Pi Beta Phi - University of Southern California

House Corporation FoCuses on KitCHen upgrade As we approach our very busy summer months, our diligent House Corporation board has worked to prioritize projects that need to be done while the girls are away for the summer months. As I have mentioned in the past, our 40-year-old house needs some help! Although we have changed out some appliances in our kitchen, most of the cabinets, plumbing, and electrical are original. Many times this year, we have had to band-aid some of the major issues with minor repairs. A new kitchen is in desperate need for not only efficiency but for health reasons as well. Last year, we enclosed the third floor sundeck and made the rec room larger to accommodate our ever-growing active membership. The girls seem to enjoy the extra space, as well as the new furnishings. Besides recovering some furniture and painting, our focus for fundraising this year is to remodel the kitchen. Designs are in the works. We just need the help of our alumnae to be able to see this completed. Our brick program is going strong. Last week, I received a donation from a Cal Gamma who bought a brick for one of her pledge sisters who had passed away recently. It touched my heart knowing what a special bond they had and her desire to honor her friend with a brick at the place where their lifetime of friendship started and flourished. Wishing you a wonderful spring and summer and hoping that you will find time for old friends and new adventures. Lovingly in Pi Beta Phi, Susan Brownfield Beall '85 House Corporation President (949) 929-8570 thebealls@yahoo.com Pi Beta Phi EntrE nous P i B e t a P h i a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f S o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a • S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 The Flame oF Friendship True A s I sit down to write this column, I have an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. In my position as House Corporation president, I have been fortunate to meet different generations of Cal Gamma Pi Phis, their spouses, and their children. I have heard so many different stories about their memories at 667 W. 28th Street, relationships that evolved from Pi Phi, and lasting friendships that have been held together through weddings, babies, illnesses, and losing loved ones. These stories have inspired me, saddened me, motivated me, and made me realize that although we all have different memories of Pi Beta Phi, we are connected to each other through our sisterhood. This past high school soccer season, I was sitting in the stands with the other mothers on the team. There are about six of us who would sit together every game and cheer our team to victory. Someone had mentioned something about Pi Beta Phi. To all of our surprise, these six women who gravitated together to watch our girls play, were all Pi Phis! It's amazing how our Pi Phi sisterhood becomes a part of our lives without thinking about it. It's our underlying connection to Pi Phi that helps us in times of joy and in times of need. The gratitude to experience and to find lasting friendships through Pi Phi and Cal Gamma are truly blessings that I am fortunate to experience and enjoy. Many of my closest friends are my pledge sisters. They are the ones that keep you humble, know your secrets and do not judge, the first one you call when you have exciting news and share your most embarrassing situations while laughing along with you. These are the relationships through our Pi Phi generations that are the common core we all share. "Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other." – Carol saline Cal Gamma Pi Phis in attendance at National Charity League's Peninsula Chapter Medallion luncheon included Laurie Bayless Maslauski '73, Georgene Halikis Mitsanas '83, Anne Stairs Mandala '73, Gretchen Leimbach Brandt '85, Liz Wond Duvall '84, Gretchen Thomas Lanman '78, Terry Arnold McCarthy '73, Carol Gordon Penniman '73, and Stacy Brannen Verbiest '85. Pledge sisters Katie Boskovich '01, Annemarie Dillard Jazic '01, Dianne Abbott Boskovich '01, Jenn Richards McBride '01, and Heather Baker '01 recently got together to celebrate Annemarie's 30th birthday. eDITOr Laurie Bayless Maslauski '73 lbmaslauski@cox.net COLLeGIATe COrreSPOnDenT Marie Griffith '12

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