Much of the effort of the first year of Chapter status was spent in developing operational procedures. A monthly newsletter became a reality; chapter stationary was printed; Reavis Libraries were established in the John Peace Library at UTSA, Harlandale ISD, Northside ISD, Northeast ISD, and San Antonio ISD; and a recognition award to a lay person who had made outstanding contributions to public education became a yearly activity. The Chapter received recognition at the Biennial Conference in New York for the outstanding participation in the PDK Educational Foundation as a result of the efforts of Foundation Representative, Don Williams. The Historian's Book was established through the efforts of John Michel and UTSA PDK was off and running.
During the 1976-77 academic year, Wayne Laughery contacted the Area Coordinator, Lowell Bynum, and obtained the necessary information for organizing a new chapter. Faculty members who were PDK members were contacted and Lowell made a visit to UTSA to review procedures and requirement for chapter formation. By the spring of 1977, the necessary number of good-standing members had been identified and planning began for Charter Night in September. Fred Harvey had assumed the role of Area Coordinator in 1976, and he provided extensive assistance to the Club during the organizational phase. Charter night was held on September 13, 1977, with International Officers and Staff participating as 56 educators became charter members of the UTSA Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa.
Peg Langer assumed the Presidency of the Chapter during the summer of 1978 when the new President, Bert Heger, moved to Washington. Chapter activities and influence continued to grow under her capable leadership during the 1978-79 year. Membership expanded under the direction of Linda Anderson and officer role descriptions were refined as the Executive Board was enlarged. Programs became more interesting and vital as more members participated in the processes of the Chapter. Fastback author, Jack Frymier, visited the campus and made two presentations. The Area Coordinator continued to provide advice and support as the Chapter proceeded to meet the new chapter criteria for permanent charter.
At the election in April, 1979, Peg Langer was reelected President and continued to lead the Chapter for the 1979-80 year. Membership continued to grow and the Chapter hosted the two-year official visitation from International in September, 1979. While the timing of the two-year visitation did not permit the permanent charter to be presented at the Biennial Conference in St. Louis, the delegates were assured that the report was one of the best ever received on a new chapter, and that the permanent charter would be presented at the Area III Conference at Little Rock in 1980. A Chapter Membership Directory was developed and distributed in the fall of 1979, and the Orientation Handbook from which this history was derived became a reality in the spring of 1980. Participation in the PDK Educational Foundation continued strong and a committee to assist in promoting a doctoral program in education was established as an ongoing Chapter activity.
In April of 1980 local PDK members shared their homes with PDK members from the United Kingdom. At a chapter meeting/brunch at the St. Anthony Hotel, these visitors discussed the status of education and PDK in the United Kingdom; a tour of the historic landmarks in San Antonio followed the meeting.
In addition to directing the 1980-81 chapter activities, President Linda Anderson coordinated local efforts to join PDK International in its Diamond Jubilee celebration. The Chapter Newsletter included a special article each month in accordance with the International theme - Education: Our Heritage and Our Future. The Chapter sent 75 copies of the special Diamond Jubilee issue of the Kappan to various individuals and organizations throughout San Antonio; ten full gift subscriptions of the Kappan were also awarded. Richard Diem and Peg Langer were the Chapter's entries in the Outstanding Young Educators competition; Richard Diem was one of the 75 International winners in this Diamond Jubilee event. In celebration of receipt of our formal charter at the District Conference, each charter member was presented a Certificate of Recognition, and a bound volume of the Kappan was presented Wayne Laughery for his efforts to "conceive" our chapter. Nancy York served as Director of the 1980-81 service project - in a joint membership drive, we helped the Alumni Association identify former students of UTSA through review of various computerized data files.
Mike Michalski served as President of the 1981-82 year - a year of continuing change. In October, 1981, the membership voted to change the Chapter's name to the Alamo Chapter. UTSA could no longer register us as an official University organization because our membership was not limited to UTSA - affiliated individuals. Chapter meetings were held throughout the San Antonio area, were on varied days of the week, and they included more dinner meetings. At the Biennial Conference in Chicago our Chapter newsletter received two awards - Outstanding Coverage and Promotion of Educational Foundation Activities and Outstanding Regular Feature - "Ideas that Have Worked for Me.". We received a certificate for again achieving membership in the 20/20 Club of the PDK Educational Foundation.
1982-83 was a busy time for Linda Garcia, President and the rest of the Alamo Chapter. In November, we co-hosted the District III Conference at the San Antonio Marriott. At this Conference we were again given a Certificate of Participation in the 20/20 Club as well as the Outstanding Chapter Award in Area 3F. Quite a feat for a chapter just over five years old. Our service project was a donation of members' extra teaching supplies and unused materials to the Healey-Murphy Learning Center for underprivileged children in the inner-city area of San Antonio. The donation was well received by the staff of the school. At the awards banquet in the Spring, recognition was made to 10, 15, and 20 year members to Phi Delta Kappa from within our Chapter membership.
An outstanding accomplishment in the 1983-84 year leadership of President Virginia Rios was the recognition we received as a Chapter at the Biennial International Conference in Dallas in October when the Alamo Chapter was recognized as the Outstanding Chapter in District III according to the percentage of our members contributing to the PDK International Educational Foundation Fund.
Nancy Camp served as President for the 1984-85 year. In October, 1984, at the District III Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Alamo Chapter was recognized as a member of the 20/20 Club for the eighth consecutive year. Our Chapter was also commended as the Outstanding Chapter in Area 3F for the third consecutive year.
If you have contributions to our Chapter History from the year 1985 through the present, please contact us.
