empowered women
Lighting the Sigma Fire on the Last Frontier
F
Jill Swope, Zeta Mu • Mandy Chocheles, Gamma Eta and Alumnae Editor Fifteen years ago, the Zeta Mu chapter of Sigma
Deb Adams and Kelly Keays even pitched in by
Sigma Sigma was a small but close-knit group of
washing the ambulance once when they stopped
sisters attending the farthest north university in
by the station. The station became an impromptu
the nation. They were the first Greek organization
meeting place for the chapter members. Their Sigma
– sorority or fraternity – on the Last Frontier. The
sisterhood and the firefighting brotherhood seemed
chapter members were involved with activities
to find similarities and loyalty and dedication, so the
all over the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)
two organizations complimented each other well.
campus. Sisters came from diverse backgrounds, but shared a common bond in community service.
A little over a year after graduating from UAF, Jillian and her future husband, Jack Fletcher, had a near – fatal motor vehicle accident in a remote area of Canada. They survived sliding off the road and hitting a light pole, but Jill lost half of her lower right leg when it became entangled in wreckage as they rolled down an embankment. Two weeks were spent in the intensive care unit before being flown back to Alaska. The year that followed was filled with surgeries and grueling physical therapy. But the Zeta Mu sisters were always there to keep Jillian going with notes of encouragement.
When Jill Swope joined Tri Sigma, she was volunteering as a fire medic with a local fire department. The entire Zeta Mu chapter soon became involved with firefighting in one capacity or another. Venita DuPuy often made cookies for the crews after big structure fires. Jean Paylow, Marta Mueller and Rebecca Corbeille collected candy for elementary schools during Fire Prevention Week.
4
T h e T r i a n g l e | Fall 2011
Throughout her recovery, the idea of becoming a nurse grew into a reality for Jillian. She went back to UAF with her Sigma sisters, taking pre-requisite course for nursing school. While continuing coursework via distance delivery, she flew medivac missions in rural Alaska, and spent two seasons working for the Antarctic Fire Department. Her finance, Jack, had deployed to Antarctica to work for the U.S. Antarctic