The Early History

It was not a single spectacular event that brought about the creation of Delta Sigma Pi more than 100 years ago, but the association of five students at New York University who, coincidentally, used a common path to their homes following classes. These five men were motivated by the same forces that have caused others to organize fraternities, namely, common goals and the desire to pursue these goals together.

Plans were made by these five men in the Spring and Summer of 1907 to form a social club composed of students in the School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance of New York University. When Fall came, the time set for the formal launching of this club, one of the five members accepted the pledge of a Greek letter organization at New York University and dropped from the group. This incident changed the thinking of the remaining four and the existing plans for a club were abandoned in favor of a Greek letter fraternity. Thus Delta Sigma Pi was created on November 7, by Alexander Frank Makay, Alfred Moysello, Henry Albert Tienken and Harold Valentine Jacobs.

It took almost two years of struggling for this new organization to establish itself and to become officially recognized at New York University. For the next five years it thrived as a local fraternity to a point where it was quite ready for national scope when Beta Chapter was installed in the evening division of Northwestern University in 1914, and Gamma Chapter at Boston University in 1916. Further growth was thwarted until 1920, when H.G. “Gig” Wright entered the national picture as Grand President. During his four years of office, 29 new chapters were installed and the Fraternity took on a truly national appearance. The next step was the creation of a Central Office in 1924 with the same H.G. “Gig” Wright, then serving as Grand Secretary-Treasurer, in charge of it on a part time basis. Publications and forms were standardized, jewelry designed and other services of a national nature performed. The huge success of this program prompted the Fraternity to employ H.G. “Gig” Wright as Grand Secretary-Treasurer on a full time basis and authorized him to lease space in a Chicago office building for the purpose of establishing a permanent Central Office for the Fraternity. And so, the Central Office of Delta Sigma Pi moved to Chicago, at which location it remained for 30 years, 29 of which were under the direction of H.G. “Gig” Wright.

Delta Sigma Pi grew steadily from 1920 until World War II, when the campuses were drained of potential members. The active chapter roll fell from 50 down to 11 and these were active in name only. The conclusion of the war brought about the expansion of the Central Office staff and the rebuilding of the Fraternity. By 1950, only four years after the War, Delta Sigma Pi had bounced back to 60 active chapters and all of it pre-war program was restored.

It became apparent that the present facilities of the Central Office would soon be outgrown with the continued expansion of the Fraternity. Appropriately, it was decided to dedicate this building to H.G. “Gig” Wright, who had already announced his plans to retire in 1955. The project was placed in the hands of James D. Thomson, who had served as Assistant Grand Secretary-Treasurer since 1946 and who was slated to succeed H.G. “Gig” Wright. In 1955, the plans for a colonial building adjacent to the Miami University campus in Oxford, Ohio, had been completed and construction begun. One year later, the Central Office of Delta Sigma Pi was moved from its original Chicago home to this new structure in Oxford, where it is today.

In the 15 years following completion of the headquarters building, the Fraternity nearly doubled in the number of collegiate chapters and membership. To keep pace with this continued growth the original building was expanded to nearly double its size in 1970.

Delta Sigma Pi continues to expand to each year, not only in the number of chapters and members, but also in its scope of activities and influence in the world of business.

During the early 1970s, the most significant issue within Delta Sigma Pi was the question of coeducational membership. At the 29th Grand Chapter Congress in 1973, a constitutional amendment to open the membership of the Fraternity to women was defeated. At the next Grand Chapter Congress in 1975, the Grand Chapter directed the Board of Directors to evoke emergency powers as provided in the Constitution and Bylaws to act on the coeducational question as required. The Board of Directors authorized the chapters to immediately initiate qualified female business students on November 7, 1975. It was not until 1977 in Toronto that the ratification of coeducational membership in the Fraternity was passed by the Grand Chapter Congress.

The above information is from www.dspnet.org and the Delta Sigma Pi Pledge Manual.