History

Phi Delta Sigma Fraternity, founded at Bethel College in McKenzie, TN during the winter quarter of the 1928-29 school year, has thrived throughout its history. By the mid-1990’s the brotherhood had inducted over 500 members since its founding and approximately 243 members during the decades of the sixties, seventies, and eighties.

The fraternity’s stated objectives have remained essentially the same since its beginnings and are described in the Phi Delta Sigma Constitution as follows:

It shall be the purpose of this fraternity to promote a spirit of brotherhood; to develop the social, moral, intellectual, and spiritual life; to build the personality; to inspire greater determination and sincerity among the members; and to contribute in every possible way to the best interests and progress of Bethel College (Art. I, Sect. 2).

Interaction of the fraternity with its sister organization, Lambda Sigma Sorority, has been nearly continuous since their founding. Their origins were in an honorary group of Phi Delta Sigma known as the “Little Sisters” which began in the fall of 1937. They gained their own constitution in 1941 becoming an official sorority. Throughout the years the groups have participated in many activities together including social events and service projects.

The fraternity’s constitution notes a change in dues from $2.00 a quarter to $5.00 a quarter beginning in the fall of 1960. In 1964, with another constitutional revision, the dues moved up to $10.00 per quarter. A high point was reached in 1983 with constitutional changes providing for dues of $12.00 per quarter–a big contrast with the fraternity’s original dues of 50 cents. The dues changed in 1992 to $20.00 per semester.

The procedures for choosing new members have also progressed considerably over the group’s history. According to the fraternity’s 1959 constitution, a unanimous vote was required in order for a student to become a member. The constitution of 1960 stated that three negative votes were necessary to “blackball” or bar a student from membership. In 1964, the fraternity’s constitution changed this method to the more preferable three-fourths majority vote by the current active members as required in order for a student to become a member.

The fraternity records contain the following statement from the sixties regarding the pledge program which has been duplicated in later programs. It states:

This pledge program is designed to develop the relationships of those pledging with those already in the fraternity. All functions of this pledge program are to help the Greeks (those pledging) to get better acquainted with the brothers of the fraternity, and vice-versa. The functions of this program are designed to necessitate teamwork between Greeks, as well as between Greeks and brothers….Finally, each individual Greek will be expected to show signs of brotherhood and develop individual creativity as well as teamwork.

For much of the sixties, the pledge program consisted of balanced a “marathon” in five phases. The first week was called “get acquainted week,” the second was “intellectual week,” the third was “physical fitness week,” the fourth was “service week,” and the last was “social week.” Earlier in the sixties a seven-week pledge program was implemented. By the eighties, a three-week program was in place.

Strength of Brotherhood

The depth of a brotherhood with leadership that valued each person’s dignity and rights was evident in a matter involving the residency of a black student on campus. In a letter dated May 29, 1963 to Dean of Students John David Hall from Doug Phelps, fraternity president, it was requested that administrative action by the college be taken on the following:

That, since, Mr. Billy Belmont is an initiated active Brother of our fraternity and since we shall have our own section in Laughlin Home beginning next year, Mr. Belmont should be given an equal opportunity to live in the Phi Delta Sigma section of the dormitory if he wishes to do so. We ask that permission be granted by the Administration to allow Mr. Belmont this equal right as a student of Bethel College and as an active member of our Brotherhood, and that this be effective as of Fall Quarter, 1963.

Dean of Students John Hall responded to Mr. Phelps in a letter dated July 1, 1963 and Mr. Belmont was later permitted to live in the dormitory with the fraternity on campus:

This will be granted subject to the Board of Trustees’ concurrence in the recommendations of Dr. Baker and myself. You realize our strong personal feelings and wishes must be tempered by the total situation as seen by our Board.

In an editorial of the June, 1965 issue of the Bethel Beacon, Johnny Phelps wrote an article encouraging responsibility and thoughtful consideration among those wishing to join Greek organizations. Phelps also noted that Phi Delta Sigma was planning a trip to a children’s home in Memphis where the group was sponsoring a child. In addition, it the fraternity made contributions to the Red Cross and the Cancer Fund.

From yearbook photographs it is evident that the sixties were filled with social activities for Phi Delta Sigma and Lambda Sigma. Among these activities, the fraternity often held dances, an “annual wiener roast,” and spring banquets with Lambda Sigma Sorority. There were nearly as many members in the sixties as the seventies and eighties combined.

Several campus Greek organizations associated with national groups during the sixties. While Phi Delta Sigma considered such an association, the fraternity recognized its value and contributions as a local group and resisted the trend. Today, all those who went national have folded.

The Seventies

In the seventies, an alumni retreat was organized by the fraternity in order for members to get back in touch. Among the service projects of the fraternity was included the cleaning of the campus fish pond. In the area of academics, both Phi Delta Sigma and Lambda Sigma in 1975 retired the college scholarship trophy after winning the award for three successive years.

In 1976, the group furnished a plaque in honor of Gifford Andersen, a fraternity advisor and deceased assistant professor at Bethel. The fraternity also held a spring banquet with Lambda Sigma and worked to create a scholarship fund.

In the scholastic arena, Phi Delta Sigma ranked first in 1977. They also assisted Lambda Sigma in sponsoring a gospel singing in the fall. In the spring, they held another banquet in Paris.

The active membership fell to two in 1978. At the start of 1979, there was only one active member. That year, Phi Delta Sigma gained eleven new members. They worked to revitalize their constitution and pledge program. The Log Cabin yearbook reports that they enjoyed various picnics and suppers with Lambda Sigma.

The fall of 1979 saw the return of many brothers to campus with the fiftieth year reunion at Homecoming. The fraternity visited and held an ice cream social at a local nursing home. Members also drove citizens to the polls that were unable to do so alone.

The Eighties

In 1981, the group continued visits to the nursing home and sponsored two members on overseas mission trips. In addition, they sponsored a gospel singing group composed of Bethel graduates. The group was also actively participating in intramurals.

In 1982, the fraternity participated in an effort to raise money for Bethel College. One project included assisting in renumbering houses in McKenzie. They also led worship in the campus vespers services. In addition, they received a plaque for giving the most blood in the campus Blood Mobile.

In the fall of 1984 the group sponsored an ice cream social for a local nursing home. In 1987, they cleaned the fishpond and the area surrounding it as a service project for the campus. They continued their Big Brother program and a sixty-year reunion of the fraternity were held in January 1989.

The fraternity accomplished a long-time goal in establishing a scholarship fund for brothers in 1989. Criteria for awarding were adopted after extensive work by an ad hoc committee. They continued the big brother campaign and joined with Sigma Phi Omega Fraternity in building a new cross near the Log Cabin on campus. The yearbook reports that they attended numerous bowling trips and participated in intramurals.

During the 1989-90 year the fraternity raised money for the C.P. Children’s Home to fund a new playground for the youth and cleaned the cemetery and lawn around a local church. That year they received the “Most Outstanding Organization Award” presented by the Student Government Association of Bethel College. It was also the first year that the fraternity scholarship was awarded.

The significance of the spiritual realm is suggested in the tradition of opening and closing each meeting in prayer. The emphasis of the organization upon development of interpersonal relationships is evident in the verses of Brotherhood Supreme, the fraternity’s song written in 1963 by Walter Shipley and E. Larry Bivens.

Of the over 500 members, according to the fraternity directory created in the mid 1990’s, approximately 256 currently live in Tennessee. The most common denominational affiliation is with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at approximately 140 members. Another notable statistic is that fourteen members have served as Moderators of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The group has provided many opportunities for internal leadership with 224 of the members serving in at least one fraternity office.

There have been at least thirteen sponsors or advisers since the fraternity’s founding: Hinkley Smartt, Clarence Smith, L. C. Waddle, Charles Reid, Joe Ben Irby, Bill Ingram, Larry Dailey, James Potts, Larry Black, Gene McMahen, David Lankford, Gifford Andersen, and Laddie Lollar. Serving for the longer terms as advisor were Laddie Lollar, 30 years; Hinkley Smartt, five years; Clarence Smith, five years; and Joe Ben Irby, four years.

The school yearbook, the Log Cabin, provides neither a complete nor completely accurate record of the fraternity’s history. However, it was used along with the Bethel Beacon and other source material to provide a sketch of the fraternity’s history. Alumni are encouraged to submit further historical details and reflections, whether positive and negative, to provide a more complete historical record.