Sigma Kappa - University of Kansas

H H H Sigma star A s a child, when Mabel "Peg" Dunbar Liebert '69 went shopping with her family, she would pretend she owned the stores. "I remember looking around stores when I was 10, thinking about what I would do differently and what I would buy." Peg's husband, Tim, envisioned having a major retail chain someday. Across several decades, the couple's vision grew into Rally House (also known as Kansas Sampler locally), a major specialty sports store with local and regional goods. The business began in 1989 as Mabel's Kitchen, a wholesale catalog that Peg ran as a stay-at-home mom. She and Tim took pride in their small-town Kansas backgrounds, creating "Kansas Sampler" gift boxes featuring food around the state to distribute to vendors. The family went on to open five Kansas Sampler stores in the KC Metro area, and as demand for licensed sports apparel grew beyond state lines, the brand expanded once again in the late 2000s. Today, Rally House has over 280 stores across 22 states. In Lawrence, that now includes stores in Allen Fieldhouse; another will appear this year in the renovated Memorial Stadium. "When people ask about my work, I tell them I'm playing; my stores give me a lot of happiness," Peg said. EARLY LESSONS Sororities weren't as popular during the Vietnam War, but Peg wanted to find a friend group for her next three years of college (freshmen being required to live in dorms). She felt Sigma Kappa was her closest match and proceeded to grow alongside her sisters, learning organization and self-discipline skills as she worked her way through college. Peg served Xi Chapter in an event planning role, and she realized that planning was part of her nature. "I couldn't always attend the events I planned due to work, but it was good practice for business." A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT Mabel's Kitchen began as an extra income source to support Peg's children in playing sports. Within the first year, the business grew larger than she expected. People frequently came to her house for sales, and customers bought products that went to over 50 countries. As the brand grew into Kansas Sampler, she had to give up coaching her children's soccer teams. "For people starting a business, my advice is to love what you do and remember that success often takes sacrifice." Tim and Peg's son Aaron is now the CEO of Rally House, and Peg continues to work as its owner and president. She frequently travels for work and loves supporting the stores through problem solving and employee education. Professionally, Peg is proud of her family business supporting Kansas as she and Tim envisioned (including jobs and generating royalties for the state universities) and mentoring their many employees to lead fulfilling careers. The Rally House name, to Peg, feels like an extension of the early Mabel's Kitchen days when customers visited her at home. Staff are trained to act like they're welcoming guests into their own house. "When I was younger, my sister bought my first KU shirt, which I probably wore once a week," Peg said. "I know that inspired me to go to college, and when we had our children, the first thing we did was by them sweatshirts. We believe that's a need, that it's good to carry on these family traditions. So when people come to buy gifts for their college students or to support their favorite team, we want to bring that kind of joy to our store." WORK AND FAMILY As someone who has navigated the challenges of ADHD and dyslexia, Peg is grateful to see girls receive more recognition and support for similar diagnoses. Her career taught her to lean on her strengths, and she credits much of her early career success to her high energy and ability to balance multiple projects. "I think I always knew I had to work harder, and that's true for many of us—you do what it takes." Peg lives in Leawood, Kansas, where she enjoys playing ping pong and pickleball, dancing, doing creative work, and spending time with her five grandchildren. She also enjoys chatting with fellow Sigma Kappas in monthly calls and group texts. "I'm really glad I had Sigma Kappa as a home in college. Coming from a small town, it was what I needed." You can connect with Peg at pliebert@rallyhouse.com. Making Rally House Feel Like Home How Peg Dunbar Liebert '69 Fulfilled a Dream Marcia A. Beardsley '53 moved to assisted living in Overland Park, Kan., in October 2023. She is close to both of her daughters and her grandchildren. She has seven great- grandchildren! Email: Kenna S. Giffin '73 practices law part- time and is the treasurer for Hildago County Democratic Country. She resides in McAllen, Texas. Email: ksg210@gmail.com Julia Vaskov Cole '87 serves on the Board of Trustees for the Hurst-Euless Bedford ISD. She was first elected in 2013 and has been reelected four times. "I love serving my community and advocating for public education." She resides in Bedford, Texas. Email: julie.j.cole1985@gmail.com Angie L. Podoll '91 lives in Omaha, Neb., and became a master gardener in 2022. She volunteers with inner-city kids, teaching them how to grow and harvest produce. "Love every minute of it!" Angie recently celebrated five years of being breast cancer-free after a diagnosis in March 2019. Email: angiepodoll@gmail.com Jennifer L. Torrens '02 started a new job in 2023 at Cella, a creative staffing agency, where she works as an account experience manager, managing all things HR for contractors at Hilton, Airbnb, Walmart, and Caterpillar. "Loving working remotely in beautiful Los Angeles!" Email: torrensjen@hotmail.com Alumnae News

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