50+ year alumni/ae members

DGMarie · #1 10-26-2003, 11:54 PM

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AlphaSigOU · #2 10-27-2003, 01:06 PM

If the fraternity or sorority offers a special pin or certificate for membership milestones (usually 25, 50 and 75 years), it would be nice to have the chapter invite the honorees to a dinner or meeting to formally present the award if they are physically able to do so. (This is commonly done for Masonic and Eastern Star membership milestones.)

Here's one example of a 50-year congratulatory letter. Tweak this as necessary for your awards.

(date)

(full name and address of member)

Dear Sister,

On behalf of the (chapter or the alumni association name), please accept our congratulations on being a member for (length of years). Our association is 'not just for college days alone' but a lifelong commitment that many cherish.

In token of your long and faithful service to the fraternity, we would like to present your milestone award at a special meeting of the chapter. (Give dates and other details). If you are unable to attend, please let us know and we can make other arrangements to present your award.

May this award be a constant reminder of the bonds of our Fraternity you have loved for (number of years)

(fraternal salutation)

(name and office of alum)

DGMarie · #3 10-27-2003, 02:36 PM

thanks! I can tweak it too!

Senusret I · #4 11-09-2003, 01:25 PM

I'm still new to my chapter, but I do know that we have banquets and receptions every so often for the 50 year brothers. We also ask them to stand and be recognized at our public events.

DGMarie · #5 11-09-2003, 02:05 PM

We do as well. We honor them at Founders Day and give them a gold rose pin and a cream rose flower for those who attend.

GPhiBLtColonel · #6 11-16-2003, 06:36 PM

We have a beautiful gold Gamma Phi Beta 50-year membership stick pin that our sorority sends to the alum chapter presenting it to the 50-year member -- it comes with a very nice letter from the International President too. We here in our local chapter give the recipient a bouquet of our flower -- pink carnations -- and we give her a gift basket or gift bag full of Gamma Phi themed goodies (note cards, candles, frame, jewelry, bottle of wine with a crescent moon on the label!, etc) too -- we just did this last week and we had a 50 year member last year too...both women LOVED what we did! This year, the recipient brought her yearbook and paddle and 1 few other mementoes from her "era" -- we all loved looking at them -- perhaps you can ask your 50-year members to bring their memenoes and display them on a table for all to see (if you do a luncheon or dinner)....

DGMarie · #7 11-16-2003, 07:34 PM

But do you do this for all 50 yr members or only your dues paying members? We only have two members who are dues paying and about 8 this year who are not. We can't afford to send the pin to everyone. Only if they come to Founders Day. But they all get a nice letter from EO and the chapter.

GPhiBLtColonel · #8 11-16-2003, 08:04 PM

Our alum chapter is small (about 20-24 dues paid members) and it just so happens that three 50-year members we have had (includes this latest one) are all also dues paid members. Our Headquarters sends the 50 year stick pin(s) to the alum chapters who acknowledge they will present it to the member(s) -- I believe there is no charge for the pin or maybe a minimal charge. Dues paid or not doesn't matter to our alum chapter or to too many other alum chapters that I am aware of....in fact our 2nd 50-year member became a dues paid member AND went to her first convention since she was a collegian (we were roomies and had a BLAST!) after we gave her her 50 yr pin! She had been getting our newsletters all along and kept meaning to get involved and just never got around to it -- her aged mom had been sick (she is now passed away) and she was busy tending to her in Florida (we are in GA) so her schedule was hectic. She happened to be here in town when I called to see if she could come to Founders Day to receive her pin (I was alum chapter Pres at the time) AND she was also going to be in town when Founders day occurred! Very fortuitous! Our first 50 year member had actually been a member for almost 60 years when our alum chapter got started and she had never been involved at all since college....until I called her! We surprised her at one meeting with her 50 year pin and she was THRILLED!! She is one of our most stalwart members even though she is 80 years old! She comes to nearly all our meetings/events and drives herself! She was just at our recent Founders day, wearing her 50 year stick pin proudly! And we even had one collegiate there too -- wide age span of sisters
-- very heartwarming example of sisterhood!

Are ya'll's 50 year pins very expensive? If they aren't, I would do whatever it took to get them for the women -- dues paid or not -- you may get these valuable older sisters involved again and even if you don't, just the act of getting them their pin will mean so much -- to them and esp to younger DG alums who witness the ceremony etc.

DGMarie · #9 11-16-2003, 09:23 PM

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GPhiBLtColonel · #10 11-17-2003, 02:43 AM

Random remembrance....

When I first started the alum Panhel association here, there was one DG who became a charter member (there are not too many DGs in this area so I was thrilled to have her represent DG!) and she called me on the phone to say she was happy we had gotten an alum Panhel group started but she was in poor health and probably would not be able to attend...I told her I would be happy to come get her if she wanted but she declined...we did have several good phone conversations though because I would always call before an event to see if she wanted to come. She shared some special sorority memories from her college days -- she went to Penn State as I recall. She passed away last November and I am sad that I never met her in person -- but I know she enjoyed talking with me and I enjoyed talking with her.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do -- I know every case is different...I feel fortunate that we have three 50-year (or more) members who are active in our group...they really add something special....