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| Space Coast Alumnae Chapter 50 Year Pin Recipient Biographies |
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| Betty Chaney attended many universities: University of Maryland, University of Illinois, FAU, Nova, Barry University, University of Miami, etc.etc. Her bachelor's degree was from the University of Maryland in l951. This is where she pledged and was initiated into Gamma Phi Beta in1948. She received her Master's Degree in Curriculum Education in 1968. Betty then went on to receive her Doctorate degree in Education, Administration and Supervision in 1975. Career wise she taught in the Baltimore Public Schools in the 50’s, and the Miami Dade School System in the late 60's. Beginning in January l969 she taught at Florida Atlantic University for 18 years, and was an Assistant Professor. In Betty’s personal life, she married Alvan C. Chaney in June, 1951. They have two wonderful sons: Stephen and Bruce Chaney, both residing in Florida. Since graduating from University of Maryland in 195l, she has participated in the Gamma Phi Beta Alumnae Groups in Baltimore, Maryland, Miami, Florida, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and at present: Indialantic. Betty has served in every office but Treasurer. Also, in the 50's she served Nationally as a Gamma Phi Province Director of Province 8 (Memphis, Tallahassee, Vanderbilt, etc.). |
| Betty Chaney |
| In college, Janet Hutton majored in Economics and after two years at Grindell College in Iowa, she transferred to the University of Vermont where she pledged a newly formed local chapter, which was organized for the purpose of going national. Their first year was very busy organizing and participating in as many activities on campus as they could! Then in September 1950, they traveled by bus to the Alpha Chapter of Gamma Phi Beta in Syracuse for their installation as the Beta Nu chapter. It was an elegant ceremony and as charter president, Janet was humbled by all the attention. The Beta Nu chapter returned to their Vermont campus an busied themselves in all activities: the festivals, contest, teas, parades, and they managed to do as much and a well as the other Greek organizations that had been on campus for years. They had rented a house so they could live and work together. Janet was married after graduation but remained in Burlington while her husband finished college and she served as an alumnae advisor to the new chapter. It was that year that the foundation helped them buy their own house, a beautiful mansion right across one of the main streets from the Kappa Sigma and Sigma Chi houses. The house had been built by a man who was a world traveler and had imported a different wood for every room in the home. Janet’s dad bought a silver antique 100 cup coffee urn (now in the sorority archives) in keeping with the occasion. Janet’s other alumnae involvement was in the inception of a group in the South Jersey area. She enjoyed the fellowship but since they were not really tied to any specific collegiate chapter, it lacked the defined purpose and slowly died. And now here she is at the beginning of another alum chapter and she sincerely hopes that it will have a much longer life than the others because Janet does believe in the importance of the sisterhood and would hope that our lifetime experiences an encourage others and benefit the younger sisters. |
| Janet Hutton |
| Peggy Jewell went to school at Michigan State and majored in Speech Education. She was initiated in 1946 and held the office of Vice President. As an alumna, Peggy was active in the Jacksonville, FL and San Francisco Bay area alumnae chapters in the 50’s and the Monterey/Carmel, CA alumnae chapter in the 60’s, for which she held the recommendations Chair. She has also been active in the early Melbourne group and now the Space Coast alumnae Chapter. Peggy’s fondest sorority memory was the night the pledges went out to the house for a sleepover. There is another story as they were using the Psi Upsilon fraternity house while the men were away during WWII! The sleepover turned out to be their initiation ceremony that Joy Viskochil and the other actives had so beautifully prepared for them. They were wearing their pajamas and bathrobes since winters in Michigan are cold! Peggy was so proud to wear her big sister’s Gamma Phi Beta pin until her very own arrived. Her big sister later became her roommate and is a best friend to this day. This past November, Peggy’s daughter, Janis Dey, was initiated into Gamma Phi Beta as an alum initiate! |
| Peggy Jewell |
| Elma Reaves was initiated into the Alpha Psi chapter at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL in 1941. She was a Alpha Lambda Delta and a Freshman Honorary. During her college years, Elma was secretary to the head of the English department, having gained experience during her two years before college as a legal secretary. She worked summers for a Chicago law firm and took several classes at Northwestern. She attended college as a day student and commuted by train. This meant long walks to campus through snow and slush during IL winters. Elma enjoyed the sorority friendships ad took refuge every day in the warmth of their suite in the dorm. There were no houses. Enrollment at the time was approximately 400 students when Elma began at Lake Forest College. Thanks to scholarships which were readily available, she was able to enroll. Elma married a Navy dentist in 1942 and lived on many bases during his 30years of service. She and her husband had a delightful child, a Downs Syndrome, who enriched their lives. He dies in 1999 at the age of 52. Elma also has two step-daughters who live out of state. In spite of their many moves, Elma has managed to have interesting positions; one as a secretary to a Ford Motor Company Vice-President in the early 50’s and one as a secretary to a Bank of America branch manager in CA in the 40’s. Elma believes that at this late stage in her life, it is nice to finally be affiliated with Gamma Phi Beta sisters. |
| Elma Reaves |
| Kathleen Rose graduated from the University of Minnesota (Kappa Chapter). She majored in Primary Education. She did not hold any offices as an undergrad, but she was the chairman of house board as alum. In her lifetime as a Gamma Phi, she has attended one convention. As an alum, Kathleen has been a member of Alum Bridge groups in many locations. She married a regular navel officer and stayed with the Navy for 24 years. Kathleen handled the redecoration of the house while chair of house board in MPLs. Way back when Kathleen went through rushing, as a legacy, she was afraid they were only taking her for that reason. But the chapter and all of her mother's friends insisted she was wanted and they treated her as a real sister. |
| Kathleen Rose |
| Nancy Stair went to the University of Missouri and was initiated into the Alpha Delta chapter. She majored in Art and was a designer of greeting cards for Hallmark in Kansas City , Mo. Nancy didn’t hold any GPB offices, but she did attend one convention. That convention was the l00th anniversary of GPB, held in Minneapolis, where she was living at that time. Nancy was the designer for table decorations for all dinners, luncheons, and programs covers for the convention. She also played bridge with an Alum group. Nancy also designed a logo for the U of Minnesota, honoring Patty Berg. Her fondest memory is her husband Bob arriving at the sorority house in Naval Officer uniform from Hawaii with an orchid lei. Other memories of Nancy’s include the serenading on the chapter house balcony, playing bridge with Mother (GPB house mother), and midnight talks with the sisters in their rooms. |
| Mary Jane Storrs graduated from UCLA with a major in Home Economics and a minor in Psychology, with the preparation for Dietetics Internship which she took after her graduation at Stanford University Hospitals in San Francisco, CA. She was the house manager for 2 years, which she says was a tough job but some one had to do it! She chose to run for this office as she lived too close to the campus to live in the Sorority House but the House Manager HAD to live in. She has only attended one convention - at the Coronado Hotel in San Diego Calif. Her chapter was the host along with USC and the very newly installed San Diego State Chapter. As an Alum, Mary Jane was active in the Santa Monica Alum group and the LA Alum chapter after she got married in l955. Before that she lived in the San Diego Area for about a year. She was pledge advisor for the San Diego Chapter for a year in the early 50's. Mary Jane was married in 1955 and she and her Husband moved to the New York and Stanford Connecticut area where she attended a few meetings but was not very active there. They moved to Muskegon Michigan in l959, where we lived until l994 and there was no chapter near enough for her to be active. She is very glad to be near a collegian and alum chapter. Mary Jane’s fondest memory of the sorority – “Other than the acceptance and love I felt from all my sisters, particularly my little sisters in the chapter, I think it was being voted "Best Pledge" by the active chapter. I was a double legacy and I think it made me feel like they didn't just pledge me because of this. UCLA was a big campus even way back in the l950's, but it was also a commuter campus - very few lived on campus except for the Sororities and Fraternities, and it was vital to belong to a sorority to have any social life and feel apart of the college experience. Even though I have lived 2000 miles away from most of my active chapter sisters, I still am in contact with many as we are definitely life long friends.” |
| Nancy Stair |
| Mary Jane Storrs |
| Joy Viskochil |
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| Joy Loveland Viskochil was initiated into Gamma Phi Beta as a member of the first class of the Beta Delta Chapter at Michigan State University in 1944. She then graduated from college in 1946. Joy was a member of the Alumnae Chapter of Northern Virginia from 1970 through 1980. For two years, she served as the chapter's Treasurer. Joy was also a member of the Brevard County Crescent Circle when it was active in the 1980's. Joy's fondest memory of Gamma Phi Beta was her Initiation. It was during the war years when most men had left the campus for service in WWII. The Gamma Phis were able to rent the Psi Upsilon house for two years. It was the same house where Joy's brother had lived. She always admired the "mansion on the hill", as she called it, when she rode with her father to take her brother to and from college. Initiation was impressive and a bit scary for Joy. She was in rooms she had never seen, lit only by candles, and she did not recognize many of the alums who were performing the ceremonies. Joy felt like she was in a different world and wanted to wake up to find out if it was truly her roommate's hand she was holding instead of a phantom princess. |
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