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Chapter History

Chapter History

Delta  Sigma  Theta  Sorority,  Incorporated,  is a not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to provide assistance  and support through established programs throughout the world. Since its founding in 1913 on the campus  of  Howard  University, the Sorority has  now blossomed  into  the nation’s  largest  African  American  women's organization with more than 350,000 members and over 1,000 collegiate and alumnae chapters located in the United States, the Arabian Gulf, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, the Republic of Korea, West Africa, and the Virgin Islands.

 

The Danville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated,  located in Danville, VA, was chartered on April 6, 1946, as the Gamma Gamma Sigma Chapter and was a part of the Eastern Region. The charter members were Clara Hoffler Clark, Carrie H. Coleman, Signora L. Collins, Irene Gordon, Vergia Hobson, Virginia Mack Johnson, Hortense Person Martin,  Fannie C. Owens, and Elizabeth Holland Trent. 

 

The elected president and vice president were Carrie H. Coleman and Fannie C. Owens, respectively. The following fall of 1946, six members were initiated into Gamma Gamma Sigma Chapter and the membership continued to grow.  In 1960, at the Sorority’s national convention in Chicago, IL, the Chapter was renamed Danville Alumnae Chapter and became a part of the newly created South Atlantic Region.

charter_edited_edited.jpg

Charter member Fannie C Owens (seated) is shown with members at the Chapter’s 70th anniversary celebration. Left to Right (standing): Sorors Barbara Younger, Sheila Williamson-Branch, Sharon Jones, Sonia Williams, and Doris Wilson.

Chapter Presidents

Carrie Hereford Coleman
1946 - 1948
 
Fannie Caine Owens
1948 - 1950
 
Margaret “Peggy” Edmonds
1950 - 1951
 
Elizabeth Holland Trent
1951
 
Almeda Hill Banner
1951 - 1953
 
Dorothy O. Harris
1953 - 1955
 
Virginia Hill
1955 - 1957
 
Shirley Stamps Richardson
1957 - 1959I
 
Ida Taylor
1959 - 1961
 
Roxie Bowman Hughes
1961 - 1963
 
Betty A. Shepard
1963 - 1965
 
Nannie H. Manly
1965 - 1967
 
Ruth Jeanette Still
1967 - 1969
 

 
Frances R. Harris
1969 - 1971
 
Sara C. Rodgers
1971 - 1973
 
Willette Townes Merritt
1973 - 1975
 
Joyce E. Glaise
1975 - 1977
 
Mary Ferguson Davis
1977 - 1979

Margaret “Peggy” Edmonds

1979 - 1981

Shirley Hughes
1981 - 1983

Cynthia D. Fowler
1983 - 1985
 
Barbara H. Brown
1985 - 1987
 
Fannie Caine Owens
1987 - 1989
 
Dorothy O. Harris
1989 - 1991
 
Cynthia D. Fowler
1991 - 1993
 
Barbara G. Jeffries
1993 - 1995
Correll L. Townes
1995 - 1997
 
Andrea J. Burney
1997 - 1999
 
Barbara H. Brown
1999 - 2001
 
DeLisa Branch Chandler
2001 - 2003
 
Evelyn Martin
2003 - 2005
 
Glenda Clark
2005 - 2007
 
Correll L. Townes
2007 - 2009
 
Marilyn P. Gunter
2009 - 2013
 
Mary F. Gore
2013 - 2017
 
Mary L. Williamson
2017 - 2021
 
Sheila Williamson-Branch
2021 - 2023
 
Tonja Roberts-Brooks
2023 - 2025
​
Nettie Simon-Owen
Current
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