Florida Chapter History

The beginnings of a Delta Upsilon chapter come with colonization, when a few dedicated men pledge themselves to the pursuit of values bigger than themselves. Our founding fathers did just that in 1956, and by December 7, 1957 we had met and exceeded all of the expectations that the international fraternity had for them. On that day an assembly of brothers and honored guests met for the installation of the Florida chapter. “We are honored that this University was selected for the establishment of a Delta Upsilon chapter.” declared Dr. J Wayne Reitz, president of UF, during his address to the assembly. That night, twenty-one men were presented the charter of the 76^th chapter of Delta Upsilon.

 At this time all fraternities were off campus and DU found its home on SW 1^st Ave. By 1960 the men of DU had established the chapter as the leader in scholarship with the 2^nd consecutive IFC scholarship trophy. In addition, we demonstrated a prominence in intramural sports with a finish in the top five of fraternities. Among DU chapters the boys from old Florida hosted the Province conference, where chapter leaders led discussions to solve the fraternity’s problems and develop our leadership. These earlier years were also filled with dances, homecoming celebrations, the sweetheart court and many other social events with sororities.

As fraternities began to move to a fraternity row on campus in 1962, we began arrangements to acquire the Sigma Chi house that stood at 1814 W University Avenue. The chapter continued its successes in scholarship with a second place finish at the Fall Scholarship Convocation and first among the fraternities at Florida. DU leaders emerged on campus as they were recognized for their effort such as outstanding cadet in the Air Force ROTC program and admission to several honoraries. Athletes showed their strength in intramurals and a brother secured his place on the University’s golf team.

 Membership reached over fifty-five in 1963 and came with the 4^th consecutive win of the IFC scholarship trophy, showing that it wasn’t a coincidence or fluke, but the strong commitment of DU men to scholastic excellence. They won the majority of awards at the Scholarship Convocation, and members were admitted to honoraries such as the professional engineering honorary on campus. The diversity of talent and skill manifested in DUs was showcased by the editor-in-chief of the Florida Alligator, the student newspaper, as well as the editor of The Gator Greek, the official IFC publication. A commitment to leadership and service was awarded by appointments to Honor Court, the VP of the Agricultural council, the President of a service fraternity and the Blood Drive trophy.

 The commitment to develop the Renaissance man brought many rewards in 1964. Championships in several sports, the 2^nd consecutive Sportsmanship Trophy, five brothers on All-campus sports teams and two on the UF golf team are a few of the athletic achievements. The DU principle of the advancement of justice rings true as our men are selected for traffic court justice, legislative council, and the chairman of the judiciary committee. The house’s grades are well above the men’s average and they celebrate their successes with weekends of water skiing and lawn bowling at an alumna’s lakeside house.

In September of ’64 the Florida Chapter made the final move to their new house, and current location on University Ave. The house was bought from Sigma Chi for $50,000 and an additional $20,000 was spent on renovations to the house, to make it into Delta U’s new home.

In 1965 the Florida Chapter saw further success in the media as a DU was chosen as the announcer for WRUF, the university radio station. Homecoming celebrations continued to be a cornerstone of social activity and the DUs paired with sorority women to win the lawn decoration contest and bring home more trophies for the mantle.

Again in 1966 we hosted the Province conference and brought prominent speakers from around the United States to build better men. The strong demonstration of leadership and participation by other Southeastern chapters indicated to the international fraternity the growing strength of DU in the South. Our successes were further advanced by an extensive and involved alumni club, one that continues to be one of the strongest in the nation. DU men persisted to dominate leadership positions on campus with the president of the Greek Council as well as serving the university in freshman orientation programs and the community with cancer drives. Nights at the DU house were filled with dances, parties, and serenades at dorms and sorority houses.

More than forty men pledged to be DUs in 1967, and the Florida chapter saw continued growth in all areas. We held leadership positions as the Executive Vice President and the Social Chairman of IFC, Vice President of Florida Blue Key, as well as the General Chairman and committee heads for orange and Blue week, the spring pep rally. Members went undefeated in the national debate tournament, in addition to other debate successes. Their involvement in varied political, service and athletic organizations served to solidify Delta Upsilon’s place as a significant presence in all of the university’s activities.

The successes of the ’60s were followed by difficulties in the ‘70s. However, these challenges were met by some of the most dedicated Delta Us in the Florida Chapter’s history.

The Florida Chapter maintained its hold on campus leadership with a student senator and the Student Government Secretary for Academic Affairs in 1973. Members’ activities ranged from a photographer for the Alligator to some of the players on the UF Golf team. The definitive activities of this time focused on the service aspect of the fraternity. DUs conducted or coordinated 13 service projects this year, and this became the “forte in chapter relations”.

In October there was a fire in the downstairs common areas of the house, fortunately there was minimum damage and none were injured. This was quickly followed by increased safety efforts, and the installment of the appropriate fire prevention systems.

In 1974 the Florida Chapter demonstrated its commitment to the development of academics with the co-sponsorship of a debate tournament with the Florida Debate Club. The event was attended by representatives from all over the country who engaged in scholarly debates. In May we were hosts for an International Humanist Conference, where there was discussion by scholars around the country on the humanist philosophy.

Under the financial leadership of Paul Rosenthal ’73, the Florida chapter was able to overcome a 10,000 dollar debt in 1975, and the good times rolled with the roasting of 150 pound pig luau style. 1977 made it apparent that those who had been Florida DUs were prepared for success. A DU from ’62 became the Coordinator of Public Relations at the University of Texas, and a ’68 alumnus became the administrator of Sun Towers Hospital in El Paso Texas. Also this year, Rosenthal became the assistant city attorney for Orlando, FL.

The lull in the chapter during the 70s was followed by resurgence in the 80s.

This resurgence was marked by the recognition of the university with the Dan McCarthy award for outstanding campus and community service projects in 1981. The Florida chapter also finished 2^nd overall in athletics and won the Buddy McKay award for the most improved fraternity on campus.

In 1982 Marks Shron & Company announced that a ’68 DU was becoming a partner in the law firm located in Great Neck, NY. As the alumni from the early years of the Florida chapter became secure in their careers they sought to return to the chapter what it had brought them when they were young men. This led to a strengthening of the already strong alumni base that the Florida Chapter continued to enjoy. During the year the undergraduate chapter continued to progress with winning the IFC Presidents Cup, as the number one intramural team overall and again bringing home the Dan McCarty service award. This year saw the largest membership in the chapter’s history with over 100 brothers.

The next years included another Presidents Cup and the third Dan McCarty Award, as well as acknowledgement of the Florida Chapter by the International Fraternity as a Sweepstake Finalist, being in the top five of all DU chapters for 1986/87. 1990 marked the 7^th year of the Grand Slam Sorority Softball Tournament, whose proceeds were donated to the American Kidney Foundation and The Villages. Also, this year the DUs held Lagoon III, a social with a sorority where the driveway was flooded and a reggae band played live music.

Despite all of the progression in the ‘80s membership declined in the early ‘90s and the undergraduate chapter elected to close the doors in April of 1993.

In 1997 a Florida student named Dan Weisman wanted to start a new fraternity at UF, because he and his friends were annoyed with the Greek system. Other fraternities tried to recruit them but they were not satisfied with what they had to offer. They believed that a fraternity should stand for ideals, and did not believe that other fraternities were living up to their potential. They wanted to create their own brotherhood, one without hazing or discrimination. The Florida Chapter was re-colonized in November 8^th 1997 as just that. Thirty-four men accepted pledge pins and signed the chapter’s roll book that day, and from there the unbridled enthusiasm of these men brought the colony to its re-instatement as a DU chapter on November 13^th 1999.

At the re-instatement brother John Delaney ’77, to the assembled brothers and guests said, “to this day, my decision to join DU was among the best decisions of my life. I learned the lessons of friendship, management, socialization, networking, and finance. The friendships are eternal as they will be for you. When you need a friend, you will always have one.” John Delaney had been re-elected that year as the mayor of Jacksonville, the first in 32 years to be elected without opposition and only the fourth since World War II to gain a second term. He is now the current president of the University of North Florida.

Men have always needed core values and principles to guide their lives. In 1834 the men at Williams College were simply not satisfied with what they were offered and wanted more from life, so they founded Delta Upsilon. This revolutionary organization with its non-secrecy and devotion to meritocracy swept the nation, and those who had a similar drive for success rushed to become a part of it. This is what happened at the Florida campus in 1957, and again in 1997. With the reinvigoration of the chapter not only had the men embraced the fraternity’s founding principles, but the men advanced Florida’s own three negative beliefs: non-secret, non-hazing, and non-sectarian. Today we continue to follow this vision, as it has become our own.