Alpha Lambda chapter of Delta Gamma
started as a local sorority called Iota Alpha Omega. Nine women
founded the club on February 20, 1906.
On February 18, 1920, Drake University
allowed local fraternities and sororities to affiliate with national
organizations. Immediately, the Des Moines Delta Gamma Alumnae Association
appointed a committee to investigate the fraternity situation at
Drake. The committee was especially impressed by Iota Alpha Omega.
That summer, representatives of Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta,
and Kappa Kappa Gamma met in Chicago and agreed that the "three
fraternities would enter Drake together if at all."
Finally on March 23, 1921, the president
of the Des Moines Delta Gamma Alumnae Association received a telegram
from Delta Gamma. The telegram announced: "Drake petition granted;
congratulations to all." That evening the members of Iota Alpha
Omega received ribbons of bronze, pink and blue. On April 20, 1921,
the first 15 members were initiated at the home of a Des Moines
Alumna.
Alpha Lambda has been housed in nine
residences. The chapter secured its first residence in 1922. In
1944 they leased an impressive residence known as the Peak Mansion.
It included one dozen ceramic-tiled bathrooms, a master suite with
a fireplace, a large coach house, and a portico supported by four
Corinthian columns. The March 1947 Anchora featured this
house on its cover. In the early 1960s, concern for the safety of
its members prompted Delta Gamma to purchase a home located at 1227
34th Street in an area that was becoming an informal Greek Row.
The home was originally built in 1910 and was remodeled to include
a split-level room and sleeping accommodations for about forty women.
Alpha Lambda's traditions include
"Sweetheart Sing," a competitive songfest between fraternities
and sororities that started in 1935. The Betty Haskins Memorial
Award was established in 1938 to honor Mary Elizabeth Haskins, Alpha
Lambda's 10th president, who died shortly after graduation. The
award is presented annually at Alpha Lambda's Founder's Day banquet.
The Charlie Brown rush skit was started and first preformed by Alpha
Lambda chapter in 1968. Forty years later, the skit continues to
be a house tradition. Anchor Splash®, a popular campus event,
was first sponsored in the spring of 1978.
Over its 87 years at Drake, Alpha
Lambda has excelled in membership recruitment, scholarship, and
campus participation. The chapter has received honors both locally
and nationally for its achievements. It is currently one of Drake's
largest sororities and has received awards for the highest sorority
GPA for the last five semesters.
