Gamma Phi Omega Fraternity was founded on June 15, 1961 by a group of young men on the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These young men, Herbert Fain, Gordon Linton, Mark Jackson and Donnie Hicks, first created Gamma Phi Omega as a social organization for brothers who did not go to college and would serve all functions as a regular college fraternity while including the same benefits based upon the ideals of “true brotherhood and unity.” The founding members realized the need for an organization of African American young men quite different from those on college campuses. They wanted a fraternity founded upon ideals of true manhood, sound learning resulting in our young men becoming an asset to their communities.

By 1965, Gamma Phi Omega had grown to include members attending such colleges as Lincoln University, Penn State University, Delaware State University, Morgan State University, Cheyney State College, Philadelphia Community College, St Joseph's University, Howard University, Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania.

While Gamma Phi Omega Fraternity has remained a small family since its creation the fraternity is currently hoping to expand and to spread their ideals across the nation. There was no original chapter, only members at different universities belonging to a main body of working brothers. The original Alpha chapter was founded on the campus of Temple University in 1969 and members extended this chapter to the University of Pennsylvania and the Community College of Philadelphia. This was done to ensure that our Brotherhood and Unity concept could remain strong before we founded new chapters on other campuses outside the Philadelphia area. While every fraternity aspires to be number one, the brothers of Gamma Phi Omega Fraternity Inc. are satisfied in knowing that we are "different from the best and better than the rest."