A gathering of the area’s Kappa Alpha Theta alumnae was held at Communities Foundation of Texas on Friday, November 8, for the Golden Pansy Luncheon. But it wasn’t just for any old kite-flying types. Rather, the more than 100 guests were the sorority’s 50-year vets living in North Texas.
Thanks to the Kappa Alpha Theta Dallas Alumnae Chapter’s Mary Brinegar, her sibling Carol Brinegar Hoey and Peggy Wagner Zadina, the luncheon was a celebration of how their days past had transitioned into the present.
While the day’s honoree, Nancy Ann Hunter Hunt, looked a bit overwhelmed by all the attention, her Theta daughter Ashlee Hunt Kleinert and Theta granddaughter Heather Hunt Graham were proud of their family matriarch’s day in the spotlight. Fitting seamlessly in with the rest of the Thetas, Nancy Ann’s granddaughter-in-law Mackenzie Meyer Kleinert admitted that on this day she was an honorary Theta, having actually pledged Chi Omega.
Before the mic was passed around the table, with guests reporting their chapters and dates of pledging, guests caught up on recent days, months and years.
Susan Goss Lewis reported that she and husband Tom Lewis were keeping young by being part of a dance club. … Peggy provided an update on husband Dick Zadina‘s progress, saying, “It’s one day and one step at a time.” … Pamela Loaring-Clark Graham admitted that her recent cataract surgery had been a literal “eye-opening experience.” Before, driving home at night had been a challenge. Now it’s not only a breeze, but colors are more vivid — as she realized upon taking in the recent Kips Bay Decorator House.
While the SMU’s Beta Sigma alumnae had a heavy showing of representatives, including Jane Harrell Pierce, Sheila Miller Long, Julie Paul Noble, Delilah Holmes Boyd, Cynthia Ramsay Woodall, Jane DeFord, B.R. Ball Homan, Carol Kunkler Brown, Jan Polk Harbour, Rosalind Ramsay, Diane Folsom Frank, Pat Cecil Edwards, Molly Englehardt Goodwin, Barbara “Babs” Williams Kincaid, Charleen “Charlie” Brown McCulloch and Carol Coleman Smith, it took very little time for the Theta traditions to open the camaraderie with other Thetas present from chapters around the country like Oklahoma (Pat Conner Coggan and Debbie Browne Snell), Washington (Sharon Frissell Meurer), Auburn (Anne Hipp Pate), Penn State (Betsy Westrick Cummins), Hanover (Cindy Jones English), Indiana (Delene DeWitt Fleming) Kansas State (Karen Jagar Graves), UT Austin (Linda Lloyd Quisenberry and Susie Swindle McDonough), Texas Tech (Catherine Condrey Ratliff and Charlotte Nave Foster) and TCU (Glenda Nave Karahal and Janis Wilbur), sharing their experiences from pledge activities like flying kites to favorite stories about houseboys, rush and fraternity serenades over the decades.
Regarding the SMU Chapter’s status, it was reported at the luncheon that the Thetas will possibly return to SMU in fall 2026 and possibly reoccupy their house on University Boulevard in the fall of 2027.
For more looks of the day, check out MySweetCharity Photo Gallery.
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