Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society (La Sociedad Nacional Honoraria Hispánica), was established on November 14, 1919, at the University of California in Berkeley.  Its insignia is the royal seal of Fernando and Isabel, representing Castille, León and Aragón.  The Society’s colors are red and gold and its flower is the red carnation. The national headquarters is located at the College of Charleston in South Carolina.

With the guidance of such notable Hispanists as S. Griswold Morley, Elijah C. Hills, Rudolph Schevill, Leavitt O. Wright, William Berrien, John D. Fitz-Gerald, Tomás Navarro Tomás, José Martel, Archer M. Huntington, John T. Reid, Stuart M. Gross, James O. Swain, F. Dewey Amner, Carl A. Tyre, T. Earle Hamilton, Dolores Brown, Richard E. Chandler, Ignacio R.M. Galbis, John H. LaPrade, Mark P. Del Mastro and Germán D. Carrillo, the Society has expanded its activities and now has over 570 chapters in 49 states.

The following reveal the diverse nature of the colleges and universities that form the Sigma Delta Pi family: the University of Notre Dame, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The Citadel, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Hawaii, Oral Roberts University, the University of Texas at Austin, Hood College, Brigham Young University, Truman State University, the College of William and Mary, Howard University, Friends University, Georgia Southern University, California State University San Marcos, Auburn University and the University of Wyoming.

In order to serve its many chapters optimally, the Society has a National President, an Executive Director, and five Regional Vice Presidents.  All but the Executive Director 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 one Executive Committee Member-at-Large.  The sponsor of the chapter, is of the utmost importance, for his/her wisdom, imagination and dedication largely determine the success of the local branch of the Society.

Sigma Delta Pi: A Brief History (1919-1994) by T. Earle Hamilton