Iowa State University


Inside Iowa State
October 6, 2000

'Mom' turns house into a home

by Debra Gibson
Imagine going home to 45 kids every night.

Make that 45 young men, ages 18 to 22, who are away from their "real" homes for the first time in their lives.

While some may find working overtime a more palatable alternative to facing that at dinner each night, Sandi Kellen literally beams when talking about her "boys." By day, she's a secretary in the College of Agriculture. But after 5, she transforms into "Mom" for ISU students residing at Sigma Pi fraternity.

Kellen has served as the fraternity's housemother since its reestablishment on campus in 1992. (Sigma Pi folded its original chapter on campus in the 1970s.) She became intrigued with the idea when a former co-worker decided to reinstate the fraternity at ISU. He was looking for a responsible role model for the men; she saw an opportunity to fulfill a dream that had begun nearly 30 years earlier.

"My inspiration was Ann Thalke, who was the Beta Sig housemom here on campus back in the 1960s," Kellen explained. "Ann was my pastor's mother, and it was obvious she enjoyed her life so much. I decided that when I grew up, that's what I would do."

Those growing-up years weren't without adversity. Kellen, a State Center native, had been married just over a year when her husband, Dan, was killed in a plane crash in 1967. She was left, at age 23, to raise an infant son.

She worked as a secretary for the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and the ISU Alumni Association, as well as for an Ames accounting firm. Her son, Jeff, grew up, graduated from Drake University, and now is married and the father of two. On her own for several years, Kellen admits to being a bit over-whelmed once she moved into the fraternity's home (now located at 316 Lynn Ave.).

"It took awhile to get used to those footsteps going in and out all the time," she remembers now with a laugh. "But it didn't take me long to realize how much I missed all that activity in my life, and I really enjoy having that again."

In no time, she created a haven for the students to visit when they needed a good listener, a pep talk or some last- minute mending.

Though Kellen insists her responsibilities in the house "are non-existent," her presence is a positive one. Concerned that some of the freshmen weren't developing effective academic skills, Kellen formed a study group. She drives the men to Village Inn each week to study and even springs for their beverages, convinced that "a different environment will give them the boost they need." Though the fraternity employs a full-time cook, Kellen whips up nightly study treats during Dead Week, with her famous nachos a perennial favorite (requiring 10 pounds of ground beef, 2 gallons of cheese dip, a gallon of salsa and 2-plus cases of tortilla chips).

Hers is a well-known face at Greek-related activities, including Sigma Pi house parties ("I think I'm more tolerant now than I used to be"). One of the biggest advantages to being a housemother, Kellen said, is that it keeps her young and more in tune with the world -- although she admits to inspiring a big laugh among the men when she inquired "why on earth anyone would want to burn CDs."

Though reluctant to admit to her popularity among the men, Kellen still beams when recalling the Valentine's Day dinner where she received "a great big rock," that symbolized the brick inscribed with her name now installed at the Catt Hall Plaza of Heroines. There are the bouquets of roses on Mother's Day, and the standing ovation she received during a Greek Week vespers service. And there was the steady support she received from "the boys" when her own grandsons were born pre-maturely and remained hospitalized for several months last year.

Kellen spends many weekends each year attending the weddings of Sigma Pi alumni, and even boasts of her Sigma Pi "grandchildren."

But the one ceremony she no longer will attend is ISU commencement.

"It's just too hard to say goodbye," she admitted.

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