From the Sigma Chi International Website – The tradition of Sigma Chi’s Derby Days began in the spring of 1933 at the Alpha Beta chapter at the University of California-Berkeley, under the name “Channingway Derby.” Located on Channing Way, the Sigma Chis sponsored an event composed of a series of humorous skits.
In the spring of 1935 after receiving reports of the Channingway Derby, Beta Sigma chapter members at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville made plans for a similar event. But instead of presenting skits, the event was planned around an all-day track and field competition between the pledge classes of the nine sororities at Tennessee. More than 1,000 people were in attendance on the big day, November 1, 1935, to witness the first Derby involving campus sororities.
Coincidentally, on that day four Sigs from the Delta chapter at the University of Georgia were visiting Knoxville and witnessed the festivities. The brothers took the idea back to their campus and named their production “Sigma Chi Derby,” which seems to have stuck.
During the 1960s, the derby began to take on the philanthropic approach for which it is now known on many campuses. After the Cleo Wallace Center became Sigma Chi’s fraternity-wide service project in 1967, many chapters began using the derby as a fundraising event for the center. Although some amount of charitable work had been done through Derby and similar events prior to that time, the Wallace Center project gave a much-needed boost to the concept of doing something for a group in need outside of campus .
At the 1992 Leadership Training Workshop, the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) was introduced as Sigma Chi’s suggested beneficiary of proceeds from chapter community service projects. The CMN, an alliance of 170 hospitals and health care facilities across the North America, generates funds for the children its associated hospitals serve. Many of the Fraternity’s undergraduate chapters and many alumni chapters are located in the same city or within an hour’s drive of one or more network hospitals. Huntsman Cancer Foundation (HCF) has been the preferred philanthropic partner of Sigma Chi since December 2012. HCF was founded by Significant Sig and Order of Constantine Sig Jon Huntsman Sr., PENNSYLVANIA 1959, in 1993.
Sigma Chi Derby Days began at Fresno State in 1966 when Gary Renner (62-S) proposed starting it at an Inter-Fraternity Council meeting, and it has been a tradition ever since. Joe Pressutti (64-F) was the first Derby Daddy. Contributed by Gary Renner – Yes, Joe was the first Derby Daddy. Once I got Derby Day approved, I worked on details of Derby Day but asked Joe if he would be the Derby Daddy and he agreed. Joe and I planned out what we wanted to do and where. Then I did the behind the scenes organizing, as well as working with the university administration to make sure we had approvals for all we wanted to do. And Joe worked with the sororities – he got the tough duty, ha!
In 2018, Fresno State’s Sigma Chi chapter, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals partner, raised more funds for their local children’s hospital than any other Sigma Chi chapter in the nation. To date, Sigma Chi has raised more than $211,000! The brothers also brought lots of toys for the hospital’s patients. “We are so grateful to Sigma Chi for helping support the kids we serve.” said hospital board member Bill Smittcamp (73-S). The Huntsman Cancer Foundation has also benefited by our Undergraduate Chapter’s fundraising efforts. Probably the most successful year was 2019 when the Fresno State Sigma Chi Active Chapter donated $30,000 to Valley Children’s Hospital making it #1 in Sigma Chi philanthropy that year.
Part of the Derby Days tradition is for Fresno State sororities to paint murals on the block fence adjacent to the parking lot. Some of these murals are stunningly beautiful, and they have become part of the culture for our Active Chapter.
