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Kappa Delta
ΚΔ
FoundedOctober 23, 1897; 127 years ago (1897-10-23)
State Female Normal School (now Longwood University)
TypeSocial
AffiliationNPC
StatusActive
ScopeNational
Motto"Let us strive for that which is honorable, beautiful and highest"
Colors  Olive green   Pearl white
SymbolNautilus shell, Dagger
FlowerWhite rose
JewelDiamond, Emerald, Pearl
MascotTeddy bear
PublicationThe Angelos
PhilanthropyGirl Scouts of the USA, Prevent Child Abuse America, Orthopedic Research Awards,
Children's Hospital of Richmond Virginia
Chapters167 active collegiate
510 alumni chartered
Members274,000 lifetime
Headquarters3205 Players Lane
Memphis, Tennessee 38125
United States
Websitewww.kappadelta.org
The Kappa Delta house at Cornell University

Kappa Delta (ΚΔ, also known as KD or Kaydee) was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University), in Farmville, Virginia.

Kappa Delta is one of the "Farmville Four" [1] sororities founded at the university, which includes Alpha Sigma Alpha, Sigma Sigma Sigma and Zeta Tau Alpha. A clock tower at the university campus with a clock face representing each sorority is dedicated to the four. Each sorority in the "Farmville Four" is also a member of the National Panhellenic Conference which governs the 26 national social sororities.[2]

Kappa Delta has over 274,000 initiated members and 168 active collegiate chapters.[3] Kappa Delta also has more than 200 chartered alumnae chapters.[4] It is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.[5]

History

Kappa Delta was founded by four college students at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University), in Farmville, Virginia.[2] The Founders were:

  • Lenora Ashmore Blackiston
  • Mary Sommerville Sparks Hendrick
  • Julia Gardiner Tyler Wilson
  • Sara Turner White [3]

Blackiston first suggested forming a sorority. She went on to attend Randolph-Macon Woman's College.[6] At 23 years of age in 1897 Hendrick was the oldest founder and stayed at State Normal until 1902, longer than any of the other founders.[6] Wilson was the chief illustrator of the school's yearbook and designed the Kappa Delta badge.[7] White would frequently host Founders Day festivities at her home later in life.[6][5]

Philanthropies

Kappa Delta Sorority's official philanthropies are the Girl Scouts of the USA and Prevent Child Abuse America.

Kappa Delta's historical philanthropies are the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU and Orthopedic Research Awards.

Collegiate and alumnae chapters host confidence-building programs, educational events, campus tours and other activities with Girl Scouts in their communities. Sorority members serve as mentors and volunteers.

Sorority members host Shamrock events every year to raise money for Prevent Child Abuse America and local child abuse prevention efforts. To date, Kappa Delta has donated more than $23 million to prevent child abuse in the U.S.[8]

Symbols

The official symbols of ΚΔ are the nautilus shell and the dagger, while the mascots are the teddy bear and the katydid.[9] The official colors are olive green and pearl white.[9] The official flower is the white rose.[9] ΚΔ has three official jewels: the diamond, the emerald, and the pearl.[2][9] The badge worn by Kappa Delta sisters consists of a white gold or yellow diamond shaped with a dagger symbol along with the Greek letters K, Δ, and AOT.[3]

Kappa Delta's coat of arms (often called the crest) is a white Norman shield, surmounted by a lamp of ancient design, against a background of ornamental scroll. A ribbon underneath the shield bears the date of the sorority's founding. Kappa Delta's tagline is "Building Confidence. Inspiring Action."[2][10]

Membership

National leadership

  • President- Susan Stockton
  • Vice President- Emily Ulmer Feinstein
  • VP Membership- Courtney Hicks Dickey
  • VP Collegians- Laura Beth Hanson McKew
  • VP Alumnae- Tove Bichel Thomas
  • VP Finance- Sarah Smith Dubbert
  • NPC Delegate- Julie Landgren Johnson
  • Executive Director - Maggie Waples[11]

Chapters

Main article: List of Kappa Delta chapters

Kappa Delta has 166 collegiate chapters across North America.[5][12]

Notable Local chapter or member behavior

In 2022, Betty Jane Cadle, former treasurer of the sorority chapter at Mississippi State University, was convicted of stealing $2.9 million from the sorority. As a result of Cadle's wrongdoing, the sorority chapter struggled financially. According to court documents, Cadle began to intentionally divert funds from the sorority's bank accounts in 2012. She used handwritten checks to transfer large sums of money into her personal bank account and into the account of Belles and Beaus, a downtown Oxford children's clothing store owned by Cadle and her daughter, Cathy Lowe. Prosecutors say the fraud continued until late 2019. Cadle will serve four years in prison and was ordered to pay $2.9 million in restitution back to the sorority chapter.[13][14]

In 2013 and 2014, sorority women from multiple sorority chapters at the University of Alabama – including Kappa Delta, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi, Phi Mu, Alpha Chi Omega, Pi Beta Phi, Delta Delta Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Chi Omega – alleged that either active members or some alumnae had prevented them from offering membership to black candidates because of their race.[15][16] Students, including Kappa Delta members, held a campus march to integrate Greek life on campus, and following media and national outcry, the university held a second round of recruitment in hopes of offering membership to more women.

Notable members

Name Chapter Known For Industry
Brooke Anderson Sigma Phi (University of Georgia) Emmy and Peabody award-winning TV host and journalist for Entertainment Tonight Arts and Entertainment
Amy Coney Barrett Alpha Delta (Rhodes College) Justice, US Supreme Court; previously Federal Judge, US Court of Appeals[17] Government
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Gamma Kappa (University of Louisiana - Lafayette) First female elected Governor of Louisiana[18] Government
Pearl S. Buck Theta (Randolph College) First American woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature, Pulitzer Prize Winner [19] Literature
Jean Carpenter Carnahan Epsilon Alpha (Missouri University of Science and Technology) U.S. Senator Missouri 2000–2002[20] Government
Susie Castillo Alpha Iota (University of California, Los Angeles) Miss USA 2003 Arts and Entertainment
Liz Cochran Alpha Upsilon (Birmingham Southern College) Miss Alabama 2009[21] Arts and Entertainment
Ruth Johnson Colvin Lambda (Northwestern University) Founder of Literacy Volunteers of America, now called ProLiteracy Worldwide, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, inductee to National Women's Hall of Fame Philanthropy and Service
Emily Elizabeth Douglas Gamma Nu (Miami University of Ohio) Founder and executive director of Grandma's Gifts[22] Philanthropy and Service
Ellen Albertini Dow Omega Chi (Cornell) Actress (The Wedding Singer, Wedding Crashers)[23] Arts and Entertainment
Bonnie Dunbar Sigma Iota (University of Washington) NASA astronaut, recipient of five NASA Space Flight Medals, inductee of the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and Women in Technology International Hall of Fame, considered one of the most experienced female astronauts in the world[24] Government
Taylor DuPriest Delta Lambda (Georgia Southern University) TV personality (Kid Nation) Arts and Entertainment
Lauren Elaine Sigma Epsilon (University of Texas) Celebrity fashion designer, actress, and TV personality Arts and Entertainment
Christine Blasey Ford Beta Chi (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) Psychology Professor, Author [25] Science
Christine O' Grady Gregoire Sigma Iota (University of Washington) Governor of Washington[26] Government
Claudia J. Kennedy Alpha Delta (Rhodes College) U.S. Army's first female three-star general and highest ranking female officer in Army history (now retired)[27] Military
Ali Landry Gamma Kappa (University of Louisiana - Lafayette) Actress; Miss USA 1996; one of People magazine's 1998 "50 Most Beautiful People"; Frito-Lay spokesperson "Doritos Girl"[28] Arts and Entertainment
Jennifer Lee Alpha Sigma (University of New Hampshire) Writer and director of the 2013 Disney animated feature Frozen Arts and Entertainment
Lane Lindell Sigma Phi (University of Georgia) Model; Miss United States World 2008 Arts and Entertainment
Patricia Polito Miller Sigma Upsilon (Indiana University) Co-Owner/President of Vera Bradley Designs, former CEO of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, founder of the Vera Bradley Breast Cancer Foundation[29] Business
Megan Moroney Sigma Phi (University of Georgia) Singer/songwriter best known for her songs ‘Hair Salon’ and ‘Tennessee Orange’ Arts and Entertainment
Cara Mund Theta Gamma (Brown University)[30] Miss North Dakota 2017 and Miss America 2018[31] Arts and Entertainment
Wendi Nix Epsilon Sigma (Wofford College) ESPN commentator Arts and Entertainment
Joan Lowery Nixon Theta Sigma, (University of Southern California) Author[32] Literature
Georgia O'Keeffe Beta (Chatham Episcopal) Recognized as one of America's most important and successful artists, Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient[33] Arts and Entertainment
Lisa Patton Zeta (University of Alabama) Writer of the book Rush (2018) that is set on the Ole Miss campus. Arts and Entertainment
Shelley Regner Epsilon (Louisiana State University) Actress (Pitch Perfect movie series) Arts and Entertainment
Hannah Roberts Beta Sigma (University of Southern Mississippi) Miss Mississippi 2015, 1st runner-up to Miss America 2016 Arts and Entertainment
Margaret Holland Sargent Alpha Iota (University of California, Los Angeles) Portrait Artist, including Tennessee Williams, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Margaret Thatcher Arts and Entertainment
Camille Schrier Epsilon Pi (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) Miss America 2020[34] Arts and Entertainment
Jacki Sorensen Phi (University of California, Berkeley) Originator of aerobics dance-exercise regimen in 1969. Jackie Mills, Class of 1964. Fitness
Suzy Spafford Beta Rho (San Diego State University) Creator of the Suzy's Zoo greeting cards[35] Business
Lara Spencer Beta Theta (Pennsylvania State University) Co-anchor for ABC's Good Morning America, correspondent for Nightline and ABC News Arts and Entertainment
Donna J. Stone Lambda (Northwestern University) Founder of Prevent Child Abuse America[36] Philanthropy and Service
Leigh Anne Tuohy Alpha Mu (University of Mississippi) Interior designer; legal guardian of Michael Oher, as featured in the 2009 film The Blind Side;[37][38] author, founder of Making it Happen Foundation Arts and Entertainment
Mari Wilensky Beta Pi (University of Florida) Miss Florida 2005, Miss America 2006 Top Ten Finalist Arts and Entertainment
Debbie Maffett Wilson Gamma Rho (Sam Houston State) 1983 Miss America[39] Arts and Entertainment
Caitlin Upton Epsilon Epsilon (Appalachian State University) Miss Teen South Carolina 2007 Arts and Entertainment
Trischa Zorn Pi (University of Nebraska) Paralympian[40] Athletics

See also

References

  1. ^ Ph.D, Fran Becque (2016-10-04). "Longwood University, Home of the Farmville Four, to Host Veep Debate". Fraternity History & More. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  2. ^ a b c d Anson, Jack L.; Marchenasi, Robert F., eds. (1991) [1879]. Baird's Manual of American Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. p. IV-46–49. ISBN 978-0963715906.
  3. ^ a b c "Who We Are | Kappa Delta Sorority". Kappa Delta. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  4. ^ "Join an Alumnae Chapter".
  5. ^ a b c William Raimond Baird; Carroll Lurding (eds.). "Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities (Baird's Manual Online Archive), with page listing Kappa Delta". Student Life and Culture Archives. University of Illinois: University of Illinois Archives. Retrieved 23 Oct 2021. The main archive URL is The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.
  6. ^ a b c National staff. "Meet our Four Founders". kappadelta.org. Kappa Delta. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Genealogy of John Tyler and his Descendants". Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  8. ^ "Initiatives - Kappa Delta". Kappa Delta. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  9. ^ a b c d "Kappa Delta Official Website - Fast Facts". Archived from the original on 2016-02-09. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  10. ^ "Kappa Delta Symbols." Kappa Delta Norman Shield. Memphis: Kappa Delta Sorority, 2013. 28. Web. 03 November 2014.
  11. ^ "Our Leadership". Kappa Delta Sorority. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  12. ^ "Collegiate Chapter Directory". Kappadelta.org. Archived from the original on 2014-08-21. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  13. ^ "Former Mississippi State sorority treasurer pleads guilty to embezzlement". 12 September 2022.
  14. ^ "4-Year Sentence, $2.9 Million Payback in Sorority Theft". US News. Starkville, MS. AP. September 18, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  15. ^ Webley Adler, Kayla (2014-08-06). "Revolution on Sorority Row". Marie Claire. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
  16. ^ Gladu, Alex (2013-11-13). "The Truth About Racism at Southern Sororities". Her Campus. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
  17. ^ "Rhodes College Alumna Amy Coney Barrett '94 on Shortlist for Supreme Court". Rhodes College News. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  18. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Kathleen Babineau Blanco". Kappa Delta. Retrieved 2007-07-25.[dead link‍]
  19. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Pearl Sydenstricker Buck". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  20. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Jean Carpenter Carnahan". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  21. ^ "Meet Miss Alabama". Miss Alabama. 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-04-15. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
  22. ^ "Board & Advisors". Grandma's Gifts. Archived from the original on 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  23. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Ellen Albertini Dow". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  24. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Bonnie Dunbar". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  25. ^ Blasey Ford is notable for offering unsubstantiated testimony as an alleged sexual assault survivor during the hotly-politicized confirmation hearings for Justice Kavanaugh of the US Supreme Court.
  26. ^ Thomas, Ralph. "Gubernatorial candidate Gregoire faced racial dilemma in college". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  27. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Claudia Kennedy". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  28. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Ali Landry". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  29. ^ "Notable KDs". Kappa Delta. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
  30. ^ "Cara Mund". Linkedin.com. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  31. ^ Moniuszko, Sara M. (September 10, 2017). "Miss America 2018: Miss North Dakota Cara Mund takes the crown". USA TODAY.
  32. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Joan Lowery Nixon". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  33. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Georgia O'Keeffe". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  34. ^ "Miss America Is Now a Scientist! Camille Schrier of Virginia Wins Crown After On-Stage Experiment". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  35. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Suzy Spafford Lidstrom". Kappa Delta. Retrieved 2007-07-25.[dead link‍]
  36. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Donna Stone". Kappa Delta. Retrieved 2009-07-29.[dead link‍]
  37. ^ "The Blind Side (2009)". Internet Movie Database. April 22, 2009. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
  38. ^ "The Blind Side (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
  39. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Debbie Maffett Wilson". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  40. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Trischa Zorn". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
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