Alpha Delta Sigma (ΑΔΣ) was an American men's professional advertising fraternity. It started in 1913 and absorbed Gamma Alpha Chi in 1971. It merged into the American Advertising Federation in 1973.

Alpha Delta Sigma
ΑΔΣ
FoundedNovember 14, 1913; 110 years ago (1913-11-14)
University of Missouri
TypeProfessional
Former AffiliationPIC
StatusDefunct
Defunct Date1973
SuccessorAmerican Advertising Federation
EmphasisAdvertising
ScopeNational
MottoTruth
Colors  Red and   White
Chapters50 collegiate, 11 professional
Headquarters
United States
[1][2][3]

History

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Alpha Delta Sigma was formed as a men's honorary fraternity for the field of advertising at the University of Missouri on November 14, 1913.[1] It was affiliated with the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World, an earlier name for the American Advertising Federation.[4]

The fraternity appears to have fairly quickly repositioned itself as a men's national professional advertising fraternity, with some chapters providing housing for members. As such it joined the Professional Fraternity Association in 1928 as a charter member.

Alpha Delta Sigma absorbed Gamma Alpha Chi, which had also been formed February 9, 1920 at University of Missouri as a female counterpart to Alpha Delta Sigma. The merger occurred on November 2, 1971.[5] In 1964, Alpha Delta Sigma had fifty undergraduate and eleven professional chapters, and Gamma Alpha Chi had 37 chapters of which 22 were active.

The merged fraternity was headquartered, briefly, at Texas Tech University. In 1973, the combined fraternity, still named ΑΔΣ and often just "ADS", itself finally merged into the American Advertising Federation. Today the AAF continues to use the name Alpha Delta Sigma for its collegiate programs and as a subsidiary national honor society for the field.

Symbols

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The Alpha Delta Sigam pin was a shield, with the image of the Western Hemisphere at bottom, surmounted by the three Greek letters ΑΔΣ.[4] The fraternity's colors were red and white.[4] Its chapters were named for prominent members of the field, prominent alumni or members of a host school's faculty.[6]

Noble members

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b While curiously not profiled itself in Baird's, ΑΔΣ Fraternity is mentioned as a merger partner of Gamma Alpha Chi in the 19th and 20th edition of the book. William Raimond Baird (1977). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (19th ed.). Baird's Manual Foundation, Incorporated.
  2. ^ John McDonough; Karen Egolf (18 June 2015). The Advertising Age Encyclopedia of Advertising. Taylor & Francis. pp. 1037–. ISBN 978-1-135-94913-6.
  3. ^ "Induction Ceremony for Alpha Delta Sigma" (PDF). 2010-08-24. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
  4. ^ a b c According to the 1921 University of Missouri Salvitar yearbook, p.300.
  5. ^ "University of Nebraska-Lincoln Yearbook 1928: Image 371". Transcribe UNL. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  6. ^ For example, the original Missouri chapter was named after John W. Jewell, according to the 1921 Salvitar yearbook, p.300. The later-formed Minnesota chapter was named the Dean E. E. Nicholson chapter of ΑΔΣ, according to the Minnesota Gopher Yearbook, 1928, p.356.