Home Sweet Home - Alumna Mabry Miller O'Donnell's visit to Gamma Zeta

Here at Gamma Zeta we were thrilled when one of our alumna reached out and wanted to come back to the chapter house and re-visit her old stomping grounds. As the saying goes, home is where the heart is. Our chapter advisor, Emily Hester, wanted to write a wonderful blog post about alumna Mabry O'Donnell's ('68) visit. We love to keep our tight relationships with each and every one of our alumnae, so we hope you enjoy this post just as much as we do!

- GZ

Home Sweet Home

Home is where the heart is. It’s never too late to come home. Home is where you lay your head. The idea of home is often associated with sorority life and the Delta Gamma house at LSU has been home to thousands of women since 1966. Recently, Gamma Zeta alumnae, Mabry Miller O’Donnell and her husband Jim, visited the Delta Gamma house. Mabry told us “I always told Jim we’d someday make it back to see my old campus.” As a college professor at Marietta College in Ohio, Mabry’s life has been spent on a college campus, but she had not made it back to the stately oaks and broad magnolias of LSU since she graduated in 1968. Finally last month, Mabry made it back for a visit to both the Gamma Zeta house and LSU.  As chapter officers toured Mabry around the Delta Gamma house, she recalled changes and memories of living in the house. She moved in the house the when it was first built in 1966. 

As we came to her old room, both our faces lit up as not only was Room 210 special to her, but it also has a big place in my heart. I lived in that room for 2 years and my sister Ellen had lived in during her time in the DG house. What an amazing connection to share with a DG sister, separated by more than three decades.

After tour of campus by a chapter officer who is also an LSU Ambassador, Molly North said, “I really enjoyed getting to meet Mabry and Jim and spending some time with them. It was a great experience and most definitely a wonderful connection to have! Mabry's beautiful smile from ear to ear made it all worthwhile; she couldn't have been happier!”

Of course we later received a thank you note from Mabry in which she said, 

“After driving 3,395 miles, we have returned home.  The highlight of our trip, of course, was meeting several of you, seeing the house for the first time in 45 years, and hearing of your beautiful productive lives as Delta Gammas at LSU.

A Malayan proverb states, "One can pay back the loan of gold, but one dies forever in debt to those who are kind." 


 My spouse had heard of Delta Gamma, its goals, our mission, and the wonderful sisters, and although he supported my words and passion, he is now a firm believer.  

Thank you for taking your time to meet us at the house, tour us through the house including seeing your rooms (which are much more charmingly decorated than they were when we first moved into the  house), walk us around the campus with a personable and knowledgeable guide, and provide transportation from the house to campus and back. I am proud to be your sister for you represent our ideals of friendship, education, and character.  We shall forever remember your kindness.”

It’s great to remember that it’s never too late to come home and Delta Gamma will always welcome you with open arms! The “do good” spirit is alive and well at Gamma Zeta and it’s always great to be reminded of those women who walked the halls of 4080 West Lakeshore Drive before you.

- Emily Burris Hester