The West Virginia Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Marshall University became the Fraternity’s two hundredth chapter, installed on Saturday, April 25, 1987.

General Council President C. Tal Bray, South Florida ’65, and Director of Chapter Services Robert A. Biggs, Georgia Southern ’76, directed the ceremonies. On Friday, April 24, twenty-five members were initiated into Phi Delta Theta.

The installation of West Virginia Beta marked the realization of a dream which began in the late winter of 1985. Marshall University had been considering several fraternities they could invite to start a chapter at Marshall, and Phi Delta Theta was the one they chose. From there, Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters sent two chapter consultants to Marshall to get a core group started.

Brothers in the core group started recruiting other men at Marshall and finally installed twenty-two men as colony members.

The group petitioned the General Council for colony status. Colony status was granted to West Virginia Beta Colony on April 8, 1986.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, West Virginia Beta was formally installed as a chapter of Phi Delta Theta at United Otterbein Methodist Church. Approximately seventy-five people attended the installation, including fraternity and sorority presidents, alumni and their wives, parents, and university officials.

Brother Martin Taylor, president of West Virginia Beta (1986–87), received the charter from Bray on behalf of the brothers of West Virginia Beta.