Kappa Alpha Theta - Purdue University

Eight Alpha Chi Thetas were among the 900-some leading Theta women who gathered in Phoenix, Arizona, in June to celebrate Theta sisterhood. They shared ideas, experiences, and strategies for the best in sorority life. On the final night, the chapter attendees lined up and walked in together. Pictured are, front row, left to right: Theta Headquarters Archivist Noraleen Young '08, COO Courtney Oare '13, CEO Jaclyn Schuler '13, and President of the West Lafayette Alumnae Chapter Bev McCollough '55. Back row: Recruitment Director Carly Bailey '14, advisory board member of the University of Rochester Chapter Mary Jane Kimmell Link '59, Laura Boodt '15, and Allison Scherer Cunningham '04. KAPPA ALPHA THETA 5 Alpha Chi Welcomes New House Director M ary Guckien joined us this summer as the new house director at Alpha Chi Theta, and she has settled in to her new home and job with perfect compatibility with actives and alumnae. Mary had been on the Purdue campus for 10 years and was thrilled when the opportunity to be at 607 Russell Street came up. Our previous house director, Linda Doyle, had an opportunity to move closer to her children and grandchildren. She knew Mary and voila! When a door closes, a window opens. An Indiana native, with all her family close by, Mary brings a wide range of useful experiences to the chapter. Her family was in the restaurant business, and Mary and her husband ran several restaurants. She holds associate degrees in business administration and in early childhood education. Early on she worked as a preschool teacher and then as a court reporter. Plus, she plays bridge! Now she is doing what she always knew she wanted to do someday. She says, "My mother was a house director on the Purdue campus for 15 years. She is 94 now and still recalls those years as some of the happiest years of her life." Mary says of her initial experience at Alpha Chi, "Recruitment at the Kappa Alpha Theta house was very impressive; the sisters worked very hard and had a successful recruitment. The new members sign up to have lunch or dinner with me at the house so I can get to know them. I enjoy working with the sisters and helping any way that I can. I feel very fortunate to be the house director at Kappa Alpha Theta." how to talk to complete strangers and, to this day, attribute my ability to engage with people I don't really know to sorority recruitment." As a college student from 1968 to 1972, Sherry says there was a lot going on—the war in Vietnam, racial turmoil, and the emergence of the women's movement. While a lot of her friendships were outside of the sorority, she found the ones within Theta to be important to her Purdue experience. Sherry's career highlights include the publication of her books and her election to the presidency of the Western History Association, the leading professional organization in her field. "There is great satisfaction in seeing others cite my work—feeling I have made a contribution to knowledge. And election by my peers to the WHA presidency was further validation of my work," Sherry says. At SMU, she was involved in the creation of a Ph.D. program in history and the Clements Center of Southwest Studies, which helped young scholars transform their dissertations into published books. "I look forward to this next generation of scholars and take pride in the small role I played in preparing them for this work." She and her husband, Robert, live in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Sherry enjoys rafting, reading, traveling, and hiking with her English Setter named Lucas. She also enjoys serving on the Teton County Historic Preservation Board and the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum Board. E-mail: sherrys@mail.smu.edu Professor, Historian, and autHor: sHerry smitH '69 (Continued from page 1) But learning to live with a large group of women with different personalities and interests was what truly helped Jean long after college. "I was a high school teacher for 27 years; the sorority was excellent preparation for my career," Jean says. She was a family living and child development teacher for so long because she simply loved her students and coursework. "It enabled me to emphasize areas that I thought were very important—parenting, marriage, and money management," Jean says. On April 1, she was one of five honored with a Distinguished Service Award at Purdue's College of Health and Human Sciences. They had a wonderful reception and dinner at Ross Ade Stadium. "I was very surprised and humbled," Jean says. Jean stays involved in her community through historic preservation societies, and in 2015 she received a Distinguished Hoosier Award, one of Indiana's highest tributes. Jean believes in the importance of keeping in contact with sisters. "I really value my Purdue and Theta experience," Jean says. "Purdue keeps going strong and keeps getting better." She and her husband, Robert, live in Huntington, Ind. They have three children and four grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening and spending time with grandchildren. Recipient of Purdue Distinguished Service Award: Jean Gernand '55 (Continued from page 1) The 2016 Homecoming game celebrated the 50th anniversary of Purdue's 1966 Rose Bowl season. More than 40 team members were honored along with band members and the cheerleading squad—the five female cheerleaders were all Thetas. Pictured above with Purdue's Rose Bowl quarterback Bob Griese are, left to right, Mitzie Shunk Jennewein '64, Linda Gennett Irmscher '65, Jackie Malless MacKenzie '64, and Marta Mann Gerometta '65. Not pictured is Mary Sweet White '66.

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