Delta Delta Delta - University of Kansas

DELTA DELTA DELTA 3 H H Alumna Advises Sisters to Listen to Your Heart W hen DyAnn Lowe Stilley '76 decided to attend the University of Kansas, she had no prior knowledge of sorority life. Thanks to the mentorship of Jane Grutzmacher Helling '72 during high school, who encouraged her to go through recruitment and wrote her a recommendation, DyAnn decided to give sorority life a try in order to meet some friends. Years later, DyAnn knows "Jane is the reason I am a Tri Delt today. I am still so appreciative of the opportunity she afforded me." Growing up, DyAnn moved every two years with her family, making it hard to keep lasting friendships. The thought of making longtime friends at Tri Delta was one of her main reasons for going through recruitment. Her biggest sense of pride as a Theta Omega alumna is "the wide, diverse, wonderful group of friends I was able to meet." DyAnn is still in close contact with many of her sisters. Six of her pledge sisters still get together for everyone's birthdays, and they "have gone through so many things together—marriage, good kids, bad kids, moving away kids, weddings of our kids, grandbabies, ill parents, and cancer." She is also in a Bible study with two pledge sisters. During her years in the chapter, DyAnn served as co- social and social chairman. She fondly remembers many fun trips with sisters, including the pledge class trip, spring breaks, and vacations after college. "The close personal relationships I still have with Tri Delta sisters are a bright spot I my life. When I meet a Tri Delta from another chapter I still feel a special bond. I usually like them, too!" While DyAnn received a degree in business administration from KU, her passion has always been interior design. "Interior design is the field I wanted to study in college, but my family felt a business degree would give me a wider choice of career paths." She worked as a sales representative for six years, a job she did not love, but led her to find her husband. After staying at home with her children until they went to school, DyAnn went back to school to study design. With her new education, she started her own company, which has been going now for 19 years. Looking back on her time at KU, DyAnn wishes she would have studied design instead of waiting until later, but, she notes, "Everything happens for a reason. However, I did try to stress to my children to study what you are passionate about. A career will follow." DyAnn advises Tri Delt actives to "listen to your heart and do what you are passionate about." On recent trips back to the Chapter House, she has been surprised by how little has changed in the last 30 years. "That is proof that it is more important who lives inside the house than what the house actually looks like." DyAnn has worked with the House Corporation and the parent group on a few updates over the years, and she looks forward to helping with a major overhaul in the future. DyAnn feels strongly that "being a Tri Delta helped me be a better friend, mom, and wife." She lives in Leawood, Kansas, with her husband, Chuck. She enjoys traveling, working in the yard, and walking her two dogs. She has three children: Lauren (30), Sam (25), and Le Ann (24). E-mail: dyannstilley@att.net Can you name the Tri Delta sisters in this photo and guess what they are doing? E-mail Pat Domann '73 at domann@saint-johns.net if you know. Guess Who Alumnae Needed to Serve Theta Omega T he Theta Omega House Corporation and Alumnae Advisory Board are seeking volunteers with experience or interest in the following areas: • Finance • Recruitment • New member education • Marketing/public relations • Alumnae events, specifically helping to coordinate events and advertise those events to others while working with the alumnae relations officer. Examples of events are mock recruitment in August, Homecoming events for alumnae at the chapter house, senior career night, etc. Advisors to undergraduates would need to be available for quarterly meetings. House Corporation members meet semi- regularly at the Chapter House as well. If you are interested in any of these roles, please contact Renny Christian Arensberg '76 at rarensberg@kvc.org.

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