Gamma Gamma Ray
Newsletter of the Gamma Gamma Chapter
Summer 2026
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
*Tuesday, August 11 – Executive Board meeting 10:00 am
*Thursday, September 10 – game night!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
*Our own Gamma Gamma sister, Dayna Prochaska, serves as the secretary for the Mental Health Board in the village of Palatine. We are pleased that the village of Palatine recognized May, 2026 as Mental Health Awareness Month. Kudos go out to Dayna and the rest of the Mental Health Board for all that they do to support mental health in the Village of Palatine.
Book Club News
*Here are the books that we are reading and discussing this summer. All meetings are on Zoom at 7:00.
June 23 Culpability by Bruce Hollsinger This is a suspenseful family drama about moral
responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence.
July 28 Saul and Patsy by Charles Baxter A young couple from the east coast settle in rural
Michigan. Their lives are upended when a troubled student of Saul’s commits an act
of violence at their home.
Aug 25 The Correspondent by Virginia Evans Through letters to various recipients, Sybil Van
Antwerp examines her life and confronts a painful past and navigates an uncertain
future.
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COMMITTEE REPORTING:
Society Business (Finance, Rules, Research)- Joan Gazdic
*The Society Business Committee is pleased to welcome Nancie Watkins as our new Chair for the next biennium. Her background in education and the business world (with technology knowledge!), as well as being a recent member of our Chapter Executive Board, will harmonize well with our experienced Society Business committee members. We look forward to the next biennium with the Chapter approved 2026 Revised Rules and a Tentative Proposed Budget.
*The Chapter budget will be finalized on June 30 when membership dues have been paid for 2026-27 and members have submitted any vouchers for 2025-26 expenses.
Membership – Madelynn Brossard
*The new chairperson for the Membership committee is Mary Wrobel.
*The annual meeting of the Membership committee will be Tuesday, June 9 at 10:00 am at Madelynn Brossard’s home.
Educational Excellence-Scholarship -Denise Pawelczyk
*The annual EE Committee meeting will be held Tuesday, June 2nd, via Zoom. Please reach out to me if you would like to attend, and have not received a Zoom invitation.
*Exciting news! Two of our future educators have shared with me that they are recipients of the IOTA chapter’s Wm. Chas. Iwert and Elizabeth J. Iwert Scholarship(s)! Congratulations to Reese Heyse and Lia DiGirolamo!!!
*I am happy to announce that one of our young educators, Jillian Mininni, was selected as the recipient of our Gamma Gamma Chapter Scholarship. She took a class this year on curriculum and instructional design.
*Sadly, no one applied for our Love of Learning Stipend. C’mon, Ladies! Take a class for fun next year, and apply!!!
Programs– Kris Beaudette/Marcy Dubinsky
*The programs committee met June 1 and has a great 26-27 year planned!
*Game night!: Thursday, September 10, 2026
Location: Prince of Peace Church NOTE: LOCATION CHANGE
Our early-career educators love this idea! Bring a game and/or have fun playing a game that someone else brings. We can have different tables, play different games, and people can either choose to learn a new game or play one that they know and love. People can also sign up to teach some newer games, e.g. 5 Crowns, Trios, Quirkle, etc.
Communication, Deb Hopp
*Summer is here, and the communication committee will be working on the yearbook/directory. If you have any changes in your information, please send it to Pat Rielly. These are the things you may need to update: any changes in address, phone number, cell phone number, email address, home address, where you work, your position at your job, and name change.
Linda Wright will be the new Communications Chair.
Service and Special Projects– Cindy Sheely
*Thanks to all who donated to the Kenneth Young Center last month. It is greatly appreciated!
*Dayna Prochaska will be the new chairperson of this committee.
*Our committee will be meeting on Monday, June 15 at 9:00 am on Zoom.
CARE TEAM NEWS:
Please contact Glenda Klein-Mali (and Rose Marie Mincey ) if you have any news for the Care Team. We also love to hear your good news and celebrations! Let us know what you would like shared with your Gamma Gamma sisters.
Many of our chapter sisters have health issues or other situations they are dealing with which prevent them from coming to meetings. If you haven’t heard from a Gamma Gamma sister in a while, please take a moment to call or email her. We can all do our part to check on our members and support them when they need us most.
To all our Gamma Gamma sisters, don’t forget to let us know if you need our support-
The Care Team
OPPORTUNITIES:
*To our Gamma Gamma members who are in need of Professional Development credits (PDs), check out the “What’s Happening in DKG Illinois the Week of…” that is forwarded from Bev Johns! There has been, and will continue to be, opportunities to acquire PD credits by Zooming in on some of the programs listed.
ROSE MARIE’S NOTES:
*This is my last newsletter as president. Thank you to all – especially the executive board – who helped keep the wheels moving this last 2 years. I look forward to what great programs are planned for next year! Have a wonderful summer everyone!
WEBSITES TO REMEMBER:
(Hold down control key and click to activate link)
Gamma Gamma chapter: http://www.gammagamma75.org
Illinois State Organization: http://www.deltakappagamma.org/IL
International: http://www.dkg.org
Zoom links for DKG-ISO programs: http://www.ilsozoom.weebly.com (Note: this is a change.)
http://www.YouTube.com. Subscribe to this channel: Delta Kappa Gamma, Illinois, Key Women Educators. Many/most of the slide shows from Zoom programs are saved to this channel. The Zoom sessions are not recorded, but the slides that the presenters used are all saved here, for your convenient viewing.
Facebook Pages to visit:
DKG-Gamma Gamma Chapter
DKG-Illinois Key Women Educators
The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International
DKG-ILSOWIACAR- This is the Facebook page for the Illinois State Organization Women in the Arts Creative Arts Retreat (virtual.)
Gamma Gamma Chapter 