On February 1, 1957 the first local fraternity at Western Carolina College was formed under the name of Chi Delta. Chi Delta became a chapter of a national fraternity when they were chartered by Kappa Sigma Kappa (national fraternity) on April 12, 1958. Later, Kappa Sigma Kappa merged with another national fraternity, Theta Xi and retained the name Theta Xi from that point forward. Gamma Tau and Lambda Phi Kappa were founded on October 8, 1957. Lamda Phi Kappa went on to become a chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon on April 4, 1959.
In the summer of 1957, Griff Miller (Asheville) transferred from the University of The South in Suwanee, Tennessee to Western Carolina College. Griff was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. When he arrived at Western that summer, he found that a member of the faculty, Professor Frank Maturo was also an ATO. The two began talking and decided to form a local fraternity at Western with the hope of becoming a chapter of Alpha Tau Omega. Through out the summer Prof. Maturo and Griff Miller recruited eight members to start a new local fraternity. When school started in the fall, the eight men, recruited in the summer, recruited an additional eight into the organization, thus becoming the sixteen founding fathers of Gamma Tau.
At that time Western Carolina College was on a quarter system. The first president of Gamma Tau was Griff Miller, and the faculty advisor was Professor Frank Maturo. In December, when the winter quarter started, Gamma Tau had their first pledge class of five. The five members of that first pledge class where Joe Lynn Maney, Fred Madison Arrowood, Jack Hendrix, Charles Daniel Sells, and Frederick William Rosenkampff. Max Eury was the second president of Gamma Tau and was elected in April 1958. In the January of 1959, Gamma Tau contacted Alpha Tau Omega with the hopes of becoming a chapter. The brotherhood was informed by Alpha Tau Omega that they did not take on any new affiliates unless they had been a local fraternity for at least twenty years. This news ended Gamma Tau’s hope of becoming affiliated with Alpha Tau Omega. Immediately, the brothers began contacting other national fraternities, narrowing it down to three after months of communication. In early April the brothers voted unanimously and selected Delta Sigma Phi as the national fraternity they wanted to become a part of. In April of 1959 Gamma Tau was pledged (colonized) by Frank Lloyd a representative of Delta Sigma Phi.
In May of 1959, Gamma Tau sent a formal petition to Delta Sigma Phi requesting Chapter status. The newly elected president of the chapter at that time was Thomas Bridges, and the Secretary that put the petition together was John Carland. At the time the petition was submitted Western Carolina College had twelve hundred and eighty students. Delta Sigma Phi accepted the petition, but informed Gamma Tau that they could not become a chapter until they had an Alumni Control (Corporation) Board of at least seven members.
The Brothers of Gamma Tau took this setback in stride and immediately began recruiting faculty members to form an ACB. After two weeks of recruiting, Gamma Tau had secured six members to serve on the ACB. At a loss to find the seventh member, the brothers at a regular meeting (all meetings were held in Joyner Building which served as the Administration Building) went over all possibilities. Brother Robert Zerfoss then informed the brothers that he did not think his father had become a member of a fraternity when he attended Pennsylvania State University years earlier. The next week Brother Zerfoss informed his brothers that his father had accepted the offer to become a member of Delta Sigma Phi and to serve on the first ACB. That first ACB consisted of the following members:
MEMBERS OF THE FIRST ACB OF DELTA OMICRON - 1959
Dr. William A. Ashbrook, Head of the Business Depatment
Professor Jack Wesley Barnett, Business Department
James H. Gray, Sr., Editor/Owner of the Sylva Herald
Professor Filo Hufustus Hodges, Science Department
Professor Eugene William Vosecky, Business Department
Dr. Francis Wagoner Yow, Science Department
Lester Frank Zerfoss, President American Enka Corporation
On December 5 1959, the informal initiation was held. The chapter that initiated Gamma Tau was from Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. The following day the formal initiation was held with a black tie banquet at the Jarrett House in Dillsboro, NC. There were thirty-one brothers and the seven ACB members initiated on December 6, 1959, which started the beginning of the Delta Omicron Chapter of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. Initiated on that day were the ACB as listed above and the under-graduates as listed below:
FOUNDING FATHERS OF DELTA OMICRON:
Paul Edward Allison, Jr. Mark John Hollar
Fred Madison Arroweed Charles Richard Jolly
Clyde Alexander Barnwell Kenneth Leon Lamb
John Joseph Bolen Joe Lynn Maney
Frank Bradley Bruce Redfern Medlin
Thomas Wayne Bridges Percy Vivian Mitchiner
Jennings Hilton Bryson Joe Richard Poole
John Paul Carland Robert Sidney Roberts
Marvin Harrison Calloway Frederick W. Rosenkampff
Robert Lee Coffin Harry Louis Sandlin
George Finley Curtis Walter Vance Schrum
Ronald Lloyd Dalton Charles Daniel Sells
Albert P. Falls James Lane Simpson
Harry Alexander Gossett Clyde Franklin Staton, Jr.
McChesney Powell Gray Robert Williamson Zerfoss
Herbert Morris Hickson, Jr.
It should be noted that Professor Frank Maturo could not be initiated because he was already an ATO; however, he continued to serve as an Advisor/Sponsor of Delta Sigma Phi throughout the 1960’s. Of the original ACB, Brother Jack W. Barnett served his fraternity for thirty-five years as an advisor and also as the board’s treasurer.
In April 1960 Brother Fred Rosenkampff became the second president of the Delta Omicron Chapter. The presidents that followed him in the 1960s were: Brother Harry Gossett 61-62 and Ken Rogers 63-64. The chapter was a leader on campus throughout the 1960’s in terms of scholastic achievement, intramurals, and student body involvement, including 3 presidents of the student body along with presidents of many of the organizations and clubs on campus.
Of the three original Fraternities on Western Carolina Universities campus, Delta Sigma Phi is the ONLY remaining organization of the three still remaining on campus to this day. Delta sigma Phi continues to build a rich history on the campus of WCU. Delta Sigma Phi is looking for men who want to be a part of something bigger than themselves, men who want to add on to the history, men who want to better themselves. Are you that man?