History of Founders Day
The following information is a summary of information regarding the history of the Kappa Delta
Sorority Founders Day and may be read prior to any of the Founders Day ceremonies.
It was on Saturday, October 23, 1897 that Lenora Ashmore, Mary Sommerville Sparks, Julia
Gardiner Tyler and Sara Turner created Kappa Delta Sorority. As one explained later, “(We)
grabbed pencil and paper and wrote a list of what we considered important elements of our new
creation.” Although there had been previous discussions about friendships and forming a group, the
sorority was “born” on that day.
Each year on October 23, Kappa Delta commemorates this day as Founders Day. The first
reference to the observation of this anniversary appears in the May 1908 issue of The Angelos.
Written in an editorial, Angelos editor Myrtle Merrill, Zeta chapter, said “this day, so hallowed in
the hearts of our girls, should be given due recognition in our chapter life.”
The 1911 Convention voted to make this day an official observance. Since then it has been a
tradition for collegiate and alumnae chapters to celebrate this day in some way. In 1917 a lovingcup ceremony was created for the occasion, and since 1921, the national president has written a
Founders Day message, which is printed in the fall edition of The Angelos. It is also sent to every
collegiate and alumnae chapter. In 1922 the first standardized Founders Day service was
distributed to all collegiate and alumnae chapters to use on that day.
To celebrate the significance of this day in the history of Kappa Delta, women across the country
wear the Kappa Delta badge. Often a social event, luncheon, reception, philanthropy or other
special event is held in recognition of this important day.
It is also now a custom for the sorority to present its annual financial contribution (presently
$25,000) to Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU on this day.
It is a day every Kappa Delta should spend reflecting on the values our sorority instills in
us…friendship, faith and love; truth, honor and duty; education, furtherance of charitable purposes
and beauty of all things around us.
Services for the Celebration of Founders Day
SETTING:
Place four lighted candles and a vase of four white roses on a table. The presiding officer stands near
the table.
SERVICE:
Presiding officer:
A guest speaker may precede the service. The president or presiding officer shall open the service by
saying:
We are meeting on this day to pay loving tribute to Mary Sommerville Sparks, Julia Gardiner Tyler,
Sara Turner and Lenora Ashmore, the founders of Kappa Delta Sorority. As we cherish the memory of
our founders, let us consecrate our lives anew to the ideals that inspired them.
Let us recognize and accept the privilege and responsibility that is ours. By our personal rededication,
may we assume the future of Kappa Delta for the generations of young women to come.
Secretary or other appointed member:
Reading of the national president’s Founders Day message
Presiding officer or other appointed members:
The following can be read in its entirety by the presiding officer or each part read separately by
appointed members:
Founders’ Day is an anniversary beloved by all who form a part of the circle of Kappa Delta. It is on
this special day that we all look backward in remembrance, recalling the joys brought into our lives
through our friendships with sisters in Kappa Delta and the sense of purpose our sorority has added to
our days.
While October 23rd of each year is designated “Founders Day” in commemoration of that day in 1897,
in reality, we sisters pay homage to our founding every day of our lives. The principles of honor, truth
and beauty are a part of our daily living. Kappa Delta is indeed a way of life based upon the teachings
and idealism of our founders.
Because Kappa Delta was founded on truth and love and Christian beliefs, it has influenced our
thoughts and actions from the day of pledging. Kappa Delta has come to be a part of our feeling as well
as our thoughts – her truth known not only by our minds, but forever lodged within our hearts. The
high ideals of sisterly love for one another and love of those without our circle make Kappa Delta a
sorority based upon a powerful unity.
Our concern for others is demonstrated through gifts presented by national Kappa Delta to Children’s
Hospital of Richmond at VCU and Prevent Child Abuse America in commemoration of our founding.
These gifts are made possible through the caring and generosity of sisters throughout our nation, and it
is but a small, small part of the service to others by our sisters in Kappa Delta.
On this October day, as we celebrate the founding of our sorority, may we regard Kappa Deltas
everywhere with respect, love and affection, combined with humility and an honest desire to be to all a
sister in spirit and in truth.
Closing prayer by presiding officer
The following is suggested:
Eternal Father, may Thy blessing rest upon us as we continue to seek together the fulfillment of a
dream. May the joys of friendship and the beauty of high aspiration be in our hearts as we strive for
that which is honorable, beautiful, and highest. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Founders Day Celebration Service (alternate #1)
SETTING:
Arrange tables in a U-shape with officers and guest speaker seated across the end. Place on the table
a centerpiece of white flowers with four white roses placed in a manner so that they can be removed.
Place an empty vase next to the centerpiece. Place utility candles at each place setting.
SERVICE:
Presiding officer:
A guest speaker may precede the service.
*If a death has occurred during the year, the president or presiding officer shall open the service by
saying:
Sisters, let us link arms in the Kappa Delta Circle of Friendship. As we celebrate this Founders Day let
us pause in remembrance of our beloved Kappa Delta
. A few words are said in
honor of the deceased member. Let us take a moment to silently revere a dear member who is
greatly missed.
If no deceased members are to be recognized, the president or presiding officer shall open the service
by saying:
We meet on this ______ day of October to pay loving tribute to those four friends who so long ago
sought to perpetuate their friendship. In thus founding our sorority, they enriched their own lives and
made possible the same ennobling experience for others.
At this point, remove a white rose from the centerpiece for each founder and place in the vase.
In observing Founders Day, we recognize the debt we owe to those who have contributed to our growth
during all of these years. We pledge ourselves to the continued progress and development of our sorority.
Secretary or other appointed member:
Reading of the national president’s Founders Day message
Presiding officer or other appointed member:
Read the following verse from Ode for Kappa Deltas by Rebecca Smith Lee:
Doubt not
That Friendship lives beyond the passing day
In which we warmly clasp each other’s hand.
Impediments nor hindrances shall stand
Between true minds who ever once have felt
The joy of Goodness done
Together, or of Beauty by the way
That interfused their hearts with sudden awe
As if before some altar they had knelt.
High Friendship patterned on eternal law
Must take its being from the gleaming glow
Beauty….Goodness….
At this time each person picks up her candle. The presiding officer lights her candle while in the
Circle of Friendship. She then lights the candle of the member next to her, who, in turn, lights the
next candle. This procedure is completed around the circle. When the last candle is lighted, the
group sings “The Words AOT” or “A Vow.”
Founders Day Celebration Service (alternate #2)
SETTING:
A circle is formed by members linking arms. Each member holds a candle. The president or presiding officer
starts with lighted candle.
SERVICE:
A guest speaker may precede the service.
Presiding officer:
On October 23, 1931, during the Great Depression, Kappa Delta President Olga Achtenhagen (Ahk-ten-haygen {hard g}) commemorated the Founders in her president’s message in The Angelos by asking: What have
they given us that we should honor them? Olga answered her own question by saying: “Our founders’ faith in
each other made it possible for them to work together; their hope in a living God made their vision seem
attainable; and their gift of love converted a dream to reality.” All themes still relevant today. Olga continued
her message saying:
Appointed member or members:
Faith, hope and love – help us find the place these have in our bewildering, confusing, troubled times. Do they
have the same high place that they have always had, the same reason for being? It is in the faith of our
Founders that we may find an answer to our questions, and an end to our doubt.
Truth, honor, beauty – they are as important today as they were in 1897, for they are a way of life that has been
found to be good.
Our Founders have shown us the beauty of true friendship. We meet this day to pay tribute to Mary
Sommerville Sparks, Julia Gardiner Tyler, Sara Turner and Lenora Ashmore.
Presiding officer:
Let us pray:
Eternal Father, we meet this day in friendship. Let us show it, in like manner, to others. The founders have
challenged us to pursue that which is honorable, beautiful and highest. Let us meet that challenge in our manner
of living. They have given us Kappa Delta. Let us be worthy of their gift. Amen.
The president lights the candle of the person to her right, then each person passes on the flame.
While candles are being lit, members sing “The Words AOT” or “A Vow.”
Portions from The Angelos, 1931-32, Volume 28, p. 4, “Founders Day Message,” by Olga
Achtenhagen, national president.
Our Four Founders: A Reading
Our past,
Our present,
Our future,
Are joined in celebration…
because
October 23rd
Unites sisters across the nation
On this day
Let us remember
The four who gave us AOT;
They linked us all to:
What was, what is, and will someday be.
Lenora Ashmore
“Nora” made firm and loyal friends. Her short life was full of loving service and devotion to
Kappa Delta. In The Angelos, December, 1912, she wrote: “friendship was the ideal of
Kappa Delta, and it grew out of the beautiful friendship of four girls. We felt it could be
extended to a larger multitude of girls, there was so much of it in our hearts for each other.”
Mary Sommerville Sparks
“Scrimp” provided the enthusiasm and ambition that charged the first Alpha members. She
had a deep understanding of the needs of every heart that appealed to her. She was an
example of loyalty, love, patience and unselfishness to all.
Julia Gardiner Tyler
Julia was vibrant, charming and gracious. She designed our badge, wrote “A Faithful Band
of Sisters We” and also was responsible for our secret motto.
Sara Turner White
“Pig” was a beautiful, sweet, lovely girl. She exemplified in her own life the principles and
ideals, the honor and duty with which she and the other three founders endowed Kappa
Delta. Her active mind, happy disposition and generous hospitality charmed young and old
alike.
Four founders willed to Kappa Delta….truth, honor, duty and beauty
For the precepts…..with faith and freedom as their heritage.
Their lives pointed us to the Three Stars.
Founders Skit
Hello, I’m Sara Turner White, a young, old, Kappa Delta. I am your youngest founder. In fact, I
was the youngest girl at the State Female Normal School in Virginia.
We four heard you were holding a celebration for us tonight and I was free to be with you. The
other three were engaged with heavenly chores so I came along to share with you some wonderful
moments of that far-off yesterday. Will you share a walk with me back into our youthful frolic,
romance and fun, dear sisters?
You know we were girls! Real live girls!
First things first. You see campuses everywhere were organizing groups. Solid, intimate,
compatible groups. So on a rainy weekend afternoon as we were debating about what might provide
some excitement, it was suggested we might form a sorority.
It was Lenora who made the suggestion. Her enthusiasm inspired Mary, Julia and me with the
vision of an organization based on ideal friendship. We were so excited that there was quite a
scramble to get pencil and paper to record each detail of our plan.
Kappa Delta was the first sorority at State Female Normal School. There were three others formed
after us. (We must have given them the idea.) They were, just to refresh your memory, Zeta Tau
Alpha, Sigma Sigma Sigma and Alpha Sigma Alpha.
(STAND)
They were very strict with us at Normal (all girls and some of us so young) but we had the
cooperation of students and faculty in each step of our planning. We had permission to hold
meetings in the library and what fun we had after the lights were out stealing down the back stairs to
hold our meetings by candlelight. Many meetings were given to poring over Greek dictionaries
working out the beginnings of our ritual.
(MOVE)
In short order, we mustered the forces of that precious four. You know we were four totally
different types. Mary Sparks, the oldest of the four, had a very lovable and contented disposition.
We always went to Mary with our problems and she could always quiet the turbulent waters.
Lenora Ashmore, quite literary, was constantly reading the latest poem she had composed. We
loved her for her friendship and loyalty. Julia Tyler would illuminate any room when she entered.
Her brilliance and personality were remembered by all who met her.
(PAUSE…….THEN SIT)
My nickname was….shall I tell you? “Pig Turner” (not because of my size because in those days I
was as slender as a pipe cleaner)…but perhaps because I was the youngest girl in school. My daddy
was a Virginia state senator, and I guess you could say I enjoyed my friends and social activities
more than my studies.
As I said, they were strict with us at Normal and all proprieties were observed you can be sure.
There were few extracurricular activities…but what there were had us KDs taking advantage of
them.
Julia Tyler, our artistic member, was an illustrator for the yearbook. Mary Sparks was big in the
YWCA. I was noted with the bicycle club. And, there was a club, ye selective moonshiners of ye
Old Dominion, which was very popular with us Kappa Deltas. Mary Sparks was the chief imbiber
of knowledge. I know what you are thinking but I can assure you that in that Victorian age
consumption of alcoholic beverages was neither acceptable nor were spirits accessible.
Also inaccessible were boys…but we did have our moments. The diamond shape of our badge was
patterned after the badge of the boys we knew at Hampden-Sydney just down the road from
Normal.
(STAND)
In fact there were some sleighing parties…horses drew the old wagon box for those special outings.
But the boys were required to sit on one side while the girls sat opposite. No touching there…over
chaperoned for sure!
Julia designed the first badge. The size of this badge was quite large. As a new group, we felt we
deserved a grand spectacular introduction. Our first group of 12 wore this badge, but the following
year our badge was changed to its present form. Our precious diamond! And of course, all who
were not KDs wanted to know what the AOT stood for. Some said “apples or tomatoes” and some
said “always on time” but we kept the secret of those wonderful words as you do this very day! Dr.
Leslie Hall, famous Anglo-Saxon scholar at the College of William & Mary (he was a family friend
and neighbor of Julia’s) suggested the words AOT and they were added to the badge.
The four of us wrote the Oath of Entrance which is still the same. We also wrote the first version of
“A Faithful Band of Sisters We.”
(SIT)
Did you know we first called ourselves Sigma Sigma? We were Sigma Sigma from October 1897
until the revelation of our secret. Quite indignant, we had a meeting before the annual went to press
and changed our name to Kappa Delta. You can imagine the pique and competition when Sigma
Sigma Sigma formed the following year…but we resolved all that with a joint Kappa Delta-Sigma
Sigma Sigma banquet and general good feelings prevailed.
In the beginning we did not have formal meetings (as you do now) but held meetings in a member’s
room. Midnight feasts followed. And maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but our early ritual was simple
and undeveloped, lacking the sophistication and beauty it would acquire in coming years.
The ceremonies were held in the library after study hours which gave them a spookish atmosphere.
Julia slipped out our window one night and, with another KD, went to the science building, covered
a skeleton with a chemistry apron and brought it back to the library where, draped in a black sheet, it
observed the initiation proceedings.
(STAND)
Work with the sorority did not appear to damage or improve our scholarship. Mary’s average
stayed the same, 75 percent. Julia shared honors with another girl for highest average in the 32member class. Her average was 89. Lenora didn’t complete her course work before transferring. As
I told you before, I enjoyed my friends and social activities more than studies. My average was 67.
To be serious for a moment. From the beginning the goal was to have a sorority, not a club. The
four of us were close friends. The girls who were afterwards taken in were not chosen for reasons of
friendship alone, but for their strong qualities and because they would be sincere Kappa Deltas.
We had no idea our sorority started on that rainy Sunday afternoon would grow to membership in
six figures.
Now we have four nationally-recognized philanthropies and members who, through the years, have
contributed much to our society and our world. It all seems a wonderful dream after these many
years. And I am happy to have had a part in the great play that has been such an inspiration to
thousands of young women.
I have loved being with you, my sisters and sharing a few of the more tender, fun-filled, precious
moments of our Kappa Delta girlhood. We are not far away. Our free spirits are nearer than you
think. Our watchful and loving eye is upon you always. My heart is so full of our frolicsome youth,
punctuated with precocious maturity a-plenty.
Good-bye sisters. We love, understand and share your ever-broadening achievements. I hear St.
Peter whispering and I promised the other three I wouldn’t stay too long. Good-bye…Good-bye…