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Features

The DKG Journey: A Mosaic of Members,

Moments, and Memories

By Constance (Connie) Hoag, 2021 International Achievement Award Winner

Each year, The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International recognizes one member for
distinguished service to the Society. From recommendations submitted by members, chapters,
or state organizations, the international executive board selects a member for this honor,

symbolized by a gold medallion presented to the recipient. We invited 2021 winner Dr. Constance
Hoag to share thoughts on DKG.

How proud I was to be asked to become a member
of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society (DKG) in
1962! For 50+ years, that invitation has been
the pathway to personal and professional
experiences and adventures. My story…
Membership in three Society chapters
has had a significant impact on my journey.
From induction into Theta Chapter in
South Dakota State Organization to
transferring to Alpha Omega and Mu in
Iowa State Organization, I discovered each
chapter presented with its own personality.
The welcoming spirit of those chapter
members set the stage for acquaintanceships
to develop into lifelong friendships—a powerful
DKG component.
Becoming Iowa State Organization president
was an excellent orientation to our Society’s structure,
initiatives, and programs. Beginning in 1990, new doors
opened with each of my 27 years of international participation.
The more I learned about DKG, the more I appreciated our history, our legacy, and the foresight and
dedication of our leaders.
Attending Seminars in Purposeful Living, serving as a trustee on the Educational Foundation, and
participating as chair of the Seminar in Purposeful Living (2002) in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, enhanced
my planning and event-coordinating skills, as well as my organizational and leadership insights.
Receiving a state and an international scholarship enabled me to attain a doctorate and supported my
becoming a professor at the University of South Dakota (USD). Attending the Leadership Management
Seminar (Golden Gift—now DKG IGNITE) added personal confidence and perspectives that
simultaneously enhanced my Society participation and university career.
With those opportunities came the desire and responsibility to give back to the Society that I respected
and that had enriched my life. As all of us have experienced, timing is a crucial element in giving back.
At the time of the administrative board request for a member to research, gather the data, and publish the
38-year heritage and history of our Society (1970–2008), the timing was right. When my proposal for

Collegial Exchange · 5