Omega Chapters: Merrily Shaw

bacalapristi
Jan 20
3 min read

When you take a boat to Pullman

From a young age, Merrily Shaw MC61 saw the world from a global lens. To attend WSU, she took a train from Berlin to the port, cruised across the ocean, flew to SEA-TAC from NYC, and drove to glorious Pullman, WA.

Unfortunately, her introduction to the USA was a bit painful. On the final day of the voyage from Europe, Merrily innocently played cards for hours on the ship deck with the other young ladies on board. As the iconic view of New York Harbor came into view, she realized she just earned the worst sunburn of her life. Whoops.

As the daughter of a military family, Merrily was fortunate to attend and graduate high school in Berlin, Germany. Her Alpha Phi aunt highly recommended that Merrily attend rush at Washington State. The chapter obtained a recommendation for Merrily to AXO from the WSU Track Coach’s wife. Merrily slipped seamlessly into sorority life and campus life.

What light through yonder window breaks?

Merrily loved being an Alpha Chi and meeting women with diverse backgrounds. Many became friends of 60 years or more. At school, she was active in the theatre and landed the Juliet role in Romanoff & Juliet. Yes — Romanoff. It was a tale of two houses — one from Russia and the other from America.

Musical Magic

The big, new house at 735 NE Monroe Street was the perfect place to hold formal dances or to host serenades of newly pinned or engaged sisters. During the holidays, the piano was a popular entertainment. Merrily remembers her sister, who ended up getting a PhD in Music, playing “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams…” which made her miss her family in Germany.

AXO Rules and WSU Rules

Lunches and dinners were formal and tasty. The House Mother would attend all meals and instruct the ladies on good table manners. Also, the House Mother ensured that all the sisters were home by the 10:00 PM curfew. This gave them plenty of time to set their hair in wire brush rollers and get a good night’s rest.

Outside of the chapter house, the sisters enjoyed trips to a downtown bakery that made the world’s best chocolate eclairs. Football games were a good time but don’t even think about wearing jeans. Women were not allowed to wear slacks on campus. No matter the weather or the event!

Which led me to ask Merrily - Did you ever go to The Coug? She laughed immediately and said “I think we played cards there sometimes. Yes, I think that’s what we did”.

The Global Lens

Merrily earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Anthropology at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL and quickly started her career in what is now known as Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security group at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This team faced issues surrounding peace and security head-on with an emphasis on tension reduction.

As a Business Administrator, Merrily wore many hats including editor, budget specialist, grant specialist, and graduate student confidante. It was a job she would hold during the Cold War, NATO expansion, UN reforms, and the rise of China as the second-largest world power.

Volunteerism

Alongside her full-time job, Merrily dedicated much of her life to volunteering and continues to volunteer, focusing on women's empowerment, child support, and programs for preventing and supporting victims of domestic violence.

In Flagstaff, she enjoys volunteering at the non-profit, all volunteer Cedar Closet where all funds are directed to assisting the underserved in the Flagstaff community – from school children, victims of domestic violence, displaced and unsheltered people/families, veterans, and individuals in difficult situations.

Retirement

Today, Merrily enjoys alpine scenery in Flagstaff, AZ and the college town energy when she is not traveling or volunteering. She visited her pledge trainer, Judy Saunders Fletcher, in nearby Kanab, Utah. She rode camels by the pyramids in Egypt. Soon she'll be hopping on a plane to see her sister in Florida.

Merrily - We are proud to call you Sister!

Omega Chapters is a Blog series from your Alum sisters at Sigma Psi Sigma. There are countless chapters we experience throughout our lives and sharing our experiences is a great way to relate to each other. To be clear: No toxic positivity allowed and no humble brags. Shameless brags are perfectly fine! The goal is to connect and inspire.