Alpha Delta Alpha () was an American

fraternity A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, "brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in ...

, established in 1920. It ceased operation as a national in with six chapters continuing as local organizations, and of these, at least three eventually merging into another national.

History

Alpha Delta Alpha was founded at

Coe College Coe College is a private liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was founded in 1851 and is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The college is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Associat ...

in as a local scientific and radio society, emerging out of a radio club that had existed for the previous decade. It became a national fraternity shortly thereafter in a merger with a similar society at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 coll ...

. The main archive URL i
The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage
By it had shifted focus to become a general social fraternity, adding within a few years chapters at six additional regional institutions in Iowa and Indiana. A merger was discussed with Beta Phi Theta in the early 's, but was not consummated. The organization was dissolved in , at a national meeting held in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Baird's notes no single national successor group, however several chapters continued as locals, sooner or later joining other national fraternities. 's ''Gamma chapter'' at Northern Iowa was present for nine years after the national was disbanded, operating as a local fraternity according to that institution's yearbooks. Due to WWII enlistment, by all fraternity activity on the campus appears to have ceased; no fraternities are shown in the 1944 yearbook; the sororities at Northern Iowa continued in operation. On that campus, other fraternities resumed in 1946 but these did not include Alpha Delta Alpha. The ''Beta chapter'' appears to have withdrawn from by , forming (or reforming) as a local for three years. Some of its members went on to join a new chapter of

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on that campus. The Tri-State (Trine) ''Eta chapter'' joined Alpha Kappa Pi in , a national organization which later merged into

Alpha Sigma Phi Alpha Sigma Phi (), commonly known as Alpha Sig, is an intercollegiate men's social fraternity with 181 active chapters and provisional chapters. Founded at Yale in 1845, it is the 10th oldest Greek letter fraternity in the United States. The ...

Symbols

The badge of Alpha Delta Alpha was an equilateral triangle, one point down, having a border of 21 pearls. The inner triangle was formed of black enamel with a single pearl, a radio antenna, and the letters , and . The fraternity's colors were red, white and purple.

Chapters

The Baird's Manual Archive notes the formation of eight chapters by 1932. Active chapters at the time of dissolution in listed in bold, inactive chapters listed in ''italics''.

Notes

References

{{reflist, 2 Fraternities and sororities in the United States Student organizations established in 1920 1920 establishments in Iowa Defunct fraternities and sororities