“Our past is a glorious testimony to those dedicated Delta Zetas – our six original Founders and those that followed who renewed the founding – whose work spans the history of our Sorority. These people have handed to us a rich heritage which it is our task to pass on – improved and founded upon again and again – to those who come after us.”
These words, printed in the 1987 Pledge Manual remind us that Alfa, Julia, Anne, Mary, Anna and Mabelle lit a flame in 1902 that still shines bright today. Each generation of Delta Zetas has tended to that flame, carefully preserving it but also allowing it to grow in ways that meet the needs of the day.
As we mark 123 years of Delta Zeta, I’m filled with gratitude and appreciation for the women who imagined something greater than themselves and for all who have carried that vision forward. What began as the shared dream of six extraordinary women has now blossomed into a global sisterhood of more than 315,000 members — proof that the lamp of gold burns brighter every day.
Each Founders Day, we’re reminded that the legacy of our Founders is alive and that the responsibility to carry it forward is ours. From our very beginning in 1902, sisterhood has been the light that guides us by illuminating our paths, lifting our spirits and showing us that in Delta Zeta, we have a home built on shared values and everlasting friendship.
As we look ahead, our calling is clear – to honor the past by building the future. Through our actions, leadership and generosity we can walk truly in the light of the flame. By honoring our commitment to enrich our sisterhood, nurture growth and deepen community impact, we also ensure that the next generation of women will know and love Delta Zeta as we do.
I invite each of you to help shape what’s next for our Sorority by empowering one another to face the future with courage and curiosity. In doing so, future Delta Zetas will share the same sense of belonging and purpose that our Founders envisioned for us so long ago.
As all Delta Zetas observe this Founders Day, let us wear the colors of rose and green as a proud sign of our devotion to Delta Zeta and our faith in its future.
Given under my hand and seal of the Sorority this 24th day of October in the year two thousand and twenty-five and of the Sorority, the one hundred and twenty-third.
Truly,
Cathy I. Painter
National President
on behalf of National Council
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