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Kappa Delta
ΚΔ
FoundedOctober 23, 1897; 128 years ago (1897-10-23)
State Female Normal School (now Longwood University)
TypeSocial
AffiliationNPC
StatusActive
ScopeNational
MottoΤὰ καλὰ διώκωμεν
"Let us strive for that which is honorable, beautiful and highest"
Member badge
Colors  Olive green   Pearl white
SymbolNautilus shell
FlowerWhite rose
JewelDiamond
Emerald
Pearl
MascotTeddy bear
Katydid
PublicationThe Angelos
PhilanthropyGirl Scouts of the USA
Prevent Child Abuse of America (PCAA)
Chapters167 active collegiate
150+ alumnae chapters
Members309,000+ lifetime
Headquarters3205 Players Lane
Memphis, Tennessee 38125
United States
Websitewww.kappadelta.org
Kappa Delta house at Cornell University

Kappa Delta (ΚΔ, also known as KD or Kaydee) is an American collegiate social sorority. Established in 1897, it 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", four now national sororities that were established at the university. It is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference.

History

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Kappa Delta was founded on October 23, 1897, at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University), in Farmville, Virginia.[1][2] The founders were college students Lenora Ashmore Blackiston, Mary Sommerville Sparks Hendrick, Julia Gardiner Tyler Wilson, and Sara Turner White.[3]

Blackiston first suggested forming a sorority. She went on to attend Randolph-Macon Woman's College.[4] At 23 years of age Hendrick was the oldest founder and stayed at State Normal until 1902, longer than any of the other founders.[4] Wilson was the chief illustrator of the school's yearbook and designed the Kappa Delta badge.[5] White would frequently host Founders Day festivities at her home later in life.[4][6]

The sorority expanded in 1902, chartering chapters at Chatham Episcopal Institute (now Chatham Hall), Hollins College, and Gunston Hall School.[6][7] It joined the National Panhellenic Conference in 1912; however, three of its first four chapters were closed at the time because they were not at colleges.[7][1]

By 1907, Kappa Delta had initiated 350 members at ten chapters.[8] In 1917, the sorority established a Student Loan Fund to help members complete college.[7] In 1921, the sorority selected the Crippled Children's Hospital in Richmond, Virginia as its philanthropy.[7] It created an endowment in 1923.[7]

By 1927, the sorority had chartered 68 chapters and had initiated 6,758 members.[7] Sixteen chapters owned houses.[7] It also had 48 alumnae associations.[7]

As of 2024, Kappa Delta has initiated more than 309,000 members.[3] It is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.[6] Kappa Delta is one of the "Farmville Four", four now national sororities that were established at the university.[9]

Symbols

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Kappa Delta's motto is Τὰ καλὰ διώκωμεν or "Let us strive for that which is honorable, beautiful and highest".[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."[1][10] Its insignia is a skull, cross bones, skeleton, dagger, and snake.[8]

The Kappa Delta badge is diamond-shaped with a dagger symbol and the Greek letters "ΚΔ" and "ΑΟΤ" in gold on a black enamel background.[11][8] The sorority's new member pin is a white enamel Norman shield bearing a green enamel triangle that contains three stars.[11]

The sorority's symbol is the nautilus shell which symbolizes growth, renewal, and expansion.[3] Its mascots are the teddy bear and the katydid.[12] Its colors are olive green and pearl white.[11] Its flower is the white rose.[11][8] It has three official jewels: the diamond, the emerald, and the pearl.[1][12] Its flag is a pennant shaped, in white with the Greek letters "ΚΔ" in olive green.[8]

Its publication is The Angelos was started in 1904.[11][7]

Philanthropies

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Kappa Delta Sorority's official philanthropies are the Girl Scouts of the USA and Prevent Child Abuse America.[11] Kappa Delta national continues to support is historical philanthropies are the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU and Orthopedic Research Awards.[11] Sorority members also host Shamrock events every year to raise money for Prevent Child Abuse America and local child abuse prevention efforts.[11] To date, Kappa Delta has donated more than $23 million to prevent child abuse in the United States.[13]

Chapters

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Main article: List of Kappa Delta chapters

Kappa Delta has 167 active collegiate chapters in North America.[6][14][3] It also has more than 150 alumnae chapters around the world.[3]

Local chapter or member misconduct

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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 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 to the sorority chapter.[15][16]

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.[17][18] 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

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Following are some of the notable members of Kappa Delta.

Name Chapter Notability Industry Ref.
Brooke Anderson Sigma Phi (University of Georgia) Emmy and Peabody award-winning television host for Entertainment Tonight Entertainment
Amy Coney Barrett Alpha Delta (Rhodes College) Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Law [19]
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Gamma Kappa (University of Louisiana - Lafayette) Governor of Louisiana Politics [20]
Pearl S. Buck Theta (Randolph College) First American woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature and Pulitzer Prize winner Literature [21]
Jean Carpenter Carnahan Epsilon Alpha (Missouri University of Science and Technology) United States Senate Politics [22]
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 Entertainment [23]
Ruth Johnson Colvin Lambda (Northwestern University) Founder of ProLiteracy Worldwide and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Philanthropy and Service
Emily Elizabeth Douglas Gamma Nu (Miami University of Ohio) Founder and executive director of Grandma's Gifts Philanthropy and Service [24]
Ellen Albertini Dow Omega Chi (Cornell) Actress known for The Wedding Singer and Wedding Crashers Entertainment [25]
Bonnie Dunbar Sigma Iota (University of Washington) NASA astronaut Science [26]
Taylor DuPriest Delta Lambda (Georgia Southern University) Television personality known for Kid Nation Arts and Entertainment
Lauren Elaine Sigma Epsilon (University of Texas) Celebrity fashion designer, actress, and television personality Entertainment
Christine Blasey Ford Beta Chi (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) Psychology professor at Palo Alto University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine Academia [27]
Christine O' Grady Gregoire Sigma Iota (University of Washington) Governor of Washington Politics [28]
Claudia J. Kennedy Alpha Delta (Rhodes College) U.S. Army's first female three-star general Military [29]
Suzanne Lambert Sigma Phi (University of Georgia) Comedian, political commentator, social media content creator Entertainment, Politics
Ali Landry Gamma Kappa (University of Louisiana - Lafayette) Actress and Miss USA 1996 Entertainment [30]
Jennifer Lee Alpha Sigma (University of New Hampshire) Writer and director of the 2013 Disney animated feature Frozen Entertainment
Lane Lindell Sigma Phi (University of Georgia) Model and Miss United States World 2008 Entertainment
Patricia Polito Miller Sigma Upsilon (Indiana University) Co-owner and president of Vera Bradley Business [31]
Megan Moroney Sigma Phi (University of Georgia) Singer/songwriter Entertainment
Cara Mund Theta Gamma (Brown University) Miss North Dakota 2017 and Miss America 2018 Entertainment [32][33]
Wendi Nix Epsilon Sigma (Wofford College) ESPN commentator Entertainment
Joan Lowery Nixon Theta Sigma (University of Southern California) Author Literature [34]
Georgia O'Keeffe Beta (Chatham Episcopal) Artist and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient[35] Art
Lisa Patton Zeta (University of Alabama) Author known for the book Rush Literature
Shelley Regner Epsilon (Louisiana State University) Actress known for the Pitch Perfect Entertainment
Hannah Roberts Beta Sigma (University of Southern Mississippi) Miss Mississippi 2015 Entertainment
Margaret Holland Sargent Alpha Iota (University of California, Los Angeles) Portrait artist who painted Tennessee Williams, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Margaret Thatcher Art
Camille Schrier Epsilon Pi (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) Miss America 2020 Entertainment [36]
Jacki Sorensen Phi (University of California, Berkeley) Originator of aerobics dance-exercise regimen Sports
Suzy Spafford Beta Rho (San Diego State University) Cartoonist and creator of the Suzy's Zoo greeting cards Business [37]
Lara Spencer Beta Theta (Pennsylvania State University) Co-anchor for Good Morning America and correspondent for Nightline and ABC News Entertainment
Donna J. Stone Lambda (Northwestern University) Founder of Prevent Child Abuse America Philanthropy and Service [38]
Leigh Anne Tuohy Alpha Mu (University of Mississippi) Interior designer and legal guardian of Michael Oher, as featured in the 2009 film The Blind Side Business [39]
Mari Wilensky Beta Pi (University of Florida) Miss Florida 2005 Entertainment
Debbie Maffett Wilson Gamma Rho (Sam Houston State) Miss America 1983 Entertainment [40]
Caitlin Upton Epsilon Epsilon (Appalachian State University) Miss Teen South Carolina USA 2007 Entertainment
Trischa Zorn Pi (University of Nebraska) Paralympian Sports [41]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Anson, Jack L.; Marchesani Jr., Robert F., eds. (1991). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (20th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Baird's Manual Foundation, Inc. pp. IV-46–49. ISBN 978-0-9637159-0-6. OCLC 25278937.
  2. ^ "Manual of Information" (PDF). National Panhellenic Conference (23rd ed.). January 2018. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Who We Are | Kappa Delta Sorority". Kappa Delta. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c National staff. "Meet our Four Founders". kappadelta.org. Kappa Delta. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  5. ^ "Genealogy of John Tyler and his Descendants". Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d Lurding, Carroll and Becque, Fran. (October 7, 2023) "Kappa Delta" Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. Urbana: University of Illinois. Accessed October 7, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Shepard, Francis W., ed. (1927). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (11th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Publishing Company. p. 277–278 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Greek Letter Sororities. Women's Secret Societies in American Colleges". Times Union. Brooklyn, New York. July 21, 1907. p. 13. Retrieved November 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Ph.D, Fran Becque (October 4, 2016). "Longwood University, Home of the Farmville Four, to Host Veep Debate". Fraternity History & More. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  10. ^ "Kappa Delta Symbols." Kappa Delta Norman Shield. Memphis: Kappa Delta Sorority, 2013. 28. Web. 03 November 2014.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h "Manual of Information" (PDF). National Panhellenic Conference (23rd ed.). January 2018. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Kappa Delta Official Website - Fast Facts". Archived from the original on February 9, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  13. ^ "Initiatives - Kappa Delta". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  14. ^ "Collegiate Chapter Directory". Kappadelta.org. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  15. ^ "Former Mississippi State sorority treasurer pleads guilty to embezzlement". September 12, 2022.
  16. ^ "4-Year Sentence, $2.9 Million Payback in Sorority Theft". US News. Starkville, MS. AP. September 18, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  17. ^ Webley Adler, Kayla (August 6, 2014). "Revolution on Sorority Row". Marie Claire. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  18. ^ Gladu, Alex (November 13, 2013). "The Truth About Racism at Southern Sororities". Her Campus. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  19. ^ "Rhodes College Alumna Amy Coney Barrett '94 on Shortlist for Supreme Court". Rhodes College News. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  20. ^ "Kathleen Blanco's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  21. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Pearl Sydenstricker Buck". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  22. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Jean Carpenter Carnahan". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  23. ^ "Meet Miss Alabama". Miss Alabama. 2009. Archived from the original on April 15, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  24. ^ "Board & Advisors". Grandma's Gifts. Archived from the original on May 5, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  25. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Ellen Albertini Dow". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  26. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Bonnie Dunbar". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ Thomas, Ralph. "Gubernatorial candidate Gregoire faced racial dilemma in college". Seattle Times. Retrieved July 7, 2008.
  29. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Claudia Kennedy". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  30. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Ali Landry". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  31. ^ "Notable KDs". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  32. ^ "Cara Mund". Linkedin.com. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  33. ^ Moniuszko, Sara M. (September 10, 2017). "Miss America 2018: Miss North Dakota Cara Mund takes the crown". USA TODAY.
  34. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Joan Lowery Nixon". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  35. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Georgia O'Keeffe". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  36. ^ "Miss America Is Now a Scientist! Camille Schrier of Virginia Wins Crown After On-Stage Experiment". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  37. ^ "Kappa Delta Sorority Hosts Open House to Showcase Renovated National Headquarters and Museum". Kappa Delta. October 13, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  38. ^ "Prevent Child Abuse America". Kappa Delta. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  39. ^ "The Blind Side (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  40. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Debbie Maffett Wilson". Kappa Delta. Retrieved July 25, 2007. {{cite web}}: |archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  41. ^ "Notable Kappa Deltas - Trischa Zorn". Kappa Delta. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
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