Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society,
was established on November 14, 1919, at the University of
California in Berkeley. A student, Ruth Barnes, on that evening,
invited six friends to her home to share with them her plans to
create a Spanish Honor Society. It first came to be known as “La
Sociedad del Prado.”
Sigma Delta Pi, the Society as it is known today, enjoys over 575
active chapters. Its insignia is the royal seal of Fernando and
Isabel, representing Castille, León and Aragón. Its colors are red
and gold, and its flower is the carnation. Now in its 90th
anniversary, the Society is known for its promotion of Hispanic
letters. It offers scholarships for both Undergraduate and Graduate
students and grants special awards to students as well as
recognizes the outstanding works of writers and scholars who
have devoted their lives to promoting Spanish.
Sigma
Delta Pi has a National President (Dr. Germán Carrillo), an
Executive Secretary-Treasurer (Dr. Mark Del Mastro), and five
Regional Vice Presidents: Dr. Marie-Lise Gazarian
(Vice-President for the Northeast), Dr. Antonio Fernández-Vázquez
(Vice-President for the Southeast), Dr. Benjamin Smith
(Vice-President for the Midwest), Dr. Lucy Lee, (Vice-President for
the Southwest) and Dr. Dale J. Pratt (Vice-President for the
West).
All but the Executive Secretary-Treasurer (Dr. Mark Del Mastro) and
the Executive Committee Member-at-Large (Dr. Lucy Lee) are
nominated and elected by the active chapter members. The Society is
governed by an Executive Council consisting of the seven
aforementioned officials, the immediate past President, the
Presidents Emeriti and the Executive Committee Member-at-Large.