Mary Jane Hall
Laughter is what Mary Jane Hall loves about Tri Kappa.
“I never get together with Tri Kappas when I don’t just laugh and have great companionship,” MJ says. “I treasure it.”
Raised in Rockford, Ill., Mary Jane arrived in Indiana to further her education at DePauw University and traveled a circuitous route to get back to the Hoosier state.
After college, she worked her way up in the Marshall Field’s department store chain in Chicagoland. Along the way, she met her husband, Bob, while volunteering for Jim Thompson’s first campaign for governor of Illinois.
Bob, a Bedford native, moved around a lot with his job. After raising their sons, Chip and John, in Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Iowa, the Halls came back to Indiana in 2003.
And MJ was ready for a new career.
“I’d done so much moving, I empathized with buyers and sellers,” MJ said about her decision to take the real-estate sales course. She now works for FC Tucker here in Btown.
It was a move she’s never regretted.
“After Chicago, Bloomington is my favorite place to live,” MJ chuckles. “I’m a gardener, and it’s a different plant zone here.”
So why did she decide to join Tri Kappa after so many years in Bloomington?
“My friend Nancy encouraged me to join, and I was really delighted with the idea of being included in a group of women who were multi-generational with a focus on community wellness,” Mary Jane says.
MJ loves Tri Kappa so much she has invited several women to join, including current President Trish Smith.
“You know, it’s funny,” MJ says. “Trish asked me about Tri Kappa after I posted about selling cheeseballs and said she was interested. I knew she knew everybody in town and that she would be a great and enthusiastic person to have in the group.”
MJ has to admit that cheeseball-prep is her favorite Tri Kappa activity.
“I love cheeseball day!” MJ says. “I love making cheeseballs, and I am devastated when I can’t be there. We benefit our organization and the community that day.
“And we have so much fun doing it!”
More About Mary Jane:
Only Child
Avid Gardener
Pi Beta Phi alum
Has never missed voting in an election
Bloomington Board of Realtors president 2019