Alpha Delta Gamma had its beginning with four students at the Lake Shore Campus of Loyola University of Chicago in 1924. Francis Patrick Canary, John Joseph Dwyer, William S. Hallisey and James Collins O'Brien, Jr., first conceived the idea of founding a new unique fraternity during a ride on Chicago's "L" (The elevated railway). The "Founding Four" realized the need for an organization quite different from those existing on their campus.

The "Founding Four" envisioned a new concept in fraternities - one based upon the traditions, ideals of true brotherhood, and missionary zeal of Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier and Issac Jogues. They saw five specific areas of development for students at Catholic colleges- the spiritual, the scholastic, service to college and community, encouragement of school spirit among fellow students, and the social. In effect, they wanted a fraternity founded upon Christian ideals of true manhood, sound learning, and the unity of fraternal brotherhood. These ideals were decreed the purpose of Alpha Delta Gamma when it first came into being. And so the foundation was set, Alpha Delta Gamma was on its way to becoming a city walled!