Alpha Delta Pi, was the first secret society for college women. It had its birthplace at Wesleyan Female College, Macon, Georgia, the oldest women's college in the world and the first of such institutions to grant academic degrees to women.

On May 15, 1851, 19 young women as charter members organized this secret group under the name ADELPHEAN SOCIETY, and the organization has continued to function without interruption throughout the years to the present time. From its inception it possessed all of the attributes of such secret orders including ritual, motto, and password, and its membership was highly selective.

From the day of its founding, the sorority has been bound by the covenant that only girls could be taking into membership who "may commend themselves for their intellectual and moral worth, dignity of character, and propriety of deportment." There was also a scholastic requirement.

The Founders' group, organized by EUGENIA TUCKER (Fitzgerald), included 19 young women. Eugenia Tucker Fitzgerald was elected president and outlived all of the founders, her death occurring in January, 1929. These Adelphean founders chose as open motto for the society, "we live for each other," and their avowed purpose was that of bettering themselves "morally, mentally, and socially."

It was not until August, 1904, that a policy of expansion was adopted, and the original unit of the society therefore became Alpha Chapter. Accordingly, the organization was incorporated under the laws of Georgia as the Adelphean Society, and in July, 1905, it amended its chapter name to Alpha Delta Phi. In 1913 the name was changed to Alpha Delta Pi.

Local Heritage

The Zeta Mu chapter of Alpha Delta Pi was originally the Vernician Society, the oldest women’s service club at Appalachian State University. After much deliberation, the women voted to affiliate with a national sorority, and chose to petition Alpha Delta Pi. Snow covered mountains highlighted the installation of Zeta Mu on the weekend of November 21-23, 1975. Initiation services were held at First Methodist Church of Boone. The initiation of our first pledge class will always be remembered. The Alpha Delta Pi tradition is established at Appalachian State University and we hope that women in the coming years will grow to love Alpha Delta Pi as much as we do.