About Us

Click on the frame below and scroll down to view an informational presentation about DKG.  If you are interested in learning more about our organization, please contact President Pam Dean at deanpam351@gmail.com

The Alpha Theta Story

1940's

• Alpha Theta was organized in May 1943 with 12 new members and 7 members transferred from Epsilon Chapter.

• Alpha Theta and Epsilon operated as one unit during 1945-46 but split the following year with Alpha Theta in McHenry County and Epsilon in Lake County.

• Winifred Bronson was our chapter's first President (1943-45).  The first meetings were held in homes, usually on Sunday afternoons.

• Mary Enders was our second President (1945-47).

• One meeting in 1946 had an unexpected outcome.  The chapter planned to attend Kungsholm in Chicago for a smorgasbord dinner and marionette show.  Since the group was so large, reservations were made for two evenings.  The first group went and had a wonderful evening.  The following day, fire destroyed the historic McCormick Mansion and most of the marionettes.  The second group did not make the trip to Kungsholm.

• Verda Dierzen was our third President (1947-51).

• Our first grant was awarded to Lois Bungard of Woodstock for $40.00 in 1948.

• Topics for 1949-50 were mainly about building World Peace through music, human relationships, and Christianity.

1950's

• Florence Jordan was our fourth President (1951-54).  The Public Relations Committee was established.

• In 1950-51 the emphasis was on "Teacher Improvement" and included discussion on qualities of a good teacher, professional growth, and training for leadership and responsibility. 

• Alpha Theta's project in 1951 was to sponsor the Ethel C. Coe Future Teacher Club of McHenry County.

• "Intercultural Appreciation" was the theme of Florence Jordan's second term.

• Alpha Theta adopted an Austrian teacher and sent her school supplies.  

• Frances Brand was our fifth President (1954-56).

• In 1954 Christmas gifts for patients in the Elgin State Hospital was started as a new project for the chapter and continued for ten years.

• Eleanor Foley was our sixth President (1956-58).

• Faith Harrington was our seventh President (1958-60).  We had 46 members.

1960's

• Agnes Thomsen was our eighth President  (1960-62).  The Necrology and Community Service Committees began.

• Edith Newcomer was our ninth President (1962-66).  The Professional Affairs, Personal Growth, and Service Committees were established.

• In 1963, Alpha Theta had 17 members attend the State Convention (10% of members).

• The 1964-66 theme was "Changing Patterns in Other Cultures" emphasizing "Understanding Cultures Through Traveling".

• Cecile Morris was our tenth President (1966-68). 

• Dorothy Ullrich was our eleventh President (1968-70).  Dorothy is listed in "Who's Who of American Women".

1970's

• Marcia Wright was our twelfth President (1970-72). The chapter's project was the Native American project, which collected food and clothing for the Chicago Indian Center.

• Marie Patton was our thirteenth President (1972-74).  Our chapter had grown to 83 members.

• Catherine Kohrt was our fourteenth President (1974-76).   Our music commitee sang at the State Convention and Gamma Psi Chapter, under sponsorship of Marcia Wright, was organized.

• Janet Vierke was our fifteenth President (1976-78).

• Sue Anderson was our sixteenth President (1978-80). Our chapter added the crisis center, Turning Point, as a chapter project and raised money for the World Fellowship Fund.

1980's

• Nancy Tober was our seventeenth President (1980-84). 

• At the 1982 State Convention, Lambda State awarded Beverly Lambourn a grant to complete her Master's Degree, Marsha Wright was installed as Lambda State Corresponding Secretary, and Margaret Nienstedt received the state's Literary Arts Award.

• Kathy Hughes was our eighteenth President (1984-86).  Alpha Theta donated small gifts to Valley Hi Nursing Home.

• Ferol Tomlinson was our nineteenth President (1986-88). Our membership increased to 113 members.

• The Helping Hands raffles were the creative genius of Ferol Tomlinson, Kathy Hughes, and Marlene Goetschel.  This clever and delightful way of raising monies has been our chapter's most profitable and longest running project.  With funds raised from sales of crafts at the November and December meetings, we support the Navajo Community College in Arizona, the Historical Society, and Turning Point.

• Dorothy Arvidson was our twentieth President (1988-90).  Barbara Bush was voted an honorary membership in our state's Delta Kappa Gamma to recognize her for her work in literacy and Kathy Hughes delivered to Mrs. Bush a book her students had created.

1990's

• Janet Streib was our twenty-first President (1990-92).  Our membership swelled to 125.

• During Jan Streib's tenure, we initiated a successful program of mini workshops and the first was a joint workshop with Gammi Psi.

• In 1992, the Lambda State Achievement Award went to Edith Newcomer.  During that same time, Grace Vyduna received a PhD and Betsy Les, Karen Parks and Sue Zimmerman became administrators.

• Ruth Wohnrade was our twenty-second President (1992-94).  We celebrated our 50th anniversary.  We added another project - Home of the Sparrow.

• Melinda Davis was our twenty-third President (1994-98).  She went on to chair many state committees and then became the Lamda State President.

• Bobbie Finn was our twenty-fourth President (1998-2002).  

• Vierda Dierzen was the first recipient of Alpha Theta Chapter's Achievement Award (1999).  Louis Gilmore and Gay Mather were presented with the Achievement Awards the following years.

2000's

• Beverly Aweve was our twenty-fifth President (2002-04).

• Janet Streib (2003) and Corrine Zoellick (2004) were the recipients of the Alpha Theta Achievement Award.

• Suzanne Wallace was our twenty-sixth President (2004-06).  

• Melinda Davis (2005) and Marcia Wright (2006) were the recipients of the Alpha Theta Achievement Award.

• Kathleen Mueller was our twenty-seventh President (2006-08). We began offering CPDU's (Continuing Professional Development Units) for some of our programs for current teachers.

• In 2007, the Special Projects Committee was initiated which merged our chapter's projects (Native American, Helping Hands, and Home of the Sparrow) into one committee.

• Corrine Zoellick was our twenth-eighth President (2008-12).  Dues were raised to $86.00 and our monthly "President's Newsletter" began to keep sisters informed of chapter activities.

2010's

• Bobbie Finn (2010) and Louette Ames (2012) were recognized as Alpha Theta Achievement Award recipients.

• Mary Jo Farrell was our twenty-ninth president (2012-16).  The Golden Apple program was instituted to recognize the accomplishments of our members.  Corrine Zoellick was the first reciepient.

• During Mary Jo's first year, we initiated twenty-six (26) new members - a record!

• Karen Parks was our thirtieth President (2016-2020).

2020's

• Karen Doran was our thirty-first president (2020-2024).

• COVID hit and DKG members learned how to use an online meeting APP called ZOOM. 

• Pam Dean is our thirty-second and current president (2024-2026).