FACT SHEET
QUCK FACTS
Name: Phi Gamma Delta
Nickname: Fiji or Phi Gam
Current Headquarters: The executive headquarters is located at 1201 Red Mile Road, Lexington, KY
Founding Date: May 1, 1848 at Jefferson College (presently Washington & Jefferson College), Canonsburg, PA
‘Gamma’: The fraternity’s mascot is a Snowy White Owl, nicknamed ‘Gamma’. The owl was indigenous to the Allegheny Mountains of PA and, according to legend, was an frequent visitor to the initital meetings.
‘Log Cabin’: Truth or Lore, the founding brothers first met in an old log cabin on the campus of Jefferson College. The 1907 Ekklesia voted to preserve the log cabin as a memorial to the Founders. Currently the log cabin is located on the campus of the old college, now Canonsburg Junior High School.
Immortal Six (Founding Brothers): John Templeton McCarty, Samuel Beatty Wilson, James Elliott, Jr., Ellis Bailey Gregg, Daniel Webster Crafts, Naaman Fletcher
Rho Chi (PX) Founding Date: March 4, 1890 at the University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, the Greek letters Rho Chi was selected to represent the words ‘Richmond City’.
Rho Chi Founding Brothers: William ‘Billy’ A.R. Goodwin, Harry S. Corey, John E. Etchison, Edmund W. Greaner, Charles T. Kincanon, Andrew J. Ramsey, and Maurice W. Thomas
Rho Chi Housing: The Chapter was located at Richmond College (location now VCU) until 1914 when Richmond College moved to its current location. In 1925 the Rho Chi chapter built a house on Towana Rd (the house faces the current front entrance of the School of Business). In 1953, the chapter was moved, along with all other fraternities, onto campus into the lodge at its current location on Old Fraternity Row.
The Values of Phi Gamma Delta: Friendship, Knowledge, Service, Morality, Excellence,
Motto: Friendship, the sweetest influence
‘Not for College Days Alone’: This phrase is a cornerstone to membership into the fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta. Your membership is lifelong and the commitment of graduate brothers is the foundation of a successful chapter. Graduate volunteer advisor postions include: Purple Legionnaire, Section Leader, Board of Chapter Advisors (BCA), Housing Corp (HC), Field Secretary, and positions in the International Headquaters.
Persistence: “Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not, unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education with not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” -Calvin Coolidge (Amherst 1895), 30th POTUS
FAMOUS BROTHERS
Phi Gamma Delta Nationally:
Calvin Coolidge – President of the United States, 1923-29
Johnny Carson – Former host of The Tonight Show
Alan B. Graf, Jr. – Executive Vice President and CFO, FedEx Corporation
Neil Gorsuch – Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court
Jeff Fettig – CEO, Whirlpool CorporationJack Nicklaus – Professional Golf Champion
Kenneth Blanchard – Author of “The One Minute Manager” & other leadership/motivational books
John Ritter – Actor, “Three’s Company”
Norman Vincent Peale – World-Renowned Theologian
Phillip Knight – Founder, Owner, & President of Nike Corporation
Roger Penske – Auto Racing Champion & Team Owner, Marlboro Racing Team
Dean Smith – Former Head Basketball Coach, North Carolina Tarheels
William J. Crowe, Jr. – Former Chairman, United States Joint Chiefs of Staff
Matthew Fox – Actor, “LOST”Morgan Spurlock – Actor/Director/Author, “Super Size Me”
Phi Gamma Delta Rho Chi Chapter:
William Tyler Haynes - University of Richmond Trustee
Robert S. Jepson Jr. - University of Richmond Trustee and Donor; Founder of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies
Robert S. Ukrop - Chairman and CEO, Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods
Robert Ryland - First President of Richmond College, 1841-66
Douglass S. Freeman - Pulitzer Prize winning author of biographies on Robert E. Lee and George Washington
Tim Finchem - PGA Tour Commissioner 1994-2016