NOTABLE NEIGHBOR : ‘Mom Meme’ rules UA sorority house
Posted on Sunday, May 11, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Northwest_Profiles/225450/
FAYETTEVILLE — Today, women of all stripes will be recognized and honored, but for few is the word “mother” more profound than it is for Evelyn McDonald.
Born on Mother’s Day in 1928, she has four children and 10 grandchildren. She’s also the house mother at the University of Arkansas’ Kappa Delta sorority house, where she tends to 60 or so women easily young enough to be her great-grandchildren.
They call her “Mom Meme” (pronounced mom me-ME ).
“She stays current with the trends, handles everything changing,” says junior Ryan Montalbo, 21. “She’s like the cool kid.”
The “cool kid” is known for kicking her legs high in the air — she calls them, simply, her “high kicks” — and for standing on the porch during rush, dancing, cheering and recruiting for the sorority. She is also known for emptying waste baskets in advance of the cleaning staff and for feeding the girls if the regular cook is sick or away.
In 2002, still working odd jobs as a housekeeper, McDonald responded to a newspaper ad for the house mother position. She was told her job would be “to be the adult in the house, see that the house is maintained, and that the food is nutritious and served properly.”
“Then, silly me, I opened my mouth, and I said, ‘Well, what disciplinary authority would I have for bed checks and curfews ?’ Well the room went wild. ‘Mrs. McDonald, we don’t have [curfews and bed checks ].’ They said, ‘We’ll let you know.’
“ When I drove in the garage the phone was ringing. They said, ‘You were who we were waiting for.’”
McDonald receives room and board and is also paid a salary. Without the girls, she wouldn’t have an outlet for her enthusiasm.
This latest role as “mother” is not without its disappointments. By her standards, she wants to treat the young women as she treated her daughters; she wants them to behave as her children did. They won’t. “I see things I wish they didn’t do, and I can’t control that,” she says. “It’s a pretty thankless job,” says junior Catie Huff, 21. “She comes from a different time and a different era, with different standards and manners — I’ve never felt judged, or [seen her ] look down her nose at me.” That’s because McDonald feels so fortunate herself, and she believes her girls have great potential. “I’ve been blessed with good health, good health. I try to instill that into the girls. ‘Girls, you’re only going to pass through here one time. Be good to yourself. Eat right. Go to bed and get yourself some sleep.’ “ And I tell them every day, ‘ Girls, get an education. Don’t just go to school. Listen. Learn, then apply it. ’” Notable Neighbor highlights the unusual accomplishments and contributions Northwest Arkansas residents make to the area. Suggestions can be e-mailed to
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