THE PROUD
HISTORY OF
GAMMA PI
F
or 121 years, Delta Tau Delta Fraternity has
been an important part of the Iowa State
University community. Iowa State Agricultural
College (the first land-grant university) was
established in 1858, the same year Delta Tau
Delta was founded at Bethany College. On
July 17, 1875, the Omega Prime Chapter of
Delta Tau Delta became the first fraternity
established at Iowa State.
In 1885, Delts laid plans for their first Shelter.
That year Delta Tau Delta also initiated
Charles F. Curtiss, later to become dean of
agriculture, and Henry C. Wallace, later to
become secretary of agriculture of the United
States as well as father of a later Delt, Henry
A. Wallace, founder of Pioneer Hybrid Seed
Company, secretary of agriculture and vice
president of the United States.
However, a ruling in 1894 by College President
William Miller Beardshear led to the closure
of the Omega Prime Chapter and all Greek
organizations on campus. Omega Chapter
transitioned into what became known as the
Hawkeye Club.
Not until 1904 would Greek life resume at Iowa
State. Influential members of the Hawkeye
Club bridged the gap between Omega Prime
and Gamma Pi, which was chartered in 1911.
Since then, the Gamma Pi Chapter has enjoyed
103 continuous years at Iowa State. Our proud
history speaks for itself with consistently high
achievements and leadership on campus.
While many of our brothers have gone on
to successful and distinguished careers in
engineering, business, law, agriculture,
medicine, and countless other endeavors, the
common bond of our brotherhood remains,
along with our shared principles and values.
Many of us can trace the roots of success to
one place: Gamma Pi. The early training we
received through our fraternity, including
leadership skills, organizational skills, social
skills, teamwork and character, has been
integral to our personal success.
tHe Centennial
Campaign For gamma pi
