Alpha Phi - Cornell University

THE FORGET-ME-NOT DELTA CHAPTER OF ALPHA PHI | FALL 2018 Summer BringS reunion and renovationS to delta Sisters, It's that time of year again! 411 Thurston Avenue is full of life with our new members having just moved in. We are excited for the year they will have living in the chapter house and hope that they will make fond memories as we all have done. I was pleased to see so many alumnae back for reunion weekend. I got the chance to meet sisters that I hadn't met before, as well as see familiar faces, even though we all look little older now. My heart always warms watching sisters reconnect over pictures and stories. The house saw some changes over the summer due to changes in Ithaca's building code. We had to embark on a project to reconfigure the fire es- capes and install additional fire doors within the facility. The project has two phases. Phase 1 was completed just after Labor Day. This phase in- volved changing the fire escape off of the new wing from a ladder to a set of stairs. It also saw the addition of two new fire doors inside of the house, one outside of the House Director's suite and the other on the landing at the entrance to the new wing. This will increase safety in case of a fire as it adds more separation of different sections of the house. Phase 2 will in- clude the removal of the two fire escapes from the third floor to the second floor, as well as returning the roof bannisters to their original uninterrupted state. The two emergency doors on the third floor will be turned back into windows, which will provide better stability to the heating of the house during the winter. We are scheduling phase 2 to be completed this fall. The House Corporation Board also accomplished several smaller projects over the summer. In room 4, aka Grand Central, the carpet was removed to reveal the original wood floor, which we have refinished. The result is absolutely beautiful. In room 5, the room with the balcony, we installed new carpet. The basement and storage areas of the house received a thor- ough clean out and reorganization, aligning us with the new fire codes and making life easier on our officers for their department storage areas. The kitchen saw a minor remodel to remove a closet in order to create space for a larger and more efficient freezer. With a house as old and historic as ours, there will be always be future proj- ects. We hope that in the near future we will be able to replace the windows for greater climate control within the house, as well as give the kitchen a much needed redesign and face lift, making it more effective and useful to both our chef and our members. We would also like to reimagine the basement common space to allow for a room large enough for all-member meetings. But those are projects for another time. For now, I encourage all of you to make a trip back to 411 Thurston Avenue and see the renovations for yourself. Relive your college days and form a few new memories with the women we call sisters. aoe, Katie Diemert-Carlisle '01 House Corporation Board President Why did you join Alpha Phi? There were many upperclassmen and those in my own class that I admired very much. I am from a very open fam- ily, and the chapter seemed to not be a rigid group. They were my type of people. What are your favorite memories of your time in Delta Chapter? I was very involved in writing skits for recruitment, addresses to pledges at din- ners, and I was honored to receive the scholarship award. Cornell is a big uni- versity, and it was nice to have a small place where you knew everyone. I was one of two members who had a car, and when Mrs. C, our housemother, broke her leg, I remember driving her around. What degree did you earn? BFA in art, architecture and city plan- ning. Tell us a little about your career. I started teaching in an annex at Bed- ford-Stuyvesant for two years. Then I was an English and art teacher at a K-8 school in New York City for 16 years. I am a German shepherd breeder, ex- hibitor, and AKC-licensed judge. I have bred several champions and am a life- time member of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America. My love of dogs began when my parents were nervous about me driving home from school so late; I bought a German shepherd who went everywhere with me, so they no longer worried. I am also an author and have published three books, including Street of Dreams, a story about a young graduate student at Cornell University. My latest is Har- vey's Tail: Poems and Stories for Pup- pies and Dogs of All Ages. Do you stay in touch with sisters from Delta Chapter? Yes. We write and talk on the phone. I made immediate connections with the women and consider them lifetime friends. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? In addition to writing and my dogs, I still enjoy architecture. I designed and built my house in Walker Valley, New York. Is there anything else you'd like to add? My friend Vaughn Morris was the presi- dent of a local chapter at Penn State, and they were looking to join a national organization. Because of our friendship, they became an Alpha Phi chapter. In 1958, the girls took a bus down and held their initiation at our house, and Vaughn became my Little Sister. I went to my Cornell 60th reunion this summer, and there was a huge turn- out. We probably set a record with 105 alumni plus spouses. Norma has a blog, normahansburg.com, and can be reached at nhansburgh@hvc.rr.com. alumna Spotlight: Norma Hansburg '58 Reflects on Sisterhood & 60th Reunion

• Cover