Graduation for this year’s Pi Zeta seniors is coming fast, and so is the Phoenix Alumnae Chapter’s “Fiesta!” luncheon celebrating their accomplishment.

When: Saturday, April 17, Noon

Where: Aunt Chilada’s Restaurant, Phoenix

Cost: $20 RSVP by April 12th to Mary Pat Pepping

We’d like a big turnout, so be sure to make your reservation TODAY!

I found out a lot about Yvonne (Eve) Burns at her memorial service on Saturday. I had spoken to her on the telephone and at meetings through the years, without actually knowing her, and now I'm sorry I didn't have that chance. Mary Pat Pepping and I sat with Barbara Gallaher, who, knew Eve as not just a sorority sister but as a close friend for more than 50 years. Eve's family was very pleased that Delta Zeta was represented. Eve was a music major at Oklahoma State, and played piano like a pro. She made sure each of her five children learned that instrument plus another one, and she gave each of them a piano for the grandchildren. One of her daughters, Joyce, teaches in the Kyrene School District, and Joyce's eldest daughter has presented the family with NINE children, aged 2 weeks to 16 years! These youngsters all were beautifully behaved and are a product of home schooling. The service was touching and uplifting, and we attended a lovely reception afterwards.

-Ann Santos

Eve Burns was a member of the DAR chapter I belong to, and I didn't know she was a DZ. Pat and I attended their 50th wedding anniversary, and I am so sorry to know of her death.
Doris (Keck) Hussey Kappa, University of Washington

Fiesta, Fiesta!

It's time for a party, a fiesta to be exact! On April 17th we will be recognizing this year's graduating seniors at our annual luncheon. The lunch will be held at Aunt Chilada's in Phoenix. Registration/social will begin at 11:30 with a buffet lunch to follow at noon. Please RSVP by April 12th! Remember if you cannot attend but would still like to sponsor a senior's lunch you can send a check for $20 to Lorna Green. See you at the Fiesta!

A Sister's Passing

Phoenix alums Barbara Gallaher and Yvonne (Eve) Burns were chapter sisters in college (Alpha Epsilon, Oklahoma State). When Barbara attended her first alum meeting here in Phoenix in 1959 or 1960, she and Eve discovered each other again! Both these ladies have been long-time members of this alum chapter.

Sadly, Eve passed away earlier this week. According to Barbara, she had developed Alzheimer's disease a few years ago, but recently was hospitalized with pneumonia.

If anyone can attend services, they are at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, at Grace Community Church, 1200 E. Southern, Tempe. Please represent Delta Zeta if you can arrange your schedule to be there.

A Sister's Exciting Plans

Barbara Gallaher, Alpha Epsilon Oklahoma State, hopes to travel to South Africa during the Christmas holidays, as one of her granddaughter’s is graduating from the University of Capetown at that time. Another granddaughter attends college in Washington, D.C. (We remember when Barbara and her daughter brought the triplets to our Christmas Teas. Now they’re all grown up!)

Sister Updates...

Just wanted to share my lastest good news from a Pi Zeta founding sister alum!! After a long, arduous job search, I have finally landed my dream job!! I graduated May 2009 with a Design Studies degree from ASU and after working 10 months at Wells Fargo as a teller, I came across a wonderful job opportunity. Relentless searches on the internet, yielded dismal results, but I finally came across one that matched my resume perfectly! After submitting my resume the night before, I got a call back from their hiring department to set up an interview. After nailing the interview at 8am Monday morning, they called me back at 5pm to offer me the position! My new title is "Assistant Project Manager" for National Mallfront and Design located in Peoria, AZ. You can check out their website www.nationalmallfront.com for more information, but I was informed that it is a little outdated. I will be working on storefronts for malls across America. Some of our most recognizable clients are Tiffany & Co., J. Crew, Banana Republic, Diesel, The Children's Place, Microsoft, and many more. Wish me luck in my new endeavor! It's been a long search but this truly does go to show that hard, persistant work does pay off!! Just a sign that the economy IS on the rebound and things ARE looking up for us recent grads! Sending DZ love from my little home to all of yours!

-Katie Prokop

Pi Zeta, Arizona State

I’m just trying to get my Master’s paper written before [our new daughter's scheduled birth on March 29] and then prepare for the huge change once again in our household. We are very excited. She will definitely be a DZ legacy and as soon as she is old enough, I will have both Hailey and Paige and more DZ functions.

-Kristen Heilberger Thurmond

Delta Chi, Cal State-Chico

More Taco Salad Buffet...

After the collegians finished eating, alums took their turn creating their salads. The results were GOOD!

The Pi Zetas may look goofy for the camera, but they were serious about liking the taco-salad buffet.

Taco Salad Buffet!

Event chair Ann Haggerty is ready to eat!

Among the Phoenix DZ alums assisting with the fourth annual taco-salad buffet for the Pi Zetas on March 22nd were (from left) Diane Stanton, Deb Willey, Ann Haggerty (chair), Lorna Green, and Mary Pat Pepping.

Heather Watkins (left) stopped by to visit with her Pi Zeta alum sisters Christina Gonsalves (center) and Kara Kissell.

Following their weekly meeting, the Pi Zeta girls were happy to “dig in” on their taco salads, with home-made brownies for dessert.

The Delta Zeta National Convention will be held in Tucson this summer, June 30–July 3. If you think you would be interested in attending some or all of it, please contact Ann Santos. We need an estimate of interest in order to plan the Phoenix Alumnae Chapter's involvement.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

On March 2, Ann Santos (Univ. of Wisconsin, Stevens Point) and her co-worker, Suzi Hubbard (right), spearheaded a birthday party for Dr. Seuss! “The Lorax” was the center of attention, and the staff lunched on green eggs (deviled) and ham (sandwiches). Everyone learned about the Lorax by taking turns reading from the book of the same name. (It’s a fun place to work!) A pineapple upside-down cake with whipped cream was topped by a few birthday candles. Kohl’s stores are offering several of Dr. Seuss’s books and stuffed animals to go with them (only $5 each), as well as “The Green Book.” All profits go toward children’s initiatives nationwide. Some Phoenix alums have purchased these products, which fit in with Delta Zeta’s “Pink Goes Green” campaign. For instance, “The Lorax” is about much more than strange little critters described in outlandish words and rhymes. Its message is we must conserve our environment.

May your blessings outnumber the

shamrocks that grow.

May trouble avoid you

wherever you go.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Taco Salad Buffet

The annual Taco Salad Buffet night for Pi Zeta is quickly approaching. The fabulous fiesta will be held on Monday, March 22 at 6PM at Adelphi Commons, ASU. Volunteers are still needed to donate food, $ and most especially to help with setup and cleanup! Please contact Ann Haggerty if you can help in any way!

A Few Important Updates...

As of March 9th, Kara Kissell (Pi Zeta) is in Banner Boswell Hospital with pneumonia. Let's show our sister some support Please send her some get-well wishes!

Lucky Joan Daniels Dovilla (Beta Sigma, Colorado State) is on a fabulous month-long cruise that includes going through the Panama Canal. Jealousy all around! :)

Welcome a New Sister to the Valley!

The Phoenix Alumnae Chapter welcomes new member Nicole Spurling, who is from Xi Psi at Grand Valley State. She already has signed up to donate supplies for the Taco Salad Buffet! We look forward to meeting her in person in the very near future! Nicole currently lives in east Phoenix.

Congratulations are in order...

Phoenix alum Christina Gonsalves (Pi Zeta) and Tyler Clark became engaged recently! “The BIG day will be sometime the beginning of next year,” Christina says. She and Tyler met on an airplane and have been dating for about a year. He works for Wells Fargo, and she is employed at the Fiesta Bowl.

February Luncheon

Rain or shine, Phoenix alums are dedicated about attending our luncheons/meetings! On February 20th, about 30 alums and a few guests trekked to Marie Callender’s Restaurant in Mesa. The Valentine theme added a cheerful note to the tables. Lots of conversation took place, as we hadn’t met since early December. A candle ceremony announced a pregnancy and two engagements; very happy news!

Lorna Green (Alpha Beta) won the turtle planter, complete with miniroses and potting soil, that was donated by Deb Willey (Zeta Chi). Numerous other prizes included a darling “kissing” turtle salt and pepper set from Mary Pat Pepping.

Be sure to come to the next meeting, in April. But before that, we need your help with the taco-salad buffet for the Pi Zetas on March 22!

Wearing authentic pioneer garb, Shirley Weinreich speaks on “Sisters of Courage,” the women of the Oregon Trail.

Lorna Green and her new “friend,” a turtle planter donated by Deb Willey.

Need a creative way to memorialize your DZ T-shirts?

I recently had this fabulous quilt made with some of my collegiate Delta Zeta T-shirts. I got the idea from another sister and did a little Googling to find Campus Quilts online. After you place your order online (www.campusquilts.com) the company sends you everything you need to send back your shirts ready for quilting. I am impressed with the quality of the quilt and very happy with the final product. Dusty boxes of shirts in storage is not nearly as fun as a fabulous quilt with all your memories in one!

-Erin Maher, University of San Francisco

Sister Update...

Just returned from a Las Vegas field trip. Every year I take my Hospitality Interior Design Class to Las Vegas to attend the World Market Center to preview new furnishings and we tour various hotel properties. This year we toured the Palms Place Hotel and Spa and the new City Center Center which includes 3 hotels and a shopping center. The photo shows me leading my 26 ASU students on the City Center tour.

Susan Norman, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Out and About with Sisters

Mary Peterson (Parsons College), Cindy McParland (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater) and her friend Lynn, and Ann Santos (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point) and her husband Phil and friend Linda Chiles had a fabulous dinner at the Landmark Restaurant in Mesa before attending "Mark Twain Tonight!" at the Mesa Arts Center. Hal Holbrook's performance was humorous as well as thought-provoking, and it's too bad more alums couldn't be there. But stay tuned for more sisterly outing opportunities throughout the coming months!

So much to celebrate!

We will be passing the candle at the February meeting—once around for pinning, twice for engagement, three for marriage, four for pregnancy, five for grandchildren. Come to the meeting to find out who and what!!

Gina Kruckenberg (Delta Omega, Fort Hays State, Kan.): “At the end of 2009, we found ourselves at the beginning of one of the biggest adventures of our lives. We are starting a new ministry! In May 2009, my husband Brian earned a doctorate of ministry, and the whole family traveled to Minneapolis for his graduation. That was nice, but our 10-year anniversary trip to the Riviera May in October was a tad better. Trips to the Grand Canyon, Denver, and Kansas City also dotted our calendar. ” [In addition, the Kruckenbergs recently moved to a house in Phoenix's Willo district.]

Alicia Nowinsky (Pi Zeta, Arizona State University) reports her wedding plans are going well. “May 1 is just around the corner, and we all are getting really excited!”

Carol Sweeney (Epsilon Phi, University of Detroit): After spending Thanksgiving at home in Michigan, my husband and I headed to South Carolina to run a half marathon with family members on December 12 at beautiful Kiawah Island, near Charleston.

Marilyn Collins (Alpha Alpha, Northwestern): “Over the Christmas holidays, I took a cruise to the Western Caribbean on Holland America's MS Maasdam. Too soon the cruise was over. But there is always next year!”

It's official! Joan Morgan (Beta Sigma, Colorado State) is again Joan Dovilla. She and a friend plan to cruise through the Panama Canal in March.

Ann Santos (Zeta Chi, University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point) stayed home in Litchfield Park for the holidays. Ann will fly to Wisconsin in April for her mother’s 92nd birthday. She and husband Phil will vacation at their timeshares at Lake Tahoe in May and Maui in September.

Deb Willey (Zeta Chi, University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point) has been globetrotting the past few months. “I was lucky to spend the month of December in Hawaii. The Big Island has too much lava rock and dry land. I did get to see lava flow into the ocean. Spent the second half of the month at my cousin’s house on Oahu.”

I had a fantastic holiday…it was extremely busy but great! Mike and I managed to look at quite a few wedding venues. Nothing is confirmed yet. The church we like is the oldest Christian church in Hawaii – built in the 1800s. Royalty used to attend it back when Hawaii had a monarchy. While I was home, I also got my “real” ring!

-Cathy Handen (Gamma Kappa, Kent State University, Ohio) I had a quiet holiday season for the most part, except for the time when I looked out my bedroom window and a coyote was looking back at me!

- Arlis Legler (Zeta Upsilon, Winona State, Minn.) [Arlis lives in the Pebble Creek development in Goodyear.] My family took a weekend cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. My two sons and a daughter-in-law also came. It was the first time in ten years that we all were together.

- Georgia Souris (Nu, Knox college) Madeline is going to bed later, so I have very little time of my own. I’ve been trying to start up my own photography business and we’re also trying to sell our house, so I have to spend a lot of time keeping it picked up and clean just in case. Hope to see everyone at the February meeting.

- Katie McCarthy (Beta Kappa, Iowa State)

Arlis Legler (left, Winona State) and Ann Santos (Univ. Of Wis., Stevens Point) toast their birthdays, which are just 14 days apart. Arlis celebrated in January, and Ann is getting ready for her “big day” in February.