Delta Delta Delta - Kansas State University

Like her pledge mother, Jean, Dora was a dietetics and institutional management major. Dora attended her first two years of college at a women's school in Gulfport, Mississippi, before entering K -State as a junior. Dora remembers serving as collegiate treasurer and forming memorable friendships. She also recalls the campus immediately following WWII in 1948 as having a village of barracks dubbed, "Splinterville." They were set up at the edge of Aggieville as there was not enough room to house all the returning soldiers. End of WWII, Cars, Double Initials Dora Lamer Clark '49 Jean described recruitment, known then as rush, which occurred during the summer before the official fall recruitment. "Three of my mother's friends who lived in Solomon, Kansas, my hometown, were Theta Iota alumnae. They drove my sister, Phyllis Greenough Brownlee '47, and myself to a summer rush party in McPherson. Also, Liz Mustard Stratton '46 invited us to lunch in a nearby Abilene hotel," she recalled. Jean remembers traditions such as singing Tri Delta and college songs at dinner. "On Sundays we would go into the living room after dinner, have demitasse and sing some more! We also had hour dances with fraternities at the beginning of semester to help pledges get acquainted." A dietetics and institutional management major, Jean was required to live in Van Zile one semester her senior year to plan menus, order and prepare food, and more. She would return to Tri Delta for Wednesday evening and Sunday noon activities. Jean, who married Robert Pierce after graduation, enjoyed her alumnae activities in Abilene, where she helped organize the Salina /Abilene alumnae group. Later, following her husband's death, she moved to Topeka, resuming her career as a dietician and involving herself in alumnae meetings there. She married Nolan McKenzie in 1993, continuing to reside in Topeka. She was a good sport about it, "the prankster," who requested anonymity, recalled, "But we were still given minus points, which we had to work off cleaning out the coat closet. Then we got into trouble because while cleaning it out, we put some of the coats on the floor, getting more minus points!" We present three more alumnae who remember their time at K- State Tri Delta. T The Golden Crescent Summer Rush, Academic Memories, and Alumnae Events Jean Greenough Pierce McKenzie '47 In the Chapter House, Dora also described some other crowded situations. She had to share the only double in the sleeping dorm with one of her friends, Anne Bideaux Skinner '47, who has passed on to Chapter Eternal. She recollected, "Cars were scarce; thus, there was plenty of room in our Tri Delta parking lot. My boyfriend, Russell Clark, whom I married later, owned a car and gave lots of rides to Tri Deltas." Dora stated at that time it was considered cool to call one another using double initials; thus, she was known as "DL" for Dora Lou. Dora's father owned an upscale chain of Kansas hotels in Hays, Salina, Abilene, WaKeeney, and Junction City. Known as the Lamer Hotels, Dora and her family lived on the upper floor of the one in Hays. Dora participated in alumnae activities in Hays, where she currently lives with her husband, while there was an alumnae group there. One of her daughters, Sara Clark '74, is also a Theta Iota alumna. Beginning of the 1950s: Singing, Great Friendships, and Dating Mary Jo Bryant Gould '50 Mary Jo, who served as assistant rush chairman during one of her two years at the house, recalls loving the songs that were sung during rush, dinners, and other times. With only two years at Theta Iota, one might assume Mary Jo did not form many friendships. However, she stated that it was just the opposite: "I formed many friendships that lasted into the present." She recalled dating her boyfriend/now husband, Donald Gould, who attended the University of Kansas. "We had a weekday curfew between 8 and 9 p.m., I have forgotten which, but if you had a date from outside of Manhattan, you could stay out an additional hour." She explained that her date at the time had gotten a ride from Lawrence, so they had no car and no place to go after the Chapter House was locked. "A friend came downstairs and let us into the vestibule, where we stayed for an hour. We were supposed to be smooching (I always hated that expression!), but I spent most of my time looking through the small window in the door on the watch for anyone, especially Mother Schafer." After an hour, a friend came downstairs to reopen the door and let Mary Jo outside where she could ring the doorbell to be admitted. " This was the most risqué thing I ever did at the Tri Delta house!" Mary Jo lives in North Kansas City, Missouri, where she has been active in Tri Delta alumnae functions. She recently received the honor of Tri Delta of the year in the Kansas City metro area. Her two daughters are Tri Deltas from the University of Missouri. We love to invite our alumnae to share their "pearls" or stories and memories of their collegiate times. If you have some you would like to offer, please contact Anne Otte '70 at anneotte1951@gmail.com. Pearls in Our Crescent (Continued from page 1)

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