Founding Date

Nov 22nd, 1953

North Texas was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers’ college in 1890 as Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute. As a collaborative development in response to enrollment growth and public demand, its trustees ceded control to the state in 1899. In 1901, North Texas was formally adopted by the state. In 1894, the name was changed to North Texas Normal College as the result of a mix-up when Emory C. Smith, a State Senator from Denton, introduced a bill (with "North Texas" in its name) that passed in the Texas Legislature in 1893 authorizing the college to issue teaching certificates. The school’s name was again changed in 1901 as North Texas State Normal College. In 1921, the State approved its new name, North Texas State Teachers College. By 1940, North Texas was the largest state supported teachers’ college in the world. In May 1949, North Texas, by enactment of the 51st Texas Legislature, dropped the word "Teachers" from its name, divorced itself from statewide teachers’ college system, and established a board of regents of its own, thus becoming the North Texas State College. In 1961, the college became North Texas State University. In 1952, the college announced they would welcome national sororities to campus. Delta Gamma alumnae in Denton and other surrounding cities were adamant that the Fraternity have a chapter at North Texas State University. North Texas contacted Delta Gamma Executive Offices with the offer to establish. Phi Gamma Kappa, a local sorority that desired to affiliate with a national sorority submitted a petition to the Fraternity, and in May, their petition to Delta Gamma was accepted. Mrs. Jack Burleson led the establishment team for Gamma Nu beginning in June of 1953. The first new member class consisted of 35 women. Installation was held November 20-22, 1953 under her direction. Dorothy Knight Wildasin, Alpha Omicron-Miami (Ohio), gave a speech at the Initiation and Installation ceremony with Fraternity President Helen Russell Byars, Mu-Missouri, presiding over the events. The women of Alpha Upsilon-Southern Methodist helped with the Initiation ceremony. All in attendance commented on what a beautiful ceremony it was. Gamma Nu became one of six sororities on campus at the time and was the fourth Delta Gamma Chapter to be installed in Texas. Three years later in 1956, the thriving young chapter was featured in an ANCHORA article written by Gamma Nu collegian, Donna Reitz: “Perhaps our most exciting tradition is one which we borrowed from Alpha Upsilon at Southern Methodist University. Each time a girl is pinned or engaged, she keeps it a secret until our Monday night meeting. A box of candy is passed; each girl takes a piece, and everyone waits for the lucky DG to eat hers, thus revealing her secret.” “Another of our traditions is naming a Girl of the Month. Standards Board chooses the Delta Gamma whom they think has done most ‘above and beyond the call of duty’ during the month.” “The six sororities on campus are housed in ramps in Chilton Hall, each ramp containing seven rooms, each accommodating three girls, and a living room. By eating together in the dormitory’s cafeteria and by living in such close quarters, the sororities strengthen their mutual ties.” “Our baseball team is our pride and joy. Feeling that North Texas needed an inter-sorority athletic league, some Delta Gammas called a meeting of the other sororities and organized a league. We went through the season undefeated, and we averaged over 28 runs per game.” “Since Denton is small, there are few things which we can do for the Project. Last year we took Christmas baskets to the blind people in town. This year we brought clothes to school and held a rummage sale; the money went into the Project Fund.” “Let’s look at some of the trophies we have collected during our three years as Delta Gammas. These two gold cups are for second and third places in Sing Song – Delta Gamma is the only sorority to place both years. The silver tray is the New Orleans award which goes to the Delta Gamma chapter in Province XIV that initiates the highest percentage of pledges. We have won it all three years that it has been awarded. That bare spot is where we have kept the scholarship award – we lost it last year but we are saving a place for it next year. The cup is the Pledge Scholarship award won by our pledges last fall.” “Our biggest honor since we have become Delta Gammas was an invitation to install Gamma Sigma chapter of Delta Gamma at the University of Houston. Excitement was high as we completed plans for the Houston trip, and we didn’t let Texas weather- which followed its typical, unpredictable pattern- hold us back. The installation of a new chapter is an experience that we wish each Delta Gamma could have. We not only realized the unity of Delta Gamma, but we also made some wonderful friends with the Gamma Sigmas.” General attitude towards fraternities and sororities dwindled in the ‘60s and ‘70s, particularly on NTSU’s campus. All fraternity and sorority members on campus were required to live in the College Inn, and it was not popular living quarters during this time. The chapter had a room within the College Inn, but members were not permitted to use the room during the week for studying or cooking under the strict house rules of the building. Between 1973-1976, numbers declined from 45 to 14. By 1976, there were 10 national sororities on campus and only 80 girls in fall rush and 30 girls during spring rush. The chapter voted to return Gamma Nu’s charter to Executive Offices in July of 1976. Many letters were received from alumnae who were disappointed, alarmed and saddened by the closure of the chapter. In 1988, Delta Gamma was first invited to re-establish at NTSU. Unfortunately, the opportunity was given to Kappa Kappa Gamma after university representatives heard presentations by several potential organizations. Attempts and inquiries to re-establish continued in 1990, 1999, 2004. In December 2007, the University of North Texas Panhellenic voted to expand by adding four sororities to campus. In January 2007, Delta Gamma was invited to present to UNT Panhellenic for the opportunity to re-establihs. The DG expansion team competed along with several other NPC organizations, and was offered the immediate opportunity to establish. Re-establishment began, and just a few short weeks later, Delta Gamma’s expansion team was seen on campus working hard to recruit new members to join the Gamma Nu chapter. On March 2, 2007, 48 women accepted Delta Gamma’s bid, and began their new journey. A first meeting of the new chapter was held a few days later. On April 22, 2007, Gamma Nu was reinstalled at University of North Texas. VP: Membership Pam Fellows Jamieson, Alpha Delta-Oregon; National Panhellenic Delegate Martha Brown, Gamma Nu-North Texas; Constitutions Chairman Joy Herod McCreary, Gamma Nu-North Texas; Director of Expansion Shaun Fisher Young, Mu-Missouri; Staff Director of Expansion Tracey Doebling Williams, Beta Sigma-Maryland; and Colony Consultant Ashley Kilbourne-Church, Zeta Psi-Salisbury; represented the Fraternity in a very special ceremony welcoming 46 new initiates of Delta Gamma. Since Gamma Nus re-installation, the chapter has received the Patricia Peterson Danielson Award for excellent chapter operations five times.