an unexpected loss...

I've been "finding" Thetas and friends from college for the last couple of years. I've been successful in re-connecting to many. I even created this blog for a spot for us to post our funny memories. One of the persons that posted was Shan Dillard Maika. Shan was my big sister in Theta. I hadn't talked to her since she and John moved to Ennis in the early 80s. I was so glad to catch up with her and find her working at UT Austin. She'd gotten a Masters in Biology at UTD and was working in cellular research. She surprised me with the news that she was a breast cancer survivor and had had a double mastectomy.

I still look in Facebook to see who else is out there that I can include in my Friends list. Thought I'd check up on Shan.

I was disappointed to find she passed away last April. Found a blog through Facebook where her colleagues had posted tributes. I'm glad I did get to reconnect with her and have some contact, but now I am disappointed she's gone. Shan, I hope you know we were thinking about you and we are glad we knew you.

Finding Thetas!!

OK, 14% of my pledge class has now reunited on Facebook. I'd love to get a bunch more of us on there - it's so much fun to catch up with each other, exchange photos etc. even though we are located all over the US. As you might know, the last few years I've been looking a lot for people and have found 20-30. Well it's time to go through the list and re-confirm contact information. Would be great to get everyone in one place so we can keep up. I don't think people want to stay hidden so much as they don't have warm fuzzies or time to set up on Facebook. I can tell you that I'm not getting tons of emails though either. Recently some LSU Thetas from the 90s had a reunion right in the same town I live in Dallas area! Dang youngsters, I was too old to join them, wouldn't have known them anyway. But if they could do it, we should be able to! That's why Facebook has been great. For those who are skittish, you only share the information you want to share, nothing if that's what you want. And it's only shared with people you approve. Well, I shall continue to find everyone just to say Hi and to let you know you're missed. : )

Wow! New Year! New President!

No, I haven't been asleep since Halloween - quite the contrary. Went with family to NYC for Christmas (yeah, it was flippin' cold) and I've got a new job at work (same employer) so I've been super busy... but I finally GRADUATED with my Bachelor's degree in December! I left LSU after 4 years and didn't ever finish a program. Texas A&M-Commerce has a Bachelor program with all-online classes, so I got that little chore done!! Can't believe I did that - took 2 years solid, every semester. Now I've got personal goals like re-learning web design and getting through a bunch of books. I've had great fun finding people through my Facebook profile-I'm up to 4 LSU Thetas that have reconnected with me there. I wish more of my 70s sisters were there! We'd have a great time posting photos and catching up. I don't get a lot of response from emails...are we all really too busy to drop a line every now and then? I am so happy to have found y'all - just want you to know I care about how you are doing. : )

Happy Halloween!

Question: Have you done the Time Warp?

Flashbacks...on a roll...

3 of us are strolling down memory lane...thought I'd bring out my most recent comment on the Flashbacks discussion up front here - feel free to add!

OK here are my picks for bests in BR while we were at LSU:

Gumbo: Ruby's
Pizza: Fleur de Lis
Gin & Tonics, Juke Box, secret place to eat in the back: Cotton Club
Sandwiches made by cute guys: Caterie

Y'all remember the old Ruby's? A dive under an overpass...walk in, almost totally dark, smoky from food...write your own ticket...Big Bertha burgers...

Quick! When I say these names, what do you think of:

Der Wienerschnitzel

Round the Corner

Kwik & Thick - what was the name of that milkshake place? Think I called it Kwik & Fat

Sans Souci

Flashbacks!

Wow, I've been stuck in the 70s lately, thanks to my vast mp3 collection of songs from that decade...maybe the Swiffer commercial out now playing "Baby Come Back" kicked it off? Never thought I'd see it played by a mariachi band! Here are some of my top music memories from the LSU era 1975-1979:

Helen B's record player (yes, I said record player) set to repeatedly play the soundtrack from "A Star is Born" with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson...basically providing the music in the house on Saturday afternoons while we got ready for the game/dates that night...

Cruising down Highland Road near dusk in a white '73 Cougar with the windows rolled down and "More Than a Feeling" blasting...

The juke box at Cotton Club playing "Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin, along with the Glenn Miller, Supremes and Beach Boys classics...($1 gin & tonics, anyone?)

I have NO idea what music was playing at the White Horse Tavern! My memories obscured...

"King Tut" by Steve Martin and "Shout"by Otis Day & the Knights...oh yeah, the Blues Brothers..."Shout" became the theme song for the toga parties we started to have from the Animal House movie. Hey, wasn't Animal House based on true stories from the DKE house??

I got more, people! Jump in!

Welcome friends!

Within the past year I've been lucky enough to contact many of my friends of Delta Kappa chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta at LSU!

Hopefully by creating this blog, we will have a fun and easy "gathering" place to find each other and share stories of our lives!

A special welcome to LSU Thetas from 1975-1979. Yeah, that includes me! I'd love to hear from you.

Lisa Smith
Pledge Class 1975