Phi Delta Theta Fraternity - Washington, DC Alumni Club

Chapters

There are four undergraduate chapters in the immediate Washington, DC metropolitan area. Within the fraternity, this geographical region is known as the Gamma South Province.

Maryland Alpha
University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Nu Sigma Omicron, a local fraternity at the University of Maryland was founded circa 1926. A few years later, the group affiliated with Phi Delta Theta and the Maryland Alpha chapter was installed on November 11, 1930. They have come to be known as the "Gentleman's Fraternity".

The chapter house sits on College Avenue and has been exclusively occupied by Phi Delts since 1926. To date, almost 1800 men have been initiated at Maryland Alpha including A. James Clark (Clark Construction), Ralph Freidgen (Head Football Coach UMD), Gary Williams (Head Basketball Coach UMD) and Bob Fitzpatrick (retired Senior VP, Fannie Mae).

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Maryland Beta
McDaniel College, Westminster, MD

McDaniel College A local group at Western Maryland College by the name of Pi Alpha Alpha was founded in 1923 as the "Black and White" club, which later evolved into a fraternity. The club published the college's first newspaper, which is still in existence, and gave the local it's nickname, the "Black and Whites".

Boasting an undergraduate roster of 59 members and over 350 alumni, Pi Alpha Alpha was the largest fraternity on campus when they approached Phi Delta Theta to affiliate. Their strength, however, was not limited to their number alone. Included among their ranks were various campus leaders such as the student body president, senior class president and vice president, IFC president, Men's Council president, and the chairman of the Honor Court.

Colony status was approved by the 1970 Phi Delta Theta Convention in Washington, DC and on April 23, 1971, sixty-one WMC undergraduates and three alumni signed the Bond of Phi Delta Theta. The next day, the group received their charter and Maryland Beta was proudly added to the fold.

On May 10, 2002, Western Maryland College officially changed its name to McDaniel College in honor of WMC alumnus and past president, William Roberts McDaniel.

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Maryland Gamma
Washington College, Chestertown, MD

In the Fall of 1989, a group of students who were frustrated with the deteriorating state of the Greek system at Washington College, met to discuss the possibility of starting a new fraternity that would focus more on leadership and service, rather than alcohol.

The men chose to affiliate with Phi Delta Theta due in part to the fraternity's reputation as an international fraternity, as well as the encouragement from Stephen J. "Tio" Kleberg, a Phi Delt from Texas Tech. His son, Chris, was a member of the Washington College interest group. He would later become Bond #1 at Maryland Gamma. The Kleberg family owns and operates the world famous King Ranch in Kingsville, Texas.

The Maryland Gamma chapter of Phi Delta Theta was installed on April 24, 1992. From this date forth it has been the goal of the men of Maryland Gamma to uphold the integrity and character of Phi Delta Theta in everything they do. Just over 125 men have signed the Bond at Washington College.

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Virginia Beta
Univeristy of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

In 1873, three members of Phi Delta Theta petitoned the Virginia Alpha chapter at Roanoke College to establish a new chapter at the University of Virginia. Two of the members, F.H. Terrill and M.M Hardgrove, were Roanoke Phis, while R.S. Salusbury was an alumnus of the Georgia Beta chapter at Emory. The charter was granted on November 18, 1873.

In the spring of 2000, the charter was suspended and plans were made for an immediate return in the Fall of 2000. Although the former chapter continued to operate as a local fraternity under the name of "Phi Delta Alpha", the members were no longer affiliated with the General Fraternity.

After an extremely successful recruitment, 32 men accepted their invitation to join the re-colonization effort with a vision to create a fraternity which would set "The Standard" for all others. Virginia Beta was colonized on February 19, 2001 and on September 14, 2001, 31 brothers were initiated. The next day, in the Dome Room of the Rotunda, Virginia Beta received the charter from the General Council and officially returned to the University of Virginia.

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