More Than 500 Alumnae Returning to Oxford for Dedication of Delta Gamma House

More than 500 Delta Gamma alumnae and national officers are traveling to Oxford this weekend for the dedication of the newly renovated Delta Gamma house on the Ole Miss campus.

“We’re just thrilled to have this opportunity to celebrate together in a house that means so much to all of us,” said Lisa Darnell, chairman of the Building Committee for the House Corporation Board. “The house is really stunning.”
The multi-million-dollar expansion, which doubled the size of the house, began with a groundbreaking ceremony in May of 2016. Construction was completed in August of 2017.
The original house, which is now the south wing of the house, was built in 1938 with funds donated by Delta Gammas all over the country as a memorial honoring the founders. 

Darnell said the plan was to maintain and renovate the south wing of the building, which holds a spiral staircase that has been maintained through the years, houses the founders’ room and has hosted hundreds of special events. 
“It was important to us to preserve that part of our history,” Darnell said. 

Founded in 1873 by three women who were stranded in Oxford over the Christmas holiday, the Delta Gamma house was the first sorority house on the Ole Miss campus. Today, Delta Gamma has more than 140 chapters.
The new house features a new chapter room; an interior, two-story atrium with New Orleans-style details and skylights; a two-story foyer with a free-standing spiral staircase; a colonnaded porch across the front; a state-of-the-art heating and cooling system; and ADA access with handicap-accessible bedroom, bath and living areas. 
The new living areas have water fountains with bottle fillers on each floor; an exercise room outfitted with TVs; laundry rooms on each resident floor; study/TV rooms on each floor; special conference-room-style study rooms; and many spacious bedrooms with large closets and an elevator. 

Before the expansion, 34 women were living in the sorority house. Now, more than 80 can be housed in the Delta Gamma home. 
“We have had such positive feedback about how beautiful the house is and how well it functions,” Darnell said. “All of the Delta Gamma collegiates are thrilled with the house. They absolutely love their new rooms, all their new study spaces, the new dining rooms, the new living area … They are really, really thrilled with it.”

The dedication is invitation only and will begin with tours of the Delta Gamma house Saturday at 11 a.m. The dedication ceremony will take place at 1 p.m., and a cocktail party will be held at The Lyric on Saturday night.
“We will have music and some hors d’oeuvres and a nice, festive atmosphere for all of our alumnae to gather and to see each other,” Darnell said. “We’re just thrilled that we’ll be able to celebrate this wonderful occasion with so many of our alumnae and other invited guests. It’s been a true cooperative effort of many, many people, and we’re thrilled that we will get to celebrate it in a formal manner.”

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By Randall Haley, associate editor of HottyToddy.com. She can be reached at randall.haley@hottytoddy.com.