10/07/2026
October is a month to celebrate the vision, courage, and purpose that started something bigger than themselves.
From sisterhood and scholarship to leadership, service, culture, and community, the organizations we celebrate today continue to carry the spirit of their founders forward.
To every Founder, Founding Mother, and member who continues to build on that legacy Happy Founders’ Day!
Founded on October 10, 1872, at Syracuse University, Alpha Phi was founded by ten women who challenged the limitations placed on women in higher education and created a fraternity of their own.
On October 15, 1885, seven women at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana came together to establish Alpha Chi Omega. Originally founded by music students, the organization was created with a commitment to the intellectual, social, and moral development of its members.
On October 15, 1898, nine young women at the Virginia State Female Normal School - now Longwood University - came together to formalize their friendship and create Zeta Tau Alpha.
Their story began with a desire to build a lasting bond that would carry beyond their college years.
On October 18, 1995, Gamma Eta was founded at the University of Florida. A group of women came together with a vision to create a supportive community for women of diverse backgrounds and to promote academic, professional, and personal excellence.
On October 23, 1897, four women Lenora Ashmore Blackiston, Mary Sommerville Sparks Hendrick, Julia Gardiner Tyler Wilson, and Sara Turner White founded Kappa Delta at the State Female Normal School, now Longwood University, in Farmville, Virginia.
Their vision became the foundation for a sisterhood that has continued to grow, evolve, and create opportunities for generations of women.
