Alpha Gamma Delta - University of Alabama

The Squirrel's Nest 2 A Life of Service at Home and Abroad Virginia Anne Emerson Williams '60 Shares Her Experiences as Psi Sister and U.S. Diplomat ON CAMPUS SERVICE I originally joined Alpha Gamma Delta because I liked the wide variety of ladies in the chapter, from the brains to the beauties and all in between! Psi represented everyone and allowed all sisters to have fun together. During my years with the chapter, Psi worked very hard to improve our grades and to produce leaders on campus who were focused on volunteering and helping others. I had the opportunity to hold multiple executive positions, including chaplain, house president, scholarship chairman, and both VP and president Panhellenic. The highlight of my chapter experience was Alpha Gamma Delta's performance in Jason's Jamboree theatrical show. We practiced and worked together for three months on song and dance routines, stage decorations, costume designs, sound and lighting, programs, etc. The entire chapter participated, and we won first place! I was so happy and so proud of our sisterhood. DIPLOMATIC CAREER I graduated in 1963 with a bachelor's degree in history and English from the College of Education. In 1964, I married Jim Williams, a graduate of Princeton College. After a written test and interview, Jim became the Department of State's Foreign Service Officer in September 1965. We were sent to the American Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, in March 1966 and began our 37-year diplomatic life. I was fortunate that Jim viewed his career as a partnership, and we worked as a team serving in Turkey, Cypress, Bonn, Berlin, and Athens. He was fluent in Turkish, Greek, and German, and I tried to keep up in my Alabama accent! I was so grateful to have Psi sisters visit us in all our posts except Cypress. During the 1974 coup in Cypress, American Ambassador Rodger Davis was shot to death by an anti-American mob at the embassy. Our car was blown up and I, while pregnant with our daughter, Laura, and caring for our 4-year-old son, Ben, was evacuated by Canadian UN troops via helicopter to a British AF base where President Ford's plane was waiting to bring us back to America. We spent the next four very exciting years in Berlin and witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989. We also met Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles and Princess Diana on their royal visits to Berlin! THE NEXT CHAPTER After Jim retired, I gladly ditched the pantyhose and high heels for gardening shoes and swapped planning dinner parties for 100 for weekly tennis games. Through the years, I have kept in close contact with several of my Psi sisters, including Barbara Bagley Silva '60, Mary Collier Baxter '60, Andrea Spruell Crowell '60, Sue McKinney Dixon '60, Adonice C. Hereford '61, and my little sister Martha F. Nabers '62. Looking back on my Psi Chapter experience, little did I realize how important good manners, kindness, curiosity, respect for others, and an understanding of Robert's Rules of Order would be for a wonderful and full life. I encourage my sisters to enjoy every minute of the time; it goes by so quickly! And cherish the friends you make in the chapter. There's nothing better than long-lasting, deep friendships! A L U M N A E N E W S Biddy Smith Merrell '56 and her husband moved to a retirement community, Magnolia Trace, in Huntsville, Ala. They also became great- grandparents on November 29! Email: biddymerrell@yahoo.com Carol Prohaska Aurndale '57 serves as president of the British Psychoanalytic Association and recently met with 50 European presidents in Brussels. She resides in London, England. Email: jeanarundale@mac.com Ann Sutton Smith '58 is enjoying good health. She spends her days meeting for lunch with friends, participating in a small-group church service for the homebound, and staying in close touch with her two sons and six grandchildren. She lives in Eufaula, Ala. June Howard Guynes '64 shares, "On October 24, 2022, we lost our son and only child, Robert, to lung cancer. He was 51, never married, and retired. He was a whole lot of fun. My husband, Buddy, and I travel a good bit and plan to keep doing so as long as we can. I must say I will never forget the four pledge sisters who attended Robert's service." June resides in Huntsville, Ala. Karen Weygand Spadaccini '65 stays in touch with Mary Anne Potter Cole '65, who lives in Houston. They meet for lunches there or near Karen's home in Austin, Texas. Email: kwspadaccini@gmail.com Mary Ann Howell Spann '69 remembers her wonderful years as the first vice president of Psi from 1968-72. She treasures the wonderful lifelong friends and memories. Mary Ann now resides in Dothan, Ala. Email: mma302@aol.com Nancy Richeson Siniard '74 is looking forward to serving as president of the University of Alabama National Alumni Association in 2024. She resides in Huntsville, Ala. Email: nsiniard@totalcommarketing.com Teresa Miller '74 and the pledge class of 1973 enjoyed a 50-year reunion on the same weekend they originally pledged AGD. The group met at Teresa's house on Wilson Lake. Attendees included Dr. Sallie Cale Dunphy, Carol Byrd Ambassador James Williams and Anne welcome the Prime Minister of Greece (left) to a diplomatic dinner. "I encourage my sisters to enjoy every minute of the time; it goes by so quickly! And cherish the friends you make in the chapter. There's nothing better than long-lasting, deep friendships!"

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