By Founder Alexander F. Makay
When your founders entered the School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance of New York University in the autumn of 1906, they found as their classmates a group of serious-minded young men who were availing themselves of the opportunity to obtain a higher education in business at night while pursuing occupational work during the day. At that time the School of Commerce had no day classes.
None of your founders knew each other before entering the School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance, but it was not long before a common friendship was established. It happened, as a matter of fact, at the first get-together of the class of 1906. The class numbered about seventy, most of whom were New York state boys, although there were some from many of the other states, and two or three foreign countries. The average age of the class was twenty-two, your writer having the distinction of being the youngest member, about eighteen.
When the first class meeting was held, we found that it constituted an organization meeting of the class and that apparently the stage had been set for a smooth-working meeting, as nicely printed ballots naming one man for each office were available. As a matter of fact, the meeting was just a bit too well organized for at least four young men. They rose to the occasion and demanded some independent thought, refusing to sanction what they thought were steamroller tactics. These young men soon rallied the class to their support. When they found that the steamroller was started by a group which they thought needed stiff opposition, they decided that no better way could be found to offer competition than through fraternization into a brotherhood which would have the best interests of the student body and the school at heart. This was the feeling which led Albert H. Tienken, Harold V. Jacobs, Alfred Moysello, and I to found Delta Sigma Pi.
Once the idea had been formed we made it a point to watch our fellow-classmen in an effort to find those whose ideals squared with our own and whom we wished to call into our brotherhood. Organization meetings of the projected fraternity were held at the homes of the various founders. A constitution and a set of by-laws were drafted, most of the work on them being done by Harold Jacobs. Harold's father in those days managed the Casino in Central Park—a place which today should be visited by unsuspecting brethren from outlying points only in the event that they are well protected financially. The first constitution of Delta Sigma Pi was finally finished at the Casino.
Tienken was the most practical of all of us. Moysello had an irresistible personality. Fortified with this strong combination we started operations. Because of the strength of the only other fraternity in the school, Alpha Kappa Psi, which had preceded us by three years, we naturally felt that we had to work secretly, although looking back from the vantage point of maturer years it seems more likely that our real reason for being so secretive was that we got more fun out of that method than we would have got out of any other.
With the entrance of the class of 1907 we initiated some wonderful members into the fraternity. They included such men as Walter Dean, Pete Eckes, Bob Ficker, Bill Burke, Bill Schultz—in fact, a group of go-getters who injected into the fraternity a vigor which it needed to make itself felt at Washington Square. In short order Deltasig became recognized as a fraternity with real aspirations.
With the problems of organization and membership pretty well in hand, we turned our attention to the necessity of setting up some form of permanent meeting place which would serve the twin purpose of conference and lounging quarters; so we got two rooms in an English basement on Washington Square South. In these two rooms we had as many as five chairs, a couch—in case some one wished to stay overnight—and that extremely necessary accessory, an icebox. Such meager equipment in these days of luxurious fraternity houses seems extremely bare to younger Deltasigs and hardly likely to produce an enthusiastic membership. The fact is, however, that the early members of Deltasig thrived on adversity, if our meeting place could be so called. To them our headquarters was a perfectly satisfactory "apartment" in which many an enjoyable get-together, always with the assistance of the icebox, was staged.
It was not long before we became a factor in school activities. We had as faculty adviser "Doc" Lee Galloway whom we all loved and who down through the years has been loved by succeeding generations of Deltasigs of Alpha. He was always a great inspiration to us and it is certain that without his guidance during those early days we might very easily have failed in our undertakings. The recollection of that beaming personality will always be treasured by early Deltasigs. By dint of hard work we soon moved to a larger apartment where without crowding we could accommodate from eight to ten residents. We also had an attractive study room and a reception room. Finding success in the operation of a house, we started in 1908 our first summer cottage at Sea Cliff, Long Island. There we had many enjoyable summers, swimming, boating, and doing all the other things that make pleasurable diversion for young fellows. About six or seven of us found our future brides there (I am married and since 1914 have lived at Sea Cliff, Long Island!) .
Ralph Stevenson also married a Sea Cliff girl. Ralph is now the mayor of that important town. Other Delta Sigs who met their fate at Sea Cliff include Bob Ficker, Bob Winter, and Phil Benson. To further show the relation of Sea Cliff to the wedded bliss of Delta Sigs of that period, I recite the following: It seems that the fraternity was involved in a law case about its house, in connection with which Stevenson was arrested and brought before Judge Schultz. The case itself is not of interest, but decidedly interesting is the fact that not long after decision was handed down, Harold Lange married Judge Schultz's daughter!
In the early period to which I refer most of us were working for the Certified Public Accountant degree. After our graduation, therefore, we went back to the Deltasig house to form voluntary classes to study in preparation for the state board examinations, and each one helped everyone else in his effort to win the coveted C.P.A. title.
Out of the early friendships formed from the associations that were promoted by the fraternity several accounting partnerships took shape, such as Eckes & Dean, McLaughlin & Cox (George V. McLaughlin and Henry C. Cox, the former in later years successively New York State Superintendent of Banks, Police Commissioner of the City of New York, executive vice-president of the Postal Telegraph Company, and now president of the Brooklyn Trust Company, and the latter for many years president of the Columbus Gramophone Company), and Tienken and I (after Tienken went to South America in 1910, Harold Jacobs joined forces with me). Tienken and I constituted the first firm of Delta Sigs to start operations. It was quite a joke around the house for our fraters to ask us how our "client," the peanut vendor around the corner, was faring under our supervision. That early group never lacked spirit and today at meetings of Alpha Chapter and the alumni club they will always be found doing their bit to advance the wellbeing of Delta Sigma Pi.
As one of the founders it is naturally a matter of gratification to me that Delta Sigma Pi has increased through the years in membership and prestige. On the occasion of this twenty-fifth anniversary of its founding, I and the other founders sincerely hope that the success of the past quarter century will continue in unbated degree so that Delta Sigma Pi may continue to be an ever stronger force for good in the field of professional business fraternities.