In case you have not heard, my arrow wearing sisters are celebrating a very big anniversary on Friday. This issue of The Arrow was sent to all members with a mailable address. Congratulations to Editor Constance Dillon Gibbs, an alumna of the California Delta chapter at UCLA! She did a phenomenal job of putting this together. I particularly love the fashion spread on pages 60-61.
Yesterday, I attended a luncheon celebrating the 50th anniversary of the youngest of the four Carbondale P.E.O. chapters (my chapter is the second youngest and the only of the four that meets at night). One of the pre-lunch activities was reading aloud the bookmark that was at each place setting. The bookmarks had historical facts taken from the minutes and scrapbooks. The bookmark below was the one read by my chapter sister who was sitting next to me. She is also an Alpha Omicron Pi alumna.
A KZ member distributed chapter scrapbooks, and there were many, to the tables for guests to look at before lunch. The scrapbook I opened contained further information about the chapter member who was related to P.E.O. founder, Mary Allen Stafford. How synchronistic that was!
Sadly, Hellen Stafford Wallace passed away in 2008 at the age of 85. One of the projects I am currently working on is a narrative of P.E.O.’s early history. Unfortunately, I am writing at a snail’s pace, and I was somewhat conflicted about attending the luncheon celebration. I knew I should be home writing, yet I was carpooling with my chapter’s newest member, so I knew cancelling wasn’t a good idea. Coming across this tidbit of information made the day a win.
Hopefully, I will have a post for Friday, the day upon which Pi Beta Phi turns 150. I appreciate the indulgence as it is a big deal for those of us who wear the arrow.
