Delta Gamma - University of Kansas

Anchored In page 2 S urrounded by nearly 100 Delta Gammas of all ages, Helen Hovey Taliaferro '43 celebrated Greater Kansas City's Founder's Day on March 4. Looking up at her daughter, Jan Taliaferro Roach, Alpha Upsilon '71, as she read aloud the winner of the Loyalty Award, Helen heard her name announced and tears of joy and appreciation streamed down her face. "Oh, my goodness, I could not stop crying," she said. "I was totally thrilled, honored, and appreciative. It was quite a memory." The Loyalty Award has been presented to nine Kansas City women in the past 95 years. The award recognizes a Delta Gamma alumna who continues to serve her sorority during her alumnae years. For her commitment to the sorority, Helen received a notebook full of thoughtful letters and a precious gold heart and anchor pin. "The reason I thought Founder's Day was so special was because KU girls came from Lawrence. It was nice to meet young actives from the Chapter house where I had lived. They were darling." she said. "Of course, they probably thought I was like their grandmother, but we had a very special conversations since that was the Delta Gamma house where I spent my KU years." For as long as Helen can remember, she has met with a group of Delta Gamma alumnae in the Greater Kansas City area who have been Delta Gammas for at least 50 years. They call themselves Silver Streakers and 20-25 of them meet every other month for lunch. To Helen's knowledge, "there is not another group of sorority women that get together as elders as we do. To me, that speaks very well for Delta Gamma. Alumnae in this special group are not just from KU or MU, but from a large variety of chapters, which is pretty special." Helen came to KU when she was just 16 years old. She was on campus for two years and loved it. Her father passed away in 1945 and she moved back home to be with her mother, but continued to keep in touch with her Beta Kappa sisters. Helen advises current DGs to live in the Chapter house as long as they can because the skills and friendships formed in the house are important and valuable in later life. "We were taught how to live together, share, and be happy on Emery Road in Lawrence," she said. In 1943 at KU, Helen met the man she was to later marry. Roe was one of the many military men sent to Lawrence at the time. To this day, after 68 years of married life, they can still recall those early dates and fun. Roe is still very supportive of her and her time spent on Delta Gamma activities. Helen and Roe have two Delta Gamma twins and their third daughter, Nancy, is a Kappa Alpha Theta from Baylor University. Jan attended SMU and Jo Taliaferro, Theta '75 attended Indiana University after she spent four years at Cornell College. Jo and Jan were born premature and for two months they survived in incubators. As a result, Jo lost her vision. "A big reason for me being so active in our philanthropy is because of Jo," Helen said. Jo is now married and is an ordained minister in Minnesota. Helen and Jan have spent many volunteer hours assisting the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI), formerly the Kansas City Blind Nursery, and Alphapointe, a service for blind adults in Kansas City. Jan and Nancy have graced Helen and Roe with five grandchildren and three great-grandsons. Helen and Roe live in Prairie Villiage, Kan., and stay involved in a number of community activities. Helen enjoys weekly gatherings with her sewing group that creates afghans, knit caps for newborns, and knit scarves and sun dresses for needy children. She also enjoys making sweet treats for friends and family. Helen encourages alumnae who have lost touch with college friends and especially sisters to reconnect with Delta Gamma. "If you lose touch, you lose a lot. It's a warm feeling to have great friends that would do anything for you and you would do anything for them," she said. Helen Hovey Taliaferro '43 Wins Loyalty Award Recognized for Outstanding Alumnae Commitment to Delta Gamma Helen Hovey Taliaferro '43 lit the first of four candles at Founder's Day in honor of Delta Gamma's founding members. Helen Hovey Taliaferro '43 with active members of Beta Kappa at Founder's Day in March. Paula Harris Folger '44 Harriet Harlow Larsen '46 Carol Harris Jones '48 Betty Berry Cozad '50 Barbara Messer Alberty '56 Suzanne Sedgwick Bond '56 Elaine Gill Claiborne '57 Diane Allen Bannen '59 Irene Marinos Vratsinas '62 Andrea Gresser Atkinson '63 Sharon Winslow Gernon '63 Sandra Lorton Renko '63 Annabelle Cook Hiegel '65 Jean Evans Tarr '65 Mary Dahl Winton '66 Sandra Roberts Cram '67 Mary Motley Indall '70 Deborah Foulks Cascarano '71 Ingrid Anderson-Grace '72 April Francis Dwyer '73 Jan Troupe Michel '74 Kim Hall '75 Patsy Cassidy Devine '78 Beth Vivian Walker '82 Amy Deterding Keeny '83 Jane Anderson Bush '84 Kathy Allen Hammar '88 Rachel Estrada Richter '92 Sara Exon Kimmel '07 Alumnae Donations Support Beta Kappa Thank You to All Who Contributed T hanks to the generosity of Beta Kappa alumnae, we are able to continue improving our Lawrence home and keep Delta Gamma a top sorority on KU's campus. Donors are listed below by initiation year. Please report any errors or omission to Anna Cohen Landis '92 at ac4382@gmail.com.

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