international gamma phi beta history
Members of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, one of the 10 oldest women's organizations in North America, are proud of our rich and accomplished history, dating back to our founding on November 11, 1874, at Syracuse University in New York.
During an era when women were discouraged from attending college, four bold and courageous friends came together to form a women's society. They bonded together to face adversity and encourage one another's intellectual growth. Now, more than 140 years later, we celebrate the vision and dedication of those women for whom the word "sorority" was first coined - and all who have come since.
Headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, the Sorority has chartered more than 180 collegiate chapters across the United States and Canada, and has more than 190,000 collegiate and alumnae members worldwide. The Sorority includes more than 130 active collegiate chapters and more than 160 active alumnae chapters.
Symbols: Crescent Moon & Pearls
Flower: Pink Carnation
Colors: Blush, A - La - Mode
Four Core Values: Love, Labor, Learning, and Loyalty
Founders: Helen M. Dodge, France E. Haven, E. Adeline Curtis, Mary A. Bingham
eta chapter history
In 1893, three women of the UC Berkeley class of 1885 decided to form a women’s social organization and apply to become a chapter of a national women’s society. The new group named themselves Tau Delta and asked Mr. Leonard Richardson, a Latin instructor and a member of Psi Upsilon, which national sorority they should petition. Mr. Richardson answered that “Unqualifiedly, Gamma Phi Beta is the best national sorority in existence.” The Tau Delta thus decided that they would petition Gamma Phi Beta and wrote to be granted a chapter. In 1894, Eta chapter of UC Berkeley became the first Gamma Phi Beta chapter west of the Mississippi River.