Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, Inc. was founded February, 1943, by the late Elizabeth Garner,
teacher and the late Violet T. Lewis, owner of Lewis Business College, Detroit, Michigan. The founders, along with the other eleven members are known as the Sorority’s 13 Original Pearls.

Each of the teachers pledged to organize a chapter of the Sorority in her home city. The next chapter to be formed was Gamma Chapter in Indianapolis, Indiana, Ivalue Lennear’s hometown. As a special dispensation, the chapter was allowed to use Gamma (instead of Beta, the second letter in the Greek alphabet) as its name.