the quill of alpha xi delta - fall/winter 2008

of Alpha Xi Deltaof Alpha Xi Delta

Fall | Winter 2008

Volunteer Leadership Conference

The Workout

New National Executive Director Elysia Balster Gallivan

Discover, Realize, Explore Convention in Denver

Foundation Annual Report

Passing it OnAlumnae help collegiate Sisters realize their potential

2 The Quill of Alpha Xi Delta | Fall/Winter 2008

Sisters,Although nature is winding down for the year, it is a time of new beginnings and introductions for Alpha Xi Delta. We enjoyed a

very successful fall recruit-ment season, and this month thousands of young women across the country will be ini-tiated into our beloved Sister-hood, learning the full mean-ing of our symbols, taking vows to uphold our ideals and feeling the joy of wearing our Quill badge for the first time. As we share our secrets and welcome these new Sisters into the heart of our Sister-hood, the initiation experi-ence enables them to connect

directly with our Founders and all the Alpha Xi Deltas who have preceded them, with the words of the ceremony inspiring them (and all of us) to realize our potential and make a differ-ence throughout our lives as Alpha Xi Deltas.

Also beginning a new relationship with Alpha Xi Delta is our new National Executive Director, Elysia Balster Gallivan, South Dakota ’93, and I introduce her to you with great joy. If you’ve participated in any area or national gathering or have served in any office in the past decade, chances are that Ely-sia needs no introduction, as she has been a valued, visible member of our Headquarters staff since 1996 when she trav-eled as an Educational Leadership Consultant. Most recently serving as our Director of Member Services, Elysia has played key roles in executing our major national events, including this year’s Workout and Volunteer Leadership Conference. As you read about these events in this issue, I hope you’ll sense the excitement and potential that was unleashed for our members, and can appreciate the quality of experience that our person-nel will continue to provide under Elysia’s direction.

In this issue we also introduce to you our 2008-09 Educa-tional Leadership Consultants and Leadership Coaches – bold

and talented women who are already shaping our organization in new and exciting ways as they travel to our chapters and associations.

To all these Sisters I say, “Congratulations, and Welcome!” We place in their hands these new responsibilities for our be-loved Sisterhood, confident that they will ensure Alpha Xi Del-ta remains a place where women are inspired to realize their potential, and where our members continue to enjoy genuine, lifelong friendships.

Ironically, while winter sets in it’s already time to start thinking about next summer. I fully appreciate that economic realities make travel planning difficult right now, but if you’re able to plan a summer vacation, I encourage you to think “Den-ver” and to schedule it to coincide with Convention 2009. Den-ver is an exciting, vibrant city with much to offer reuniting Sisters, families and individual travelers of all ages. (My boys have already made a list of the region’s steam and cog train at-tractions, and my Big Sis and I are pouring over menus of the local spa offerings!) Convention 2009 will be a magical, mean-ingful gathering of Sisters with much to offer in the way of opportunities to connect and reunite with one another, benefit from personal- and professional-development programming, improve the lives of Denver’s children, conduct the Fraternity’s business and elect our new national governing boards and, above all, have fun! Please join us.

Finally, a note to all the Foundation donors whose gifts are recognized in these pages: From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you. Your gifts allow Alpha Xi Delta to truly impact the lives of the women who wear our Quill and to improve the lives of children.

Loyally,

Deanna DetchemendyNational President

A Time for New Beginnings

President’s Letter

www.alphaxidelta.org 3

5 New Executive Director AppointmentElysia Balster Gallivan becomes the Fraternity’s new National Executive Director.

6 Volunteer Leadership Conference Alumnae Sisters attend “summer training camp” in St. Louis.

8 Recruitment Training at The WorkoutSisters pump up their potential during the Fraternity’s recruitment training experience.

10 Traveling Leadership TeamEducational Leadership Consultants and Leadership Coaches hit the road to assist chapters.

13 Governing Body NominationsNominate a Sister to serve on National Council, the Foundation or the National Housing Corporation.

20 National Panhellenic Conference The importance of Alumnae Panhellenic Associations and why you should join one.

24 Alumnae Association MembershipFun ways to connect/reconnect with Alpha Xi Delta.

36 Foundation Annual ReportThank you to the Sisters and friends who gave so generously.

13

26

33

Contents

Jenn Tripoli, Marquette ‘05, and other collegiate Sis-ters are being encouraged and mentored by alum-nae, such as Lori Bleich Gallogly, Drake ‘55. Learn more about how alumnae are “passing it on” and helping collegiate Sisters realize their potential, start-ing on page 8.

On the Cover

In Every Issue 4 Letters

23 News & Notes

26 Member News

33 Reunions

54 Honor Gifts

56 Memorial Gifts

61 Chapter Eternal

63 Living our Symphony


Letters

Steadfast Love for Alpha Xi DeltaI so enjoyed reading the summer Quill. I am bursting with pride that Alpha Xi Delta is involved in so many humanitarian endeavors around the country. I am an old gal – a charter member of Beta Tau Chapter at Kent State University – having become an Alpha Xi on November 22, 1947, according to the back of my Quill pin. I have since visited the chapter house at KSU and had a guided tour by a lovely young woman.

I now live in Altamonte Springs, Florida, and am not able to travel, but I love to read The Quill, I love the Sisterhood and I am still in close touch with several of my chapter Sisters.

With thanks, I remain,Ethelyn “Scotty” Scott Ryder WilhelmBeta Tau, Kent State University ’47

Road Trip Map Leads Sister to RespondThe summer edition of The Quill was outstanding in information, especially the “Out and About with Alpha Xi Delta” map on pages 22-23. Could I please have a copy of the Alpha Xi Delta Grace that was mentioned?

Rita Zahn Sahm Beta Pi, Indiana University ’54

Editor’s Note: Rita, we’re glad to oblige. Here it is.

Alpha Xi Delta Grace

Be present at our table Lord.

Be here and everywhere adored.

These mercies bless and grant that we

May feast in paradise with thee.

God bless our dear Fraternity.

May we er’e united be.

May our Quill reign eternally.

Alpha Xi Delta praises thee!

And from our Panhellenic Sisters…Just a quick note to say how much we enjoyed your road trip map in the summer Quill. What a fun and well-executed idea! It inspires us to try something similar in our magazine.

Whitney Parker Scully, ANCHORA EditorMegan M. Lloyd, ANCHORA Associate EditorDelta Gamma Fraternity

of Alpha Xi Delta

Ready forRecruitmentA behind-the-scenes look at member selection

Summer 2008

Road Trip! 14 must-see places for Alpha Xi Deltas

Successful Build-A-Bear Event1,000+ bears donated to children in need

50 Years and CountingGamma Nu Chapter celebrates a half century of sisterhood

Record-Breaking YearSisters, friends give $245,000 to the Loyalty Fund

Remembering a SisterFoundation pioneer enters Chapter Eternal

Quill Summer 070708.indd 1 10/20/08 9:27:08 AM

The Quill of Alpha Xi Delta is published three times per year in spring, summer, and

fall/winter by Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity.® POSTMASTER: Send address changes to

THE QUILL OF ALPHA XI DELTA, 8702 Founders Road,

Indianapolis, IN 46268

Volume 105/Issue 3Copyright 2008 by Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity

Submission DeadlinesSpring issue: December 1

Summer issue: April 1Fall/winter issue: August 15

Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity Headquarters8702 Founders Road

Indianapolis, IN 46268Telephone: 317.872.3500

Fax: [email protected]

National Executive DirectorElysia Balster Gallivan, South Dakota ’93

Editor Ruth Goodman, Northern Iowa ’80

National Council 2007-2008National President

Deanna Wollam Detchemendy, Cal State Northridge ’83

National Vice PresidentsAnn Ward Adams, Nebraska Lincoln ’66

Evonne Carawan, North Carolina State ’83 Sandra Ellen Edwards, Kentucky ’75

Diane Curtis Gregory, Wittenberg, ’61 Susan Eicher Mamber, Kent State ’77 Danica Vanasse Olson, Marquette ’90

FoundersCora Bollinger BlockAlice Bartlett BrunerAlmira Lowry Cheney

Frances Elisabeth CheneyBertha Cook Evans

Eliza Drake Curtis EvertonJulia Maude Foster

Lucy W. GilmerHarriet L. McCollumLewie Strong Taylor

The Mission of The Quill of Alpha Xi Delta:To inform, inspire and challenge.

To sustain and nurture membership loyalty and interest.

To recognize individual, group and Fraternity accomplishments.

To provide a forum for the exchange of information and opinion.

To be the permanent record for the Fraternity.

of Alpha Xi Delta

Letters

In Praise of Sisterhood I have special memories of the Alpha Tau chapter house at the University of Alabama. I loved to sing with my Sisters after dinner – and even study together! We had a precious housemother, Mrs. Thomas, and we adhered to strict cur-fews: 11:00 on Friday nights and mid-night on Saturdays.

We were given an important piece of advice: Don’t just be a sponge. In life, try to give something back. I have tried to do that in my pictures and poems. Please dedicate this to all my Xi Sisters, who I cherish still.

With my Love and Blessings,Margaret Wilson BatleyAlpha Tau, University of Alabama ’51

Sisters

A Sister is a “forever friend.”Someone to share our joys and

Someone to share our tears;Someone to whom we can

always confide.

This is a lifetime friendshipFrom birth until life shall end.

We thank thee, Lord, for our SistersThey are our closest kind of kin.

God bless them for the way they enrich and bless our lives.

They make our families complete; They bind our hearts together

in more than just name.

Without Sisters, life could never be the same.

Editor’s Note: Thank you for sharing your poetry, Margaret, and mentioning Mrs. Thomas. Sisters, do you have remem-brances, stories, or photos to share about your housemother? If so, please send them to [email protected] so we can include them in our salute to housemoth-ers in an upcoming issue.

Reading The Quill Online Versus In HandIn the summer issue of The Quill you asked Sisters to let you know if they wanted to be removed from the magazine’s mailing list and read The Quill online instead. Please remove my name from the list. I thorough-ly embrace this idea and am excited to see our organization continue to move in a positive direction, both environmentally and fiscally.

Sandi EdwardsXi, University of Kentucky ’75 Alpha Xi Delta National Vice President

Editor’s Note: Sisters, many of you requested to be removed from The Quill’s mailing list to read our online issue instead. The current issue and issues from the past three years can be found in the News & Events section of www.alphaxidelta.org.

The Quill can also be emailed to you as a portable document format (pdf) – an electron-ic image of the printed version of the maga-zine. If you would prefer to read The Quill on the Fraternity’s website or receive your copy via email, please contact the Editor.

Connecting Sisters with SistersIn reading the Realize Your Potential sec-tion of the summer Quill, I was fascinated by Debra Lens Drysdale’s involvement with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiecta-sia (HHT) Foundation International. Please share a word of thanks and encourage-ment to her from my family and me; we also have a history of HHT. My grandfather had severe symptoms, and I still remember his numerous nosebleeds and hospitaliza-tions due to needing blood transfusions. My mother’s case isn’t as severe, but she’s had heart surgeries and complications due to HHT. Monitoring her condition has been crucial indeed. I still am only slightly af-fected. It’s less lonesome knowing there are others out there who truly understand! Thank you, Debra.

Alice Hink Hinrichs Epsilon Tau, Central Missouri State University ’81

National Council Appoints a New National Executive Director

Elysia Balster Gal-livan, South Da-kota ’93, has been selected by Alpha Xi Delta’s National Council to serve as the Fraternity’s National Executive Director.

Elysia began her career with Alpha Xi Delta in 1998, traveling as an Educational Leadership Consultant. She later became the Frater-nity’s Program Development Coordinator, Director and Assistant Executive Director of Member Services and, most recently, as the Director of Member Services.

In addition to her work with the Fra-ternity, Elysia is well known throughout the fraternal community for her service with LeaderShape, the Undergraduate In-terfraternity Institute, the Interfraternity Institute and the Fraternity Executives Association.

“Elysia is an experienced, dynamic leader whose talents will help shape Alpha Xi Delta and bring great success to our Fraternity,” said Deanna Detche-mendy, Alpha Xi Delta’s National Presi-dent. “During her tenure with Alpha Xi Delta, Elysia has proven to be a capable and devoted Sister who displays the val-ues we hold dear, who engages and con-nects well with our Sisters and the fra-ternal community, and who consistently fosters a spirit of cooperation and collabo-ration.”

Elysia, who stepped into her new role October 1, said, “Alpha Xi Delta inspires me every day of the week, and I have great passion and dedication for the work I do on behalf of the organization. I look forward to serving Alpha Xi Delta in this key leadership role and to continue our Fraternity’s great tradition of success.”



By Sara Des Jean Konopka, Purdue ’01Assistant Director of Alumnae Relations

A lpha Xi Delta’s 2008-10 volunteer season kicked off during “summer train-ing camp” in St. Louis, July 25-27. Since Alpha Xi Deltas are team players at heart and because we were in Cardinal’s coun-try, the theme for this year’s Volunteer Leadership Conference (VLC) was…what else? Baseball!

Alpha Xi Delta’s roster showed a lot of depth this year. On hand for the ac-tion were more than 130 fired-up Frater-nity volunteers from across the country, including National Council members, Foundation Trustees, members of the National Housing Corporation and local housing boards, National Directors, Ter-ritory Directors, Area Facilitators and advisors from chapters all across the country.

The game plan for this action-packed weekend was clear:

1. Bond as teammates

2. Share winning strategies

3. Maximize individual and team output

4. Recognize and congratulate each other for a job well done

Yankee Baseball great Babe Ruth said, “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” With these

immortal words in mind, Sister-team-mates learned to “play together” during mix and mingle sessions throughout the weekend. They also learned about the Fraternity’s new lineup of winning strat-egies that includes the Group Interactive Network (GIN) System. The system’s cutting-edge technology allows our colle-giate Sisters to communicate with alum-nae and each other more efficiently. Each chapter can choose from three custom website designs and change the design in real time, instantly creating a fresh presence for their chapter on the web. Using the GIN System is also a great way to attract new members to the team.

Individual and team output was maximized when Sisters learned more about The Blue Room, the members-only section of the Fraternity’s website. This playbook of sorts contains policies and procedures, reports and checklists, and award and recognition programs that collegians and alumnae can use to maximize their chapter and association output.

The VLC lineup continued with Mi-

chelle Marchand Rebholz, Mount Union ’02, Greek Life coordinator at Lehigh University in New Jersey, who presented a major-league look at current campus trends. Michelle coached Sisters on how they can use these trends to tap into the needs of today’s collegians to form strong, winning teams.

Next at bat was Ginny Carroll, West-ern Kentucky ’82, CEO of InGiNuity, who shared with Sister-teammates “The Gift of Sorority.” Her world-class message reminded Sisters of the dedication our Founders displayed while establishing our Fraternity, rallied Sisters around our

Ritual and fired everyone up about their lifetime membership in Alpha Xi Delta. Ginny hit a homer the next day with her presentation on generational differences and how Sister-teammates can become more adept when working with people of all ages.

Sisters really put their heart into it when they brought pencils, calculators, rulers, paper and other school supplies with them to St. Louis for donation to the United Way of Central Indiana. Dur-ing BackPack Attack 2008, supplies were collected and later donated to Indianapolis-area children in need. The VLC team, which was part of the larger North-American Interfraternity Confer-ence team, was recognized for donating 5,310 school supplies – the most of any small-membership/volunteer organiza-tion! High fives to these two powerhouse teams!

The VLC closing ceremony celebrat-ed the weekend’s success, recognized Sister-volunteers for their dedication to the Fraternity and acknowledged the team’s hard work. These Sisters then went back to their communities not only as players but as raving fans of Alpha Xi Delta, eager to work with chapters and associations in their area.

Want to become part of Alpha Xi Del-ta’s volunteer roster? Fill out a volunteer interest form in the Alumnae section of the Fraternity’s website, or contact Sara Konopka at [email protected].

A Major-League HitSisters knock one out of the park during the Volunteer Leadership Conference.


By Tabatha Donahue Phan, Indiana U of Pennsylvania ‘89 Director of Housing

As I made my way back to India-napolis from St. Louis after the Frater-nity’s Volunteer Leadership Conference, I thought about all the amazing women I met and the important lessons I learned. One thing that came to mind was the conversation I had with Alpha Xi Delta veteran volunteer Marian Sayward West, Michigan ’45, who wore her Housing hat that weekend.

“This was one of the best sessions I ever attended,” said Marian. “I can re-ally feel Housing and the Fraternity’s other departments working together for a common goal.”

Marian hit the nail on the head. Working together as a team to move Alpha Xi Delta forward is what the Vol-

unteer Leadership Conference was all about. (See related story on page 6.) To that end, alumnae volunteers who serve on chapter corporation (housing) boards came to the conference to learn about the latest resources available to them and how they can be even more effective

in their roles. Housing volunteers could choose from

five conference educational tracks facili-tated by vendors Culinary Consultants, Inc., HRH/Kirklin Insurance and inte-rior designer Sandy Levin. Sisters gained knowledge about insurance, decorating

and kitchen management to help build-ing corporations be successful no matter what type of housing they oversee.

During the two financial tracks, Sis-ters learned about new filing require-ments (the IRS now requires all non-profit organizations, regardless of size,

to file IRS form 990) and the financial re-view process recently developed by the National Housing Corporation (NHC). The new financial review form allows the NHC to review a corporation’s finan-cial position if the corporation wants the Fraternity guarantee or grant a loan.

Along with the Housing sessions, Sisters who volunteer on local building corporations were introduced to several recruitment and chapter sessions they had not been exposed to before, such as StrengthsQuest®, the new chapter web-site system, how to work with genera-tional differences and Sister Ginny Car-roll’s presentation “The Gift of Sorority.”

I encourage all local building corpo-rations to send at least one representa-tive to Alpha Xi Delta’s 2009 National Convention in Denver, Colorado. The National Housing Corporation promises to offer informative sessions that will allow your local housing corporation make the right decisions and work with the chapter to build a strong housing foundation.

Alumnae volunteers shared ideas and successes between Housing educational sessions at this year’s Volunteer Leadership Conference.

2008 Volunteer Leadership Conference

Building the Foundation The Housing Foundation, that is!

“As a first-time volunteer for Alpha Xi Delta, I found the Vol-

unteer Leadership Conference extremely valuable in helping

me with my position and in reconnecting with the Fraternity.

I feel reenergized, recommitted and am in love with Alpha Xi

Delta all over again!”

Carrie White Gray, Elon ’94 Housing Facilitator


By Gretchen Balling DiMarco, Syracuse ‘96Director of Membership Growth

Some of the most important skills Sisters need to be successful in their personal and professional lives are the same skills needed to be successful during recruitment. With that in mind, the National Fraternity expanded The Workout, its summer recruitment train-ing experience, to help collegiate Sisters develop these skills.

Instead of hosting one Workout week in a central location, we took the program on the road this year and hosted one ses-sion in Atlanta, Georgia, one in Fresno, California, and two in Bloomington, Indi-ana. More sessions meant more partici-pants since Sisters could plan their train-ing week around their summer school schedule and other commitments.

The Workout helped participants explore critical leadership skills like action planning, motivating others and solving problems from a position of strength. The Art of Storytelling as a Leadership Tool was a cornerstone of the week’s curriculum. Participants drew inspiration from the story of our Fraternity’s founding, as well as from

their own personal Alpha Xi Delta story, to craft a compelling vision of the future to take back to their chapter. The rest of The Workout curriculum demonstrated how a robust recruitment plan can help bring that vision into reality.

One highlight of this year’s Work-out was “The Gift of Alpha Xi Delta,” a presentation by Ginny Carroll, Western Kentucky ’82, that explores the critical lessons we learn as Sisters that can’t be taught in any class. This gave Sisters plenty to talk about as they reflected on the skills they’ve gained through their Alpha Xi Delta membership.

When participants were challenged to apply all of this to their chapter’s re-cruitment plans, the result was power-ful! Colleen Casey, Syracuse ’06, said, “My participation in The Workout made me very aware of my leadership skills by focusing on my personal strengths and recognizing those skills I need to work on. I’ve learned how to be a more effective leader [by] managing myself internally and managing my relation-ships [with] others.”

While the planned curriculum was beneficial, many Sisters found their inspiration in a different source – each other! By attending The Workout, Sis-ters had the chance to network with peers from across the country. Chapters large and small, east and west, were represented at each of the four sessions. Imagine the number of creative ideas that were shared!

And the week wasn’t just about recruitment. Sisters had the chance to contribute ideas ranging from aca-

demic incentives to sisterhood event themes. Chapter presidents gathered to share best practices, and representa-tives from each chapter had the chance to sit down with a trainer for a one-on-one consultation to discuss their chapter’s strengths and challenges and draft a plan for success.

Supporting our collegiate Sisters

Sisters who attended The Workout in Bloomington, Indiana, enjoyed a trip to Indianapolis and a tour of Fraternity Headquarters.

Once a sister program to The Leadership Conference, The Workout, the Fraternity’s recruitment training experience, continues to grow.


“The National Fraternity is

thrilled to offer recruitment

skills training to so many

collegiate Sisters. Through

The Workout, we hope to

provide Sisters an advan-

tage that will help them on

their journey toward real-

izing their potential.”

Deanna Wollam DetchemendyNational President

After their Workout, Sisters took time for their Cool Down – an exercise that helped them process each day’s activities.

Sisters attending the Fresno Workout participated in activities that built team unity.

throughout each experience were teams of Trainers – alumnae Sisters who volunteered their time and exper-tise to serve as role models to the next generation.

“The best part of my Workout experi-ence was seeing the collegians’ excite-ment and the belief in possibilities,” raved Jenny Greyerbiehl, Alma ’01, one of this year’s Workout trainers. “They were excited about making their chap-ters better using the knowledge and ideas they received. I am so proud to call each woman I met my Sister!”

If you’re interested in realizing your chapter’s recruitment potential, submit an application to attend The Workout 2009. Details will be posted at www.alphaxidelta.org in January. Apply early because space is limited.

Alumnae, if you’re interested in vol-unteering as a Workout trainer, contact Director of Membership Growth Gretch-en DiMarco at [email protected] for details.

A rousing “thank you” to the Alpha Xi Delta Foundation for its generous finan-cial support of The Workout.

Sisters shopped for the latest Alpha Xi Delta merchandise in the Xi Boutique.


Traveling leadership staff gives back to Alpha Xi Delta while helping collegiate Sisters become their best.

During the 2008-2009 academic year, six Educational Leadership Con-sultants (ELCs) are traveling to Alpha Xi Delta chapters across the country to educate, inspire, and help chapter officers and members create the most rewarding Fraternity experience pos-sible. Two Leadership Coaches (LCs) are also traveling to our chapters to help collegiate Sisters develop leader-ship skills, emotional intelligence and career plans to propel them even fur-ther in life after college.

These professional staff members, who are recent Alpha Xi Delta alumnae, received extensive training over the sum-mer at Fraternity Headquarters. Here’s a little bit about these amazing women.

2008-2009 Educational Leadership Consultants

Emmalie KryslChapter: Rho, Nebraska Lincoln ’04

Fraternity Involve-ment: Membership vice president, alumnae relations chair, social chair

Degree: Elementary education with a concentration in fine arts

Chapters Working With: Sigma (Iowa) and Alpha Eta (Purdue)

Awards: Lincoln Public Schools Gold Star Salute Service Award, Rho Chapter Outstanding Service Award

Won’t Leave Home Without: My “Good Luck Wishes” scrapbook

Three Words that Describe Me: Loving, musical, crafty

Samantha WellsChapter: Theta Sigma, Central Florida ’04

Fraternity Involve-ment: Philanthropy chair, historian, Recruit-ment Day chair, recording secretary

Degree: Early childhood education

Chapters Working With: Beta Al-pha (Texas) and Nu (U of Washington)

Awards: Who’s Who Among Col-lege Students, Dean’s List, Orlando Area Panhellenic Alumnae Association scholarship, and Rho Lambda, Order of Omega and Golden Key honor societies

Won’t Leave Home Without: My camera

Three Words that Describe Me: Outgoing, caring, funny

Samantha SolisChapter: Gamma Zeta, Eastern Michigan ’04

Fraternity Involve-ment: Assistant mem-bership chair, philanthro-py chair, activities chair, College Panhellenic Council president and vice president of external affairs

Degree: Communications and marketing

Chapter Working With: Theta Omega (New Mexico State)

Awards: EMU Greek Life’s Distin-guished Individual Service Award, Greek Woman of the Year, and Gold Medallion awards from EMU Student Affairs for Outstanding Leadership by a Student and Outstanding Student Organization (College Panhellenic Council)

Won’t Leave Home Without: My iPod® and Burt's Bees® Lip Balm

Three Words that Describe Me: Passionate, involved, a believer

Winter HollingsworthChapter: Iota Delta, Central Oklahoma ’06

Fraternity Involve-ment: President, house

There’s a Job, and Then There’s Your Passionmanager, chapter life vice president, Founders’ Day committee, activities chair

Degree: Early childhood education

Chapters Working With: Zeta Xi (Auburn), Pi (Ohio), Epsilon (South Dakota), Gamma Epsilon (Cal State Fresno)

Awards: Heart of Alpha Xi award, Miss Alpha Xi

Won’t Leave Home Without: My cell phone

Three Words that Describe Me: Spunky, driven, a believer

Heather HaroffChapter: Zeta Xi, Auburn ’03

Fraternity Involve-ment: New member orientation chair, Coaches Taste-off chair, Greek Sing chair, publicity chair, second-year ELC

Degree: Public relations

Chapter Working With: Kappa (Illinois)

Awards: Dean’s List

Won’t Leave Home Without: My camera

Three Words that Describe Me: Outgoing, spontaneous, competitive

Laura ThompsonChapter: Beta Sigma, West Virginia Wesleyan ’05

Fraternity Involve-ment: Membership vice president, Panhellenic vice president

Degree: Art administration with a fine arts minor

Chapters Working With: Gamma Theta (East Tennessee State), Kappa (University of Illinois)

Awards: Who’s Who Among Col-lege Students, Irish American Scholars Program

Won’t Leave Home Without: My massive carry-on suitcase

Three Words that Describe Me: Artistic, a fashion fanatic, fun loving


Fourteen new Housing Facilitators were recently appointed by the National Housing Corporation to guide, educate and provide support to local building corporations. These accomplished Sisters have served on local building corporations and possess extensive knowledge on everything from accounting to property management.

The Housing Facilitators work with chapters in four territories, which mirror the ter-ritories covered by the Area Facilitator role within the Fraternity’s Volunteer Structure. Please join us in welcoming the following Sisters to the Housing team:

The Housing Facilitator Role in BriefIdentify local alumnae to fill open corporation board positions ✱

Perform annual housing assessments with regard to interior design, risk man- ✱

agement and campus competitivenessDevelop and implement long-term goals for chapter housing issues such as ✱

sprinkler mandates, interior design planning and house renovation planningHelp file federal, state and local financial documents ✱

Serve as a liaison between the National Housing Corporation and the local build- ✱

ing corporationA building board is comprised of local volunteers who serve the corporation and

chapter by handling and facilitating the day-to-day operations of the house, suite or lodge. The volunteer board handles preventive maintenance and the upkeep of the chap-ter house, manages finances and payroll, and helps with decorating and property remod-eling when needed.

Providing Support at HomeNational Housing Corporation creates new Housing Facilitator role.

Northeast territoryCarrie White Gray, Elon ’94

Marian Sayward West, Michigan ’45

Jennifer Gerez Morin, Illinois ‘87

Midwest territoryDiane Caupp Parent, Indiana ‘90

Sheley Miller Peetz, Wisconsin Madison ’94

Jenny Suitor Buckman, Lyon ’96

Marijon Chandler Lococo, Kentucky ’76

southeast territory

Nancy Whittaker McCully, Florida State ’69

Wendy Packan, Tennessee ’87

Sara Pullis Molnar, Ferris State ’64

Val Wax Carr, Ohio Northern ’88

Karen Broetzman Valiquett, Michigan ’97

2008-2009 Leadership Coaches

Margaret LeeChapter: Alpha Beta, Cornell ’05

Fraternity Involve-ment: Founding Sister of the reestablished Al-pha Beta Chapter, social chair, Panhel-lenic delegate, second-year LC

Degree: Hospitality management

Chapters Working With: Zeta Xi (Auburn), Gamma Theta (East Ten-nessee State), Epsilon (South Dakota), Alpha Kappa (Kansas State)

Won’t Leave Home Without: High heels

Three Words that Describe Me: Accommodating, cheery, a dreamer

Mary BershenyiChapter: Alpha Kappa, Kansas State ’04

Fraternity Involve-ment: Chapter life vice president, public rela-tions vice president, historian, publicity chair, Panhellenic director of public relations

Degree: Double major in print journal-ism and advertising with a minor in leadership studies and programs

Chapters Working With: Alpha Eta (Purdue), Sigma (Iowa), Nu (U of Wash-ington), Beta Alpha (Texas), Gamma Epsilon (Cal State Fresno)

Awards Received: Royal Purple yearbook Reporter of the Year, Rho Lambda Greek Honor Society, Eisen-hower Society

Won’t Leave Home Without: My journal – perfect to document what is sure to be an amazing year!

Three Words that Describe Me: Energetic, passionate, creative

west territoryKathy Moore Dwight, Texas ’70

Michelle Wilson Richardson, Southwestern ’92

Dinah Hutson, Texas ’98

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Nominate a Sister for National Council, the Foundation Board of Trustees or the National Housing Corporation.

Alpha Xi Delta’s Nominating Commit-tee invites you to recommend women to serve on Alpha Xi Delta’s 2009-2011 National Council. From the recommen-dations made by individual members, college chapters and alumnae asso-ciations, the committee will prepare a slate of candidates for National Council offices to be voted on at our 2009 Na-tional Convention in Denver, Colorado.

As the governing body of the Fra-ternity, National Council represents and acts for the Fraternity in all mat-ters between meetings of the National Chapter. The 2009-2011 National Council will provide the leadership for our Fraternity to pursue its mission: to enrich the life of every Alpha Xi Delta.

The National President and six National Vice Presidents make up the National Council. Members of the

Help Select our Next Governing Bodies

current 2007-2009 National Council are: Deanna Wollam Detchemendy, National President, and National Vice Presidents Ann Ward Adams, Evonne Carawan, Sandi Edwards, Diane Curtis Gregory, Susan Eicher Mamber and Danica Vanasse Olson.

Who can serve on National Council?

Under Alpha Xi Delta’s National Con-stitution, “No member may serve the same national office for more than two consecutive terms.” (Article 5, Section 5). National President Deanna Wollam Detchemendy will complete her first term as our National President, and consequently, is eligible to serve as National President for the 2009-2011 biennium. She also is eligible to serve

as a National Vice President.Two National Vice Presidents are

ineligible to continue in that office, al-though each is eligible to serve as Na-tional President. These women are Ann Ward Adams and Diane Curtis Grego-ry. The other four National Vice Presi-dents are eligible to continue in their current positions, and each is eligible to serve as National President. These women are Evonne Carawan, Sandi Ed-wards, Sue Eicher Mamber and Danica Vanasse Olson.

Is anyone else eligible?

In addition to current Council mem-bers as described, any alumna mem-ber is eligible to serve in any position of the National Council if she is in good standing. (Article V, Section 2).


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What qualities and abilities are important to serve on National Council?

The person you recommend should have outstanding ability in the follow-ing areas:

LeadershipCreative and visionary

thinkingCommunications (oral and

written)Understanding higher

education and its issuesTeamworkProfessionalismEnvisioning the big picturePrevious board experience

What are the responsibilities of Council officers?

The National President works with the National Council to develop the overall direction of the Fraternity within the framework of the National Constitution and Bylaws, and decides all points of Fraternity law, practice and procedure as may be presented to her. She also serves as a Trustee of the Alpha Xi Delta Foundation.

National Vice Presidents work with the National President to pro-vide leadership, oversight and guid-ance to the Fraternity as we seek to fulfill our vision of inspiring women to realize their potential and our mis-sion to enrich the life of every Alpha Xi Delta.

Powers and duties of the National Council may be found in Article IV, Section 2, Clause 1. Additional pow-ers and duties of the National Presi-dent may be found in Article IV, Sec-tion 3, Clause 1, and in the Bylaws, Article V, Section 4. If you need this information, call or email Fraternity Headquarters for a copy.

What is the time commitment for serving on National Council?

All National Council officers attend three meetings each year, have monthly con-ference phone calls and may be asked to attend other meetings as deemed appropriate, and to visit college chap-ters. Between meetings and conference phone calls, business is conducted by email.

How do I make a recommendation?

Complete the Recommendation Form for 2009-2011 National Council. The form may be downloaded from the Frater-nity’s website, photocopied or you may ask Fraternity Headquarters for a copy of the form by phone at 317.872.3500 or at [email protected].

Return each completed recom-mendation form to Dorothy Sheldon Williams at 3906 Tyndrum Drive, Dur-ham, NC 27705. If you have any ques-tions about making a recommendation or the nomination and election process, please contact Dorothy at [email protected] or by voice mail at 317.872.3500 ext. 250. Recommenda-tions must be received by February 15, 2009.

What happens after recommendations are made?

The Nominating Committee will re-view all recommendations received by February 15 and obtain resumes. They will prepare a slate of the candidates they believe are best qualified to fulfill

the responsibilities and meet the challenges of the various offices for the 2009-20011 biennium. By late April, the slate and resumes of the candidates will be sent to those eligible to vote at the 2009 Na-tional Convention.

Can nominations be made after the slate has been sent?

A person who has not been slated and wishes to be considered for a National Council office may submit her name in writing (with a resume) to the Nomi-nating Committee. She must do so within 21 days of the mailing of the slate. The Nominating Committee will verify the eligibility of each such nomi-nee and distribute the resume(s) to all who are eligible to vote at Convention. There will be no nominations from the floor.

Who is on the Nominating Committee?

Three alumnae and one collegian have been appointed to serve with Dorothy Sheldon Williams, Western Carolina ’70, the Nominating Committee Chair: Krizia Arias, Florida International ’06, Betsy King Helber, Mount Union ’84, Erin Lewis, Ohio ’05, and Megan McGowen, Cal State Northridge ’91.


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The Nominating Committee of the Alpha Xi Delta Foundation asks for your recommendations for Trustees to serve for the 2009-2013 term. Suc-cessful candidates will have experi-ence in board service, community leadership, public relations, finance or fund raising; be able to open doors and influence donors; and embrace Alpha Xi Delta’s vision and mission. Consider your recommendations carefully so we can present a slate of women most capable of leading the Alpha Xi Delta Foundation in the 2009-2013 term.

The Foundation bylaws state: Four Trustees shall be elected by a majority vote of the delegates at the National Convention of the Alpha Xi Delta Fra-ternity from a single slate prepared by the Foundation Nominating Committee appointed by the Executive Committee of the Foundation.

The four elected Trustees shall serve for a term of four years, thus maintain-ing a board of eight elected Trustees at all times. Trustees completing the 2005-2009 term are: Janice Sheldon

2009-2013 National Foundation TrusteesBaumback, Ellen Gibson Goodwin,

Mary Ruth Hadley Snyder and Cheryl

Johnson Weldon.

What are the Trustees’ responsibilities?

Foundation Trustees are responsible

for managing resources wisely, ensur-

ing adequate resources, monitoring

programs and services for consistency

with our vision and goals, and enhanc-

ing Alpha Xi Delta’s public image.

Trustees establish prudent investment

philosophies, policies and practices;

approve and monitor the budget; and

identify, cultivate and steward donors.

Trustees are expected to be pace-set-

ting contributors or fund-raisers and

join The Society of 1893 (planned giv-

ing society) during their tenure.

How much time is involved?

Foundation Trustees attend the annual

meeting and represent the Foundation

in at least one development event per year. Trustees serve on a maximum of two Foundation committees, which are Audit, Development, Executive, Fi-nance, Grants and Awards, and Schol-arships. The work of these committees is facilitated by email and phone con-ferencing.


Complete the Recommendation Form for 2009-2013 Foundation Trustees. The form may be downloaded from www.alphaxidelta.org, or you may contact Fraternity Headquarters to ask for a form. Return each completed recommendation form to Foundation Nominating Committee Chair Becky Druetzler. If you have questions about a recommendation or the nomination and election processes, please con-tact Becky Druetzler at 9505 Hadway Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46256 or [email protected]. Foundation Trustee recommendations must be received by February 15, 2009.

2009-2011 National Housing CorporationAre you interested in gaining a national perspective on our Fraternity, working with Alpha Xi Delta’s National Council, and providing safe, well-maintained housing for our collegiate Sisters? If so, the National Housing Corporation is looking for you!

The NHC is seeking five strong, passionate leaders to serve on its board of directors for a two-year term begin-ning July 1, 2009. NHC directors work in conjunction with National Council on housing-related issues and support the NHC’s mission: to strive for com-petitive, safe, properly maintained and financially secure chapter housing.

What qualifications are needed to be on the NHC board?

Nominees should be creative thinkers with a good business sense who un-derstand the needs of today’s college woman. She must be responsible, work well individually and in a group, have strong written and verbal com-munication skills, and be committed to perpetuate Alpha Xi Delta Fraterni-ty. Nominees should also have expe-rience/expertise in one of the follow-ing areas: fund raising, accounting, finance, banking, real estate, law,

strategic planning, property manage-

ment, construction, interior design,

engineering, recruitment, public rela-

tions, or Greek/student housing op-

erations. Nominees must have served

or currently serve on a local building

corporation board, chapter advisory

board or in another Alpha Xi Delta

volunteer role.


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The proposed amendment should state in which article and section it is to be placed, and it should be stated in language appropriate to the Constitu-tion. If the proposed amendment con-

flicts with an existing statement, the sponsor(s) is responsible for proposing additional amend-ments to resolve the conflict, or the proposal will be void. If two proposals conflict with each other, the National Chap-ter at Convention may vote to accept only one of the pro-posals or it may vote to re-ject both.

A proposed amend-ment to the Constitution must be submitted to the National Executive Director so that it is re-ceived by February 1, 2009, for it to be con-sidered at the 2009 Na-tional Convention.


An application and further informa-tion about the NHC board position can be found at www.alphaxidelta.org. Nominations may be submitted by a sponsor or individuals may nom-inate themselves.

If you have questions or need an ap-plication mailed to you, please contact Julie Dillon, NHC Nominating Commit-tee Chair, at [email protected]. Applica-tions must be received by February 1, 2009.

Proposed Amendments to Alpha Xi Delta’s ConstitutionThe Alpha Xi Delta National Chapter may amend the National Constitution when deemed advisable. As stated in Article XIII, Section 1, “This Constitu-tion may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the National Chapter.” All proposed amendments are voted on at the National Convention held i m m e d i -

ately following their proposal. An amendment may be sponsored by any of the following: a college chapter, an alumnae association, the Constitu-tion Committee, National Council, a member of National Council or a Past National President.


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Greetings, Sisters!

The Denver Alumnae Association is proud to host Alpha Xi Delta’s 48th National Convention

and introduce you to The Mile-High City. Denver is a beautiful cosmopolitan city in the foothills

of the Rocky Mountains. Here you’ll find the enthusiasm and spirit of the pioneer west com-

bined with vibrant culture and delicious cuisine. You’ll be greeted by sunshine (Denver has 300

days of sunshine each year), moderate temperatures and low humidity – the perfect weather

for a visit!

Bring your walking shoes to explore some of the diverse historical and cultural opportuni-

ties Denver offers. You can stroll from the Convention hotel to dine, shop and people watch at

the 16th Street Mall. You can also pay a visit to nearby Larimer Square, which is a trendy shop-

ping area that boasts some of Denver’s best restaurants, clubs, galleries and boutiques.

While in town be sure to visit the Colorado State Capitol, the United States Mint, The Colo-

rado History Museum and the historic Brown Palace Hotel. At the Denver Museum of Nature

and Science you’ll find one of the largest natural history museums in the country, while the

Denver Art Museum is noted for its extensive collection of Western art. Denver was home to Ti-

tanic survivor the “unsinkable” Molly Brown, and you can schedule a tour and tea with Sisters

at her historic home.

Denver is also a great destination for sports fans. Catch a baseball game at Coors Field, home

of the 2007 National League champion Colorado Rockies. Located near the Denver Aquarium

you’ll find Invesco Field at Mile High, home of two-time Super Bowl champions, the Denver

Broncos. You can tour that facility as well as the Pepsi Center, which is home to the Colorado

Avalanche and the Denver Nuggets.

There’s just so much to do in Denver! No matter what your interests, you’ll be glad you came.

In Sisterhood,

Paula Kokesch Holdren

Nebraska Lincoln ’68

Convention Hostess

Destination Denver


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o Get ready for the time of your life at Convention 2009 in Denver!The Rocky Mountains of Colorado are the perfect backdrop for exploring new skills, discovering your talents and realizing just how great it is to be an Alpha Xi Delta! Here’s what’s in store for you during National Convention this summer in Denver.

Wednesday, June 24 – Welcome, Sisters!

The first day of Convention is an exciting time for Sisters who are just meeting as well as those who are reuniting for the 20th time! Our journey kicks off with a spirited Welcome Banquet and the 2009 Woman of Distinction awards presentation.

Thursday, June 25 – Explore New Things

Today’s educational programs will help you build skills that can immediately be put to use in your Fraternity, personal and professional life. Highlights include exploring new ideas as well as our Sisterhood.

Friday, June 26 – Discover Our Strengths

During any journey, you learn a great deal about yourself and the world. Convention 2009 will be no different. Today’s highlights include free time to explore our host city with friends old and new.

Saturday, June 27 – Realize Our Potential

Celebrate Alpha Xi Delta as we shine the spotlight on the unique programs and valu-able resources available to Sisters. We’ll also recognzie Sisters’ achievements at the Rose Banquet dinner and awards presentation.

Learn more about Convention on the Fraternity’s website. See you in Denver!

Ready to Explore, Discover and Realize?

The Woman of Distinction Award recog-nizes alumnae who exhibit excellence and extraordinary leadership in their professions and careers or in service to their communities. Nominees should be widely recognized within their field of service to be considered for this award. Past recipients include a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, an astronaut, a national political correspondent, a con-gressional leader, a Navy rear admiral and a university president.

Any Alpha Xi Delta alumna in good standing is eligible to receive this award. Nominees need not be current members of an organized alumnae association. Nominations may be made by:

• Individuals• College chapters• Alumnae associations• Advisory boards• Housing corporations

Woman of Distinction award re-cipients will be honored at Alpha Xi Delta’s 2009 National Convention in Denver. Visit www.alphaxidelta.org to download the application, or call Fra-ternity Headquarters to have an ap-pliation mailed to you.

Please mail, email (fhq@alphaxidelta.

org) or fax (317.872.2947) nomination forms to Fraternity Headquarters. Nomi-nations must be received at Fraternity Headquarters by January 15, 2009.

If you have questions about the award or the nomination process, please contact Kendra Lewis at [email protected] or 317.872.3500 ext. 117.

Woman of Distinction Awards Nominate a deserving Sister for the Fraternity’s highest alumna award.

Susan Winckler, Iowa ’88 Acting chief of staff, U.S. Food and Drug

Administration2007 Woman of

Distinction

Marianne “Mimi” Blackburn Drew,

U of Washington ’64 Rear admiral, U.S. Navy

2001 Woman of Distinction

Karen Tumulty, Texas ’75 Time political correspondent

1995 Woman of Distinction

www.omegafi.com


Who can join an Alumnae Panhellenic?Any alumnae member of one of the 26 women’s fraternities that are part of the National Panhellenic Conference. You don’t need to belong to an Alpha Xi Del-ta alumnae association to join an APH.

Where are Alumnae Panhellenics located?More than 200 associations exist in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Find an association in your area or learn how to start one by visit-ing the Alumnae Panhellenic section of www.npcwomen.org.

By Nancy Fehrmann Gainer, Iowa State ‘69 NPC 3rd Alternate Delegate

The natural next step for any sorority woman after col-lege is to join her local Alpha Xi Delta alumnae group in ad-dition to an Alumnae Panhellenic Association (APH). (Don’t worry. If you’ve been out of college for a while, joining an association is still a great thing to do…and you’ll meet lots of women your age!)

Joining an Alumnae Panhellenic, which is different from but just as valuable as joining an Alpha Xi Delta alumnae association, gives fraternity women the chance to come to-gether and promote the advantages of joining a women’s fraternity. Members of APH groups work together toward common goals to make a difference in their communities.

Panhellenic

Here are a few of the benefits you’ll receive by joining an Alumnae Panhellenic:

• Awidercircleoffriends

• Theabilitytonetworkandtapintojobopportunitiesandsocialevents

• Greatergreater confidencebymentoring/beingmentoredbycolleagues and peers

• Anincreasedawarenessofissuesthataffectwomen

• ThechancetoincreasenationalawarenessofourFraternity

• MaintainingyourconnectionwithGreeklife

• Achancetohelpcollegechapterswithrecruitment

• Thedistinctionofbeingoneofmore than5,000passionatewomen who are creating opportunities for young women to reach their potential, stronger communication, leadership and program-development skills

Sisters, consider joining your local Alumnae

Panhellenic Association or be a founder of a

new APH. They’re where lasting friendships

and memories are made! If you have further

questions, please contact one of Alpha Xi

Delta’s NPC delegation members:

What do Alumnae Panhellenics do?Associations make significant contributions to universities and their communities through philanthropic events, community service activities and information forums. For example, the Atlanta APH sponsors a recruitment roundtable to educate young women about Greek life and how membership leads to personal growth and excel-lence. Nearly 300 young women and their parents attend this annual event.

Raising money for scholarships continues to be a significant service provided by Alumnae Panhellenic groups. Collectively, $435,000 was raised last year and granted in scholarships to 580 deserving women. Here are just a few of the fun, creative ways Alumnae Panhellenics raised money to help young women further their education:• Colorado Springs, Colorado, alumnae raised scholarship dollars through their

“Poinsettias for Scholarships” sale and an American Girl Fashion Show and Tea• Clear Lake, Texas, alumnae held a “Divas’ Day Out” style show and luncheon,

raising nearly $25,000 in scholarship money • Houston, Texas, alumnae raised hundreds of dollars by producing and selling a

cookbook

Michele Herbst Evink – [email protected]

Jane Hooper Sutton – [email protected]

Erin Macdonald Peck – [email protected]

Nancy Fehrmann Gainer – [email protected]

Is There Greek Life After College?Stay active and involved in the Greek community by joining an Alumnae Panhellenic Association.


By Terri Limehouse Herren, Newberry ‘69

While I thoroughly enjoyed plan-ning for and participating in Alpha Xi Delta’s rush process, I never considered how the experiences could be advanta-geous to my career. Recruitment success can be attributed to effectively reaching out and connecting to the right people. Networking can produce effective busi-ness results by reaching out and con-necting to the right people!

For many in the business world, net-working is considered a necessary evil. They realize it’s something they should do to create more business opportuni-ties, yet they aren’t totally comfortable with networking or fully understand now to network. They marvel at those who seem to go about it effortlessly, almost as though it’s not work at all. While I know of no statistics to prove it, I strongly suspect that those with prior recruitment experience generally appreciate and maybe even enjoy net-working.

Several years ago I became disillu-sioned and wanted to uncover the secret of being more engaged in my profession. I contacted the best person I knew in the profession and got on her calendar for lunch. After that meeting, this well-connected woman connected me with others in her network, providing me with professional growth opportunities. Now, doing the same for others is a great source of satisfaction for me. The key to being a good networker is the willing-ness to help others succeed.

Networking appears to come more naturally to men. The rules of work were written by men years before women

were represented in the business world. It may be that men are more comfort-able than women because they’ve been networking longer and understand the rules of engagement.

Typically, when I call a man to set up a business meeting, he immediately knows the purpose of my call. We meet and talk primarily about business, and he asks how he can help. It’s business. Typically, when I first meet with another woman, we talk about how we’re doing in our lives. It’s almost as if we’re uncom-

fortable admitting the reason we’re get-ting together is to become more success-ful business people! When we become comfortable, we talk about business. After we develop a relationship, we talk about ways to help each other. It’s a rela-tionship involving business.

As with rush, a major advantage of networking for men and women is the friendships that develop. In the busi-ness world, people often meet others and bond with those who have com-mon interests and an understanding of their working challenges. These people become great sources for collaboration, advice and empathy.

When I started my business, people readily said I should be successful be-cause of the depth of my experience

and network. While I realized I had de-veloped connections with others, I had not considered it a major advantage. In analyzing this, it occurred to me that my best networking results were associ-ated with things about which I was most passionate.

To be successful at networking, start with your passion. If you’re passionate about animals, volunteer to serve on the board of the local humane society. If your passion is in the arts, look into leadership opportunities at your com-

munity theater, art museum or sympho-ny. You’ll meet other business people who share your passion and will con-nect you with others.

Successful business people, like so-rority Sisters, enjoy associating with those who share their energy, optimism and enthusiasm. Look for opportunities to connect with other positive people. Use the connecting skills you developed during sorority rush. Share networks. Have fun. The end result is netting with-out the work.

Sisters, do you have a career-related ques-tion you’d like Terri to answer? Please send it to the Editor at [email protected]. Terri will answer as many as possible in upcoming issues of The Quill.

Guest Columnist

Taking the “Work” out of NetworkingHow to apply the skills learned during recruitment to your life and career today.

Terri Limehouse Herren, president of The Herren Dimension, has 30 years’ experience in organizational and human resources development. A business exper-tise and passion of Terri’s is helping companies devel-op and advance women’s leadership programs. Terri can be contacted at [email protected] or through her website, www.theherrendimension.com.


By Emily Fry, North Carolina Wilmington ‘02

I graduated from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington in July 2006. I got an unpaid internship at Lowe’s Mo-tor Speedway near Charlotte in Septem-ber 2006. The next month, I started treat-ment for anorexia nervosa.

The pressure I was under from that last year of college had surfaced, and the only way I knew how to cope was to control my weight. I couldn’t control a job finding me or the pressure I got from friends and family. I felt like I couldn’t control the direction my life was going

either. The past three years have been the hardest I’ve ever gone through, yet the most inspiring.

I went into treatment for anorexia nervosa in Chapel-Hill. Prior to that time, my Sisters had already noticed my dramatic weight loss. I stayed with my Big Sister one weekend and she started crying, telling me how worried she was about me. “What?” I said. “You

don’t know what you’re talking about.” In treatment, I realized what she was trying to tell me. I didn’t want to listen. Denial is a powerful tool.

After completing my treatment pro-gram, I received a job offer at the head-quarters of a grocery store chain in Greensboro. I thought it would be great! It was a marketing job. How could I turn it down? I wish I had. Having my boss tell me to my face that I disappointed her and that I couldn’t do anything right put me back into my old habits.

Things were not good at home either. The bills began piling up. My family was hounding me. I felt I just couldn’t get it

together. I couldn’t please anyone. I didn’t want to please myself, just every-one around me.

My weight dropped sig-nificantly. I began running, playing tennis, going to the gym, doing sit-ups and pushups in my room, and obsessing about how much I walked. I did anything to get my mind off food, my problems and me.

I had another interven-tion for my anorexia from my family in October 2007.

I was put in a hospital in Arizona that works specifically with people with eat-ing disorders. I didn’t see my family, friends or boyfriend for six months, ex-cept for the week I saw my parents and sister for an intensive family therapy ses-sion. Three 15-minute phone calls a week didn’t cut it either. Many tears were shed. I wanted to go home, I wanted to die. I’m so glad I stayed.

While in Arizona I received letters from Sisters I didn’t even know. Letters even came in from Zeta Chi new mem-bers. I cried more, but these were dif-ferent tears. These young women didn’t even know me, yet they knew how to help my wounded soul. Our Sisterhood is very powerful. I value each of these women and I am proud to call them my Sisters.

I came home in April of this year and received the best gift my boyfriend could ever give. He started a nonprofit founda-tion in my name, the Emily Fry Founda-tion for Eating Disorders. Helping others who suffer with this ferocious and deadly disease and raising people’s awareness brings so much meaning into my life.

This summer I took a trip to Italy and Greece to gain more independence and explore who I really am. I moved to Ra-leigh and found work. My life is finally coming together. I’m finally becoming who I’m supposed to become!

Connect with Emily at [email protected] or 919.924.4896. For information on eating disorders, visit www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

Do you have a message you’d like to share, “From Sister to Sister”? This new forum is where you can. Send your story (maximum 600 words) to the Editor for future consid-eration/use.

Finding My Life After Almost Losing It

“I’m finally living my life and loving every minute of it,” said Emily, who traveled to Europe to gain perspective and regain her sense of self.

Emily Fry at her college graduation, prior to receiving treatment for “this ferocious and deadly disease” – anorexia nervosa.

From Sister to Sister


New Alumnae Associations Formed The following alumnae associations are looking for new members! Contact the Sisters below to learn more.

Miami, Florida Monica Borcegue 4310 SW 104th Ave, Miami, FL 33165 305.528.5309 [email protected]

Treasure Valley, Idaho Katrina Clifford 2994 W. Lost Rapids Dr, Meridian, ID 83646 208.631.6422 [email protected]

Chicago Northwest Suburban Deb Keyes 4281 N. Cottonwood Tr., Hoffman Estates, IL 60192 847.991.3205 [email protected]

Southern Maine Kristin Lewis 37 Malilly Rd, Portland, ME 04103 207.415.7971 [email protected]

Greater Worcester, Massachusetts Stefani Magnino Holmes 2 Brittany Rd, South Hadley, MA 01075 413.532.1148 [email protected]

Central and Southern New Jersey Jennifer O’Donnell 139 Hawthorne Dr, Mt. Holly, NJ 08060 [email protected]

Albuquerque, New Mexico Mink Price 170 Big Sky Ave, Los Lunas, NM 87031 505.565.0617 [email protected]

Salt Lake City, Utah Delia Bayna 1819 N. Silverwood Dr, Farmingon, UT 84025 801.447.4270 [email protected]

If you live in the Sacramento, California, area and are interested in forming an alumnae association, please contact Annie Hallsten at [email protected].

Kappa’s BackAlpha Xi Delta welcomed nearly 130 women into our Sisterhood when Kappa Chapter was recolonized this fall at the University of Illinois. This group of remarkable young women, which includes four legacies, was hand-selected from more than 200 collegians interviewed.

Regarding housing, Alpha Xi Delta will lease the Phi Sigma Kappa Fra-ternity chapter house at 1004 S. Second Street in Champaign for the next five years. During the 2008-2009 academic year, Alpha Xi Delta will rent the first floor common areas of the house. Colony members will use this space for meetings, sisterhood events and as a general gathering place. Sis-ters will move into the house, which can sleep 57, in August 2009.

Position ChangeBarbara Boland Stuckwisch, Culver-Stockton ’93, resigned her position as Al-pha Xi Delta’s National Executive Director, a position she held from August 2006 to March of this year. Barbara is now serving as executive director and head of school at Community Montessori School, a private elementary school in Fishers, Indiana.

During Barbara’s tenure the Fraternity underwent a major visual identity redesign of its printed materials and website, revised its strategic planning process, and established the Leadership Coach program to benefit collegiate members through the generosity of the Alpha Xi Delta Foundation. Two chapters were also installed: Iota Nu Chapter at Monmouth University and Iota Xi at Worcester Institute of Technology.

The Fraternity, Foundation and National Housing Corporation thank Bar-bara for her outstanding service.

Get the Latest Fraternity NewsAn RSS feed has been added to the Fraternity website that will automatically send you Alpha Xi Delta news updates. To subscribe, click on the orange icon at the bottom of the page and choose how you want to receive your updates.

The Quill Needs YouHere are a few of the story ideas we’re exploring for future issues. Contact the Editor if you want to take part or provide other story ideas. • Are you a pet owner? Send us a photo of you and

your pet(s), which will be used alongside our up-coming feature on Sisters who work with animals.

• What are you doing during spring break? If you’re taking an alternative break, let us know where you’re going and what you’ll be doing.

• Did/does your chapter have a house mom? Share stories and photos of these wonderful women for our upcoming tribute.

• Are you going to Denver for National Convention? We need alumnae and collegians to be on-the-scene reporters and share their Convention experiences.

• Help us help others as we examine domestic vio-lence and abuse. If you are/have been in an abusive relationship and want to share your story, please contact us. Your name can be kept confidential. If you’re a professional who can serve as a subject matter expert, we want to hear from you.

• We’ve heard from Sisters who have weathered the recent hurricanes, floods and tornadoes. If you have a story to share, let us know.

of Alpha Xi Delta

Ready forRecruitmentA behind-the-scenes look

at member selectionSummer 2008Road Trip! 14 must-see places for

Alpha Xi DeltasSuccessful Build-A-Bear

Event1,000+ bears donated to

children in need50 Years and Counting

Gamma Nu Chapter celebrates

a half century of sisterhood

Record-Breaking Year

Sisters, friends give $245,000

to the Loyalty FundRemembering a Sister

Foundation pioneer enters

Chapter Eternal

Fall | Winter 2007

The Bachelorette’s Jen Schefft, Ohio University ’95, shares lessons on life and love

of Alpha Xi Delta

National Convention Recap

Meet Our New National Council

Alpha Xi Delta Assumes NPC Leadership Role

Alpha Xi Delta Foundation Annual Report

Never settle:

Changes to Quill Submission DeadlinesPlease note that submission deadline dates for The Quill changed over the summer:

Spring issue: August 15Summer issue: April 1Fall/winter issue: December 1

You can continue to submit news and photos online or send them to the Quill Editor at Fraternity Headquarters.


Fraternity Life

1. Have you visited Alpha Xi Delta’s website, www.

alphaxidelta.org, lately? If not, you’re in for a sur-prise! The website has been updated and reorganized so information is easier to find and the site is easier to use. Take some time to reacquaint yourself with the site – especially the new “Alumnae” section.

How ’bout a Little “Girl Time”?Since your college graduation, how often have you thought about Alpha Xi Delta? When was the last time you talked with a chapter sister? Have you thought about what “Alpha Xi Delta for a Lifetime” really means?

Whether you are the CEO of a major

corporation, a busy stay-at-home mom, a recent graduate, a retiree, or some-where in between, Alpha Xi Delta is still relevant to your life today. Below are 12 sure-fire ways to create an alumnae ex-perience by getting involved, connected and inspired by our Fraternity.

Twelve fun ways for alumnae

toconnect/reconnectwith

Alpha Xi Delta.

By Julie Wilson Dillon, Illinois ‘84 National Alumnae Director

2. The National Panhellenic Confer-ence offers a network of Alum-

nae Panhellenics across the coun-try to promote a panhellenic spirit in local communities. Read more about Alumnae Panhellenics on page X of this issue.

4. Our new Bridges program, which “bridges” the transition from

collegian to alumna member, is for Sisters during their collegiate senior year. The program helps them ex-plore their unique role within the chapter and identify their future role within our Fraternity. The program is facilitated at our chapters by local alumnae. To learn more about Bridg-es and to help present this program to our collegiate women, contact the Assistant Director of Alumnae Devel-opment.

5. Through inCircle, the Fraternity’s online social networking site, thousands of Sisters are connecting, reconnecting, chatting and meeting other Alpha Xi Delta alumnae with similar interests. Alpha Xi Delta’s inCircle network is a safe, secure site that is FREE to

alumnae. Join the conversation by registering at www.alphaxidelta.affinitycircles.com or click the “inCircle” link in the upper right-hand corner on the Alpha Xi Delta homepage.

3. Alumnae whose current email address is on file at Fraternity Headquarters automatically receive an Alumnae eNewsletter. The quarterly eNews-

letter is packed with women’s issues, NPC updates and Alpha Xi Delta infor-mation. The Alumnae eNewsletters began this year, so if you didn’t receive the April, July or October 2008 Alumnae eNewsletters you can update your email address at the “Update Your Information” link in the upper right-hand corner of the Fraternity’s website homepage to receive future issues.


Where to Find out MoreLearn more about any of these

12 opportunities by contacting a member of the Fraternity’s National Alumnae Team.

National Alumnae Director Julie Dillon

[email protected]

Assistant Director of Alumnae Development Sara Konopka

317.872.3500 ext. [email protected]

National Alumnae Extension ChairHeather Lerch609.647.5651

[email protected]

Territory Alumnae Director - Northeast

Jill Potts508.339.3202

[email protected]

Territory Alumnae Director - Southeast

Sarah Rochford615.385.7087

[email protected]

Territory Alumnae Director - Midwest

Julie Holmes319.936.1603

[email protected]

Territory Alumnae Director - WestJulie Lindsay

[email protected]

These are just 12 ways that Alpha Xi Delta can be a relevant part of your alumnae experience. Today’s Alpha Xi Delta may be different from what you remember from your college years, but rest assured our Frater-nity’s vision, mission and values re-main the same as those created by our 10 Founders.

Alpha Xi Delta can inspire you in so many ways. The next time some-one asks if you were in a sorority in college, don’t say you were an Alpha Xi Delta. Instead, respond with pride: “Yes, I am an Alpha Xi Delta!”

10. Check out Alpha Xi Delta’s newest program, Xi Traveler, which offers

Sisters the opportunity to travel together to exciting international and domestic destinations. Learn more about these fabulous excursions in the Alumnae sec-tion of the Fraternity’s website.

12. Alpha Xi Delta loves when Sisters get together! Whether it’s a lo-

cal/state Founders’ Day Celebration,a reunion during homecoming or at Alpha Xi Delta’s National Convention, the Fraternity can help you spread the word about your event by posting it on the website’s Fraternity Events Calendar. Go to the Alumnae section of www.alphaxidelta.org to post your event.

6. As a volunteer-based organiza-tion, our Alumnae Volunteer

Network offers opportunities for Fraternity involvement at the local, territory and national levels. The “Volunteer Opportunities” section of www.alphaxidelta.org provides a listing of available positions, as well as ways to be involved on short-term projects too. If you’re inter-ested in volunteering for the Frater-nity, complete the online Volunteer Interest Form, or contact a member of the National Alumnae Team.

8. Alumnae Associations are groups of women in communities across the country who get together regularly to promote Alpha Xi Delta sisterhood. Each association

is unique in its focus and mission. Associations range from five to 105 women and vary in their efforts – from social-only groups to do-it-all groups that focus on chapter support, philanthropy, social activities, networking and more! Some associations have one or more subgroups that cater to the needs of a specific demographic, such as a New Moms Group, a Runners Group or a Knitting Group.

Joining an alumnae association is a great way to stay connected with Alpha Xi Delta, meet Sisters in a new city and network with Sisters from various chapters. A list of asso-ciations is available in the Alumnae section of the Fraternity’s website, or you can contact your Territory Alumnae Director for more information. If there currently is not an alumnae association in your community, contact the National Alumnae Extension Chair or the As-sistant Director of Alumnae Development to learn more about how to start one!

9. Alpha Xi Delta’s Alumna Ini-tiate program extends Alpha

Xi Delta membership to family members, friends and women leaders in your community who are past their college years yet would make wonderful Sisters. For more information, visit the Alumnae section of the Frater-nity’s website.

7. Potential New Member Pro-files from alumnae are invalu-

able for introducing potential new members to our college chapters for recruitment. PNM profiles are necessary, even for an Alpha Xi Del-ta legacy, so our chapter members know when a special woman is on their campus during recruitment time. The PNM Profile can be com-pleted online or sent in the mail. Profile information can be found on the Fraternity’s website or in the summer issue of The Quill.

11. Did you know that alumnae are eligible for scholarships

and grants from the Alpha Xi Delta Foundation? You can apply for funds to go back to school or to attend a noncredit conference/program/seminarfor personal or professional de-velopment. Applications can be found in the Alumnae section of the Fraternity’s website.


ALABAMA

Zeta Xi, Auburn University

During Zeta Xi’s seventh annual Coaches Taste-Off, coaches,

students, alumnae and members of the community helped the

chapter raise nearly $24,000 in just over four hours. All proceeds

from the event were donated to Lee County’s Partnership for

Children, which helps provide daycare for low-income working

families.

Auburn football coaches grilled ribs using their special sauce

recipes, and the ribs were later judged and auctioned to the

highest bidder. The Taste-Off had both live and silent auctions

that included items such as signed footballs and basketballs,

Auburn memorabilia, gift baskets from local businesses and a

weekend beach package. Event attendees enjoyed a barbecue

lunch catered by Country’s Barbecue, and the kids had fun at the

moon bounce house and the face-painting booth.

Southern Maine | Epsilon Rho Sisters carved pumpkins for Camp Sunshine’s annual Pumpkin Fest, which raises money to help terminally ill children and their families attend the camp in Casco, Maine.—Elisabelle Bocal, [email protected]

Omaha Alumnae Association | Cheryl Miller, Jen Baber, Jane Eidam Schauss and other association members purchased $500 worth of books for local schoolchildren as part of their Read-A-Book philanthropy project. Nameplates were affixed in each book for the name of the child, the donor and our Fraternity.—Jen Finnerty

Member News


COLORADO

Denver Alumnae Association

Active participation in the Denver Area Panhellenic is an important

part of the association’s calendar of activities and projects.

Representatives and alternates for this year were Cindy Gray

Bowers, Diane Andrich and Floy von Groenawald Senior. The

collection of items for New Garments Always (formerly the

Needlework Guild) will be part of the Area Panhellenic’s January

meeting, and members will participate in the Phantom Tea, which

provides scholarships for Greek women attending Colorado

universities and colleges. Special events, such as the President’s

Tea and the Awards Luncheon, are also important parts of the

yearly calendar.

Recognized at this year’s Awards Luncheon were Alumnae

Achievement Award nominee Sally Cline-Beerman and Woman

of the Year Award nominee Floy Senior; Diane Andrich received

the Spirit Award.

A 100th anniversary gala was held this year for the Denver

Area Panhellenic. Attending the celebration were Diane Andrich,

Cindy Bowers, Jill Shafer Kelley, Dee Stutz Frazier and Floy

Senior.—Barbara Nelson Stover, [email protected]

FLORIDA

Omega, Stetson University

Omega held a Choose Children 5K Walk/Run, which brought

together students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community

members, to raise awareness and funds for local charities.

Sisters also hosted a Pizzapalooza where students could eat and

socialize while supporting Alpha Xi Delta and the local Boys and

Girls Club. The chapter collected more than 1,000 items at their

school supplies drive, put them in backpacks and donated them

to impoverished children in the community.

The chapter’s hard work was recognized at the annual

Panhellenic/IFC Awards Banquet. Omega won a new award

named after a late Phi Sigma Kappa, Scott Miller, for the most

money raised during the year. The chapter also won an award

for Highest New Member GPA and the university’s Legacy Cup,

which goes to the sorority whose alumnae donated the most

money during the academic year.

Robyn Mike-Mayer received Zeta Tau Alpha sorority’s

Intramural Award, Chapter Advisor Pam Barkman was named

Greek Advisor of the Year, and 2007 chapter president Anneliese

Hallsten won the Panhellenic Greek Woman of the Year award.—

Annie Hallsten, [email protected]

Theta Omicron, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Sisters welcomed 11 new members into the chapter during fall

recruitment. Later in the semester, the chapter held its annual

campus-wide Penny Wars fund-raiser. At the end of the week, the

organization with the most points received a dinner cooked by the

women of Theta Omicron. This year’s event raised more than $1,600

for child-related charities.—Tess Doeffinger, [email protected]

Theta Sigma, University of Central Florida

The chapter held its annual Xi Man fund-raiser, which included

10 gentlemen from 10 different fraternities competing to win the

coveted title of Alpha Xi Delta’s Xi Man. Sisters hosted a barbecue

and a supply drive, as well as the pageant, to raise money for

Orlando’s BETA Center. Austin Purvis of Theta Chi Fraternity

raised more than $2,000 and was this year’s winner. With the

help of the competing fraternities, Sisters were able to donate

$7,000 to the center.

The chapter was paired with the men of Lambda Chi Alpha

Fraternity during UCF’s Greek Week competition and placed sec-

ond in the dance competition, third overall in the Greek games,

and captured a special spirit award for overall participation and

enthusiasm. House Director Judith Adams, affectionately referred

to as Mom Judy, was named UCF’s House Mother of the Year

based on the praise and recommendation letters submitted by

Sisters.—Heather Robbins, [email protected]

GEORGIA

Zeta Omega, State University of West Georgia

For the fourth year in a row, a Zeta Omega Sister was crowned

Greek Goddess during Greek Week. As a whole, the chapter won

Phoenix Alumnae Association | Margaret (Peg) Wilson Van Winkle Schweibert, Cornell ’33, received the Order of the Diamond pin and award recognition for 75 years of membership in Alpha Xi Delta.—Bobbie Rauch, [email protected]


Greek Week for the second year in a row and was named Most

Spirited. Zeta Omega was also recognized for receiving top grades

among all National Panhellenic Conference chapters on campus.

During fall recruitment, the chapter pledged 38 new mem-

bers. In fall 2009, Sisters will move into their new 20-bed chap-

ter house.—Amanda Hackney, [email protected], and

Michaela Boggs, [email protected]

IDAHO

Epsilon Psi, Boise State University

At this year’s Greek Awards Dinner, Alpha Xi Delta was named

Greek Organization of the Year for its outstanding fund-raisers

and philanthropy service work, both on campus and in the

community. Epsilon Psi was also recognized for having the

highest Greek GPA on campus, and membership vice president

Devin Laky was named Greek Woman of the Year.—Tawnee

Haber, [email protected]

Iota Kappa, Idaho State University

Sisters welcomed five new members into the chapter and received

the following awards at the Greek Awards Banquet: Outstanding

Community Service, Highest Chapter GPA, Greek Woman of the

Year and New Member of the Year.

Sisters raised money for First Book through their Quarter the

Quad event. Because of its success, Sisters plan to hold the event

every other year. The chapter gave back to the community by

participating in the Take Back the Night walk to raise awareness

of and support for those who have been victims of domestic or

sexual violence.—Kristen Williams, [email protected]

LOUISIANA

Delta Epsilon, University of New Orleans

Delta Epsilon won “Most Talented Sorority” in the Lambda Chi Alpha

Sorority Showcase Talent Competition benefiting the North American

Food Drive. The chapter won first place in the Solo Performance,

and placed first and second in the Small Group Performance. Sister

Vittoria Soleto received campus recognition as Outstanding Greek

Scholar of the Year.—Lindsey Jones, [email protected]

MARYLAND

Theta Delta, Towson University

The chapter had many achievements over the year, including

placing second overall in Greek Week and winning the President’s

Cup. Theta Delta was also recognized as having the Best

Recruitment Chair, being Most Involved on Campus and being

Most Valuable Chapter on Campus.—Stephanie Colao, scolao1@

towson.edu

North Carolina Wilmington | Sisters and the men of Delta Chi Fraternity co-hosted the Kelp Classic surf contest at Wrightsville Beach. The contest raised $6,100 for the Pediatric AIDS Foundation and The V Foundation, which supports cancer research.—Corey Woodard, [email protected]

West Virginia Wesleyan | Sisters raised funds to help children and their mothers at Women’s Aid in Crisis by “Xi-Sawing” for 24 straight hours.—Carlee Gault, [email protected]

Auburn | Sisters at Auburn raised nearly $24,000 during their annual Coaches Taste-Off. The tasty ribs, prepared by Coach Dunn, pictured, won second place.


Chesapeake Alumnae Association

Sisters interested in getting involved with the

association can contact Janet White at janetgwhite@

comcast.net.

MASSACHUSETTS

Iota Xi, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

At the Greek Awards banquet, the chapter received

the Outstanding Educational Programming award

and an honorable mention for Outstanding

Academic Support, Leadership and Public Relations.

The housing corporation board worked hard to help

the chapter buy its first house, which currently sleeps

seven Sisters and will sleep up to 12 in the future.

Sisters are raising funds to help finance its purchase

and pay for necessary renovations. For alumnae in the

area, Iota Xi alumnae recently created the Worcester

Alumnae Association to keep everyone active and

involved with the Fraternity.—Jyotsna Vinayak, [email protected]

MICHIGAN

Theta Eta, Western Michigan University

Sisters made bears at Build-a-Bear Workshop® and then visited

schools, read with the children and gave them the bears.

During Greek Week the chapter was recognized as a Five-Star

Chapter and received an award for being the sorority with the

highest overall GPA. Sister Stephanie Schley was also named

Greek Woman of the Year. A chapter team participated in the

on-campus Relay for Life, and Sisters were present for all 24

hours of the event.—Alison Legut, [email protected]

Ann Arbor and Western Wayne County Alumnae Associations

Nearly 100 alumnae and collegians enjoyed a sisterhood event

featuring Sister Ginny Carroll and her presentation “The Gift of

Sisterhood.” Throughout the presentation the group heard the

voices of our Founders in their own written words. Seven alumnae

were honored with the Order of the Rose Ceremony for 50 years

of membership; door prizes rounded out a delightful afternoon.

The two associations sponsored the event, which was par-

tially underwritten by an Askey Grant from the Alpha Xi Delta

Foundationtonurturecollegiate/alumnaerelations.Inthisregard,

the event was enormously successful!—Marian West

NEBRASKA

Gamma Delta, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Sisters had a fun and fruitful recruitment week and welcomed

25 new members into the chapter. During Philanthropy Night,

Sisters and potential new members had fun making activity books

that were later donated to Children's Hospital. At the end of

the week, Sisters celebrated a job well done by getting to know

their new members during a pot luck and during a trip to the

nail salon for some pampering.—Emily Peters, emilypeters116@

hotmail.com

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Tau, University of New Hampshire

The chapter hosted its annual Say What karaoke contest to raise

money for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth. Sisters also

participated in community service events, such as blood drives,

senior dances and road races.—Audra Peterson

NORTH CAROLINA

Theta Nu, Elon University

The chapter held a Founders’ Day luncheon and hosted Sisters from

Gamma Phi Chapter (East Carolina University), Iota Iota Chapter

(Greensboro College), and the Raleigh/Durham and Greater

Greensboro alumnae associations. It was a great experience that

allowed Sisters to make new friendships as well as catch up with

old friends.—Melia Mauldin, [email protected]

OHIO

Beta Mu, Bowling Green State University

During Dads Weekend, Sisters were excited to welcome their

fathers, show off the campus and let them see what being an

Alpha Xi Delta is all about. Activities such as a golf outing and

Alpha Xi Delta Public Relations Director Lori Goble Lambert, Indiana ‘94, met President-elect Barack Obama after a political rally in Indianapolis. Joining Lori were her husband, Geoff, her father, Ed, and her friend Reggie Love, who is also Mr. Obama’s assistant.


a cookout made for some great

father/daughtertime.

Thanks to the chapter’s hous-

ing corporation, the stairways and

three floors of the chapter house

were painted. Thank you, Sisters!

—Rachel Mandeville, rachelm@

bgsu.edu

Beta Xi, Marietta College

The chapter was recently honored

for having the highest grade point

average of any organization on

campus. Sister and cross-country

runner Randi Robertson was

honored by being named Ohio

Athletic Conference Player of the

Week in her division.

Sisters battled the cold and raised $250 for child-related chari-

ties at their annual dunking booth.—Emily McGinty, ejm001@

marietta.edu

Gamma Tau, Ohio Northern University

After several months of talking and planning, Gamma Tau

moved into a new chapter house on campus in Affinity Village.

In preparation for the move Sisters served on fund-raising,

decorating and moving committees, and also held a yard sale.

The sale of furniture from the former chapter house raised nearly

$1,000 to help buy furniture for the new house. Gamma Tau’s

former chapter house, which was purchased in 1978, was the

chapter’s first fully functional house lived in by Sisters.—Erin

Millar, [email protected]

Zeta Nu, Miami University of Ohio

Chapter president Emily Hanks and recruitment chair Allison

Zackaroff attended The Workout recruitment training experience

in Fresno, California, and brought back some great ideas to

share with the chapter. In September, Sisters had the honor of

participating in the recolonization of Kappa Chapter at University

of Illinois. They helped with Kappa’s recruitment open house,

Preference Ceremony and bid day.

The following month, “left foot green, right hand red” was

heard on campus as the university hosted its annual Twister

Tourney to raise awareness and money for the Cancer-Free Kids

Foundation. The chapter was paired with the men of Pi Kappa

Alpha and raised $900 for the foundation.—Jess Emerick, emer-

[email protected]

Ohio Northern | Gamma Tau Sisters gathered for one last picture in front of their chapter house. Over the summer, the chapter moved into a new home in Affinity Village on the ONU campus.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Epsilon, University of South Dakota

Sisters and the gentlemen of Pi Kappa Alpha and Phi Delta Theta

fraternities participated in the Strollers show and received second

place. With help from the community and Greek Life, the chapter

raised more than $2,000 during the annual Spaghetti Supper. The

chapter gave the money to a local couple whose twins were born

prematurely.—Alyssa Block, [email protected]

Epsilon Eta, South Dakota State University

Sisters participated in the seventh annual Children’s Miracle

Network State-a-Thon and danced from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Eleven families attended the event and shared how CMN helped

them through difficult times. Epsilon Eta Sisters raised more than

$5,000, and all monies raised went to the local hospital.—Tara

Tschetter, [email protected]

TEXAS

Beta Alpha, University of Texas at Austin

During its annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament, Beta Alpha

raised more than $5,000 for the Austin Miracle League at Town

and Country, which sponsors a baseball league for children with

disabilities. More than 30 teams participated in the event.—Katie

Willcutts, [email protected]

Zeta Lambda, Texas Wesleyan University; Dallas Alumnae Association; Arlington Alumnae Association

Founders’ Day 2008 was a double celebration honoring our

Founders and the Dallas Alumnae Association. The association


turned 50, and two charter members were among those in

attendance. Alpha Xi Deltas from the Arlington association joined

their Dallas-area Sisters for a luncheon that brought together old

friends and created opportunities for building new friendships.

Collegians from Zeta Lambda Chapter conducted the Founders’

Day Ceremony. Highlights of the day included recognizing Order

of the Pearl, Order of the Rose and 25-year members, and

serving a 50th birthday cake for the Dallas Alumnae Association.

Circulating scrapbooks brought back memories of good times

and treasured friendships. Sisters were especially honored by the

presence of Ruth Wilson Sherman, a member for 73 years who is

still going strong.—Virginia Salter, [email protected]

WEST VIRGINIA

Gamma Beta, Marshall University

Sisters were reminded of the true meaning of friendship and

sisterhood during the chapter’s Alumnae Weekend festivities.

Alumnae from the spring 1958 new member class returned to

campus to celebrate 50 years of membership with the Order of

the Rose Ceremony.

There were various gatherings during the weekend, tours of

the chapter house and plenty of time to catch up with friends.

The weekend concluded at Guyan Country Club with a luncheon

and the presentation of the 50-year pins. Emotions ran high as

members sang Alpha Xi Delta songs and recited The Symphony.

The familiar words brought back fond memories for Sisters of all

ages.—Miranda Rosiek, [email protected]

WISCONSIN

Delta Alpha, University of Wisconsin La Crosse

Sisters dressed up as storybook characters and handed out

candy to children who trick-or-treated at the local nature center’s

Enchanted Forest. Sisters also trick-or-treated for UNICEF and

raised money for children all around the world. The chapter

continued its spirit of giving by holding a two-week on-campus

book drive to gather reading materials for a Phoenix, Ariz.-area

school that was hit by a monsoon.—Marissa Knabach, knabach.

[email protected]

Epsilon Alpha, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire

The chapter donated more than $4,000 to the Make-A-Wish

Foundation after holding its third annual Teeter-Totter-A-Thon.

During this 24-hour event, Sisters took shifts on the teeter-totter,

which was located in the middle of the campus mall. This is Epsilon

Alpha’s largest fund-raising event, and this year was its most

successful – even in the rain! —Kelsie Bauer, [email protected]

Chicago West Towns Alumnae Association | Attending this year’s Founders’ Day gathering were (front left) Deborah Helmer Utecht, Cynthia Rossi Kass, Barbara Oras Blatchford, Paula Borchers Giese, Sandie Bryant Gibbs, Pat Smith Musson, Marilyn Mesko Kroenke and Susan Lemperly Kosciulek.—Paula Giese, [email protected]

Pikes Peak Area Alumnae Association | Deb Pyles Grandia (left), association president for the past three years, turned over the office to the new president, Jo Goodlove Weilbrenner, during the association’s luncheon at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.—Gini Simonson, [email protected]

Little Rock Alumnae Association | Attending a recent dinner outing were (front row) Miranda Traw, Katherine Tucker, (back row) Mary Hyne Fine, Jennifer Cushing, Sarah Harvey, Jean Friederici Meacham, Maruka Reecer, Jamie Deere, Lara Obert Swearingen, Sarah Deere Hagan and Jamie Lapington. To learn more about this new association, contact Lara Swearingen at 501.551.5436 or [email protected]


St. Louis Alumnae Association | Lucy Scott Mueller, Washington St. Louis ’34, received her Order of the Diamond for 75 years of Alpha Xi Delta membership. Lucy plays a great game of bridge and is active in her local garden club.—Anna Louise Larson Fisher

Theta Epsilon, Marquette University

The chapter took first place in the annual Airband competition

during Greek Week by performing a choreographed dance while

lip-synching. The theme for this year’s performance was “Predict

Xi Weather.”

Children at Milwaukee’s Hispanic Cultural Center experienced

the joy of reading as chapter members donated books, read to

the children and helped each child pick out a book to take home.

Sisters co-hosted a financial education program with the women

of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, which was open to all women on

campus. Seventy women came out to hear accountant and guest

speaker Jessica Jatzke who spoke about credit scores, financ-

ing cars and houses, and repaying student loans.—Nici Takala,

[email protected]

Theta Tau, Marian University

Sisters helped out at the Ronald McDonald House in Milwaukee

and Madison by cooking and serving meals to families staying

there. They also raised more than $350 for the Make-A-Wish

Foundation during their Mr. Marian competition.

The chapter sent letters to students’ families, letting them

know they could send a care package to their son or daughter

with a “good luck on finals” note attached. After the orders

were placed, Sisters went shopping and bought three carloads

of goodies to include in the care packages. The leftover food was

donated to the summer program at the Fond du Lac Boys and

Girls Club.—Lindsey Sell, [email protected]

West Virginia | Iota Sisters participated in WVU’s Dance Marathon and helped raise thousands of dollars for the local children’s hospital.—Michelle Goodliff, [email protected]

Greensboro | Iota Iota Chapter nearly doubled in size after having a successful fall formal recruitment.—Brittany Eckard, [email protected]


ReunionsJacksonville State | March 28-30, 2008, brought great joy to Epsilon Pi Sisters as they celebrated 40 years of Alpha Xi Delta at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. The reunion kicked off Friday night with a “Remember the Good Ole Days” alumnae social. On Saturday morning, alumnae and collegians gathered at the JSU Alumni House to make get-well cards that were donated, along with teddy bears, to children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Later, alumnae were welcomed to Curtiss Hall, which houses Epsilon Pi, for a hall and chapter room tour. A sisterhood luncheon followed. Tears and smiles abounded as Sisters joined together for an emotional Rededication Ceremony, held Saturday afternoon in the Leone Cole Auditorium.

Epsilon Pi was honored to have Kristy Keith, Assistant Director of Member Services for the Southeast Territory, as a guest speaker. During the banquet alumnae and past presidents shared stories about their Epsilon Pi collegiate years. Chapter Advisor Kaci Smith Ogle, ’92, was honored for her devotion to Epsilon Pi, and Membership Advisor Lindsay Spurlock, ’02, was honored as Alumna of the Year.

To conclude the weekend, current chapter members hosted a send-off brunch to show their gratitude to the Epsilon Pi alumnae who continue to be a source of support to the chapter. “It was so wonderful to meet our alumnae,” said Epsilon Pi president Lisa Reed. “Sisters enjoyed hearing stories from the amazing women who had come before them. It was an extremely enriching experience for all of us.”

Cornell | Fourteen Sisters and their spouses from Alpha Beta Chapter reunited in Ithaca, New York, to renew friendships and get acquainted with the current collegians. Attending the weekend reunion were Sonia Werker Butler, Judie Baker Byndas, Anne Church, Sharon Hey Gage, Nancy Coles Hallinan, Ricky Heinze, Judy Piorun Pedlow and Roberta Stillman Wisnosky.

Alumnae enjoyed a tour of the chapter house, entertainment by some of the collegians, a luncheon, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and an evening banquet.

Collegian Sara Messelaar presented Judie Byndas, a past president, and her husband with a weeping cherry tree and plaque for the front lawn in recognition of their work on the chapter house. During the Greek Awards Ceremony the following week, Judie received the Distinguished Alumni Service award from Cornell’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs.—Judie Byndas

Rochester Institute of Technology | Amy Rosenfeld Sullivan, Nicole Duffy Tesoriero and Raffaella Savarino Tasca met in Paris for a wonderful reunion after not having seen each other in three years. They spent four days in Paris, then flew to Prague where Raffella now lives.

“The kids, husbands and dogs were all left behind and away we went,” said Raffella. “Cheese, baguettes, The Louvre, The Prague Castle. We did it all!”—Raffaella Savarino, [email protected]

Lyon | Zeta Iota Sisters traveled from all parts of the country to attend a reunion weekend at the historic home of a Sister who lives in Baldwin City, Kansas. It had been nearly 16 years since graduation, and many Sisters hadn’t seen each other since that time. Time was spent reminiscing and catching up on current events, while the slideshow of college photos reminded Sisters that the bond that brought them together years ago is as strong as ever today.—Tanya Ford, [email protected]


50 YearsStart your jewelry collection with the oval Order of the Rose drop ($26/both)

60 YearsAdd an Order of the Pearl drop to your original pin ($15)

75 YearsComplete your set with an Order of the Diamond drop ($30)

Reunions

Florida Alumnae | Last year Florida alumnae staged a one-day luncheon cruise on the St. John’s River and had a fair turnout. They decided right then and there that one day was not enough. Jan Swanson Barris suggested that next time, everyone should come to her town, Belleair (near St. Petersburg) and she would host the gathering. The invitation was accepted. This year some 30 alumnae had a wonderful weekend, which culminated with a fine banquet at the Belleair Country Club.

It was a fun weekend of sightseeing, brunch at the Vinoy, shopping and just plain fun. Sisters raffled off baskets filled with special things made by various alumnae associations. What’s really special is that all Florida alumnae were contacted, whether or not they belonged to an association, and the group met several new Sisters! It was a good mix of sharing and laughter.

The next reunion is planned for 2010. T.J. Parker ([email protected]) is the hostess, so come on out, Florida alumnae, and join us. Let us know where you live and we’ll send you an invitation.—Nancy Larkin, [email protected]

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Thinking About a Get-Together?Renew your friendships and Fraternity ties by holding a re-

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Reunions

We were initiated 50 years ago? How can that be? That would mean we’d be how old? No. Couldn’t be. If it is right, we’d better get organized and plan an Order of the Rose Reunion. But how could we pull it together?

I volunteered to send emails. Cathy Scott Linscott called or snail mailed oth-ers. Mary Quackenbush Garrison thought it would be fun to put on a skit, so she was in charge of that. Notes went out in No-vember, telling people the date, place and time of the April event. We also included a gentle reminder that traditionally, Order of the Rose classes make a donation to the Rho Chapter Building Association. Since none of us are very good about asking for money, Jan Anderson Thoresen, ’56, shared with me the wording she used when con-tacting her class for their 50-year reunion: “Life has been good to most of us, and giv-ing back is a way to support an obligation we made 50 years ago.” Perfect.

How was our reunion? Amazing. Thir-teen of us came back for the event. A number of Sisters who had been a year or two ahead of us even came. Some of

A Reunion to Remember An Order of the Rose recipient shares the joy of reconnecting with Sisters.By Jan Anderson Lightner, Nebraska Lincoln ‘58

us were there when these Sisters received their Order of the Rose and now they were coming back for our celebration. It was truly appreciated.

After a lot of catch-ing up on Friday night, we went to Cathy Linscott’s home the next morning for Rho Chapter’s Senior Sen-doff Breakfast. Since we came back to Lin-coln from all parts of the country, we were able to offer informa-tion to these young women about some of the places they were considering as they began their careers. We hope they saw our lifelong friendship and commitment to Al-pha Xi Delta.

From Cathy’s house we went to the Lincoln Country Club for the Founders’ Day luncheon. Mary Quackenbush Garri-son did a beautiful job putting together a memory book that included a picture of us from 50 years ago, letters from each of us and a skit, which included a song we used to sing during rush week. Fortunately, Shirley Chab Adkinson, our song leader, remembered all the words, the tune, ev-erything – even the two-part harmony that was required. The skit was unrehearsed but Mary pulled it off in grand style! She narrated and each of us had a part to share. The skit shared our life of 50 years ago with our Sisters – having “hours,” be-ing “campused” for infractions, hour danc-es, pinnings, no jeans – all things of the distant past. Some of us could still light a

match and recite the Greek alphabet be-fore we burned our fingers!

We had the formal presentation of ros-es, along with Order of the Rose pins, and then a picture session. We insisted that our pledge trainer, Sondra Lee Rathjen, join in that. Afterward, we left the Coun-try Club to tour the chapter house. The building corporation has done an incred-ible job and the young women who live there are very appreciative. There were many involved in raising money to make the needed changes and provide funds for the future. Caryl Craven Greathouse, ’59, and her Kappa Sigma husband, Ross, can never be thanked enough. The house is beautiful, functional, safe and still the loveliest house on campus!

Oh, by the way. That whole “asking for money” thing for the chapter’s building corporation? I’m proud to say we raised $2,100!

Need some tips on planning a successful re-union? Contact Jan at [email protected].

Members of Rho Chapter’s 1958 pledge class returned to Lincoln, Nebraska, for an Order of the Rose Reunion celebrating 50 years of Fraternity membership. Author Jan Lightner is in the back row, second from right.

Rho Chapter’s 1958 pledge educator Sondi Lee Rathjen (back left) and Sisters Gaye Engel Harris, Yvonne Umland Jameson, MaryAnne Weber Guggenmoss, Shirley Chab Adkinson, Nancy Lee Funston, Mary Rothell Benson, Mary Quackenbush Garrison, (front row) Jackie Beard Kegley, Shirley Gibb Sandstedt, Kay Rocke Owen, Bonnie Beckman Spomer, Jan Anderson Lightner, Cathy Scott Linscott.

E lizabeth Venemann Lyles, a 1930 initiate of Alpha Eta Chapter at Purdue University, entered Chapter Eternal on March 30, 2008. She was 96 years old.

Ellen Goodwin, Foundation Chair, said, “Elizabeth was a remarkable and gracious woman. Our Fraternity is so fortunate to have known her and to have been a recipient of her loyal dedication and kind benevolence.”

Elizabeth married William M. Lyles in 1933. From 1935-1950, Elizabeth was a substitute secondary-school teacher in Indiana and California. In 1945 she and her husband founded the W.M. Lyles Company, a California firm specializing in pipeline and utility construction. Eliza-beth served as secretary-treasurer of the company until her husband’s untimely death in 1965, at which time she became president.

In an era when few women worked outside the home, Elizabeth handled pay-roll, administration and personnel for the growing company – all while raising two sons and a daughter. Today, the construc-tion business the Lyles began includes real estate, pipeline, utility, concrete, and mechanical construction, as well as agricultural manufacturing operations. Its offshoot, Pelco Sales, Inc., is a world leader in the design, development, and manufacture of video and security sys-tems and equipment.

A Great LoveElizabeth’s son, Gerald Lyles, said, “Along with my mother’s religion, family, her business employees and Purdue Univer-sity, Alpha Xi Delta was one of her great loves. She brightened up when her Quill magazine came and while speaking of her Sisters on a national level or at the

chapter here at Fres-no State, which she supported financially and participated in socially.”

Elizabeth gave back to Alpha Xi Del-ta in so many ways. She was a charter member of Alpha Xi Delta’s Fresno Alum-nae Association and an officer of the Al-pha Xi Delta Build-ing Corporation of Fresno, California. She served the National Fraternity as a member of the Foundation Nominating Committee in 1982, the National Finan-cial Planning Task Force in 1984 and on the Foundation Board of Trustees from 1988-1993. Elizabeth was the first Alpha Xi Delta to become a member of the Cora Bollinger Block Circle, which recognizes lifetime Foundation giving of more than $100,000.

Fraternity awards include Woman of Achievement in Business in 1968, Alumna of the Year in 1979 and Woman of Distinction in 2005. Elizabeth’s sister, Minadel Venemann Smith, was a 1934 initiate of Alpha Eta Chapter at Purdue; their mother, Elizabeth Doughty Vene-mann, was organizing president and ac-tive in the Alpha Xi Delta Mother’s Club at Purdue University for more than 36 years.

Ahead of Her TimeElizabeth was a woman of firsts who was truly ahead of her time. She was the first woman to represent the Diocese of San Joaquin to the national convention of the

Episcopal Church, the first woman director for the Fresno County and City Chamber of Commerce, the first woman trustee on the West Hills College Board and the first woman director for the Purdue University Alumni Association.

The following are included among Eliza-beth’s many honors and recognitions:

1980 Purdue Alumni Association Alumni Citizenship Award, 1984 Purdue Alumni Association Dis-tinguished Purdue Woman Award, 1987 Fresno Bee and YMCA Business-Profes-sional Woman of the Year, 1992 Lewis S. Eaton Award from Valley Public Tele-vision, 2004 Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year designation from the Associa-tion of Fundraising Professionals, and the Bishops Cross from the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin.

Elizabeth’s grandson, Thom Porter, said at Elizabeth’s memorial service, “My grandmother lived 96 years. Oh, the things she must have seen! She lived through two World Wars, the Depres-sion, amazing technological advances, personal tragedies and many successes. I have been witness to less than half of that time, but from my observation, she was always optimistic, matter-of-fact, and genuinely happy and contented with life. What a lesson: hard work + loyalty + un-derstanding what really matters = happi-ness. That is the legacy she leaves and the lesson I’d like to leave to my children about their great-grandmother.”

Elizabeth Venemann Lyles Enters Chapter Eternal

Elizabeth Lyles


EternalChapter


EternalChapter

The fall/winter Chapter Eter-nal includes the names of Sis-ters whose passing was report-ed to Fraternity Headquarters between May 1 and August 31, 2008. Sisters are listed alpha-betically in chapter order, along with their initiation year.

To notify the Fraternity of a Sister’s passing, please send an obituary notice, memorial ser-vice pamphlet or other written confirmation to Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity.

Beta ChapterIowa Wesleyan CollegeJune Ione Hatfield Ankeney ’44 Eva Munson Wolfe ’28

Gamma ChapterMount Union CollegeEileen Brown Boyee ’44 Margaret Kotte Stone ’43

Delta ChapterBethany CollegeJane Bowman Bair Savage ’29 Dorothy Ralston Sutton ’41

Epsilon ChapterUniversity of South DakotaMildred Marshall Morgan ’46 Daisy Wheeler Rini ’41

Zeta ChapterWittenberg UniversityFrances Tuttle Caldwell ’45 Margaret Willis Miller ’35

Eta ChapterSyracuse UniversityLois Marion Wicks Leebrick ’40

Theta ChapterUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonEdythe Klapka Gatenby ’33 Wilma Goedecke Griswold ’37 Marcia Waugh McDowell ’58

Iota ChapterWest Virginia UniversityRebecca Carpenter Runnels ’38 Norma Jean Crase Valentine ’51

Kappa ChapterUniversity of IllinoisDella Vandyke Chesnut ’40

Nu ChapterUniversity of WashingtonHelen Bowen Pratt ’28

Omicron ChapterUniversity of California, BerkeleyElizabeth Nielsen Mortensen ’39 Mary Delmore Ramsden ’38

Pi ChapterOhio UniversityJane Jones Dole ’39 Vera Scholl Forsstrom ’34 Esther Hafner Mathes ’38

Rho ChapterUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnPauline Nelson Kesselring ’30 Carolyn Kay Washburn ’59

Sigma ChapterUniversity of IowaNita Melsh Welch ’56

Tau ChapterUniversity of New HampshireMary Zacharias Sophios ’25

Upsilon ChapterUniversity of VermontCornelia Josephine Baylies ’30

Phi ChapterAlbion CollegeBarbara North ’70 Mary Holtz Warson ’61

Psi ChapterOhio State UniversityRosamond Sterrett Eliassen ’30

Alpha Gamma ChapterCoe CollegeBonnie King Andrews ’42 Louise Northcott Knapp ’29

Alpha Delta ChapterOregon State UniversityLouise Ratto Calcagno ’48 Josephine Woolsey Dana ’39

Alpha Epsilon ChapterUniversity of MichiganLynn Kimpton Grammafico ’50 Paula Wilson VanNatta ’54

Alpha Zeta ChapterUniversity of OklahomaGayle Thornton Grotts ’47 Shirley Barbour Lowe ’46 Gladys Pierce Whelihan ’26

Alpha Eta ChapterPurdue UniversityVirginia Straley Duvall ’59

Alpha Kappa ChapterKansas State UniversityMadeline Asher Osborne ’46 Phyllis Riley Wallisch ’49

Alpha Lambda ChapterUniversity of OregonWilma Billie John Howard ’45

Alpha Omicron ChapterHunter CollegeJohanna Elliott Buehrer ’53 Virginia Katherine Re DeMarinis ’45

Alpha Rho ChapterAllegheny CollegeHelen Allison Baughman ’36

Alpha Upsilon ChapterBrenau CollegeMary Jones Cain ’32

Alpha Chi ChapterRandolph-Macon CollegeElon Gillaspie Hutcheson ’30

Alpha Omega ChapterFlorida State UniversityBetsy Stewart Osborne ’42

Beta Beta ChapterWashington UniversityPatricia Waterman Huber ’38

Beta Delta ChapterDenison UniversityAnnabel Sheppard Anderson ’36 Esther Marner McClelland ’36

Beta Eta ChapterUniversity of MarylandLynn Saville Jones ’69 Kathleen Hensley Woods ’80

Beta Pi ChapterIndiana UniversityPatricia Locks Banker ’51 Hazel Shirley Nordsieck ’48

Beta Phi ChapterUniversity of ConnecticutIsabel Miller Weigold ’49

Gamma Alpha ChapterSan Diego State UniversityNancy Graves Dentt ’51

Gamma Beta ChapterMarshall UniversityAnn Marshall Egnor ’59

Gamma Epsilon ChapterCalifornia State University-FresnoEsther Mae Hawley 2005

Gamma Lambda ChapterUniversity of TennesseeJeanette Booker Troth ’59

Delta Epsilon ChapterUniversity of New OrleansMarilyn Schof Gover ’62

Delta Tau ChapterUniversity of Wisconsin-OshkoshDiana Sarnowski Weyers ‘65

Epsilon Kappa ChapterWestern Kentucky UniversityMarilyn Martin Lagrange ’69

Epsilon Lambda ChapterRider UniversitySharon Ward DiVernieri ’71

Epsilon Mu ChapterUniversity of Northern ColoradoPriscilla Davis Dingler ’74

Epsilon Xi ChapterUniversity of Missouri-St. LouisDeborah Pelant Younce ’70

Epsilon Tau ChapterCentral Missouri State UniversityPatricia Newlon Williams ’69

Epsilon Phi ChapterIowa State UniversityAmy Kathleen Meyer ’86

Zeta Rho ChapterNorth Carolina State UniversityLouella Anderson Bottrill ’83

Zeta Sigma ChapterHillsdale CollegeConstance Peters ’86

Theta Zeta ChapterEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University (AZ)Tommi Lee Gatti Simcox ’94

Theta Nu ChapterElon CollegeCatherine Zagrodnik Rose ’93

Theta Sigma ChapterUniversity of Central FloridaHeather Dreslin 2006


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The story I’m about to tell is filled with al-most every possible emotion. I’m making it through this difficult time, thanks to the love and support of my Sisters.

Six months before I married my husband, Josh, we found out he had a 2-year-old son, Logan, from a previous interlude before we met. I was angry and sad that another wom-an had Josh’s child. I was also outraged that this woman waited so long to contact Josh, who had already missed out on two years of Logan’s life.

As soon as my Sisters heard my news, they were there to support me. Phone calls and visits were frequent, as they helped me work through my feelings and turn my hurt and anger into optimism and excitement about having a son. They helped me see the big picture – that everything happens for a reason – and reinforced what a wonderful addition Josh and I would be to Logan’s life.

A five-hour drive separated us from Lo-gan, but that didn’t matter. We traveled there once a month and slowly worked up to bringing Logan home for weeks at a time. I’ll spare the details of why we filed for full custody. Let’s just say Logan’s life with his mother was less than desirable. A 10-min-ute custody hearing gave us full custody, and Logan’s mother lost all parental rights and received no visitation.

After hearing that Logan would be with us all the time, my Sisters threw a “toddler show-er” for us. They also set up play dates with Logan and their children, and Logan quickly had many friends. He adjusted to his new life with absolutely no problems and immediately became part of our family.

Logan loved us so much and meant the world to us. He was incredibly intelligent and knew no strangers. He loved going to church and was fascinated with stories about God and Jesus. He also enjoyed being around oth-er children and was delighted when Josh and I had a baby girl. He said he would be the best

brother ever, and he certainly was. On December 7, 2007, Logan passed away.

His first cough was at 2 a.m. on a Thursday. Since Logan had never been sick before, Josh took him to the doctor. The doctor said Lo-gan had a viral infection and gave him some

medication. Just 26 hours after his first cough, he was gone. Logan stopped breathing in his sleep.

Logan was only 3 years old. We already had his Christmas presents under the tree. We already had his 4th birthday party planned. There were just so many things he never had the opportunity to do.

In the midst of planning funeral arrange-ments, my Sisters were there for me. Some called constantly. Some sent flowers and cards. Some never left my side. Some drove many hours to see me, and some even flew across the country.

Nearly a year has passed and some days are very difficult. My Sisters still touch base to see how we’re doing. I know I can call any of them any time and they’ll be there.

Many people underestimate what it means to be in a sorority. Either they never had the experience or tainted ideas kept them from exploring the possibility. Our Symphony could not state it any better: “…that we may share both joy and sorrow and bring into liv-ing reality the sisterhood of women.” Thank you, Sisters, for everything.

Brandi Miller HobbsMarietta College ’[email protected]

Living Our SymphonyThat We may Share both Joy and Sorrow

The Symphony of Alpha Xi Delta

These things do we

earnestly desire:

A clear vision of life,

that with gracious

and kindly hearts we

may share both joy

and sorrow and bring

into living reality the

sisterhood of women.

An appreciation of

real merit and worth,

steadfastness of soul,

that without bitterness

or defeat we may

encounter misfortune

and with humility meet

success.

These things, O Lord,

help us to instill within

our hearts, that we may

grow in courage and

graciousness and peace.

Send your Living our Symphony stories and photos to Fraternity Headquarters,

or email them to [email protected].

Logan Hobbs

Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity 8702 Founders RoadIndianapolis, IN 46268

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAID

HUNTINGTON, INPERMIT NO. 832

PARENTS of Alpha Xi Deltas: While your daughter is in college, The Quill of Alpha Xi Delta is sent to her home address. We hope you enjoy reading it and will pass it on to your daughter. If she is no longer in college and is not living at home, please send her new perma-nent address to Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity. Any Alpha Xi Delta member should use this form to change her name/address. Send this form to: Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity, 8702 Founders Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268 or email [email protected].

o Please remove me from The Quill mailing list.

College Chapter Initiation Year

o Address Change

Name (first, middle/maiden, last)

Former Address New Address

Home Phone Work Phone Email

o Name Change

Former Name Current Name

Husband’s Name (if applicable)

CHANGE OF NAME/ADDRESS FORM

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