Delta Gamma - University of Iowa

Delta Gamma at the University of Iowa Spring 2019 A good friend of Eileen's, Bev Palmer, former Tau Chapter house director, set the wheels in motion for Eileen to step into her role when she was ready to retire. "We played cards 3-4 times a week and went on numerous vacations together. Bev always bragged about having the best sorority on campus, so when I heard Tau Chapter was looking for a new house director, I dropped my name in the bucket. Bev was surely right; it was a perfect fit for me and I hope to be here for as long as ΔΓ will have me." Living in a house full of girls is nothing new to Eileen. She grew up in a small three-bedroom, one-bath house in the country with eight sisters and two brothers. By the time Eileen was 26, she was married and had four children. "I operated a daycare until my children were in school and then went to work at the University of Iowa Hospital as a billing clerk for 17 years." Eileen is no stranger to hard work, juggling schedules, challenges and making the best of trying times. "At one time, I had three children in college and worked three jobs to get by as a single mom." In 2016, Eileen found love in an unexpected place. The most talented athlete from her hometown and old family friend moved back to Hills, Iowa, to reconnect with old friends when his health began to decline. He had moved away 50 years prior to play college football and returned a 27-year Navy veteran. "After my mother urged me to reach out and get him reacquainted to old friends, everything fell into place months later when he proposed, and we married with my 91-year-old mother as my attendant. We lived on Main Street in Hills, Iowa, just a couple houses down the street where he grew up and two blocks from my mother. My husband passed away just short of our first anniversary and my mom passed away a year later, in December 2018." In the past, Eileen had been a house director at the Delta Zeta house and Kappa Kappa Gamma house at the University of Iowa before she married. "Back in those days, the house directors were very close, created many memories together, and I missed that." Sorority members kept in touch over the years and those great memories gave Eileen the motivation to return to Greek life. One of Eileen's favorite memories with Tau Chapter has been decorating the house for the holidays. "I gifted each member a personalized embroidered Christmas stocking to hang by the fireplace. To top off the decorating festivities, we decorated seven large Christmas trees in different rooms of the house." Eileen was sparked with creativity and wrapped empty boxes from kitchen food supplies in fancy foil wrap and ribbons donated by friends and family. "I wanted everyone to feel at home with holiday spirit throughout the house." Eileen spends her free time playing cards with friends and with the elderly in nursing homes. She also loves to travel and takes a yearly all- ladies shopping trip with friends and family, plus spends time at her step-son's cabin in Wisconsin. "This year's travels include a trip to Hawaii to my granddaughter's graduation from Chaminade University in Honolulu." "My role as a house director at ΔΓ has been an awesome experience. Our staff is amazing! It's always reassuring to know, when we hit a few bumps in the road, we always work as a group to find a resolution. I couldn't do the job without this great team. I thank ΔΓ for giving me this great opportunity." You can reach Eileen via email at deltagammaeileen@gmail.com. Reconnecting with Greek Life Get to Know ΔΓ's House Director, Eileen Jenn Falls Jessica Mattes, Alpha Lambda '10 Advisery Team Chairman Britt Bergquist, Eta Theta '11 Honor Board Adviser Lauren Delzell '12 Membership Adviser Jordan Hoffa '10 Chapter Operations Adviser Darcy Waller, Gamma Beta '13 Member Education Adviser Stephanie Michalicek, Alpha Zeta '06 VP Communications Adviser Jayme Albright '10 Foundation Adviser Kim Lanaghan Rituals Adviser Natalie Albrecht '04 Council Appointed Coordinator Meet the Board

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