Founders Day

As the DG rituals adviser, I help our collegiate rituals director coordinate two very special rituals events each year: initiation and founders day. When I left home to go to Oxford for initiation this winter, HG was begging to go with me. That’s probably the one sorority event that she couldn’t tag along for, so I promised her that she could come with me to Founders Day in March. She didn’t let me forget it, so when Founders Day rolled around, I checked her out of school a little early and we hit the road.

First, we stopped at the conference center, and she helped me hang some fabric curtains (after wrapping herself up in them), set up a table and tablecloth, and get the mic working. She truly was very helpful, and she enjoyed running errands for me or fixing things.

Then, we headed to the house for dinner with alumnae and collegians. She had fun exploring the house since it’s in the middle of a huge construction project, but she was super annoyed at all the rules of formal dinner. I thought I was doing a good job of teaching her etiquette, but apparently, I need to step up my game to have her ready for sorority/ professional dinners one day!

After dinner, we headed back to the conference center for the ceremony. I was relaxing a little bit as things got started, thinking that we were on the downslope and that I was nearly done with responsibility for the night. And then they announced my name as one of the winners of an alumnae award, the Cable Award, for more than 10 years of service. Five Cable Awards were awarded that night- to women that I have looked up to and worked for/with since my collegian days- and I was shell shocked to be one of them. Helen Grace literally came out of her chair, and the other alums pushed her up on stage with me. It will be one of my most proud and happy memories. I was given a pin, and she held it proudly all night, even asking to take it to school the next day (to which I said no). She called John and her grandparents on the way home and told them all the details. It was quite the special day and made even sweeter to be shared with my little legacy!

With Eva, Anna, and Mary in the Founders Room

HG is especially smitten with Abby, my fantastic rituals director from last year.

And my fabulous current rituals director, Georgia (I’ve been blessed to have had some extremely smart, kind, responsible, and devoted officers.)

With our speaker, Mary Anne; Jane; and Wilma; all board members of our Foundation (Serious girl power in this pic!)