Iota Delta- A 70 Year History
When Christine Springson came to SDSU as a faculty member in 1930, she was already a member of SAI- initiated by the Sigma Eta Chapter at the University of Redlands, California, in 1925. She shared her fraternity experiences and benefits with the female music students. Margaret Trozel approached her and inquired as to how they, as interested musicians, could become members. To be sure that these women were strongly motivated, Miss Springston required that they do all the preliminary work themselves, forming an organization which could eventually become an SAI chapter.
In the spring of 1934, Mildred Barney, Margaret Capps, Leonora Jenkins, Virginia Lee Porter, Luise Rosenberg, Lucy Schatzel, Jean Taylor, Margaret Troxel, Viola Vogt, and Dorothy Warner met with Mess Springston and formed My Sigma Pi, which was granted on-campus status on May 28, 1934. In 1937, Mu Sigma Pi petitioned Sigma Alpha iota for membership. Now all members of My Sigma Pi became SAIs. Iota Delta chapter was issued its charter on June 3, 1939.
Some of the charter members were already our of school and had been off-campus for several years but were required to maintain active membership for two years. By 1944, Iota Delta was thriving.
After World War II, Christine Springston was asked to serve the fraternity as Province Officer and as National Second Vice President, Director of Extension.
Over the years, Iota Delta initiates have provided SAI with other leadership, including Province Officers- Genevieve Millican Grant, Janeen Perry Hoffman, Alice Culley Crane, Dianne Lairsey Kaderli, Marilyn Allen, Barbara Noel; and National Director of Choral Music- Diana Quint.
The Iota Delta chapter has, over the past 70 years, initiated many faculty and staff members of the SDSU Department of Music and Dance, including but not limited to:
Donna Conaty- Director of the SDSU Department of Music and Dance/ Professor of Oboe
Christopher Allen- Director of the SDSU Concert Choir/ SDSU piano accompanist
Dr. Marian Liebowitz- Professor of Clarinet, Development Liaison, Adams Project Director
Kelly Evans-O'Connor- director of the SDSU Opera
Dr. Martin Chambers- Professor of Music, Lyric Tenor
Dr. Brent Dutton- Professor of Tuba, Composition, Coordinator of Brass Studies
Dr. Merle Hogg- Professor Emeritus of Music Technology, Trombone, and Music Theory
Mary MacKensie- Lecturer of Voice, Vocal Pedagogy
Also, we have included:
Sandra Konar- Patroness (and Music Department Student Services Coordinator)
Mr. Matthew Lane- Friend of the Arts
We celebrated our chapter's 70th anniversary this year, looking to the past, to hundreds of Iota Deltas that have shaped our chapter, and to the future and what may come!