"Keepers of the Key"

[MRSMRS]

MRSMRS
Junior Member

Registered: Jul 2002
Location: California
Posts: 1

Keepers of the Key and NY Times Article:
I'm posting below my unpublished letter to the editor of the NY Times. It illustrates the need for caution in accepting as truth what we read in print. I have asked several attorneys how a mainline newspaper can print a fabricated story that has no corroboration. I am told that articles written by freelancers under a byline are legally viewed as "opinion" of the writer and protected as free speech by the First Amendment. Ms. Rosman was not required by her editor to show validation because what she "reported" was her opinion in a marketable form. I don't want to belabor my unpleasant experience, but I believe that readers should understand that this article is not factual. If you care to wade through them, I will also add some legitimate facts following the letter for your consideration as you choose.

Dear Editor:
Ms. Rosman's article "Oh, Brother (and Sister)..." in the August 11 Style Section goes beyond misrepresentation to outright deceit. I was made a focal point of the article, however Ms. Rosman has never personally met or interviewed me and knows virtually nothing about me. She characterized me based upon unfounded comments reportedly made in Ms. Rosman's presence, by anonymous participants with whom I have never had dialogue, at an event which I have never attended. Apparently that's what it took to sell her story. Some time ago, Ms. Rosman's husband used my assistance to buy a replacement pin on eBay for her mother's lost Kappa Kappa Gamma pin, and she learned of the growing competition on eBay to members of fraternal organizations seeking to buy back their own lost and stolen pins or replacements of the same vintage. The facts are: I do not engage in unpleasantries with eBay sellers, bidders or collectors. I spend less than an hour a week on eBay and, over the past 4-5 years, have purchased at most 14-15 pins for return to their owners, who reimbursed my costs. Few of the pins I have purchased on eBay cost more than $50-$100. The financial resources of serious pin collectors appear to exceed those available to us. Few members can afford to compete with collector-bidders to re-acquire their pins. Ms. Rosman's portrayal of me as an aggressive, hostile, "spying grandmother" was fabricated to market a story which would otherwise appear uninteresting. The true story lies in the accounts of women of all ages who have regained a sentimental treasure because of friendship. Ms. Rosman has done an injustice to the dozens of helpful members of Kappa Kappa Gamma and those of Phi Beta Kappa, P.E.O., Masons, other fraternal orders and the U. S. Armed Services who assist members and their families to retrieve personally identified property which is of sentimental significance. The NY Times should be embarrassed and ashamed to have engaged in such unprofessional reporting and owes me and other dedicated volunteers an apology.
--- Mary R. Silzel

Here are the facts:
1. "Keepers of the Key" is not a function or affiliate of Kappa Kappa Gamma, but a network of 30+/- individuals linked by collegiate or alumna membership in the organization. Members of many other fraternal groups maintain similar online networks.
2. Neither I nor officers of KKG sanctioned the article. Ms. Rosman, a member of KKG, was specifically asked and gave her assurance that the article did not reference me or KKG and was solely about the phenomenon of pin collecting.
3. The $17,000 referenced is a ballpark total spent by more than 100 members over a period of 5 years to buy back their own lost/stolen or replacement pins.
4. Philanthropic services have benefited from this effort. In appreciation, women who were assisted in the return or replacement of pins have made contributions to KKG Foundation which supports scholarships, women's health issues and rehabilitation services internationally. No fraternity or philanthropic funds are expended for the retrieval of pins.
5. I did not make the quoted statement concerning "exclusivity" - I am not certain I even grasp its meaning, however it sounds "snobbish" or "elitist," which I am not.
6. Members have been buying and returning pins for many years, for $10-$25 in pawn shops, flea markets, etc. where lost and stolen jewelry eventually appears. The advent of eBay and affluent collectors of GLO pins have inflated prices beyond what our members can afford to retrieve their lost/stolen pins.
7. The pins I have bought on eBay are returned to their original owners or their descendants. I have been reimbursed any cost to me. I have no sizable investment in Kappa pins. I own four pins, purchased for $12, $65, $75 and $290 - the latter from a collector who outbid me on eBay, then later offered me the pin (identical to my original lost pin) at a profit to him.
8. Keepers of the Key have returned pins to other GLOs and organizations besides KKG. I also try to rescue pins of Phi Beta Kappa (of which I am a member) and Sigma Chi (of which my husband is a member.)
9. We have found no evidence that members sell their pins. In every case of which I am aware, a pin sold on eBay left the hands of the owner or her family unwittingly. Based on my knowledge and experience, fraternal pins are lost, stolen, or sold in estate sales by family members unaware of the significance of the pin and policies regarding its return after death.

I hope this clarifies misrepresentations in the article. Keepers of the Key seek to maintain the pleasant relationship and mutual helpfulness we have always enjoyed with our friends in the Greek community who also try to preserve the integrity and heritage of their badges. I respect the organizations and individuals represented on the GreekChat site and appreciate the opportunity to add a factual perspective to the article. Thank you -

Mary R. Silzel