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THE PURPOSE OF DELTA DELTA DELTA shall be to establish a perpetual bond of friendship among its members, to develop a stronger and more womanly character, to broaden the moral and intellectual life, and to assist its members in every possible way IT SHALL ALSO BE THE PURPOSE OF DELTA DELTA DELTA to promote and develop mutually beneficial relationships between the Fraternity and the colleges and universities where the Fraternity has established chapters, to develop qualities of unselfish leadership among its members, and to encourage them to assume, with integrity and devotion to moral and democratic principles, the highest responsibilities of college women. MOTTO: "LET US STEADFASTLY LOVE ONE ANOTHER"
(Founders Sarah Ida Shaw and Eleanor Dorcas Pond ) FOUNDERS The inspirational force behind the founding of Tri Delta was Sarah Ida Shaw. Born in Missouri, Sally (her childhood name) moved to Boston at age six. There she was part of a large but close-knit family. A brilliant student, she was valedictorian of her class at the Girls' Latin School, and originally planned to attend Wellesley College. Her mother's serious illness coupled with her father's absence on business forced a change in plans and she enrolled in Boston University to which she commuted by horse-drawn car from her home in Roxbury. Sarah was one of the best students in the class of 1889 at Boston University, and her academic excellence was recognized by Phi Beta Kappa. All three of the women's societies (sororities) on campus had invited her to join, but she declined their invitations due to her family responsibilities and active personal life, as well as a preconceived notion that secret societies were foolish. However, she came to realize that a fraternity could fill a great need for young women living away from home and their network of family and friends. This realization led her to start a fraternity - but one which would be different from the type she had seen. After her graduation, Sarah taught classical languages and German until her marriage in 1896. She continued her involvement with Tri Delta, serving as Grand President from 1889-1893; Grand Commissioner of Education from 1893-1897; and Grand Historian from 1897-1900. She attended Conventions when possible and wrote articles for The Trident. In 1907, Ida Shaw Martin (she dropped Sarah after her marriage) published and successfully marketed the first of 11 editions of The Sorority Handbook. The book contained advice on the organization and operation of fraternities, and this began her 30-year career as a professional Greek consultant. Ida Shaw Martin maintained close contact with Tri Delta's leaders and her Fraternity until her death in 1940. Her vision and idealism never wavered. Tri Delta owes to her the beauty of the Rituals and the knowledge that commitment to an ideal greater than ourselves can bring a new dimension into our lives. She was elected to the Fraternity Hall of Fame in 1976. Eleanor Dorcas Pond was valedictorian of her high school class and was awarded a scholarship to Boston University. During her freshman year she commuted by train from her home in West Medway, Massachusetts, and in later years boarded closer to campus and commuted by horse-drawn car. Eleanor had no interest in joining the established societies. A person of high intellectual ability, she was also a fun-loving but practical young woman, a perfect complement to Sarah Ida Shaw's visionary personality. It was she who suggested the name be a triple letter, and she also influenced the development of the ritual, badge, emblems and Constitution. She served as Grand Vice President until the first Convention. After teaching Latin and science for four years, Eleanor entered Tufts Medical College in 1893 and graduated with a degree in medicine in 1896. Her marriage to Arthur Mann in July of 1896 was attended by many Tri Deltas who sang a Tri Delta song in place of the traditional wedding march. The Manns first moved to Chicago where he was an engineer and she practiced medicine, did post-graduate work and lectured at the Chicago Post Graduate School. She founded the Chicago Alliance (alumnae chapter) in 1897. This group is still in existence today. Mr. Mann's career took them all over the world, and after a year in Australia, they moved to Schenectady, New York. Here, for more than 20 years, Dr. Eleanor Dorcas Mann had a successful medical practice, specializing in obstetrics and diseases of children. She was active with the members of Beta Chapter (St. Lawrence), and became a charter member of the Syracuse Alliance. She attended the 1906 Convention in Syracuse, and her short speech describing her part in the founding of the Fraternity was a highlight of the banquet program. She died suddenly in 1924 at the age of 56 from a stroke.
HISTORY OF DELTA DELTA DELTA Although there were three women's groups represented at Boston University in 1888 (Kappa Kappa Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta and Alpha Phi), Sarah Ida Shaw saw a need for a group which would be different from the others. She said to her friend, Eleanor Dorcas Pond, "Let us found a society that shall be kind alike to all and think more of a girl's inner self and character than of her personal appearance." So the two young women began the work of creating a new national fraternity. Later Sarah wrote, "...The two enthusiastic friends were unaware of the fact that there was something stupendous about the task they had set hands, heads and hearts to accomplish. They were working for a principle, and it never occurred to them that there could be such a thing as failure. Earnestness of purpose,energy and enthusiasm had brought them both success in college and why should not these same qualities bring assurance of good fortune to the new venture." Not only did they found a fraternity, but at the same time they wrote the rituals and constitution, and designed the emblems. The choosing of the name was a joint decision. Eleanor suggested a triple letter and Sarah chose the letter and worked on the Greek mottos and passwords. Inspiration for these came from a variety of sources: Egyptian lore, Hindu mysticism, Greek and astronomy, reflecting the wide and various interests of Sarah Ida Shaw. Never before had a sorority been founded so completely and with such depth of meaning from the very beginning, and the actual day of founding is beautifully described in Sarah's words. "At last, all was finished on Tuesday...November 27, 1888, but there was one more meeting of the two friends on the following afternoon before they separated for the Thanksgiving recess, at the top of the college building in what was then the Philological Library. It was there that the two girls embraced each other and said 'Tri Delta is founded'...It is not strange that the hearts of these sponsors were full of emotion as together they went out of the college building, for each felt there were added reasons why her Thanksgiving should be a very happy one. When they came to the parting of the ways at the historic Boston Common, Miss Pond said, 'We can make the girls we initiate promise secrecy, but what shall hold us two?' So there in the shadow of the old Park Street Church, with a bright new moon and three brilliant stars nearby...the two faithful friends clasped hands and said, 'In the presence of these myriads of witnesses, I swear eternal loyalty and fealty to Delta Delta Delta.'
SYMBOLS OF DELTA DELTA DELTA
The pearl was chosen to symbolize the new member because it is the one jewel that grows, developing from a tiny nucleus into a thing of value and beauty.
The pine tree was selected to represent the collegiate members of Delta Delta Delta.
The colors of Delta
Delta Delta are
Silver,
Gold,
and Blue.
HISTORY OF DELTA RHO The Delta Rho chapter of Delta Delta Delta was founded at the University of Kentucky in 1923. It was the 70th chapter of Tri-Delta to be founded. Today Tri-Delta is one of the largest sororities on the University of Kentucky campus. We have girls in Student Government, Wildcat Danzers, Student Activities Board, as well as many other organizations.
Katie Couric
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maflei2@uky.edu with
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History and Facts
The
pansy
is symbolic of our alumnae and of the third step in the lifetime development of
Delta Delta Delta
members.
To
the ancient Greeks, the
dolphin
was a good omen symbolizing rebirth, friendship, and leadership. In Tri Delta,
the dolphin is symbolic of "clear skies and smooth sailing". 
The
flag was
adopted by the 1906 convention. The flag is rectangular with three vertical
bars, the first sea green with three white deltas, the second white with a green
pine tree and the third sea green with three white stars.
