Delta Sigma Pi – Gamma Tau Chapter Holds 2023 Alumni & Senior Appreciation Banquet
Wed, 05/10/2023 - 12:56pm | By: Bailey Harris
Nearly 50 invitees gathered in the Thad Cochran Center for the 2023 Alumni & Senior
Appreciation Banquet hosted by The University of Southern Mississippi’s Delta Sigma
Pi (DSP) chapter. In attendance were collegiate members and alumni of the chapter, as
well as DSP alumni from other chapters from as far as Minnesota.
Notably, former Delta Sigma Pi Grand Presidents and Southern Miss Alumni Bill Tatum '79 and Mitch Simmons '09 were in attendance and honored. Both spoke on their terms as Grand President before presenting recipients with new awards named in their honor. The inaugural Mitch Simmons Excellence in Leadership Award was presented by Simmons to Emma Warren while the Bill Tatum Excellence in Recruiting Award was presented to Madalyn Sanders.
After the presentation, the crowd sang Happy Birthday to Tatum, who celebrated his 86th birthday just a few days before the banquet. Tatum was then honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of the Gamma Tau Chapter in recognition of his exemplary service and commitment to USM’s chapter.
In his acceptance speech, he pledged to donate $500 to the chapter’s leadership fund to assist with their attendance of Delta Sigma Pi national events such as Grand Chapter Congress, which will be hosted in Houston, TX this August. The alumni in attendance came together to mirror his generosity. In total, over $2,000 was raised for the Gamma Tau Chapter that night.
Amy Yeend, the staff advisor for USM’s chapter, said, “The Southern Miss chapter of Delta Sigma Pi has a long history of developing quality leaders. It is exciting to see the chapter thrive and support its members. The dedication from and interaction with our alumni testify to the lifelong commitment of and impact of the fraternity.”
Congratulations to the following students who were also recognized during the banquet:
- Outstanding Pledge — Paranovecia Ducksworth
- Outstanding Brother— Jasmin Prince
- Emerging Leader Award— Alec Dufriend
- Rose of Deltasig Fraternal Spirit Award— Jasmin Prince & Gabi Scardino
- GraduatingSeniors — Abby Attaway, Jack Baker, Wil Bridges, Cassie Lambert, Landon McFarland, Haley Milstead, Justavius Tate, Celeste Tejada, Emma Warren and Aalyiah Walker