Golden Glimpses • 2023

Spring

Finding a Lifelong Home Away from Home

As we all learned when we started college, many of the things that we thought we knew were not necessarily true. Maryellen Drasler Baxter—the first in her family to attend college—had no knowledge of or interest in sororities.

That changed when Marci Barge Smith introduced her to some of the Tri Sigma women in the Beta Kappa Chapter at Arizona State University. It was then, for the first time since moving to the large campus, she “belonged.”

During her collegiate years, Maryellen served two terms as Chapter President and received the 1974 Mabel Lee Walton Award for Outstanding Collegian. Tri Sigma continued to be a big part of her alumna life as she served as a National Officer for three triennial terms, including Field Secretary, NCC, Area Director and in the Collegiate Panhellenic Department. Maryellen also served as Chapter Advisor to Beta Kappa during the 1970s and 80s, and as a Foundation Board member for two triennium.

Remaining in the Phoenix area, Maryellen became involved in the local alumnae chapter where she served in various offices and committee positions, including President. She was awarded the Emily Gates Alumna

Achievement award in 2018, the Steadfast Alumna award in 2015, and the Outstanding Alumna of the Region award in 1987. She also was awarded the Alumna Recognition award in 2012 and the Women of Distinction award in 2016.

Every National Convention has been on her calendar since 1974, especially Scottsdale in 2004 where she was Registration Chair.

Maryellen taught elementary school for 30 years, retiring early at 52. She continued to be invested and active in education, including as a tutor. Today, her four grandchildren live nearby and she is happily kept busy with them.

On her Golden Violet nomination form, Maryellen wrote: “[Through Sigma] I have learned to appreciate and respect women of all ages, from different backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures. It has expanded my horizons in a way I never thought imaginable. I have made lifelong friends with so many sisters and within our alumnae chapter, adding more each year. We as a group can accomplish so much more than as individuals to make a difference both locally and nationally.”

Her rich Sigma history now includes being a Golden Violet in honor of 50 years of steadfast service to our sisterhood.

Dear Golden Violet Sisters,

Greetings from sunny Arizona! It’s hard to imagine another calendar has rolled over, but—here we are in our 125th year. I had the honor and pleasure to celebrate our 125th anniversary in Farmvile and enjoyed seeing many of you!

Since working through many of the challenges brought to us by the pandemic, we have thankfully been met with some blessings. Most of our collegiate members were able to participate in primary recruitment in person this past fall. As many campuses still work to overcome declines in enrollment and recruitment numbers, our new member numbers are stronger than we anticipated. Several chapters are currently in the midst of spring recruitment season, and I am confident their Sigma pride will shine as they bring even more new members into our sisterhood.

It’s important to note, though, that Tri Sigma and other National Panhellenic Council organizations continue to experience declines in sorority membership. As ever-increasing tuition prices become more prohibitive, the cost of sorority membership is often out of reach. It’s more important than ever we show the long-lasting value of being a Sigma and help our chapters be as competitive as possible on their respective campuses.

Your Executive Council, along with our NHQ staff, works diligently to guarantee another 125 years for our organization to thrive and grow despite these challenging times in our history and society. Please be assured our work continues to be data-driven and the decisions we make are focused on ensuring value in the lifelong member experience and financial stability of our organization.

As I reflect on my own Sigma experience, I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given to grow personally throughout the years. It won’t be long before I can join you as a Golden Violet—and I look forward to that event with great anticipation! I thank you for your steadfast years of membership and the many contributions you bring to our wonderful organization. I applaud those of you who give to our Foundation and invite you to consider a monthly donation if you are not already doing so.

I hope to have the opportunity to meet more of you during this triennium so we can reminisce and enjoy just being together. Thank you again for your enduring loyalty to our sisterhood!

In our bonds—and with great Sigma pride,

Joyce Newcom O’Daniel, Alpha Chi National President

P.S. As a Council, we feel communication is key to transparency. This can be seen in our recent Annual Report and The Path Forward e-newsletter which follows each in-person Executive Council meeting. The Triangle magazine, now published each fall, provides an overview of broader topics relevant to Tri Sigma and the overall sorority community. If you feel you are missing any of these communications, please call NHQ at (540) 459-4212 or email sigma@trisigma.org to verify your contact information.

Spotlights Golden

* Shining a spotlight on a few of Sigma's beloved Golden Violets *

Marci Barge Smith

As a new student at Arizona State University, Marci Barge Smith knew she wanted to be in a sorority. The Beta Kappa Chapter provided that experience for her in a big way! Her terms as Membership Chair, Treasurer and Vice President paved the way for more than 50 years of involvement and service as a Tri Sigma alumna. Traveling as a 1975–1976 Consultant for National Headquarters was just the beginning.

From membership in four different alumnae chapters and serving as President or Vice President in each of them to serving on two Alumnae Advisory Boards—at Beta Kappa and Beta Delta—her devotion to Sigma is evident. In 1998, she served as Publicity Chair for Sigma's Centennial Convention. She designed the event logo, which was used on the national stationery, jewelry, and programs. Her suggestion of commissioning a local artist to use photographs of the eight Founders to create a group portrait was supported by the Convention Committee and funded by anonymous donations. It currently hangs in the National Headquarters.

Marci has been married for 39 years to her husband James, a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon. Her two daughters, Natalie and Carolyn, are both graduates of Virginia Tech and Zeta Tau Alpha sisters. A retired Spanish teacher, Marci stays busy with her four grandchildren, teaching Sunday School, and participating in local community activities. She happily received her Golden Violet pin at the 2022 Convention in Norfolk, Virginia—her 14th Convention!

Christy Gomez Gardes

Christy Gomez Gardes made the decision to join the Gamma Mu Chapter when she first came to Hammond, Louisiana, to attend Southeastern Louisiana University. She quickly learned that this group of women shared her goal of being involved with philanthropic causes. Early into her membership, she became aware how Sigma encouraged the development of strong women who could move forward in their future careers.

Christy’s love for Sigma was first recognized when she was named Best Pledge. She considers that award and her initiation her most memorable Tri Sigma moments.

She continued her involvement by joining the New Orleans Alumnae Chapter where she has served as Vice President. She has been a dedicated volunteer for the Robbie Page Play Therapy Grant committee for 10 years, is an avid Foundation supporter and supports her community by volunteering at a local hospital in the Child Life Therapy Department. She has chaired multiple Founders Day celebrations and is past recipient of the Alumnae Recognition Award.

After graduating from college, she worked as a school speech-language pathologist for 36 years. She furthered her education at Tulane University where she received an M.A. in Teaching. Christy and her husband Al have spent 46 years together in the New Orleans area. They have two sons, Jonathan and Benjamin, and a 3-year-old granddaughter named Charlotte. She is an avid reader, loves to travel, golfs regularly and is learning to play bridge.

Christy has attended three Conventions which she considers a special part of her sisterhood experience. She says Tri Sigma taught her the importance of friendships, staying positive in life and strong when things get difficult, as well as helping others in need. She is recognized now as a true and steadfast sister—the 19th Golden Violet in her alumnae chapter!

Lori Travis Schaefer

As a sophomore in fall 1972, Lori Travis Schaefer chose Sigma out of five other sororities at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. More than 50 years later, she is proud of her choice and the large part that our sisterhood has played in her life.

She served the Beta Pi Chapter as President and Treasurer, and has continued her involvement and achievements in alumnae life. Lori’s involvement in national service and support of the Foundation as a Heritage Society member were spotlighted in 2016 when she received the Woman of Distinction Award.

In her earlier alumna days, Lori helped charter the Queen City Alumnae Chapter in Charlotte, North Carolina, and worked to strengthen membership in the Upstate South Carolina group. She has belonged to the Twin Cities Alumnae Chapter for several years and is currently a member of the Walton House Board. Her attendance at 10 Conventions has brought many good memories and reunions with lifelong Sigma sisters.

Lori’s teaching career of 32 years included coordinating programming for gifted and talented students in two rural school districts. She was was nominated by one of her middle school students for Kohl Teacher Fellowship in 2007 and was a finalist.

From Lake Geneva where she grew up to Menominie where she attended college and met her husband Terry of 45 years, Lori calls Wisconsin her home. They have raised three sons and opened their home to two foster daughters and more than 20 college baseball players during several summers. Lori enjoys travelling and planning trips, including visiting two of their sons in Minnesota. She and Terry enjoy the warmer climate of South Carolina where Lori is an active church member. She remains grateful for the life lessons she learned from her early Sigma experiences and is proud to be a Golden Violet!

Janice Wall Fedanzo

It can be intimidating for a young woman just starting college to make a decision about joining a sorority, but Janice Wall Fedanzo was fortunate to start school with three other high school friends. After going through recruitment to meet new people, they each felt an immediate connection to Tri Sigma and the sisters of Mu Chapter at Northeast Missouri State University—now known as Truman State University.

During her collegiate years, Janice served as Panhellenic Representative and Treasurer. With the support of her chapter sisters, she even was chosen homecoming queen, the first sorority member to do so in six years. And, despite most of them living in different states, Janice's chapter sisters have regularly reunited for the past 20 years—and Janice has never missed once!

Janice has been a member of the Chicago NW Suburban Alumnae Chapter since 1978, and she has served as President, Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary. As the chapter’s Panhellenic Representative, she is a 3-time recipient of the Panhellenic Outstanding Alumnae Award and has received the Alumnae Recognition Award.

For nearly 40 years, Janice worked as an administrative manager for more than 750 apartments around Mt. Prospect, Illinois, where she has lived for most of her life. Janice and her husband Mike now spend five months each year in The Villages, Florida. Her blended family includes four children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She enjoys golfing, bowling, traveling, pickleball, and working with her church community. She received her well-deserved Golden Violet on Founders Day 2022.

The first Golden Violet Award was presented in 1954 to Mabel Lee Walton for her 50 years of faithful membership and dedication to the sorority. However, 50 years of membership alone does not automatically earn one this special award. This award honors members who have been loyal and steadfast through the years. Alumnae must be nominated by a chapter or individual member.

Members who have demonstrated loyalty to the sorority for 50+ years through active participation in alumnae life and/or volunteer service, and have paid lifetime dues or annual dues for 20+ years, are eligible for nomination. If you know of another member who has been steadfast to Tri Sigma for more than 50 years, nominate them to join this select group of women.

To verify eligibility prior to making a nomination, contact Meagan Earls, Director of Lifetime Engagement, at mearls@trisigma.org.

Dear Golden Violets,

It seems hard to believe another year has come and gone! I hope it allowed each of you some time to spend with a special Sigma or perhaps a gathering of other steadfast sisters. Those of us who were fortunate enough to attend the 46th Convention in Norfolk in June left with many lasting memories.

I hope 2023 can also be a time for us all to make new memories. Our sorority will be 125 years old in April with a special celebration in Farmville, Virginia, where it all began in 1898. Here at home, my New Orleans Alumnae Chapter will celebrate the presentation of the Golden Violet to our 19th member at our Founders Day lucheon in April. Our yearly calendar of activities has come back strong after two years of cancelled events due to Covid. We are happy to be sharing activities that we enjoyed before.

Many of us are blessed with grandchildren who are growing older, some who are getting married. We laugh as we reminisce about how we had Christmas parties for them when they were small. They all remember their moms’ Sigma friends and are aware of our Golden Violet honors. My granddaughter Emily is a sophomore at LSU and a member of Phi Mu. She and her best friend and roommate were just elected to the executive board of their chapter and are both excited to share with me about how they love their involvement with their sisterhood. They smile when I call them my Panhellenic sisters.

As they are just beginning their sorority journey, we continue with ours of 50+ years. I appreciate this quote from the Golden Violet Ceremony: “Just as the lovely purple violet flourishes and thrives, so do Tri Sigmas as they serve their sorority, families, country, and God. We are very proud of them.”

Thank you for your longtime commitment to our sisterhood!

In our bonds,

Mandy Meehan Chocheles, Gamma Eta New Orleans Alumnae Chapter

Tri Sigma Creed

We, the women of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority, throughout our lives, strive to steadfastly uphold our vows and cherish our bonds of sisterhood; to become inspired leaders; to support causes greater than ourselves; to seek wisdom and joy; and to live purposeful lives of integrity, faith, empathy, understanding, and love.

Our Newest Golden Violets

We are proud to recognize the following women honored in 2022 for their faithful membership and dedication to Sigma Sigma Sigma.

Stay in TOUCH!

IOTA

University of Northern Colorado

Clarissa Fithian Crozier

KAPPA

Miami University

Cherie Pettit Pandora

LAMBDA

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Pamela Denise Skillings

Linda Ellerman Spease

MU

Truman State University

Janice Wall Fedanzo

SIGMA

Western Colorado University

Kay Curtis Hunsaker

Kathleen Moore Viessmann

PSI

Marshall University

Catherine Crickard Landers

ALPHA OMICRON

University of Central Arkansas

Elaine Wever Wolff

ALPHA PI

PennWest Clarion

Janet Hrubic Shay

ALPHA PHI

Central Michigan University

Patricia Ann Mroczek

Deborah Leutheuser Young

ALPHA PSI

Eastern Illinois University

Connie Grove Brower

BETA GAMMA

Ball State University

Linda Keegan Clute

Melanie Myers Hammock

Sherry Dinwiddie Hanlin

Jo Ann Douglas Litton

Nancy Sauer Mann

Dianne Miller Putt

Lois Paullus Smock

BETA IOTA

Minot State University

Marion Klaudt Valge

BETA KAPPA

Arizona State University

Cynthia Mary Settergren

BETA PI

University of Wisconsin-Stout

Margaret Coleman Lukes

BETA UPSILON

Pennsylvania State University

Joyce Walter Shaw

GAMMA DELTA

Adrian College

Joyce Reinhard Daglow

Margaret DeLand Neuhauser

GAMMA GAMMA

California State University East Bay

Erna Freeman Klein

GAMMA LAMBDA

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Deirdre Breese DeWitt

GAMMA MU

Southeastern Louisiana University

Donna Bogataj Langevin

As a reminder, The Triangle is now published once per year each fall. Didn't receive the latest issue? Log into Sigma Connect by following the steps below or call National Headquarters at (540) 459-4212 to ensure your mailing address is correct and you are opted in to receive printed copies.

1. Open your web browser and visit https://SigmaConnect. TriSigma.org

2. If you've never forgotten your password or never logged in before, click "Forgot Username or Password."

3. Click the Communications Preferences tab. Under "I Want to Hear About," make sure it says "Yes" next to "Triangle (print copy)." If it doesn't and you'd like to be on the mailing list, click the pencil icon to the upper right.

4. Click the box next to "Triangle (print copy)"—then you're all set!

Do more with your charitable dollars.

An IRA rollover gift is an easy way to support future Sigma leaders and our philanthropic focus to serve children. If you’re 70 ½ or older you can:

• Give up to $100,000 to the Tri Sigma Foundation directly from your individual retirement account (IRA) tax free.

• Satisfy some or all of your required minimum distribution for the year and reduce your taxable income—even if you don’t itemize!

• Give by December 31 to count toward the 2023 tax year, so don’t wait to make your request. Visit trisigma.org/foundation/give/ira to learn more or email Summer Sage at ssage@trisigma.org