation and its mission through regular contributions.

The 1990s also inspired further refinement of the educational programs of theFraternity. The Officer Training School (or OTIS, as it is commonly known) wasestablished to provide a more uniform and concentrated means of educatingcollegiate chapter Brothers. The Fraternity also introduced National OfficerWorkshops and the Summer Leadership Academy during the 1990s. The ChapterEfficiency Index, first developed in 1931, underwent an extensive modernizationin 1997, resulting in a more vital 16th edition. Additionally, two newFraternity wide awards, the Delta Sigma Pi Lifetime Achievement Award and theDelta Sigma Pi Career Achievement Award were established. They replaced theDeltasig of the Year award established in 1952. Comprehensive policies andeducational programs in the areas of risk management and nondiscrimination werealso developed and instituted Fraternity-wide.

More membership milestones were passed in late 1991 with the initiation ofthe 150,000th member and in 1997 with number 175,000. As Delta Sigma Piapproaches the new millennium, 171 of 243 installed chapters are active oncollege campuses. Over 50 alumni chapters across the country function at somelevel of social and professional interaction. It is unmistakable that DeltaSigma Pi and its members have enjoyed great success. The heritage of these past90 years is rich and a source of great pride. It challenges all Brothers to makethe next century an even greater success!