The Greek Life Blog

Phi Delta Theta has celebrated a huge milestone with their 175th anniversary in 2023! 175 years of memories and brotherhood is a legacy that will never be forgotten and here's some of the men that have helped create a group that strives to be the greatest version of themselves.

Founded on these 3 pillars: Friendship, sound learning, and rectitude. It was these 3 pillars that the “immortal 6” in 1848 at Miami University Campus in Oxford, Ohio  during a Midwest winter that these 6 friends breathed life into what we now know as Phi Delta Theta. Phi Delta Theta hasn’t lost sight of the 3 pillars and continues to celebrate each individual’s true self and is still pushing brothers to their truest potential. Even though Phi Delt’s official birthday is December 26th. Founders day is celebrated on March 15th, Robert Morrison’s birthday. Morrison’s commitment to Phi Delta Theta can be seen in the Chapters he opened. He was also the first to sign “The Bond Of Phi Delta Theta”. With such an emphasis on celebrating what is unique about each brother it is no surprise to see some significant names come across the alumni sheets! 

Drew Houston – This MIT graduate is the founder/CEO of Dropbox. Before launching his own startup Houston worked on numerous other startups; Bit9, Accolade, and Hubspot. Dropbox has 25 million users nationwide with its numbers growing daily. Houston has always had a flair for knowing how the world works and started writing code in a Boston train station.

Benjamin Harrison – Among noteworthy Phi Delta Thetas is our 23rd President.  He attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. This is where he joined Phi Delta Theta which has been said to be how he did most of networking for his career and life.  

Photo Credit: Benjamin Harrison

Jeff Weiner – The CEO of LinkedIn, he joined LinkedIn in 2008 and swiftly expanded its global platform to 26 offices around the world. Before he stepped into his role at LinkedIn, he spent time at Grey Lock Partners, Yahoo, and Warner Bros. He also currently sits on the board of directors of Intuit Inc, Donorschoose.org, and Malaria No More. He obtained a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Photo Credit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffweiner08

Lou Gehrig – During his time at Columbia University, Gehrig studied engineering, played fullback on the football team, and joined Phi Delt. In 1923 he joined the New York Yankees. His Hall of Fame career saw him score 1000 runs and knock in that many in 13 consecutive seasons. In 1931 he set the American League Record by having 184 RBI’s, he took home the Triple Crown by leading the league in home runs (43), average (.363), and RBI’s (165). After hanging up his glove Gehrig became the first player in Yankee history to have their Jersey retired. 

Photo Credit: https://sports.yahoo.com/major-league-baseball-hold-first-154907412.html

Neil Armstrong – A Purdue Alumni who studied aeronautical engineering.  Most notably known for being the First Man on the moon. In his time spent at Purdue he resided in the Phi Delt house and co-directed and wrote musicals. After his time at Purdue, he dove right into becoming an experimental research test pilot. He joined NASA Astronaut Corps as part of the “the new nine” in September 1962. A decision that would change not only his life, but how we all looked at space travel! 

Photo Credit: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2012/08/neil-armstrong-1930-2012/100359/

Dave Morin – This entrepreneur didn’t leave behind the idea of community that Phi Delta Theta cultivates after graduating from the University of Colorado Boulder. With the mission of bringing people closer through quality mobile software, he co-Founded Path.  Before Path he spent time at Apple & Facebook. He sits on the board of directors of Eventbrite. His passion for philanthropy still shines through as he is on the board of directors of 2 non-profits, United States Ski & Snowboard Association and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. 

With so many different notable alumni who have blazed paths in so many different fields, it's no surprise to see more than 240, 000 members, with nearly 170 active chapters across the United States & Canada. With an emphasis on becoming the greatest version of yourself, it is easy to see why so many strive to have the honor to wear the Phi Delt azure and argent! Here is to 173 more years of striving to celebrate each other’s unique differences. From all of us at Campus Classics, happy Founder’s Day Phi Delta Theta!

On this day in history March 1st, 1868 six young gentlemen came together in friendship creating a brotherhood of distinction known today as Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike). Pike has over 280,000 lifetime initiates, 16,000 undergrad members, and more than 220 chapters and colonies across the United States & Canada. As a fraternity, Pike has upheld the desire of their founders to develop men of integrity, intellect, success, and high moral character. So, let’s take a look at some of the noteworthy faces who have joined the brotherhood.

John Stewart - American Comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor, and television host pledged Pi Kappa Alpha during his time at the College of William and Mary. Though he was only there for 6 months he is one of the most well-known alumni.

Tim McGraw - His new music video for his song “thought about you” even features photos of Pike Alumni! He pledged the Eta Omicron Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha at Northeast University (now the University of Louisiana Monroe).

Photo courtesy of iheart.com

Edward A. Pease – An Indiana Native, Edward A. Pease is also among the ranks of the most notable Pike brothers. He is a former U.S House of Representative and Indiana Senate member. After his time in congress, Pease joined Rolls-Royce plc. North America, as their Senior Vice President of Government relations. He served as the Pi Kappa Alpha National Director of Alumni Affairs and has been an active advocate for the American College fraternity, serving as national president for Pi Kappa Alpha. He was awarded the Loyalty Award at the convention in 2016. A two-term president of the North American Interfraternity Conference and winner of its highest honor, the Gold Medal.

Photo courtesy of www.indstate.edu

Chad Clifton - A Former NFL Offensive Tackle for the Green Bay Packers, where he was part of the team who won Super Bowl XLV. During his career he was also named in two pro bowls. He was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha while he attended and played football at the University of Tennessee.

Photo courtesy of nflspinzone.com

John Nance Garner – The former Vice President, who served from 1933 to 1941 under Franklin D. Roosevelt, was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha while attending Vanderbilt University.

Charles O. Holliday – The former chairman of Bank of America attended the University of Tennessee where he was a member of the Zeta chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha. During his time at University of Tennessee he obtained a B.S in industrial engineering. After college he started climbing the ladder at Dupont and eventually became the Chief Executive Officer at Dupont. Making him only the 18th CEO in more than 200 years of Dupont’s history.

Photo courtesy of wvik.com

Jim Parsons – Most known for his role as Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory.  Parsons pledged Pi Kappa Alpha during his time at University of Houston. He has received numerous awards including four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy.

Kent Bazemore – The Golden State Warriors player was part of the Zeta Iota chapter at Old Dominion University. Earning not one, but two degrees while at Old Dominion, in Human Services & Criminal Justice.

Photo courtesy of goldenstateofmind.com

It is clear to see why so many men aspire to wear the Pi Kappa Alpha garnet and old gold when that brings them into such distinguished ranks. From all of us here at Campus Classics, Happy Founders Day Pi Kappa Alpha!

 Valentine's day is right around the corner and we are positive you have a special sweetheart that your chapter is looking to surprise. If your chapter doesn't have a sweetheart these gifts are perfect for Girlfriends, Moms, Sisters, or the special lady in your life. Let us help you with our 10 must-have sweetheart gifts for Valentine’s Day 2021.

If you have been around awhile you know that today is basically a national holiday here at Campus Classics. We love any reason to celebrate our favorite Golden Boy Max, so today we couldn’t resist celebrating him and all the Goldens. If you haven’t met our sweet Max head over to our formal introduction of our favorite boy.

National Golden Retriever Day is a fairly new holiday only being established in 2012 (we know, we were shocked that it took so long for a holiday to honor Goldens to be established, too). Our favorite breed dates back to the 1800’s in Scotland. There was a need for a breed with superb fetching abilities. So, a water spaniel and retriever were bred and well the rest is history. Goldens have come a long way from retrieving birds in Scotland. They are now a household breed known for being great assistance dogs, search and rescue (thanks to their all-star sniffing capabilities), and they are extremely well tempered with children. They make the perfect working dog or family dog. 

Make sure for the special Golden in your life that you take them out for extra walks, give them all the treats, and a little extra love today. It’s the least we can do for the special furry friend who sees us through all the chaos life throws at us.

And to show our love for Golden Retrievers everywhere and especially to our beloved Max, we've made a whole collection of shirts with him on them! And better yet, they're for Greek members and non-Greeks as well, so grab one for the human loved ones in your life today!