"Over
one hundred and seventy-five years ago, on a crisp November evening,
nine young men huddled closely against the evening chill underneath
the old Scotia Bridge..."
On that night in 1827, our founders contemplated and laid the foundation
for the of The Delta Phi Fraternity. When those nine men reconvened
in North College Hall at Union College on the seventeenth of that November,
they consecrated an organization based on study, friendship and lifelong
bonds that has lasted to this day.
The Delta Phi, along with Kappa Alpha Society and Sigma Phi Society,
comprise the hallowed Union Triad - the first three social college fraternities.
From these three fraternities at Union College (regarded as the "Mother
of Fraternities") can be traced the extensive greek system seen on college
campuses today. Much as now, anti-fraternity sentiment was rampant in
the college administration. Adding to the challenges facing the nascent
fraternities was the authority of the man seeking their destruction,
Dr. Eliphalet Nott, president Union College and the most esteemed educator
of his day.
Under extreme duress, both Kappa Alpha and Sigma Phi removed their badges
and attempted underground existences. Because The Delta Phi refused
to disband and continued on in the open, it stakes its claim as the
oldest, continuous fraternity. The Delta Phi took up the defense of
the fraternity movement and it was a Delt, John Jay Hyde Alpha 1832
(Union 1834) who so convincingly argued the case of the fraternities
before the faculty that Dr. Nott, rescinded his proscription of fraternities,
allowing them to grow, flourish and expand to other campuses. In turn,
Nott's own son would join The Delta Phi during his college days.
John Jay Hyde was to make yet another
lasting contribution to his fraternity, the Badge of The Delta Phi,
pictured below. This design, worn by members of The Delta Phi continuously
since it's adoption in 1833, replaced the fraternity's first badge.
This badge, based on the Maltese Cross worn by the Knights of St. John
(later, the Knights Hospitalers and finally the Knights of Malta), has
many symbolic meanings to members of the fraternity. This design was
also to give birth to one of the most enduring traditions of The Delta
Phi, the use of the name St. Elmo in association with the fraternity.
The name St. Elmo has been in use by some chapters of the fraternity
for over 100 years (longer than many other nationals have existed).
The practice started at Omicron (Yale) who sought a distinctive
name for their home. Once again, hearkening back to the Knights
of Malta, who were mariners, the men of Omicron appropriated the
name of St. Elmo, the patron saint of mariners. The practice caught
on and at many campuses the names Delta Phi and St. Elmo have
become synonymous adding yet another layer of tradition to this
unique story. |
St.
Elmo Cup |
The Delta Phi has remained a small fraternity. Rather than engaging
in the wholesale expansion policies that have marked the operation of
other Greek letter fraternities, The Delta Phi chooses to establish
chapters only at the finest schools and usually with proximity to other
chapters. These schools include RPI, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, Yale,
and Brown, to name a few. It grants its chapters a substantial degree
of local autonomy - allowing them to develop their own traditions and
policies within the scope of a larger institution.
Members of The Delta Phi have come
from every walk of life; social and economic. Its members have reached
the pinnacles of business, politics, education and service. It is an
organization where names such as J.P. Morgan, Jr., John Jacob Astor
and James Roosevelt are but the start of a long and distinguished list.
