Delta Delta Delta - Kansas State University

Spring 2016 Newsletter

Theta Iota Chapter of Delta Delta Delta at Kansas State University

Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/669223

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 2 of 3

Burning the Mortgage and Keeping the Rules Mary Alice Wolf Barr '46 Mary Alice has a special memory of Theta Iota. As president from 1948-49, she got to burn the mortgage on the Chapter House in an actual ceremony as the home was paid off at that time! A photograph included in the Theta Iota history book distributed at the 2015 anniversary commemorates this occasion. She vividly remembers recruitment and the excitement of getting her bid to Tri Delta, joining in the rejoicing with the other women. Her pledge class had around 20 members. Tri Delta was considered one of the top sororities on campus, so they were thrilled to be chosen. Her pledge class had study halls on week nights and could only go out on weekends. It was a must to dress up for the formal meals on Wednesday evenings and Sunday noons. They wore hose, heels, and nice dresses—no pants. Jeans were worn only in the house. The women were also required to maintain their academics. "We had to make grades before being initiated. If you did not make it you would have one more chance. Otherwise you would have to be re-voted in and go through another semester," she says. "Thankfully, this was rare." Mary Alice's older sister, Betty Wolf Officer '38, was a Theta Iota Tri Delta; both Wolf sisters served as president. Her daughter, MargE Barr Shelley '79, and her granddaughter, Madison Shelly '12, are also Tri Deltas. Mary Alice belongs to the Lawrence alumnae group and keeps contact with some of her pledge sisters. She encourages younger members to join with alumnae after graduation as she has also made life-long friendships with women from other Tri Delta chapters. Friends Forever After Both Tough and Fun Times Bette Schlotthauer Bossler '46 Bette remains a close friend of Mary Alice Wolf Barr '46, with both of them members of the same pledge class. "I think one reason our pledge class bonded so strongly was because of the strictness of the pledge training," she says. "Polishing silver, cleaning house, and getting pledges up at night to work made for 24 tired young women in the class. We called ourselves 'FFP,' which stood for 'freedom for pledges.' We had rigid rules and extensive pledge duties." However, there were fun times as well. Bette remembers the Y-Orpheum, a show created of acts by the various living groups. She spoke of putting together a show one year featuring popular contemporary songs with "colors" mentioned in them, including That Old Black Magic and Deep Purple. The 1946 Royal Purple yearbook shows a photography of a Tri Delta portraying the Lady in Red, from the old song. Bette was also on the posture team, a group of five women competing for the best posture prize, which they did win. She describes it as "goofy" because she did not have good posture. However a photograph in the 1946 yearbook shows Bette and four others displaying faultless posture! Bette's daughter, Ann Bossler Carnahan '79, and granddaughter, Amy Carnahan Lerma '03, were also members of Theta Iota. Bette has stayed active with the alumnae club in Topeka. She still calls her pledge sisters and other close friends from the house, recently Jeanne Laughlin O'Hara '47. "We discussed some nice memories," she says. From Chapter Chores to Tri Delta Competitive Dance Betty Jane Garris Maloney Walstrom '47 Betty Jane recollected that as pledges they polished silver and scrubbed floors, and were on call to answer doors. She told of nights in the sleeping dorm with the windows open and snow blowing in on some of the beds. "We were so cold!" she says. "On campus, after going to class, we would go to the Canteen for a Coke to meet friends. It was so much fun. I also remember the Winter Formal Party and dancing at the Avalon Ballroom to the Matt Betton orchestra." Perhaps most interesting of her memories is Betty Jane's recollection of Tri Delta's victorious modern dance intramural wins. The dances were The Worm Has Turned and The Bunny Dance. The 1947 yearbook pictures Tri Deltas winning numbers: four Tri Deltas costumed as bunnies showcasing their tap dance and several members engaged in a modern dance complete with "trees", an "apple", and a "worm"! Betty Jane has a Theta Iota daughter, Lu Ann Maloney '73, with whom she shares her love of Tri Delta. We love to invite our alumnae to share their "pearls" or stories and memories of their collegiate times. If you have some you would offer, please contact Anne Schlaegel Otte '70, anneotte1951@gmail.com Betty Garris Maloney Walstrom '47, LuAnne Maloney Montgomery '73, Mary Alice Wolf Barr '46, MargE Barr Shelley '79, Bette Schlotthauer Bossler '46, and Ann Bossler Carnahan '76. A Delta Delta Delta Pearls In Our Crescent Our Alumnae Remember A blurry photo found in a 1914 K-State yearbook shows two women striking a pose in front of a Victorian-style house. The setting is 802 Poyntz, site of the old Eta Beta Pi house, and the first home of Theta Iota in Manhattan. We can only wonder what possessed these two girls to affect the appearance of concrete statues at the entrance. Most likely they possessed a fun-loving and creative nature, providing literally a portrait of their personalities. Similarly, the stories of the following sisters also provide a portrait of their times. The following remembrances, revealing snapshots of the mid to late 1940s in K-State Tri Delta were obtained mostly from letters collected at the time of the Theta Iota 100th Celebration.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Delta Delta Delta - Kansas State University - Spring 2016 Newsletter