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Well-known Gamma Phi alumnae include: charter member Joel Estes Lichte Tate, wife of the chancellor of Southern Methodist University; Louise Little Barbeck, Kappa Fraternity president 1968-72; Gail Griffin Thomas, dean of the University of Dallas; and Mary Ellen Mitchell Jericho, voted the outstanding Kappa in the area at the Fraternity's Centennial year Founders Day banquet in Dallas.
==Highlights of the 1970s==
If you wore a polo shirt with a floppy bow tie at the neck in the late 70s, then you know all about belties. Did you know, though, that the word belties was first coined by a Kappa from SMU? When not setting the tone for fashion, Kappas at Gamma Phi listened to Billie Joel, Hall and Oats, the Grateful Dead, and Bonnie Raitt. They cheered on the football team, fuelling Mustang Mania, which was just emerging at the time, while SMU also excelled in swimming and tennis.
Positivity was a chapter focus during this time. Chapter members significantly improved their grades and worked on developing positive attitudes. Officers stressed open communication, even picking rooms that gave the President and Vice Presidents the most visibility for the rest of the members. Chapter meetings were streamlined, and the chapter developed a stronger Panhellenic spirit. And of course, the chapter celebrated its 50th anniversary on SMU campus.
Kappas were also prominent leaders on campus. One member started a fundraising campaign to restore a historical SMU fountain that now features in all the school’s brochures, and among the Kappas were Homecoming Queen first runner-up, cheerleaders, Miss New Mexico, Miss Dallas, three yearbook beauties and a National Alumni Scholarship Winner.
==Highlights of the 1980s==
In many ways, the 1980s were the best of times and the worst of times for SMU. The university’s football team marked its most successful era from 1980 to 1985, posting a 55-14-1 record and winning three SWC titles. Kappas—preppy to the core in brown Topsiders, French braids or big hair and the obligatory strand of pearls—were among the sellout crowds cheering on the team at Texas Stadium, which was the former home of the Dallas Cowboys. Football, however, was cancelled for two seasons in 1986 and 1987 for NCAA violations, and Kappas turned to intramural leagues for the sports fix.
In 1987, the chapter won intramural soccer and tennis championships, while powder puff football games with other sororities raised money for various philanthropic causes. Gamma Phi members also hosted canned food drives, supported a halfway house for non-violent juvenile offenders in Dallas, helped children improve their reading skills in an inner city housing project, and raised money for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Dallas.
Other notable events included chapter dinners at Spaghetti Warehouse in downtown Dallas, celebrating the 115th birthday of Kappa with Director of Chapters and future Fraternity President J. J. Wales, and hosting an inter-greek reception for the new university president, Dr. A. Kenneth Pye, in 1987. It was also during this time that the chapter began to follow the Celebration of Lights ceremony on campus with hot chocolate, cookies, a roaring fire and Nat King Cole at the chapter house.
The chapter continued to focus on academic excellence, holding a how to study seminar, and recognizing excellent grades with a weekly smart cookie award. Chapter meetings emphasized heritage and ritual, and members were encouraged to hang out at the house through monthly cookouts and holiday celebrations like Secret Santa gift exchanges.
Kappas regularly featured the Dallas Morning News for participating in the Idlewild Ball, Tyler Rose Festival and other prominent Texan debutant balls. And the Kappa Pickers, the chapter’s musical performance group, began to gain local prominence.
==Highlights of the 1990s==
Gamma Phi’s Kappa Pickers reached national prominence when they sang on CBS This Morning in Washington in 1991. They continued to perform throughout the 1990s, delighting audiences at parents’ weekend, Founders Day and many other Kappa and campus events.
The chapter was very dedicated to philanthropy in these years. At least 10 to 20 members went to Traymore Nursing Home once a month to visit with residents, and in later years, the chapter would visit with patients at Medical City Hospital’s transitional care unit. Gamma Phi also helped out a shelter for runaway children, tutored students at an elementary school, sponsored blood drives, raised money for muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis. Other highlights included hosting a blood platelet drive to benefit Carter Blood Care for a Kappa Alpha Fraternity member who was diagnosed with cancer, sponsoring a Canadian Kappa alum through the Rose McGill Fund, and launching the very popular Carve for the Cure on Halloween.
SMU Kappas partnered with Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity on the annual Easter Egg hunt for children of university faculty and stuff, stuffing over 1,100 plastic eggs in 1995. Regular events included the Kappa Kountry Formal, Founders Day at the Dallas Country Club, and parents’ weekend with Sunday brunch. Special highlights included the chapter retreat at Camp John Mark and a visit to a ropes course to promote chapter unity.
Kappa exemplified its traditional of leadership on SMU campus in the 1990s. Gamma Phi hosted the first date rape seminar at SMU in 1991, and followed up with seminars on eating disorders and campus violence. In 1990, a Kappa chaired SMU’s Celebration of Lights, and in 1991 Kappas chaired Homecoming and won Homecoming Queen, which Kappas featuring in the Homecoming throughout the decade. Many chapter members attended Convention in 1990 when it was hosted in Dallas. The chapter received several honorable mentions for awards, and would go on to win the Fraternity’s Finance Award in 1996.
==Highlights of the 2000s==
The women of Gamma Phi chapter in the 2000s were intelligent and motivated to do their best in every aspect of their lives. Very involved on campus, the chapter enthusiastically supports it members, whether they are running for Homecoming Queen, launching a new philanthropy or playing on a sports team.
The chapter was supported by very active alumnae. They helped count votes for rush, plan the initiation brunch, decorate the house for the holidays, sell Kappa bracelets, and host alumnae events at the house. Their help and guidance was appreciated by chapter members, and inspired SMU’s Kappas to grow and continue their involvement in Kappa.
One of the alumnae’s major projects was building a new chapter house, which the chapter moved into in 2006. This amazing new house, has been a home away from home for many members.
Major events included Theta Province meeting in Dallas in 2005, when the chapter hosted a southern barbeque for the all the actives and alumnae that were in town. There was the annual Celebration of Lights, and another Homecoming Queen from Kappa in 2009.
Philanthropy continued to be a major driver of events, with the chapter raising funds for Camp John Mark, Habitat for Humanity, Dallas Parkland Hopsital, Relay for Life, the Dallas humane shelter, and Dollars for Darfur. In 2006, the chapter published the Kappa Kookbook, which feature recipes from the SMU chapter, and raised money for the Rose McGill Fund.
==Highlights of 2010==
2010 was a fun and exciting year for the Gamma Phi chapter! We started the year off with a great recruitment week. During philanthropy day of recruitment, we shared a video about our chapter’s involvement in the Ugandan American Partnership Organization, a non-profit organization that aides struggling women and children in Uganda. The UAPO was founded by one of our own Kappa sisters and is very dear to each of our hearts. We strung necklaces with beads handmade by Ugandan widows, and new members sold the necklaces in the spring in order to send profits back to the widows.
Dad’s Weekend was in the spring, and father-daughter pairs competed in the Kappa Klassic golf tournament. We got to spend quality time with our dads, and we were able to raise over $14,000 to help finish the UAPO’s construction of a new Vocational Center in a Ugandan village and provide medical supplies, school supplies and clean water to orphanages built by the UAPO. Over the summer, twelve of our sisters shared a life-changing experience on their visit to Uganda.
Other highlights of the year included Kickin’ It With Kappa and Kappacino Kafe, philanthropic events we hosted in the fall. Kappas danced the night away at our Victory, Monmouth, and Kite&Key formals, and we had fun dressing up for our “Jarty” and Woodstock themed date dashes! Trendy Kappas could be spotted about Dallas in over-the-knee boots, furry vests, sequin embellished dresses, stacks of bracelets and sky-high pumps!
Gamma Phi is a large and diverse chapter. Each individual brings new and exciting ideas to the table, but we also work well together as a team to accomplish goals during the year. Girls in our chapter care about their schoolwork, care about the community, are involved in other organizations at SMU, hold exciting jobs or internships, and above all, are Kappa krazy! We have girls who study corporate communications and public affairs, accounting, English, art history, and even chemistry! Many of our sisters are members of the Union, Student Foundation, Student Senate, Honor Council, and the University Honors Program.
==Highlights of 2011==
Our chapter is large and diverse, with girls from all over the United States and abroad. The 2011 pledge class even has girls from Bali, London, and Panama. This mix of diverse individuals enhances our chapter, as each member brings unique and exciting ideas to the table. We all work well together in order to accomplish goals throughout the year.
Many of our sisters in the Gamma Phi chapter are active and involved a number of other activities and organizations, both on and off campus. Our sisters participate in on-campus organizations such as the Union, Student Foundation, Student Senate, Honor Council, and the University Honors Program. Off campus, many of our sisters hold interesting and impressive internships and jobs, and care about and engage in different community service opportunities. Our sisters academic interests are varied, as we have girls who study Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Accounting, History, and even Biology!
We had an exciting 2011. A fun and successful recruitment week started the year off right. During philanthropy day of recruitment, we continued the tradition of showing a video about the Ugandan American Partnership Organization (UAPO), which was founded by one of our Kappa sisters from the Gamma Phi chapter. We strung necklaces using the beads that Ugandan widows hand made, which the new members sold the following spring. The profits from the necklace sales were sent back to the widows to help them build a life of their own. The proceeds from our "Kappacino Kafe" philanthropy event also benefitted the UAPO.
This year we made an exciting change to one of our other major philanthropy events taking place in the fall, "Kickin' It With Kappa," an event benefitting Reading Is Fundamental: we hosted a frozen yogurt party outside on the boulevard on a beautiful afternoon in early September, to keep up with the recent trendiness and rising popularity of frozen yogurt shops in Dallas and nation-wide.
Other highlights of the year included our parties and social events. Kappas had a great time dancing the night away at our Victory, Monmouth, and Kite & Key formals. We also had a blast dressing up for our 90s and Hunt or Be Hunted themed date dashes. Gamma Phi Kappas were as chic and trendy as ever this year, often spotted about Dallas wearing stylish over the knee boots, fur vests, sequin embellished dresses, and wrap bracelets.
We are proud of our chapter for many reasons this year. We were the recipients of the Risk Management Award at the Province meeting hosted in Fort Worth. In addition, we welcomed the chapter councils from Epsilon Alpha, Epsilon Upsilon, and Zeta Sigma, as we hosted the LEAD Seminar in the fall. We are also very proud and extremely excited this year because we won Homecoming! Our chapter united to support 2011 Homecoming activities, and it was a wonderful and rewarding feeling for the whole house when Grace Roberts won Homecoming Queen during halftime of the football game.
This year was extremely exciting at SMU, as construction on the George W. Bush Presidential Center, which broke ground in fall2010, continued and made considerable progress. Although construction is still a work in progress, the Presidential Center already seems a stunning structure. The Presidential Center will open in 2013. Also, this spring we celebrated the centennial of SMU’s founding in 1911, complete with fireworks and cake on SMU’s boulevard. This year was an extremely fun time to be an SMU student.
==Highlights of 2012==
