Delta Pi Delta members meet at the Glenview in Naples

For the final meeting of the 2013-2014 year, members of Delta Pi Delta met at the Glenview at Pelican Bay in Naples, Florida. Arlene “Scottie” Flatley was our hostess. In honor of Phyllis Verrone and her fiancé, John Lampman, members planned a little surprise by providing Phyllis and John with their best recipes and handy kitchen utensils in time for their marriage on June 7 of next month. Phyllis promptly gave John the recipes. Members also got to serenade Phyllis and John with the Alpha Chi “Sweetheart Song,” an AX song we don’t get the opportunity to sing very often. 

Our special guest presenter was Jeanne Bradley, who was the Executive Director of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in Washington, D.C., from 1979 to 1991. Jeanne regaled us with stories about raising funds for MS while rubbing elbows with the rich, the famous, the powerful and the influential. Jeanne brought along some interesting mementoes of her days in Washington, including photos of herself with easily recognizable personalities. Jeanne was quite a good story-teller, and she was quite a good fund-raiser, too, having raised more than 35 million dollars while she was at the head of the MS Society. She now lives in a retirement community in Naples, Florida. 

After the meeting, Scottie, who lives at the Glenview, invited everyone to come up and  take in the panoramic views from her high-rise penthouse apartment.

Fresh orchids, fancy flower-motif napkins and the Alpha Chi lyre

The orchid bouquet

Fran, Shirley, Alycia and Brenda and more fresh flowers in the centerpiece

Donna, Darlene, Jane and Denny

Barbara, Carolyn and Rosemary

Jackie, Nancy, Sue and Betty

Sandi and Ann, AX alums from Purdue, who have only recently become acquainted with each other

Doris and Anne

Scottie and Jean, and Allison and Jeanne, our Guest Presenter

Fashionista Allison, in floral jeans we all wish we could wear as well as she does

Lyndy, John and Phyllis

Brier was our waitress. She is also an Alpha Chi in her junior year at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, located in central Florida

John and Phyllis during the Sweetheart Serenade

Surprise gifts for Phyllis and John

Our lunch, a chicken-mushroom crepe with fruit and a wheat berry side serving. The dessert was a chocolate ice cream/brownie concoction to die for.

Jeanne Bradley at the mic

The audience greatly enjoyed Jeanne’s anecdotes about life in our capital.

Jeanne Bradley

Jeanne’s mementoes
The vase behind the photos contains freshly-picked gardenias, whose smell was glorious. Shirley brought each member a gardenia as well.

The Social List of Washington, D.C., “the Green Book,” lists the most prominent Washingtonians from the ranks of business, law, government, philanthropy, technology, and more. It has been published by four generations of the same family since 1930. Selection to the book is by invitation only; however, nominees require a second sponsor and are subject to approval by The Green Book Governing Board. I never knew a list like this existed, much less was published annually.

Frank Sinatra and Jeanne in the center of the pic

Barbara Bush and Jeanne

Elizabeth Taylor on the left and Jeanne on the right

Jeanne on the far left and Rosalynn Carter in the center

Zsa Zsa Gabor looks stunning in this photo with Jeanne.