Alpha Delta Pi: First and Finest Since 1851
Alpha Delta Pi: First and Finest Since 1851 Alpha Delta Pi holds the distinction of being the first secret society in the world established for college women. The sorority was founded on May 15,1851 at Wesleyan Female College in Macon, Georgia. The original name was the Adelphean Society, as the word "Adelphean": is derived from the Greek word meaning sister.
The precursor to Alpha Delta Pi, the Adelphean Society, was founded by Wesleyan students Eugenia Tucker Fitzgerald, Ella Pierce Turner, Octavia Andrew Rush, Mary Evans Glass, Elizabeth Williams Mitchell and Sophronia Woodruff Dews. These six women founded the sorority on the principals of scholarship, sisterhood, leadership, service and loyalty.
The Adelphean Society flourished over the years, and in 1904 the members voted to become the national organization of Alpha Delta Phi in 1905. In 1913 the name was changed to Alpha Delta Pi to avoid confusion with a men's fraternity of the same name.
Wesleyan's chapter was called Alpha because it was established first. Within two years of nationalization, four new chapters were installed. Today there are approximately 130 active Alpha Delta Pi chapters on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. The oldest chapter still in existence is the Delta Chapter at the University of Texas.
The open motto of Alpha Delta Pi is "We Live for Each Other." Our official colors are azure blue, which stands for loyalty and friendship, and white, which stands for purity. The lion is our mascot and the diamond is our symbol. Our official flower is the woodland violet, but the African violet is frequently used instead.