Remiss is my word of the day. I have been remiss in acknowledging many accomplishments of GLO members over the past year. This week, I plan to play catch-up. I am also saddened to hear of the passing of a GLO friend.
Condolences to Sigma Nu
I first met Robert “Bob” McCully at the first Fraternity and Sorority Archivists Conference many moons again. Bob was a gentle soul with a great love for Sigma Nu and its history. I admired his knowledge of his fraternity’s history. My condolences to his family, friends, and Sigma Nu brothers. May his memory be a blessing.
GLO Members in Lego Form
How wonderful are these? The Women of NASA lego set is amazing. Two of the five women, Mae Jemison and Katherine Johnson, are members of Alpha Kappa Alpha. Sally Ride was not a sorority woman. I am unsure about the remaining two, Nancy Grace Roman and Margaret Hamilton. If anyone knows of a GLO connection, please let me know.
Mae Jemison was a member of the Shuttle Endeavour in 1992 and became the first African-American woman to travel in space. She is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson is a Diamond member of the Lambda Omega Chapter (Newport News, VA) of Alpha Kappa Alpha. She was born on August 26, 1918 and she graduated summa cum laude from West Virginia State College in 1937. A year later, in 1938, she was one of three black graduate students admitted to West Virginia University, and the only female among the three. She taught math for several years until 1953 when she was hired by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (today it is NASA). She retired in 1983. In 2015, she was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom. On May 5, 2016, the 55th anniversary of Shepard’s quick trip into space, the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility was dedicated at Langley Research Center.
From Our Alumni Magazines…
I have a tendency to cut things out of magazines. Here are two pages that were on my desk. This one was in the Winter 2018 SIU Alumni News. Congratulations to Silvana Filippello Richardson. Although Alpha Sigma Alpha wasn’t on campus long, amazing women are members of that chapter.
These shout-outs to Kappa Alpha Order appeared in the Washington and Lee Magazine within the last year.
