National Museum and Headquarters

In the autumn of the year 1902, six women created the Sorority on the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In the beginning, Alpha Chapter directed all of the activities of the Sorority, held all of the offices and issued charters to the new chapters.

By 1910, Delta Zeta had spread to six chapters and the National Council officers (then called Grand Officers) included members from the other universities.

At the 1920 Convention in Denver, Colorado, with Delta Zeta now at 22 chapters, a Reorganization Committee recommended "that the office of Grand Secretary be the central office of the sorority, and that the office of supplies be the office of the Registrar and also act as a clearing house for all Delta Zeta affairs."

This plan worked for two years, but with the chapter list now reaching 30, the 1922 Convention voted to employ a full time secretary and rent offices in the Johnson Block in Muncie, Indiana, which was chosen because of its proximity to National President Rene Smith ?. From then until 1983, the national office moved to the city where the National President resided.

At the 1981 Convention in New Orleans, Lucile Crowell Cooks ? presented the delegates with an historic mansion just off the Miami campus in Oxford, Ohio, that could be purchased for not only a National Headquarters, but a permanent museum. The Convention voted to purchase the property and a Board of Trustees was appointed to incorporate that building as a Historical Museum. In 1983, Delta Zeta came home to Oxford. Returning to Oxford and establishing a National Headquarters and Museum was a dream to many Delta Zetas.

The home was purchased by the Delta Zeta Foundation and through contributions from collegians and alumnae, it was restored, remodeled and decorated to become the Museum and Headquarters. In 1995, the building was renovated and a new wing added through the generosity of collegians and alumnae, who sponsored rooms and furnishings for the Museum.

The Delta Zeta Historical Museum and Headquarters is located on the corner of Church Street and Campus Avenue in Oxford, Ohio.

In 1993 the Sorority acquired the adjoining property and dedicated it to Lucile Crowell Cooks who was a well-loved and active alumna, a Delta Zeta Woman of the Year and the first woman Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Miami University. Today the property is known as the Lucile Crowell Cooks Conference Center and is used for training and meetings of Delta Zeta women.

National Headquarters is managed by an Executive Director appointed by the National Council. Cynthia Winslow Menges Α has been serving as Executive Director since 1983. Staffed by Delta Zetas and non-members alike, the National Headquarters maintains all membership records, and handles all accounting, communications and membership services. It serves as a clearing house and processing center for all Sorority, Foundation and National Housing Corporation business.