Pi Alpha Kappa Sorority
Keynote
From Your National
President….Georgia Turnage
April 2012
What a
beautiful Spring we have been having! I can't remember when the blooms
have been so early and so gorgeous.
We all want
to thank Frances Koury for her outstanding production of "To Vicksburg
with Love". It was fun to watch the models and remember when we
dressed like that: it wasn't so long ago, now was it? The music made
everything even more delightful. Frances, we love you - please keep coming up
with these great ideas each year. You are probably thinking about a theme
for next year's show already.
In September
we will begin making our plans for our 2013 Convention. Please contact me
if you have any fresh new ideas. Let's work hard and have a spectacular
convention and have a high attendance.
I would like
to thank Pam Gee for her excellent and hard work in publishing THE KEYNOTE.
She gets together three issues each year, and that is a lot of work.
The next time that you see Pam, tell her we appreciate the great job that
she does.
Summer is
just around the corner, and everybody will be traveling. I hope that your
trips turn out to be wonderful, fun, and interesting. We will want to
hear all about them when September rolls around. Have a wonderful summer!
Georgia
Turnage
National
President
Photos from “To
Vicksburg With Love.
Thanks to Marian
Love Phillips, Omega Chapter.
News from the Chapters……
Vicksburg Alpha Beta
Margharita Davis has been enjoying many
early spring gardens in MS. She traveled
with Clinton Gardeners to Rosemeade to tour the extensive rose gardens of
Patricia and John Arthur Eaves. Many other features abound on their 83 acres in
Madison such as lakes, swans, and fountains. She traveled to Port Gibson for a
delightful lunch at Isabella Bed and Breakfast (Person Home) and next week will
play hostess at Rosalie Mansion in Natchez during their pilgrimage when she’ll get
to see more beautiful gardens.
Pam Gee has been traveling to Atlanta and Richmond, VA,
to see grandchildren. The Atlanta
grandsons Blake and Alex will be celebrating birthdays the end of April. Grandson Michael in Virginia is busy with
indoor soccer while his little sister Addison (2) loves to read (the same books
over and over and over!) Granddaughter
Anna Catherine turned 12 in March and stays busy with dance and
gymnastics. Pam has lost 38 pounds on
Weight Watchers and has begun training to be a substitute for the meetings.
Marie Hernandez says the grounds
around Brookdale are simply beautiful with the spring flowers in full
bloom. It seems early for mowers but they have been active for
several days. It's safe to say that spring is here and the blessed Easter
Season is upon us. She is hobbling along
on bum legs but going to therapy three times a week hoping to correct her gait. Her good news is she has been watching her
diet and using the Sensa she started sprinkling on her food a month before
she left Vicksburg. She has lost 17 pounds and will try for ten more
since the first pounds were so easy off.
She adds, “It's hard for me to believe I have only played bridge twice.
Once a month ago then we had a virus scare and everything got cancelled. Things
are back to normal now. Last week I attended the bridge luncheon they have on
the first and third Thursdays. Guess who won high score - - that's right!
Lucky Me! We have movies on Saturday and
Sunday nights (big screen). One night recently I saw "The
Help" and got all steamed up. From all the publicity, it was supposed
to be great. It was the usual Hollywood version of what it was like in
Mississippi during the 1950's. I must commend my daughter-in-law
Joy and my granddaughter Susan Ray for helping me with shopping. They take
turns shopping for groceries and other necessities. Fortunately I don't need
too many groceries since the dining room is on my floor and I can jump on my
scooter and be there in a jiffy. The
chef has the kitchen help put out the most delicious muffins along with
steaming pots of coffee stationed in various parts of the building each
morning. (I have learned where all of them are located.) On
second thought I might give up my goal of ten more pounds! I think about you all so often. Please
have a wonderful Easter. Much love, Marie”
Frances Koury says,
“Can hardly believe that it is spring.
Another year with PAK!! Thanks to each one of you who helped make "To
Vicksburg...With Love" a success. I think everyone had a great time. The food was good and the models beautiful and
fun. It was sweet of Johnny Crocker to pull it all together to support our
program. I am excited that he has helped with recording the song about
Vicksburg. It has now been recorded and being fine tuned to be promoted as a
tourist tool. I'll keep you posted as to
the date, etc. I am planning a trip to
Dallas for Stephen Glenn Koury’s (my great grandson) christening after Easter. God is good. May Holy Week be most meaningful
to each and everyone.”
Tracy Trichell's sons, Thomas and James Trichell have started the
2012 Baseball Tournament Season with the Vicksburg Billies. Their team
has been classified as 10 & Under AAA division. This past
weekend March 17-18 their team played up in the 11 & Under Open bracket at Shiloh
Park in Brandon, Mississippi. The team came in 1st place out of 12
teams. Also, Thomas placed 3rd in the Science Fair at Vicksburg
Catholic School and received an Honorable Mention at the District Science Fair
in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Vicksburg
Delta
In
January DELTA CHAPTER collected dog and cat food for the Animal Shelter. We
provided bottle water, napkins, and paper plates to the Child Abuse Prevention
Center for their Annual Day of Remembrance Assembly in April.
Beth Haskins resigned in March so
she can help her ailing parents who live on the coast. She has been a
loyal and dedicated member of Delta Chapter since the '80s and has held Chapter
and National Offices. We will certainly miss her and look forward to her
reinstatement in the future.
Hal and Joan Morgan spent 17 days in
Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii, visiting with "old" military friends who
were escaping the cold of South Dakota. Hal photographed almost every
spectacular sunrise and much of the breathtaking scenery. Joan, on the other
hand, was concentrating on the beautiful flowers and blooming trees.
Breakfast with fresh papayas, pineapple, and mangoes was something to look
forward to each morning. From our balcony we scanned the ocean for
signs of breaching whales and observed several beach weddings. The most
surprising thing was to see hens and chicks EVERYWHERE and to hear the roosters
crow at 3 AM under our window! The downside of the trip was Hal coming
down with pneumonia halfway through the vacation and it is something he hasn't
been able to recover from.
Josephine
Peterson
had an early spring trip to visit Richard and his family in South
Carolina. Anders (6) was in his first
school production. He was elected from
his kindergarten class to have a speaking part (only 6 were chosen.) Of course, he was the star of the
production! His older sister, Ella, was
in the musical production for the fifth grade.
They attend the Calhoun School of the Arts. While there, Josephine babysat all four
grands while Jodi and Richard had a weekend getaway to Chattanooga, TN, to
celebrate Jodi’s birthday. In late March,
she and a friend traveled to New Orleans to attend the wedding of Mark Haulman
whose parents are former Vicksburg residents.
It was a fun weekend since the wedding took place in the French Quarter. Before driving home, they visited Josephine’s
niece, who recently moved south of New Orleans.
Joann
White
writes, “Things are hopping this spring.
I am now “Granny” to seven grandchildren since my son Barry remarried in
November. I am excited to have Cheri as
my sweet daughter-in-law. Paul White, my
grandson, will graduate from Jones Junior College this spring. I am looking forward to his Spring Choir
Concert. Our Delta Chapter met at my
home for our March meeting and luncheon.
We are so proud of Helene Benson!
Brea, my foster daughter and her husband Marc plus my Aunt Wilma Russum
from Collierville, TN, are coming for a visit – I’d better get busy!”
Member-at-Large Peggy Ward writes, “Greetings from Tennessee where signs of spring
are everywhere. The mourning dove pair
are making their nest; the red fox that lives on our p[roperty is preparing to
birth her pups; robins are everywhere and life is good. Our Kentucky granddaughter is a co-op student
working this semester at Ft. Knox (civil engineer major); our Tennessee
granddaughter is preparing for her work-study trip to Argentina this summer
(third year at Belmont University); and Tennessee grandson is second year is
religion grad school. I am starting my
third quilt this year and Dan is getting his grass-cutting equipment
ready. Peace and happiness to all my
Vicksburg PAK sisters.”
Vicksburg Omega
Marian Love Phillips’ nephew, Marion Edward Love, III, will be united in
marriage to Cassie Jo Griffing on April 14, 2012 at the Old Court House
Museum. A reception will follow at the
Old Southern Tea Room. Marian also has
another nephew, Joseph Christopher “Joey” Ables, getting married on September
29, 2012 to Candice Landers, at St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Marian harvested a doe at the Christmas Place
Plantation and Hunting Club in the MS Delta on December 27, 2011. The next morning as soon as she got on her
stand before daylight she heard something rustling in the woods nearby. She could barely make out a hog walking
through and did not have her gun loaded in time to shoot it. There has to be a hog with her name on it and
it’s only a matter of time!
Marian
will be traveling by plane to visit her youngest daughter, Suzy, her
son-in-law, Dennis and granddaughter, Emma, in Fredericksburg, VA, in
July. Accompanying her will be her
daughter, Kathleen and granddaughter, Lucy, who have never flown
before. They will be attending “little”
Emma’s 5th birthday celebration.
Cindy Calais’s
granddaughter, Gracie Roberts, participated in the elementary all state choir
in Jackson, MS. She was chosen to sing with 150 students from
Mississippi.
Myrtle Loviza Alvarado notes, "My niece Joanne Wright and I joined my sister Blanche, her two daughters and one daughter-in-law for a wonderful week at Spa Mexico in Ixtapan De La Sal, Mexico. Exercise, exercise, exercise and wonderful food, beautifully prepared along with massages every day, facials, reflexology, pedicure, manicure and hair treatments - we hated to come home, and are already planning again for next year."
