Gamma Phi Beta - University of Kansas

GAMMA PHI BETA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS News Spring 2017 Sigma House Corporation Prepares for Summer Updates O ur beautiful GFB landscape and the KU campus are ready for spring. Daffodils, tulips, and budding trees are all in bloom! Our summer work for the house has been defined by the board and the chapter. The very old original wood floors in the front hall, living room, and trophy room must be refinished or replaced. The hallway leading to the front stairs is being evaluated by a professional structural engineer as the original floor is buckling. The stairway carpet leading to the second and third floors must be replaced. Can you remember running up and down those creaky stairs? The beautiful, large front windows in the living room and house director's apartment need to be replaced. The decorative millwork will be repaired or replaced as needed. The original portion of our house built in 1923 needs our attention this year. The expense is hefty. Your donations are most important. Please consider a gift to sustain our beautiful Georgian Colonial overlooking the KU Campanile landscape. Sigma Chapter and Susan Harper, our wonderful new house director, welcome you to visit anytime! In PKE, Sigma Chapter House Corporation (Left) Your gifts will help Sigma make much- needed improvements Lauren Barbour '15 and Audrey DeVries '14 on the chapter house stairs. Look closer and you'll see the fraying edges of the carpet from everyday wear and tear after years of use. Use the enclosed envelope to return your gift to Sigma Chapter today. S usan Harper '69 was excited to return to the University of Kansas this semester to become the Gamma Phi Beta house director 45 years after having lived in the Sigma chapter house as an active member. She is remembered by many from her college days as their beloved pledge trainer. Susan was pleased to find that some things feel the same, but some are very different. She was amazed to discover that there are 207 members in the chapter, and nearly 90 women living in the house. Unlike when she was at Sigma, everyone has a car and there is no curfew for members. She loves the delicious food served family style at dinner, as well as singing the Gamma Phi blessing before meals and having the fraternity men as waiters. After graduating with a degree in physical education in 1972, Susan taught at the Kansas State School for the Visually Handicapped in Kansas City, Kansas, for seven years. She then joined the business world and worked for Southwestern Bell in sales and operations until retiring in 2001. She has worked several part-time jobs since then, including with her local police department in Plano, Texas, and working for the government in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Susan loves Kansas basketball, animals, reading, knitting, and traveling, having visited over 30 countries. Susan very much enjoys her new position at Sigma. "This is a pretty fun job! I pinch myself some mornings when I realize I am house director. I can't be this old! I do truly love the girls. They are cute, spunky, and personable, just like Gamma Phis have always been," she said. She invites all Gamma Phis to stop by and visit whenever they are in Lawrence. Susan can be reached at harper0650@verizon.net. Susan Harper '69 Thrilled to Be Sigma Chapter's New House Director Moriah Gerber '15, Susan Harper '69, and Grace Bartle '15.

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