National History

With a desire to establish a Greek-lettered organization that would meet the sororal needs of those women who chose to pursue higher education at the technical or Associate level, two blood sisters, Elizabeth Garner and Dr. Violet Temple Lewis, founded Gamma Phi Delta Sorority on February 28, 1943 at Lewis Business College in Detroit, Michigan.

These dynamic founders were assisted by 11 faithful women who also shared their vision for a UNIQUE sisterhood of likeminded women:

Annie Blakemore
Robelye Trumbo Dungey
Lula Garner
Odell Glover
Eurine Harrison
Iva Lue Lennear
Jean Myers
Geraldine Harrison Perkins
Beatrice Preston
Ruby Tipton
Mattie Willis

Together, these Original 13 Pearls of Gamma Phi Delta Sorority established what would become THE premier organization for African American business and professional women in the United States.

Today, graduate and undergraduate chapters all across the country continue their legacy of refinement, culture, professionalism and community service.

Chi Chapter History

Though she didn’t realize it at the time, Chi Chapter was the dream of Soror Evon Wood when she took those first tentative steps to research her options for a TRUE sisterhood of business and professional women back in 2002. Over the next couple of years, it became clear that Gamma Phi Delta stood out among the rest as an organization that “walks what it talks.”

Subsequently, once she had fully crossed into the realm of the Gamma Phi Delta sisterhood in spring of 2007, Soror Evon immediately enlisted the help of Sorors Daphne Hull and Tara Davis to begin the glorious task of bringing the “light” of Gamma to Nashville. Within a few short months, they had firmly established the founding line of Chi Chapter, Refined “Destiny.” The dream that had begun so long ago was soon to become a reality as 9 exceptional women accepted the challenge of emanating Peace & Harmony and Refinement & Culture throughout Middle Tennessee.

On April 5, 2008 at 1:30pm, Chi Chapter of Nashville, Tennessee was firmly established as the newest chapter of Gamma Phi Delta Sorority within the Southern Region.