March 2022 KAPPAN

Here She Is

NC Tau

This is the real Rose Lady, Elizabeth Moody of AZ Fidelis Zeta. The photograph with the article in the September 2021 KAPPAN about her birthday was not a picture of “Betty.”

Happy 2022 Birthday, Rose Lady. Thanks to your eagle-eyed and devoted chapter members who pointed out the error.

NC Tau has two members who are candidates for the Teacher of the Year Award in the Alamance-Burlington School System. The candidates are Samra Bailey who teaches Foundations of Math at Western Alamance High School, and Lynn Bare who teaches AP English, yearbook and journalism at Southern Alamance High School.

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AMAZING MEMBERS

The Second Time Around

Retirement for Mary Ellen Davis, CA Beta, was certainly different than she had planned.

She retired from teaching in 2002 and in 2004, her life changed dramatically. She and her husband became the parents of their two grandchildren, an 18-month-old boy named Damien and a 2-yearold girl named Morgan. They parented the way that they had when their own children were little. “We wanted them to be happy, so we nurtured them, gave them guidance and support, lost some battles and won some battles,” stated Mary Ellen. Extracurricular activities kept them on the road to Little League practices and games, swimming lessons, practices and meets. “We wanted them to build self-confidence and to be able to speak in front of a crowd, so both children took acting lessons.” They were hired to do commercials and this helped to build the college fund. One child earned $3800 for a commercial.

As a 60-year-old grandparent now parenting for the second time, Mary Ellen wondered if there were other grandparents raising their grandchildren. “I jotted down many notes while raising mine, so I thought it would be nice to share my experiences.” This led to the publication of her book “Grandparenting Journey: Leading the Way.” That 18-month-old is now a 20-year-old and continues to live with his grandparents while working and attending

college. Mary Ellen tells Damien that he lacks the life experiences that she has, but that he does know much more about technology.

Mary Ellen Davis graduated from A&T University in Greensboro, NC and began her career in New York City teaching middle “Grandparents, like heroes, school English and are as necessary to a child’s math. When her husband, who was growth as vitamins,” said an engine mechanic Joyce Allston, author. for United Airlines, applied for a new job, they moved to San Francisco. For about a year, she taught in the School of Counseling at the University of San Francisco. She is a Silver Sister of A∆K and has served her chapter as president, vice-president and secretary.

Mary Ellen is still busy with keeping house and reading articles about education, social justice issues and counseling.

She took a class in doll crafting and now creates her own porcelain dolls, some with cloth bodies and others with all porcelain bodies. “I have created a doll in every ethnicity and have even sold some.” She is also learning more about politics as she serves as the secretary of the San Mateo NAACP. On top of all that, she is writing another book, this one about Generation Z. “It’s hard to understand this generation,” she said.

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