The band of young men who were to become the founding fathers of Tau Delta Phi formally organized themselves as a fraternity in 1910. Because these men did not attend the same college, three chapters were formed simultaneously: Alexander B. Siegel, Milton J. Goodfriend and Miximillian Coyne were the nucleus of the Alpha chapter at the City College of New York; Beta became the designationfor Gustave Schieb and Leo Epstein, enrolled at the New York College of Dentistry; and the group to become the Gamma chapter was founded by Maxwell S. Goldman, Max Klaye, Samuel Klaye and Benjamin Gray at New York University.
A close bond of fraternalism - Tau Delt Spirit - existed among these men. Young men having the Spirit were carefully pledged and initiated; Tau Delta Phi began to grow. Chapters were added from Columbia, Boston University, Harvard and M.I.T. Then, in the early twenties, the Fraternity broke its eastern regional bonds and chapters were formed at some of the top midwestern universities.
The stones of the Pyramid were slowly being fitted into place. The internal organization and government of the Fraternity were constantly being revised to cope with the ever-widening base. Enlarged distances between chapters made constant personal contact impractical. As a result, more and more reliance was placed up the national organization - the Grand Chapter - to act as the central link between chapters. The grand officers volunteered their time to the effort, embracing the added burdens of their offices for the good of the Fraternity.
During the Twenties, the Fraternity ritual was standardized, the Fraternity magazine, "The Pyramid," began publication, and a new constituion was adopted. Coast to coast representation became a reality with the addition of U.S.C. and U.C.L.A. Recognition from the National Interfraternity Conference came in 1922 when Tau Delta Phi, with ten active chapters and 283 members, was inducted as a junior member. In 1928, Tau Delta Phi was made a Senior Member of the National Interfraternity Conference.
The rapid expansion of the Twenties was halted in the early Thirties by the First Dark Period; the Great Depression. As families were hit by economic disaster, many college students withdrew from schools or were forced to work in their spare time; time which would otherwise have been devoted to Fraternity. Several of the largest chapters were forced to disband because of drastic decrease in membership and a lack of funds. The younger graduates who were just starting out were among the hardest hit by the depression; understandably their families received first consideration. So, it was up to the older, more established alumni to keep the Fraternity from total ruin. With determination, they rose to the challenge.
After the first dark years, the Fraternity slowly came back to life. Omega chapter at the University of Manitoba in Canada joined the ranks. The Tau Alpha at Colby College affiliated. In 1934, after numerous meetings and considerable discussion, a merger was consummated with Omicron Alpha Tau; the enl;arged organization retained the name and rituals of Tau Delta Phi. The immediate benefits of the merger included chapters at Cornell and Rutgers, a doubling of the N.Y.U. chapter, and the interest and support of many of the O.A.T. alumni.
When war was declared in 1941, the Fraternity had eighteen active chapters that were strong numerically, scholastically and financially. Within a short time, all of these chaoters were depleted by calls to service and, in fact, only five chapters managed to function throughout the early Forties. The Second Dark Period was upon us; World War II. Once again, the old grads returned to active Fraternity work, rather than let the Fraternity die.
In 1945, the veterans returned to their colleges, and several chapter were reborn. By December of that year, nine campuses were represented at the national convention. Slowly but surely, Tau Delta Phi returned to take its place in the sun. Now that the old chapters were situated, thought was given to expansion. New groups were added from Newark College of Engineering (presently called N.J.I.T.), Rutgers (Newark), and Queens College of New York.
The decade from 1950 through 1960 was truly one of growth and progress. Nine new chapters were added to the roster. In 1953, colonies and eventual chapters were set up at Alfred University, Hunter (presently called Lehman) College, and the University of Miami. The following year, a colony was established at Temple University, and in May of 1954, it became Tau Omicron chapter. During the three years that followed, the Fraternity strengthened and consolidated its existing chapters until 1957, when Tau Pi chapter was added to the Pyramid. In 1959, Brooklyn College, which was established as a colony the year before, became the Tau Rho chapter.
In 1960, the Fraternity celebrated its Golden Anniversary, and began the prosperous decade with a convention held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. In 1962, Tau Sigma was installed at Pratt Institute. In 1965 Tau Delta Phi took its place at the largest fraternity school in the nation with the installation of Tau Tau at Penn State. The folowing year, Tau Upsilon proudly took its place at Michigan State. Expansion continued in 1967 with the establishment of Tau Phi at Seton Hall.
The period of prosperity which graced the Fifties and early Sixties came to a grinding halt. The Third Dark Period dominated the late Sixties and early Seventies with the Vietnam Era. In addition to many of the problems encountered during World War II, the Fraternity was also plagued by the growing turbulence among American youth. College students rebelled against the concept of conformity and, indirectly, Fraternity. Also, the students who were not called to active duty felt their efforts would better serve the peace movement than fraternity life.
During this period, many of the chapters foundered and closed their doors. Four new chapters were added through the sheer dedication of the many brothers who were determined not to let Tau Delta Phi die. In 1969, Delta Beta at the University of Maryland, Delta Gamma at Weidner College, Delta Delta at Polytechnic University (Brooklyn) and Delta Epsilon at Paterson State were all incorporated into the Pyramid. The mid Seventies marked a slow rebuilding of the Fraternity towards its former stature with the addition of only two chapters. Delta Eta of the Cooper Union established in 1975 and Delta Zeta of Polytechnic University (Long Island) established in 1976. Although the Fraternity tried to expand, it was not strong enough to support the chapters outside the Northeast region. At the close of the Seventies, the Grand Chapter was struggling to maintain the remaining chapters.
The 1980's began with a concerted effort to shore up and rebuild the Fraternity. After a period of isolationism, the chapters, primarily in the tri-state area, renewed communications between each other. Chapter enrollment increased as well as the fellowship among the chapters. They worked towards a common goal - resurrecting their friendships and the Fraternity. The Fraternity grew stronger in both size and enthusiasm. The Eighties ended with the reactivation of Gamma and Tau Kappa as Colonies, and the addition of Delta Theta colony at S.U.N.Y. Stonybrook.
The early Nineties showed a renewed interest by the Grand Chapter in the National Interfraternity Conference. With N.I.C. membership firmly re-established and strong support from existing chapters, Tau Delta Phi pushed into a new decade with change, organization and growth. Delta Theta was made a chapter in 1990, Gamma and Tau Gamma had their charters renewed, respectively, in 1992 and 1993, and a new colony was formed at Ramapo College. The year 1994 brought Ramapo into the Pyramid granting its designation of Delta Iota as well as laying the groundwork for another chapter with another colony at Stockton. This work was completed in 1995 with Stockton becoming known as the Delta Kappa chapter of Tau Delta Phi.
Tau Delta Phi has endured and prosepered where many fraternities have fallen. We can attribute this only to the bond which has existed between our fraters since the early days in 1910; the Spirit that must be experienced because it defies accurate description: