DKG High Tea With Famous Women returns for 18th year

Feb. 15—PLATTSBURGH — Time travel is an option at Delta Kappa Gamma Society, Psi Chapter, 18th Annual High Tea with Famous Women.

After back-to-back cancellations due to COVID restrictions in 2020-21, the society revives this popular community event, which will take place on Saturday, March 25, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the Turnpike Wesleyan Church, located at 2224 Military Turnpike.

To encourage social distancing, there will only be eight tables available for guests this year, and masks are optional.

The society's mission is to promote professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education.

The event was founded in 2003 by Plattsburgh State University professor Janet Worthington.

"It's really quite a long tradition," Anne Bailey, a society member, said.

"The person who was the first coordinator, Janet Worthington, had the idea, and we're always looking for ways to raise money for our Delta Kappa Gamma scholarship. When Janet brought up the idea of the tea, everybody thought that would be great. I think we chose March because it's been designated as Women's History Month for quite a number of years. It falls well into the calendar for many people, sort of between seasons, winter and spring. This was a nice time of year to do it as well."

The scholarships are designated for young people who enter the field of education or a relate field like library science, certain counseling jobs, museum work, etc.

"Things that are either education or education related," Bailey said.

"The scholarship is given to people when they have a designated major in their junior or senior year or for graduate study."

The High Tea has attracted a diverse cast of celebs from the ages.

This year's famous ladies include Luella North, the first Clinton County Children's Court Judge portrayed by Helen Nerska; Eliza Mooers portrayed by Melissa Bistor-Cross: Mary Wollstonecraft, portrayed by Kerry Burdo, and Mary Shelley, the author of "Frankenstein," by her daughter Jode. Wollstonecraft was the actual mother of Shelley.

Also among the presenters are: "a mystery lady," portrayed by Katie Inhelder; Mary Anning, an early paleontologist, portrayed by Kristen Larkin; Mother Jones, a political activist, portrayed by Jane Otap; Betha Monette, portrayed by Pamela Boulrice; and Ida B. Wells, a skilled and courageous 19th century Black journalist who investigated and reported lynchings, portrayed by Jackie Madison.

The presenters, in period costume, circulate among the tea tables, recounting their lives.

"It's absolutely amazing the people we've portrayed," Bailey said.

"They have been from all walks of life, and they have been high born and low born. We've had quite a number of suffragist through the years. Of course, the Women's History Month really came out of the Suffragist Movement. I looked it up. It started when people said there should be a Women's Day. It was right around the turn of the 20th century when the suffragists were becoming more active. It's kind of related to the empowerment of women, and then the women that we portray are certainly very accomplished people and fearless, I would say."

Kerry Burdo, and her daughter, Jode, portray a mother and daughter.

"The mother is Mrs. Wollstonecraft who was the mother of Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein," Bailey said.

"That was a literary family in the first place. Mary Shelley was related to Byron."

In 2009, a Famous Man crashed the High Tea.

"That was Samuel de Champlain," Bailey said.

"He came to visit us as part of the quadricentennial. He had a great costume. The fun thing of that too was that the man who portrayed Champlain, David Graham, his wife came to portray Champlain's wife. Samuel de Champlain was a married man. His wife came to the New World after he did, so we had a husband and wife portraying a husband and wife and that was fun. That was good.

"We're happy to be at the Wesleyan Turnpike Church this year because there's good parking there. We are seating fewer because of COVID."

All proceeds from the Tea are donated to the DKG scholarship fund to support North Country students, in their higher education. Recipients must major in education or a related field.

Through the years, the DKG Tea With Famous Women has raised over $18,500 for scholarships for local college students.

Email: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com

Twitter@RobinCaudell