Phi Mu Delta
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2007) |
| Phi Mu Delta | |
|---|---|
| ΦMΔ | |
 | |
| Founded | March 1, 1918 University of Connecticut, University of New Hampshire, University of Vermont |
| Type | Social |
| Scope | National |
| Colors | Princeton orange, white, black |
| Philanthropy | St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital |
| Chapters | 14 active chapters, 5 colonies |
| Founding principles | Democracy, Service, Brotherhood |
| Headquarters | 216 Haddon Ave., Suite 602 Westmont, New Jersey USA |
| Website | www |
Phi Mu Delta (ΦΜΔ) is a small, national fraternity founded on March 1, 1918 at the Universities of Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The fraternity is focused on the ideals of democracy, service, and brotherhood.
History
Phi Mu Delta was originally derived from the National Federation of Commons Clubs (NFCC), which was formed at Wesleyan University in 1899. Clarence Dexter Pierce, one of the fraternity's founders, petitioned the NFCC to form a Greek letter fraternity at the 1918 NFCC meeting. Four colleges initially agreed to join the organization, the University of Vermont, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Connecticut and Union College. Union College's Commons Club members later decided against joining, so there were only three founding chapters.[1]
The fraternity expanded slowly during the 1920s, merging or expanding to seven additional chapters by 1930. Expansion was slowed during the great depression. Phi Mu Delta merged with another fraternity, Delta Alpha Pi, gaining three chapters, all of which closed shortly afterward. In 1936 one of the founding chapters, the University of Vermont, also closed. By the end of World War II, the Connecticut chapter had also closed.[1]
After the war, the fraternity expanded more rapidly, coinciding with a general increase in fraternity enrollment. This trend petered out by the late 1960s, and by the late 1970s the organization was making plans to shut down. A reorganization effort centered on the State College, Pennsylvania chapter, stabilized the fraternity, and prompted a resurgence in growth. It was at this time that the University of Vermont was recolonized. In the early 1980s, the organization rewrote its constitution. During the 1980s, the fraternity only gained one chapter (California University of Pennsylvania).[1]
Since then the fraternity has expanded steadily. In 2006, the fraternity established an Executive Director position. In 2015 the National Office was moved to Westmont, New Jersey.[1]
Chapters
Notable members
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- Roger Blough (1904 – 1985) – Chairman of US Steel Corporation
- Bill Gardner (b. 1948) – Secretary of State, New Hampshire
- Dan Gwadosky (1954 – 2011) – former Secretary of State, Maine; Speaker of the House of Representatives
- Theodore H. Kattouf (b. 1946) – former US Ambassador to United Arab Emirates and Syria
- Chuck Mather (1915 – 2006) – former football coach for the University of Kansas
- Dick Muri (b. 1953) – Pierce County, Washington council member; former US Congressional candidate
- John Rigas (b. 1924) – former CEO of Adelphia Communications Corporation; former majority franchise owner of the Buffalo Sabres (NHL); convicted of fraud
- Robert Rounseville (1914 – 1974) – tenor on Broadway and in opera
- George Wiley (1931 – 1973) – civil rights leader; chemist
- Harrison Richardson (1930 - 2009) - American lawyer and politician from Maine
- Jim Hazlett (1926 - 2010) - American sports figure who was head football and baseball head coach for several universities in the northeastern United States
- Frank Burrill (1906 - 2001) - Archbishop of Chicago for the Episcopal Church
References
- ^ a b c d "A Brief History of Phi Mu Delta". Phi Mu Delta. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- The Oracle, published by the national fraternity of Phi Mu Delta, revised August 2007