Gamma Alpha Chi was formed at the University of Missouri on February 9, 1920. It was a professional women's fraternity for advertising. It was founded under the leadership of Ruth Prior Midyette, with the guidance of Walter Williams who was the dean of the Department of Journalism. Its founding members were:
Elizabeth Atteberry
Frances Chapman
Lulu Crum
Betty Etter
Christine Gabriel
Lucille Gross
Alfreda Halligan
Christine Hood
Mary McKee
May Miller
Ruth Prather
Rowena Reed
Allene Richardson
Mildred Roetzel
Selma Stein
Ruth Taylor
Beatrice Watts
Ella Wyatt
Mrs. Herbert Smith was the fraternity's founding patroness.
Gamma Alpha Chi added a second chapter at the University of Texas at Austin in February 1921. A third chapter was established at the University of Washington in 1923. By 1930, the fraternity had chartered seven chapters. Any female student who was preparing for a career in advertising was eligible for membership.
The first national convention was in May 1926, during Journalism Week. This convention formed the National constitution elected the first National Officers and selected GAC-O-GRAMS, the Alpha chapter publication as the national publication.
Gamma Alpha Chi was affiliated with the Advertising Federation of America and the Advertising Association of the West. Its national officers were president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer.
In May 1967, the women's fraternity had initiated 8,500 members at 52 chapters, 39 of which were active. On November 2, 1971, the fraternity merged with Alpha Delta Sigma, a professional advertising men's fraternity, also formed at the University of Missouri. The new advertising fraternity for men and women was called Alpha Delta Sigma. It merged with American Advertising Federation by 1973, becoming an honor society for advertising.
Symbols
The badge of Gamma Alpha Chi was an octagon-shaped shield with a fountain pen at a diagonal behind the shield. Originally, the pen had been on the horizontal axis, but some time after 1928, it was changed to a diagonal. It was rendered in gold and had a black field. On the face of the badge were a star indicating truth in advertising and the image of the Western Hemisphere indicating universality of advertising behind the letters ΓΑΧ. The badge of pledging is simply the fraternity colors, gold and brown.
The colors of Gamma Alpha Chi were gold and brown. Its flower was the Ophelia or yellow rose. Its motto was "Truth and Service". The fraternity's publication was Gac-O-Grams.