The History of Delta Tau Delta

Eight men at a small West Virginia college founded Delta Tau Delta Fraternity in 1858. Since then, more than 150,000 young men have become members of Delta Tau Delta and committed themselves to living lives of excellence. These men considered Delta Tau Delta to be a leading organization within hundreds of communities across the nation. Delta Tau Delta has extended to more than 200 campuses in the United States and continued to produce successful leaders throughout the country.

In 1858, Delta Tau Delta was founded at Bethany College. Eight undergraduates were angered by a fraudulent vote for an oratory prize awarded by the Neotrophian Literary Society. The eight young men responded by forming a secret society of their own in Delta Tau Delta. The purpose of the new society was to see that the Neotrophian award was returned to the deserving participants.

The Fraternity was founded to right an unjust situation; Delta Tau Delta was born from the knowledge that integrity is essential. Its eight founders were outraged that one group of students could choose in advance the winning participant, regardless of the participant's actual performance in the contest. This injustice presented the first opportunity for Delts to realize the importance of accountability.

Local History

In 1905, a group of undergraduates and faculty at the University of Missouri came together to form the Gamma Kappa Chapter of Delta Tau Delta, in hopes of installing the values of its founding fathers within themselves.

The Gamma Kappa Chapter is one of the original fraternities on the University of Missouri Campus and has maintained continuous operation for over a century. Since 1905, Gamma Kappa has striven for leadership and brotherhood while maintaining our commitment to excellence.

By committing ourselves to excellence, we are confident that we will continue to develop the young men of today into the leaders of tomorrow.