The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Nu Chapter#13 Area 7 Alpha State, Texas

Volume 21 No. 3 October, 2014 Hays & Blanco Counties

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International promotes professional
and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education.

Leading Women Educators Impacting Education Worldwide
Editor: Mary Nabers
mmbnab@gmail.com




Chapel of the Hills, Wimberley*
*(not San Marcos as scheduled)
6:00 pm, October 21
Program: Changes Are Coming!
Dr. Carole Buchanan, TRTA Legislative Chair
Initiation of New Members
Sandwich Supper by San Marcos Members

Changes are Coming (Healthcare)
By Charlotte Evans
Carol Buchanan, TRTA District XIII Legislative Chair will talk about what we are facing this
legislative session in regard to our healthcare crisis. Carol stays on the cutting edge of the
information that is coming out of the meetings between TRTA and the Legislative Budget
Board. When she speaks to us on October 21
st
, she will know what options are being
considered and will have the statistical data that is being used. Must-hear program!
paper, pens,
International President Lynn Schmid: 85 Years and Beyond:
Advancing Key Women Educators for Life

State President Nancy Newton: Expand the Vision: Educate, Inspire,
Encourage
Challenge: How can NU Chapter carry out these themes?
October: Bring Dollars for Scholars!
Program: ASTEF Purposes & Benefits
AREA 7 WORKSHOP
Eleven members attended Area 7 Workshop in Elgin on Sept. 13 in spite of the rainy day. It
was an informative meeting about current ideas in DKG, with a number of workshops on
chapter responsibilities, ASTEF piggy banks, and door prizes to choose from. The following
members made the
day: Barbara
Pevoto,TondaFrady,
Robin Estepp,
Loretta Eiben,
Charlotte Evans,
Sharon East, Sue
Lane
McCulley,NadyneGartman, Kathy Carriker, Mary Nabers, Carol Grimm, and Sandra Morales,
plus Marys friend Carol Rankin, a fellow Master Gardener and Firewise Specialist who served
as Marys projectionist.



Happy Birthday
14
th
Jenny Turney 16
th
--Earnestine
Kincaid
19
th
Pam Starr 20
th
Laverne Rydell


Every meeting will feature a birthday drawing. Must be
present to win! Sue Thompson won for September.


Straight from Sandra

Changes are Coming, the title of this months programa most apt one for this time of
year. Everyday, we witness changes in our hills as the trees go from lush greens to a riot of
yellows, reds, oranges and even browns. We feel the changes in the air as we trade our
sleeveless and short sleeve blouses for long sleeves or even light jackets. We experience the
days growing shorter as we once again duly change from Daylight Savings Time back to
Standard Time.

In a few weeks, we will see changes in our state government as citizens head out to the polls
to vote for our states leaders. Weve seen changes in TSOs reorganization of committees,
some now falling under the Educational Excellence umbrella. Have you visited the TSO
website to read about them?

In Nu, during recent months, we have made changes to our Chapter Rules, we have elected
new officers, and appointed new committee chairs and some of you are on committees new
to you. Weve experienced changes in our chapters membership as weve welcomed transfer
members, reinstated sisters, voted on potential members and we will initiate new members
this month. Exciting news for all.

Is change good? I think yes. It opens up our eyes to the growth around us. It makes us
appreciate the world we live in and it helps us value our families and friends--causing us to
sometimes see all in a new light or from a different angle. It helps us get out of our comfort
zone, by allowing us to experience ideas and events new to us.

Come to our October meeting (note location has changed from First Christian Church to the
Chapel in the Hills in Wimberley) and hear about the changes Dr. Carole Buchanan will speak
about concerning TRTA. Some changes could affect you. Will you be ready?

Sandra
Dues Are Due

PAYMENT OPTIONS
Associate member: $40 in one check made out to Nu Chapter
Active member: $83.00
A. One check payment of $83.00 made out to Nu Chapter
B. Two checks of $41.50 made out to Nu Chapter
C. Three checks of $27.67, $27.67, and $27.66. Two of the checks should be postdated for
October and November. All checks should be made out to Nu Chapter.


ALL DUES NEED TO BE PAID BY NOVEMBER 1st so Tonda can get her report turned in on time.
Dues may be paid at our regularly scheduled meetings or mailed to
Tonda L. Frady, P O Box 1992, Wimberley TX 78676
Evelyn Barron, ASTEF Presidentpresented
the September program, explaining Alpha State Texas
Educational Foundation and all the good works it does,
reminding us that we are all members of ASTEF, which
last year awarded $56,000 scholarship, $10,000 for chapter
project funding, $5,000 for educational stipends, and
provided leadership training for women in two different
ways. Evelyn posed with her Piggy before it circulated,
collecting pocket change for ASTEF.





Dr. Lori Assaf Wins ASTEF
Scholarship.
Members may recall that Dr. Assaf spoke to us last Oct.
about her reading program in South Africa.She was
nominated for DKG membership but was unable to accept
because of her return to South Africa

Nu Scholarship Changes:Do you have ideas about how
our Nu scholarship should be awarded? Send your ideas to Cheryl Blake, Scholarship Chairman

Gardenscape Invitation
A Blanco County Master Gardener event
GardenscapeFUNdamentals will be held at
the Blanco High School Ag. Dept., Oct. 11.
It will feature over 20 booths about what
you can do to improve your garden,
landscape, wildlife habitat, water
conservation. There will be all kinds of
plant information and plants and gardening
equipment for sale. There will be seminars
on butterflies, birding, pruning trees and
shrubs, and night sky preservation. There
will be demonstrations at many booths. Put
the date on your calendar and come to
Blanco Oct. 11 from 9-4 for FUN and
information about what you can do with
your landscape.

Medical Report?
Sandra read of a study by a major US
hospital that says women who are
overweight are likely to live 80% longer
than the men who tell them about it. Ha!
.
Membership
By Evelyn Barrett
Hip, Hip, Hooray!! How does the possibility
of initiating five new members sound? I
think it sounds great. Of course, we have a
way to go before that can happenfor
example the nominees have to accept our
invitation. However, having the possibility
is wonderful. We are still planning to have
the initiation at our October 21st meeting,
which will be at Chapel in the Hills. I hope
we can have as many members then as we
did at the September meeting.
Here is something that I want to paraphrase
and share from the state membership
newsletter:
MEMBERSHIP MOMENT
There are five species of Bluebonnets and they are
beautiful to behold. When they bloom they are
gorgeous and as they die out their seeds are spread
around so that when winter comes they grow a
heavy root system and a sturdy plant is developed
to produce an abundance of Spring flowers.

Like the 5 species of bluebonnets, there are five
generation that just might be in our chapters.
Traditionalists (1930- 1945)
Baby Boomers (1946- 1964)
Generation X (1965- 1976)
Millennials (1977-1990)
Generation Y (1991- )
We need to discover what each of these
generations have in common and be able to
work together.

From my perspective we in Nu have done a
pretty good job of finding common ground
and working together.
I hope to see many of you at the October
21
st
meeting at Chapel in the Hills,
Wimberley.




Evelyn gives nominee Gracie Rocha, who visited
the meeting in Sept., one of the Nu Chapter
brochures.



















We welcomed
Transfer Diane
Graeber(left)
to Nu Chapter
in September.






TwoNew Members

In addition to Diane Graeber, who is
transferring, Virginia Williams will be
reinstated into DKG as a Nu member.
Make these wonderful women welcome!

Meet the Nominees
By Evelyn Barrett
Orientation is scheduled for October 11,
2014 at the Wimberley library from 1-4pm.
Please, all sponsors, plan to attend with
your nominee. Its more of that personal
touch that we are striving for. The following
is the list of nominees and some info.

Dr. Barbara Davis is currently professor
of elementary education, Texas State
University. She has spent 40+ years in
education most involving reading and
writing. Her previous experience is
teaching in the San Marcos CISD. Barbara
has numerous scholarly publications.
Sponsor--Charlotte Evans.

Lisa Jones is a math teacher with 16 years
experience. She is not working this
semester because she and her family had to
relocate in August, 2014, in order for her
husbands commute to be reasonable. Her
teaching experience is in the Round Rock
ISD where she taught math courses from
the remedial level to calculus. Her first love
in subject matter is geometry. She has
been recognized by her district because the
majority of her students passed the state
mandated testseven those who were in
remediation.
Sponsor--Evelyn Barrett

Monica Primrose is a retired elementary
teacher, who taught for more than 30
years. At this point she is a Weight Watcher
leader who lives in Kyle and is active in her
church. Sponsor--Diane Graeber


Gracie Rocha is a bilingual specialist who
is currently supervising student teachers for
Texas State University. Her public school
teaching experience is with the Hays ISD.
She also has worked as a bilingual specialist
for Region XIII Education Service Center.
SponsorSandra Morales.

Cindy Mayen-Talcott was a teacher of
Emotionally Disturbed Special Education
students beginning in 1976. She began
serving as a School Psychologist in Houston
in 1981. She retired in 2007 from the
University of Texas, University Charter
School, Austin, with 29 years of experience.
At this time she contracts with school
districts for assessment, direct speech
therapy services, and supervises SLP-
Assistants and Trinity University School
Psychology students in the public schools.

Our Sympathy
Nu chapter extends sympathy to Catherine Davis,
past state president, on the death of her husband
George. The duties of a state president carry with
them duties for her husband, and George Davis
was a faithful DKG spouse.

Looking Ahead
November: Bring something you picked up
in your travels and auction item.

January: Bring dessert and wrapped
presents to the Tri-County Luncheon, which
we host.

February: Honor all former presidents in the
chapter and women who have had the
courage to go to the womens shelter. Bring
items for the shelter.
April: Wear hats and gloves to the meeting
to remember all Nu Chapters founders and
birthday.
Ceremonies: Our Commitments and
Remembrances
By Kathy Carriker, Ceremonies Chair

From the beginning of Delta Kappa
Gamma Society International in 1929,
ceremonies have played an important role
in each chapter.
The early ceremonies were very
secretive within the membership. Gloves,
hats, a special dress, nylon stockings and
heels had to be worn for these meetings. I
imagine hats were also included as well.
Looking back through the Nu
ceremonial folders I find that many hours of
planning and even some rehearsals were
performed to get each ceremony perfect.
Though our manner of dress has
changed, as has the wording of the
ceremonies, Nu Chapter takes the Delta
Kappa Gamma ceremonies very seriously.
As we begin a new biennium, we are
fortunate to have five new members
coming into our chapter. They will go
through a Delta Kappa Gamma Society
International Orientation before they are
initiated.
The Initiation Ceremony welcomes
diverse women educators into Nu. They
have been chosen for their leadership roles
in education and in their community.
Courage, loyalty, learning, and
perseverance are values that represent our
Society. The Initiation Ceremony celebrates
the commitment each of us makes to the
Society and its seven purposes.
Our other ceremonies include our
Installation of Officers, which occurs every
other year in even numbered years; a
Recommitment Ceremony for members to
recommit to the purposes of Delta Kappa
Gamma; and a Necrology Ceremony to
honor those chapter members who have
passed during the year.
Through our ceremonies our Society
is linked around the world as one Delta
Kappa Gamma Society International.



You Have to Have A Permission Slip!
Many of you have returned your signed permission slips to allow us to use your photographs in
Nu chapter publications and other DKG publications. If you have not done so already, please
return it to me. You can save it as a pdf document that allows you to sign it and email it back, or
you may print it and mail it to Mary Nabers, PO Box 40, Blanco 78606.
Nadyne, Susan, and Mary thank you.


TRI-County Social in January
Alpha State President Nancy Newtonwill be our guest at the Tri-County
Social, a luncheon which we will host in San Marcos. Plans are underway to
invite members of an additional chapter as well as Theta Kappa in Seguin
and Alpha Theta in New Braunfels, with whom we meet every year.
Saturday, January 17, 2015 will be a special event catered by Our Lady of
the Lunch with all Nu members acting as hostesses. More later!
Book Review
By Mary Nabers

The Things They Carried
By Tim OBrien
Forty-three years old, and the
war occurred half a life-time ago, and yet the
remembering makes it now. And sometimes
remembering will lead to a story which makes it
forever. Stories are for joining the past to the
future. Stories are for eternity, when memory is
erased, when there is nothing to remember except
the story.
Despite the grim experiences Tim OBrien
recounts in this reality based fictional account of
the Viet Nam war, The Things They Carried is a
must-read. What grunts carried with them, or
humped along the jungle trails and through
mountain passes included the accoutrements of
war: rifles, ammunition, rations, canteens,
specialty weapons or radio equipment, all weighing
them down by 20-30 pounds. In addition they
carried personal items relating to health, luck, or
love, what they carried reflecting who they were.
Additionally, some carried emotional burdens of
guilt or fear.
OBrien himself is one of the combat
infantrymen, and where truth leaves off and fiction
begins is a question. In reality, though, whether an
episode actually happened to one particular
character doesnt matter in the long run: All the
stories represent the truth of Viet Nam.
OBrien begins with receiving his draft
notice and his inner struggle about whether to go
to a war he did not believe in or to escape to
Canada. In the end, he is inducted, but he
struggles with whether his decision reflects
courage or cowardice.
In Vietnam, young men become acclimated
to a war they do not understand in a culture they
do not understand following orders that do not
particularly seem to get them anywhere. They
participate in patrols, ambushes, barrages, and fire
fights and see the deaths of Vietnamese people of
all ages as well as watching some of their comrades
die. They often act callous, immune to the
situation, reacting with dark humor even in the
face of death because they cannot afford to
become unraveled by death and despair if they
want to survive.
Tim OBrien writes so beautifully that even
those of us who never experienced war can
understand how some unfathomable things
happened. Through stark description and
repetition, without getting emotionally involved,
OBrien makes us feel an inkling of what he and
other young men felt.
And in the end, of course, a true war story
is never about war. Its about sunlight. Its about
the special way that dawn spreads out on a river
when you know you must cross the river and march
into the mountains and do things you are afraid to
do. Its about love and memory. Its about sorrow.
Its about sisters who never write back and people
who never listen.
The Viet Nam War is what veterans carried
then and what they still, to varying degrees, carry
now.

Veterans Day Ceremony
Cheryl Blake
All Veterans and Veterans' spouses are invited to join the faculty, staff, & students of
Goodnight Middle School at their annual Veterans' Day Ceremony on November 11. We will serve
breakfast at 7:45a.m in our library and then move to the gym at 8:20 to entertain you.
Entertainment will be provided by our students and special guest appearance by the Horizon
Bay's Kitchen Band with a patriotic medley. We would love to show you how much we appreciate
your service to our country. Please contact Cheryl Blake if you would like to join us.
(Cheryl.blake@smcisd.net or 512-754-1083
SPOTLIGHT:
NadyneGartman
By Connie Brooks
Nadyne was born in
Brownsboro, Texas, but
spent a large part of her
early youth in the Dallas
area. During World War
II, when all the men were
gone, her extended
family lived together in a
big two-story house. The
grandparents watched Nadyne, her two brothers,
and her male cousins while her mother and aunts
were busy in the war effort. The love and friendship
among Nadyne and her gang of boys endured until
the last of them passed away last week.
Nadyne married before she finished high
school. When she was twenty-nine and her three
children were in school, she completed both her
high school and college degrees in three and a half
years at the University of the Southwest, Hobbs,
New Mexico. Since no one told Nadyne that you
don't have to keep attending school after getting
your degree, she went on to attend four other
universities in New Mexico and UT at Tyler.
When Nadyne's husband injured his back in
the oil industry, they "bought a farm" and moved to
Athens, Texas. Nadyne intended to retire and do
some traveling. Instead, in the summer of 1978, the
Gartmans became "parents" to two grandchildren
who needed to attend school. The principal asked
Nadyne to substitute teach, and when she declined,
he asked her to visit a fifth-grade class. When she
walked into the classroom, she spotted the teacher
at the back of the room behind fifth-graders who
were bigger than she was. Nadyne started work the
next week. In her third year in Athens, the powers-
that-be discovered that she had several hours in
gifted/talented education, so she once more was
promoted--this time to 7-8 GT English.
Later Nadyne worked in a Christian school
in Ruidoso, New Mexico, where she not only
taught, but was an administrator for four years, then
finished her career in Texas.
Upon retiring for the second time, Nadyne
enjoyed traveling until her husband could no longer
do so. She loves computers, especially working
with websites. She loves books and has been
instrumental in starting several church libraries,
including the one in the First Baptist Church in
Kyle.
Nadyne has been married to the biggest fan of her
DKG work for 64 years. She loves the sisterhood
and the collegiality of DKG. She was invited to
membership in Lambda in 1977 in Eunice, New
Mexico. In Athens, she immediately moved her
membership to Epsilon Epsilon, where she became
president in 1980. In 1981, Nadyne moved back to
New Mexico and joined Alpha, traveling almost
eighty miles to Roswell to attend meetings. Upon
returning to Athens in 1988, she went back to
Epsilon Epsilon and served as president in 1990.
When Nadyne moved to Hobbs, New
Mexico in 2000, she became involved in the local
Lambda chapter (Pres.), and state, and international.
She attended her first Southwest Regional
Conference in Albuquerque and has attended every
state, SW regional, and international convention
until this year. Nadyne served as the state president
of the New Mexico DKG during the 2007-2009
biennium and was awarded the State Achievement
Award in 2010.
Nadyne loves Delta Kappa Gamma.


From
President
Sandra:
Dear Sisters,
Robin Estepp
and I visited all
the schools in
San Marcos
and the high
school in
Wimberley. We took letters of congratulations to
the TeacheroftheYear at each campus and/or the
recipient of the LifetimeAchievementAward and
the TRTAAward. We also handed out the new tri-
fold brochure Membership Chair Evelyn Barrett
prepared for Nu Chapter this summer. We were
fortunate to meet four of the ladies and visited
with them for awhile. We also found that two
others had moved away from the city and one had
retired. The school secretaries said they would
place the information in the others mailboxes for
us.

If you happen to know any of these ladies (perhaps
even work with them) wont you please take the
time to follow up on our initial contact with them
and invite them to a meeting? As Evelyn
mentioned this month, in her article in
TheNusLetter, A personal touch is important.

The names of these outstanding ladies follow. And,
if you happen to know of anyone in Hays ISD,
Blanco, Dripping Springs, Johnson City (or any other
town in which we have members) who was also
named a TeacheroftheYear, wont you please notify
Evelyn Barrett and/or her committee members,
Robin Estepp and Jenny Turney? They would love
to give those ladies a chance to hear all about us.

Denise Jackson, Wimberley High School
Angie Lassitter, DeZavala Elementary
Rebecca Montalvo, Bowie Elementary
Sara Torres, Travis Elementary

One who retired:
Katherine Turner, Mendez Elementary

Others:
Connie Bagley, Crockett Elementary
Georgina Courtney, Miller Middle School
Yolanda Diaz, San Marcos High School
Emily Madeley, Phoenix
Melba Smith, Hernandez Elementary
Norma Ybarra, Goodnight Middle School

Ones who moved away:
Pamela Smith, DeZavala Elementary
Allison Verschueren, Crockett Elementary




Connie Bagley, HEB Teacher of thYear, visited our
Sept. meeting.
She has expressed
interest in
becoming a
member of Nu
Chapter, DKG. We
hope she will visit us
again.

Member News
Nadyne Gartmans brother, Sam Grissom, has passed away. We extend our
sympathy to you, Nadyne.
DKG nominee Lisa Jones is Evelyn Barretts daughter.
Be sure to note Sharon Easts new address in the yearbook.
Henrietta Smith had the pleasure of keeping her twin granddaughters and then her toddler grandson.

See you in Wimberley at Chapel of the Hills at 6:00 on the 21
st
.
Dr. Carole Buchanan will give us the scoop on Legislation
that will impact teachers and retirees. This is a must
hear program! No TrickAll Treat!
We will also initiate FIVE new members and greet a newly reinstated member--
NU is growing by leaps and bounds!

*All graphics from Microsoft Clip Art, Google Images, or DKG webfile