# Delta Phi Delta

Delta Phi Delta National Art Honor Society (ΔΦΔ) was an American collegiate art honorary society. Delta Phi Delta was a member of the Association of College Honor Societies. The national society is defunct, with one former chapter operating as a local organization.

## History

The society was originally organized as the Palette Club on January 10, 1909, in Old Snow Hall at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. Its founders included fourteen girls and one male student who were students in the fine arts department. It began publishing its magazine, Palette, in 1911. By March 1912, the Palette Club had initiated twenty members and two faculty members.
On March 19, 1912, members of the Palette Club discussed becoming a national Greek letter society. This plan received support from the university's chancellor and regents. two colleges had also expressed an interest in joining such a group. The Palette Club was renamed Delta Phi Delta at a Des Moines, Iowa conference on May 28, 1912.
Its charter members were:
* Emly Annadown
* Wilma Arnett
* Arta Briggs
* Lo Alma Brown
* Edith Cooper
* Myrtle Ellsworth
* Neva Foster
* Mae Jordan
* Lucile Krieder
* Lida LeSuer
* Irene Russell
* Nettie Smith
* Addie Underwood
Neva Foster Gribble was the sorority's first national chair and wrote its ceremonies, constitution, and bylaws. Delta Phi Delta was the first honorary art society.
The purpose of Delta Phi Delta was to encourage scholarship, promote art in the United States, and recognize accomplishment in the arts. Chapters were located at four-year colleges that granted degrees in the arts. The Beta chapter was established at the University of Montana in 1918, followed by Gamma at the University of Minnesota in 1919, and Delta at Bethany College in 1920.
The sorority held its first national convention at the University of Kansas from June 3 to 5, 1920. The cost of the convention was supplemented by a member's art sale in December 1919. Mrs. W. H. Humble, president of the Alpha chapter alumnae association, was elected the sorority's first grand president. At its second national convention, the sorority agreed to admit men and women. The following year, around one-third of its members were males. Later, it was called the Delta Phi Delta National Art Honor Society.
Delta Phi Delta joined the American Federation of Arts and the Association of College Honor Societies. It had 41 chapters in attendance at its June 1956 convention. By 1964, it had initiated 13,450 members.
Delta Phi Delta went dormant in the late 20th century, with the chapters at Texas Women's University and Purdue University continuing to operate as local fraternities. In 2024, Texas Women's College disbanded what was still called Delta Phi Delta, forming the local group SpaceCraft. The only surviving chapter of Delta Phi Delta is at Purdue and calls itself the Delta Phi Delta Fine Arts Club.

## Symbols

The Delta Phi Delta badge was a gold artist's pallet with three paint brushes crossed to the rear with raised Greek letters ΔΦΔ across the front, encircled by crown-set pearls. It originated as the pin of the Palette Club. The society's key was similar to its badge. There was a different key for laureate members.
Delta Phi Delta's coat of arms included a shield of argent with a sable border. Above the shield is a crest consisting of an artist's palette with three brushes on top of a radiant star. Below the shield is a scroll with the motto Δέλτα Φτ Δέλτα in Greek.
Delta Phi Delta's colors were originally red and bright blue; in 1936 they were listed as gold and old rose. Its flower was the sweet pea. Its jewel was the pearl. Its publication was Palette, continuing the name from the Palette Club. "The Delta Phi Delta Song" was written by Frances Jones.

## Activities

Delta Phi Delta offered scholarships for its members. One of its awards was the Ruth Raymond Scholarship to the Little Artists Colony in Stillwater, Minnesota. In the 1920s, the it developed an annual National Traveling Exhibit of Delta Psi Delta. The first traveling exhibit was developed in the fall of 1920 and featured work from members of all five chapters. The society also held a juried art show for its student members at its national convention.
The chapters sponsored demonstrations and talks about architecture, arts, and related subjects. Chapters also provided space for art students to be creative outside of the classroom and encourage experimentation with new mediums or methods. In addition, chapters hosted annual art exhibits featuring the work of members. Another chapter activity was an annual costume ball, themed to eras in art history.
Chapters also sponsored fairs, auctions, and sales where their current members and alumni sold their art. A 1973 ad for the annual art sale at the Texas Women's University listed a wide range of art forms for sale, including drawings, macramé, paintings, photographs, pottery, prints, sculpture, silk screens, water colors, and weavings. In some cases, the art sales were open to any student, with a small commission fee raising funds that allowed the chapter to sponsor guest speakers and other programs.

## Membership

Delta Phi Delta's members were selected by faculty based on overall grade point average and artistic ability. Members were juniors and seniors studying fine arts, who placed in the upper 35 percent of their class. In addition, members were required to have a B average or 3.0 GPA. Initially, membership was open only to female students. However, it opened for male members after the 1922 national convention.

## Governance

Delta Phi Delta was overseen by a grand council elected at its annual national convention. Its officers included a grand president, grand secretary, grand treasurer, and grand corresponding secretary.

## Chapters

Following is a list of known Delta Phi Delta chapters. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are in italics.
| Chapter | Chartered date and range | Institution | Location | Status |
| Alpha | May 28, 1912 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, Kansas | Inactive |
| Beta | 1918–October 1928 | University of Montana | Missoula, Montana | Inactive |
| Gamma | December 1919–after 1973 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Inactive |
| Delta | March 4, 1920 – 192x ?; February 4, 1927 | Bethany College | Lindsborg, Kansas | Inactive |
| Epsilon | May 28, 1920 | Washburn University | Topeka, Kansas | Inactive |
| Zeta | 1921 | Art Institute of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | Inactive |
| Eta | May 21, 1921 – 19xx ? | University of Wisconsin–Madison | Madison, Wisconsin | Inactive |
| Theta | May 1922 | Ohio Wesleyan University | Delaware, Ohio | Inactive |
| Iota | 1922 | Ohio University | Athens, Ohio | Inactive |
| Kappa | December 2, 1922 – 1960 | University of North Dakota | Grand Forks, North Dakota | Inactive |
| Lambda | December 5, 1922 | Drake University | Des Moines, Iowa | Inactive |
| Mu | November 1924 | University of Missouri | Columbia, Missouri | Inactive |
| Nu | May 27, 1926 – 19xx ? | James Millikin University | Decatur, Illinois | Inactive |
| Xi | April 16, 1927 | Santa Barbara State Teacher's College | Santa Barbara, California | Inactive |
| Omicron | 1928 | Iowa State University | Ames, Iowa | Inactive |
| Pi | 1929–19xx ? | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, California | Inactive |
| Rho | 1930 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, Colorado | Inactive |
| Sigma | 1930 | Washington State University | Pullman, Washington | Inactive |
| Tau | 1930 | Miami University | Oxford, Ohio | Inactive |
| Upsilon | February 23, 1931 – 19xx ? | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, California | Inactive |
| Phi | 1932–after 1973 | Montana State University | Bozeman, Montana | Inactive |
| Chi | 1932 | Edinboro State College | Edinboro, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| Psi | 1936 | University of Nebraska–Lincoln | Lincoln, Nebraska | Inactive |
| Omega | May 20, 1936 | University of Oklahoma | Norman, Oklahoma | Inactive |
| Alpha Alpha | May 23, 1936 – 19xx ? | University of New Mexico | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Inactive |
| Alpha Beta | November 1938 | California College of the Arts and Crafts | Oakland, California | Inactive |
| Alpha Gamma | July 30, 1938 | University of Northern Colorado | Greeley, Colorado | Inactive |
| Alpha Delta | 1939 | Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio | Inactive |
| Alpha Epsilon | March 18, 1940 – c. 2024 | Texas Woman's University | Denton, Texas | Inactive |
| Alpha Zeta | May 25, 1941 | University of Cincinnati | Cincinnati, Ohio | Inactive |
| Alpha Eta | February 1944 | Ball State University | Muncie, Indiana | Inactive |
| Alpha Theta | May 16, 1945 – after 1973 | Southwest Missouri State University | Springfield, Missouri | Inactive |
| Alpha Iota | | | | |
| Alpha Kappa | 1946 | San Jose State University | San Jose, California | Inactive |
| Alpha Lambda | March 30, 1946 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania | Indiana, Pennsylvania | Inactive |
| Alpha Mu | January 1948 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, Michigan | Inactive |
| Alpha Nu | June 21, 1948 | Illinois Wesleyan University | Bloomington, Illinois | Inactive |
| Alpha Xi | November 20, 1948 – after 1974 | Bowling Green State University | Bowling Green, Ohio | Inactive |
| Alpha Omicron | June 1949 | University of Puget Sound | Tacoma, Washington | Inactive |
| Alpha Pi | July 1951 | Bradley University | Peoria, Illinois | Inactive |
| Alpha Rho | 1952–after 1972 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, Kansas | Inactive |
| Alpha Sigma | 1956 | Mount Mary College | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Inactive |
| Alpha Tau | 1959 | College of Saint Mary | Omaha, Nebraska | Inactive |
| Alpha Upsilon | May 1960 | Purdue University | West Lafayette, Indiana | Active (local) |
| Alpha Phi | May 14, 1960 – after April 1976 | East Carolina University | Greenville, North Carolina | Inactive |
| Alpha Chi | 1964–after May 1982 | College of St. Catherine | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Inactive |
| Alpha Psi | 1964 | Northern State University | Aberdeen, South Dakota | Inactive |
| Alpha Omega ? | May 21, 1964 | University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point | Stevens Point, Wisconsin | Inactive |
| Beta Alpha | May 25, 1964 – after 1978 | South Dakota State University | Brookings, South Dakota | Inactive |
| Delta Gamma | | Northern Illinois University | DeKalb, Illinois | Inactive |
* ↑ The chapter was originally formed as the local group Palette Club on January 10, 1909. When it became the Alpha chapter, it was also called the Griffith chapter in honor of William A. Griffith, a professor of the fine arts school.
* ↑ The chapter's charter was withdrawn due to a lack of art majors.
* ↑ The chapter was also known as the Sandzen chapter. It went inactive shortly after being established, sometime before the publication of the 1923 edition of Baird's. It was reinstated in 1927.
* ↑ Chapter was formed from the local group, Arts and Crafts Club, established to become a chapter of Delta Phi Delta.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chapter was inactive before 1962.
* ↑ Chapter formed from the preexisting Sketchers' Club (local).
* ↑ Chapter formed from the Drake Art Club, established in 1919.
* ↑ The chapter formed from the Milikin Art Guild, a local student organization.
* ↑ The chapter formed from Phi Chi Alpha, a local fraternity established in 1925.
* ↑ Chapter was dormant before the formation of the USC chapter in 1931.
* ↑ Chapter formed from Tau Sigma, a local honor fraternity
* ↑ Chapter formed from Do Chown, a local organization of junior and senior art students.
* ↑ The chapter formed as the Delta Phi Art Honor Society, a local group established in 1936.
* ↑ This chapter continued to exist as a local organization after the national society became defunct. The local chapter, called Delta Phi Delta, disbanded and reformed as SpaceCraft in 2024, according to its faculty advisor.
* ↑ Chapter formed from Sigma Kappa Tau, a local honorary society for applied arts.
* ↑ Chapter formed from Delta Phi, a local honor fraternity established in November 1944.
* ↑ Chapter formed from the BGSU University Art Club.
* ↑ The chapter formed from Alpha Rho Tau, a local art fraternity.
* ↑ This chapter continues to operate as the independent Delta Phi Delta Fine Arts Club.
* ↑ Chapter formed from the Student Art League, a local organization established in 1963.

## Notable members

* Anna P. Baker (Zeta), visual artist
* Olga Ross Hannon (Beta), artist, head of applied art at Montana State College, and president of Delta Phi Delta
* Clyde Kenneth Harris (Omega), interior decorator who served as a "Monuments Men" during World War II
* Rosekrans Hoffman (Psi), children's book illustrator and painter
* Harold G. Nelson (Beta, 1969), architect
* Doris Baldwin Mohs (Eta), architect and chapter founder
* Rodney Thoburn Robinson (Upsilon), architect
* Roland Gommel Roessner (Alpha Zeta), architect and chairman of the department of design at the University of Texas at Austin
* Coreen Mary Spellman (Alpha Epsilon) printmaker, painter, and teacher
* Rene Stuedemann (Omicron), Miss Iowa and National Baton Twirling Association junior and senior national twirling champion
* Charles Turzak (Zeta), artist, known primarily for his modernist woodblock prints
* Muriel Sibell Wolle (Alpha Epsilon), artist

### Laureate members

Delta Phi Delta honored the following well-known artists with laureate memberships.
* Wayman Adams
* Buckminster Fuller
* Bruce Goff
* William Alexander Griffith
* Ernest Bruce Haswell
* Oscar B. Jacobson
* Raymond Johnson
* Jon Mangus Jonson
* Dwight Kirsch
* Abraham Rattner
* Ruth Raymond
* Boardman Robinson
* John Rood
* Birger Sandzen (Delta)
* Eugene Francis Savage
* Lorado Taft
* Levon West
* Francis Whittemore
* Muriel Sibell Wolle
* Grant Wood