Office of Mary B. Conner
South Eastern Regional Director
P.O. Box 677 ● Goodlettsville, TN 37072
(615) 982-0563 ● mconner1908@gmail.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
K. Dawn Rutledge
South Eastern Region Information Officer
615-293-3304
kdawnmedia@gmail.com
AKA South Eastern Region to gather in Knoxville
to honor the memory of former international president
Sorority to salute former presidents at ceremonies across the country
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee – (July 28, 2014) – Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated's South Eastern
Region will participate in a Wreath Laying Ceremony Aug. 2, 11:30 a.m. EST, in memory of one of its
former international presidents as part of a nationwide tribute to the work and service of these distinguished
leaders. This historic event themed, “A Celebration of Remembrance: A Proud Past…A Promising Future” is
the first expression of solidarity under the organization’s new leadership directed by current International
President, Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson.
Several members of the sorority’s South Eastern Region, comprising the states of Alabama, Mississippi and
Tennessee, will gather in Knoxville at the Highland South Memorial Park, located at 9010 Simpson Road, to
honor the memory of Arnetta G. McKamey Wallace, the sorority’s 14th International President. Wallace, a
Knoxville native, was a respected educator in the Knoxville City School System and served as AKA’s chief
from 1953-1958. During her administration, she established the first international chapter in Monrovia,
Liberia; made the first contribution supporting sickle cell anemia research and commissioned the first official
sorority history book. She died in 1995.
“As we begin a new chapter in the advancement of our organization and frame our current charge of
‘Launching New Dimensions of Service,’ it is only appropriate that we pay homage to those Alpha Kappa
Alpha women who came before us and successfully led us into this important time of our organization’s
history,” said Mary B. Conner, AKA’s South Eastern Regional Director. “I am very proud to join the South
Eastern Region in honoring the life of Arnetta G. McKamey Wallace, our 14th International President, and
the part she played in cultivating the Alpha Kappa Alpha legacy to greater heights.”
-More-
Page 2 of 2 – AKA Wreath Laying Ceremony
Since its founding in 1908, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has been served by a total of 28 international
presidents. Of that number, 19 are deceased. The sorority will host Wreath Laying Ceremonies across the
country at other gravesites where deceased international presidents are laid to rest. Sorority members
worldwide will observe a moment of silence at 11 a.m. EST.
ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, INCORPORATED
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) is an international service organization founded on the
campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It is the oldest Greek-letter organization
established by African-American college-educated women. Alpha Kappa Alpha is comprised of more than
265,000 members in 986 graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada, Japan, Germany, South Korea and on the continent of Africa. Led by
International President, Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is
often hailed as “America’s premier Greek-letter organization for African-American women.” For more
information on Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and its programs, log onto www.aka1908.com.
The sorority's South Eastern Region is comprised of 105 chapters in the states of Alabama, Mississippi and
Tennessee, with close to 6,000 active members that make up approximately 12 percent of the sorority's
membership worldwide. As the oldest and largest sorority of college-educated predominately AfricanAmerican women, AKA's have played a major role in shaping history through their advocacy, example and
achievements. These women serve in the highest levels of government, the legal profession, business,
education, civil rights, social services and athletics, and penetrating every industrial area. Visit
www.akasoutheastern.com for more information.
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