Kappa Kappa Gamma - Oklahoma State University

Making a Difference Joanna Trimble Smith '71 on Her Career, Remembering Sister Nancy page 6 " F " F rom the first time I entered the Kappa house, I immediately felt at home and recognized several members," Joanna Trimble Smith '71 recalled. "Many of the young women who were returning to the Kappa house for parties were familiar faces and friends from Oklahoma City—and many of those familiar faces are still dear friends today!" Two years later, Joanna's sister, Nancy Trimble Carter '73, joined Delta Sigma; Joanna fondly recalls her Bid Day. "I was worn slick and a serious rule follower, which meant little to no partying that night. As I walked into the house, a group of celebrating Kappas walked up, and one of them yelled, 'Your sister is way more fun than you!' I knew that to be true and still smile remembering that comment." o A Heart for Hearing o Joanna's Kappa sisters were a source of stability during her first year at OSU as she struggled with homesickness. She finalized her decision to become a speech-language pathologist because her pledge trainer, and later chapter president, Sharon Pickrell Gober '70 was one. "I wanted to grow up to be like her." In the mid-1990s, Joanna began working with a surgeon who was doing the first Oklahoma cochlear implant surgeries for children who were deaf. "I couldn't believe that children who are profoundly deaf could learn to listen and talk like typical-hearing children, and I wanted to make sure every family who wanted to communicate through spoken language with their child should have the opportunity." Joanna and her friend and business partner became students of the best programs in the country and started seeing a few children weekly. In 2003, they founded Hearts for Hearing to help every baby born in Oklahoma with significant hearing loss get hearing aids at no cost shortly after birth. They asked friends for donations to help fund the cost of hearing aids for a few. In 2005, they hired a Director of Development (a Kappa), the mother of a daughter who is profoundly deaf who listens and talks. "She shared our story at the Capitol, with donors, and with national foundations and we started adding audiologists and additional speech-language pathologists who pursued additional certification as listening and spoken language specialists." In 2011, Joanna's partner left to pursue another opportunity. "I had many doubts as to whether I could lead the organization, but with God, an incredibly gifted team of professionals, and my family who supported me at every turn, we grew Hearts for Hearing from a team of 18 to a staff of 165-plus when I retired in June 2024." Throughout the years, Joanna always loved learning that a potential or new hire was a Kappa. "They are always great employees!" q q A Love for Her Sister q Nancy loved life, her family, and Kappa. She passed away in 1996. "Witnessing the way her Kappa sisters supported Nancy's family after her sudden death at 41 was humbling beyond words. Through their tears, they provided food, wrote precious letters and notes, told stories, and loved her family well." Nancy served as Delta Sigma's recruitment chairman and pledge trainer and later as the graduate counselor for Kappa at Baylor. "She, too, practiced speech pathology until her churches figured out that she was gifted with children, and she then was asked to serve as the children's minister at two of her church homes." When Nancy passed, Joanna stepped up to support her three children and volunteered with school activities and church. "Her children reflect so much of her, and I love being around each of them and their children because she is a part of each of them." Since Joanna was the first person in her family to go through recruitment, she is proud that there are now 15 Kappas in the family, along with six Thetas, two Tri Deltas, and one Pi Phi. You can connect with her at jsmithslp@yahoo.com. Joanna Nancy

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