Kappa Delta

Kappa Delta was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School, in Farmville, Virginia. It is one of the "Farmville Four" sororities founded at the university. .Kappa Delta has over 230,000 members, more than 14,000 undergraduate members in 165 active collegiate chapters. Kappa Delta also has more than 510 chartered alumnae chapters, the most of any National Panhellenic Conference group. It is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.HistoryLenora Ashmore Blackiston, Mary Sommerville Sparks Hendrick, Julia Gardiner Tyler Wilson, and Sara Turner White founded Kappa Delta on the beliefs of friendship, fellowship, and sisterly love.The Founders of Κappa Delta: Lenora Ashmore Blackiston: Lenora was the first to propose the idea of forming a sorority. However, she was not able to leave much of a mark on the start of Kappa Delta due to her transfer to Randolph-Macon Women's College.Mary Sommerville Sparks Hendrick: Mary was 23 at the time Kappa Delta was founded. She was much older than the other girls and served as their mentor. She spent a significant amount of time as a Bible study teacher and remained at the university to assist in the start of Kappa Delta.Julia Gardiner Tyler Wilson: Julia came from a very well respected family. Her father was the president of the College of William and Mary and she was the granddaughter of former U.S. President John Tyler. She was named after her grandmother, First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler. She is buried at the University of Virginia cemetery.Sara Turner White: Sara was the daughter of a Virginian senator. She was not as successful in her academics as the rest of the founders but preferred social activities.Kappa Delta was the first sorority that was accepted into the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) as soon as they petitioned to join. Kappa Delta then became the first NPC group to form partnerships with various women's organizations, such as the Association of Junior Leagues International, which influences women's community leadership, the Girl Scouts of the USA, and the Women's Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee.