Nancy Gettinger
Transferring her membership from the Sullivan Tri Kappa chapter to Bloomington’s Alpha chapter was the best thing Nancy Gettinger could have done after retiring to a new town.
“My Pi Beta Phi sorority mom, Martha Moore, took me to my first meeting, and I was hooked,” Nancy says. “When I walked into my second meeting, Angie Martin and Aggie Sarkissian were waving me over to sit with them. They are two of my very best friends all these years later.”
Nancy was born and raised in Sullivan. She comes from quite a Tri Kappa sisterhood as her grandmother, mother and daughter are all Tri Kappas also. Following college at Indiana University, Nancy went back to Sullivan to run her family’s newspaper. She persuaded her husband, Tom, to join her in the endeavor shortly before their first child was born. They ran the newspaper until their retirement in 2011. Along the way, all three of their children, Ben, Elizabeth and Aaron, wrote for the family business. Today, Aaron has followed in her footsteps as a newspaper reporter in Chicago.
“I was so lucky to fall in with such a great group of women in my retirement,” Nancy says. “Right away I served as recording secretary for the Alpha chapter. I tried to learn everyone’s names during roll call, which really wasn’t that easy!”
In fact, Nancy has served in every Tri Kappa office. During her year as president of the Sullivan chapter, she even had an “oops” baby in December.
“That was back in the day when new members still did skits,” Nancy laughs. “They were really happy ribbing me about my unexpected pregnancy.”
Nancy says Blingo is her favorite Tri Kappa activity, and she really enjoys writing the feature articles on her sisters for the Tri Kappa website.
“I get to ‘hog’ everyone for a short bit of time,” Nancy says. “That way, I feel like I really get to know everyone in our group.”
More About Nancy:
Has been to all 50 states
Reads classic novels
Has two very-loved grandchildren: Claire and Jack
Is still obsessed with the television show “Lost”
Serves on the Pi Beta Phi alumnae council – she does recruitment!