The Pretty in Pink at 75 Alumnae Host Committee is a group of AKAs initiated on the campus of Texas Southern University spanning every decade of our existence, with members initiated in 1951 all the way through 2024. With the blessing of AKA South Central Regional Director Shawn Simmons, and after inviting current AKA TxSU chapter leadership to join the Pretty in Pink at 75 Alumnae Host Committee, we are poised to party with a purpose, primarily to cultivate camaraderie amongst chapter sisters and to cultivate a community of legacy giving to support newly created endowed scholarships for undergraduate initiates at our alma mater who epitomize the spirit of chapter founders Clarice Lowe, Mercedes Terry, and Evelyn Thorton, distinct from the undergraduate chapter charter initiates. We do so while supporting efforts of the current undergraduate chapter initiates of AKA at TxSU to celebrate our Diamond Anniversary and fundraise, too. Won’t you join us? Learn more by using our Sunday Jazz Brunch Benefit tab, which you can access by pressing "more" on the main menu tab.
AKA at TxSU celebrates our Diamond Anniversary, turning 75 on November 15, 2025. Ecstatic so many of us will gather in Houston for Charter Anniversary Weekend, we encourage, first and foremost, every chapter sister to purchase a ticket to attend the chapter-sponsored black-tie gala on Saturday, November 15, 2025 at the Ballroom at Tanglewood. Current undergraduate initiates are working really hard to put together a very special evening for us that deserves our support. You can purchase tickets no later than October 28, 2025, and we make it possible to do so through current undergraduate channels under the gala page you can access by pressing "more" on the main menu tab above for this website, or by using the green "Gala Ticket Purchase" just to the left of this section.
Second, we encourage alumnae chapter sisters and members of the broader community who love us and are committed to education, inspired by our “Service to All mankind” over the last 75 years, to support our structured effort to raise funds for endowed scholarships to benefit TxSU students by purchasing tickets, souvenir journal ads, and/or sponsorships to our Sunday Jazz Brunch Benefit. In a Sunday brunch program that recognizes our chapter sisters who were past Miss TSUs, student body presidents, and chapter presidents, filled with entertainment from a Texas Southern University Jazz Quintet and a performance by the International Champion Texas Southern University Debate Team, we are excited to Celebrate Our Foundation, Honor Our Legacy of “Excellence in Achievement,” Celebrate our Legacy in Leadership, and Secure Our Future. Please purchase brunch tickets on this website for $75, take out an ad in our souvenir journal and/or purchase a sponsorship no later than November 7, 2025. We make it possible to do so under the Sunday Brunch Benefit page you can access by pressing "more" on the main menu tab above for this website or by clicking the "Support the Sunday Brunch" button just to the left. Portions of each contribution from our efforts are tax deductible, and you will receive notice of such from the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.'s® Educational Advancement Foundation to note it, once funds are shared after our event concludes and we report. Please complete our survey for which there is a green button on the left of this section so we have information to ensure you are a noted donor and have proper documentation to ensure you have a receipt.
By year’s close, we anticipate the Pretty in Pink at 75 Alumnae Host Committee will evolve into a larger, more structured club with all the legal bells and whistles to formalize a permanent structure to make planned giving and planned fun throughout the year easier among TxSU AKA chapter-initiated sisters, along with creation of a non-profit arm responsible for the management of the AKA EAF Legacy Endowment we create. Please sign up to be a part of our Chapter Sisters-only section of this website by pressing "more" on the main menu tab above for this website and then accessing the "Join TxSU-Initiated AKA Group." Here we can share pictures and have private conversations to organize for more fundraising and sister-fun activities, whether you have a social media account or not.
For now, the Pretty in Pink at 75 Host Committee is all about cultivating sisterhood by building community Charter Anniversary Weekend. Join us Friday Night for Happy Hour in Birdie’s Restaurant and Wine Bar at the Omni Houston Galleria. Thereafter, stop by our Hospitality Suite in the Omni thereafter on Friday night. Bring your favorite framed line photo to inspire nostalgia and perhaps a snack, wine, and/or some beverages to share with others while we commune in our down-time and do what sisters do. Attend the current Gamma Psi Chapter-sponsored black-tie gala Saturday night, and join us for Sunday Service at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church followed by a Tribute at the Tree on the campus of Texas Southern University before coming back over to the Omni for our fun-filled Jazz Brunch Benefit. On Sunday, bring your favorite framed photo commemorative of your time on the yard and in the chapter for a soror gift swap and to add color to our brunch tables when you come. Most importantly, bring your sisterly kind spirit to spread joy. Our legacy is rich. Make a tribute video from your phone that you can upload using the green "Tribute" link to the left, and send in pictures through the same link and/or our private Chapter Sisters page on this site to help us permanently and meaningfully memorialize our history while ensuring that you are cemented in the documentation. Want to share what AKA and TSU mean to you and your fondest memories in a blog post? Write a paragraph or two and email it, along with your initiation year and semester to us at prettyinpinkat75@gmail.com. We will post it on this site. Be sure to include a picture of your choice to accompany it.
Finally, need accommodations? You can book at the Hilton Doubletree Hotel no later than October 24, 2025 through the undergraduate chapter secured room block at $120/night or at the Omni Houston Galleria Hotel at $179/night no later than October 31, 2025 using the green link to the left. If you and/or your line sisters are interested in spa treatments, the Omni is offering a 20% discount on all spa services. Please enjoy your line sisters, chapter sisters, and all who love us responsibly knowing we can’t wait to see you.
Warmly,
The Pretty in Pink at 75 Alumnae Host Committee
Our Chapter Founders ... Organizers
MERCEDES TERRY
EVELYN E. THORNTON
CLARICE LOWE
Founder Mercedes Riley Terry, an only child, was an artist, intellectual, designer, and friend born in Jacksonville, FL to Willa Mae Allison and Otis Riley. She graduated at age 15 from Stanton High School and then enrolled at Florida A &M College where she received a bachelor's degree in History and Social Studies. She then moved to Atlanta where she received a master's degree in Library Sciences from Atlanta University. Upon moving to Houston, she attended Texas Southern University, where she received a master's degree in administration. Employed by the HISD as a librarian for most of her career, she worked in several high schools and had a tremendous influence on both her students and professional colleagues. After retirement, she was in the inaugural docent class at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, where she enjoyed leading school groups through the exhibits for 13 years. Mercedes was a talented painter, and her art graces many venues. She combined her advanced sewing and shopping talents to always be amongst the "best dressed" for a variety of occasions. A fabulous chef, she made elaborate meals that were enjoyed by her family and her bridge club on a regular basis. Mercedes also held a real estate license and owned and managed several investment properties as an avocation. Having an exceptionally keen mind and quick wit, she read numerous newspapers and magazines daily, and was able to discuss politics, education, and medicine with ease. Mercedes was married for 38 years to Robert J. Terry, PhD, a professor of biology and interim president of Texas Southern University, until his death in 1987. She is survived by her daughter Willa Mercedes was a faithful member of St. Mary of the Purification Catholic Church, a Golden Soror of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority , and a platinum member of the Houston Chapter of the Links Inc. Mercedes was also a member of the national foundation board of the Sigma Pi Phi Boule' Fraternity. Founder Mercedes became an Ivy Beyond the Wall on February 13, 2014.
Founder Evelyn E. Thornton grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Texas Southern University in Houston. An esteemed educator, she was the first African American to complete her PhD in Mathematics at the University of Houston. During a lifetime of teaching and community service she was instrumental in improving the quality of math education across the nation. A Prairie View A&M University math professor for more than half a century, she headed the Mathematics Department there for 13 years and was Coordinator of Graduate Studies and Director of the Undergraduate Research Institute for talented students. Dr. Thornton served as Director of the Network Center for Mathematics Learning and Research Development. She also served as the Director of Project TIMES: Teachers Improving Mathematics Education for Students and the NASA Sharp Plus Apprenticeship Program. She served as Principal Investigator on numerous research projects for McDonnell Douglas Aerospace Corporation and the National Science Foundation. Dr. Thornton was a Golden Soror and Lifetime Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Past President of the Missouri City chapter of The Links, Inc. Over the years she coordinated numerous programs and events which focused on improving the health and education of young people. The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum honored her in a special exhibition titled “Women Shaping Texas in the 20th Century” for raising the profile of women in Mathematics nationally. She was the recipient of the very first Women on the Move Lifetime Achievement Award by The Texas Executive Women. The University of Houston Black Alumni Association honored her as a Distinguished Honoree. She was the recipient of the IMPACT Award, the Prairie View Long and Outstanding Service Award and the Etta Falconer Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching, among others. Founder Thornton became an Ivy Beyond the Wall on July 15, 2014.
Founder Clarice Elizabeth Pierson Lowe was born in West Point, Mississippi on July 14, 1925 to Reverend Cato and Professor Diana Pierson. Dr. Lowe's love of and her respect for the importance of education and the critical role that it plays in the fortunes of the African American community powered her determination to see T.S.U. students choose carefully their course of study and finish their degree plans. The Texas Southern University School of Communication opened its doors in 1975 with the help of Dr. Clarice Elizabeth Pierson Lowe. Dr. Lowe came to Houston to work as a librarian for Texas Southern University in 1947. After receiving her Ph.D., Dr. Lowe became a full-time professor at TSU. When asked in 1973 by TSU President Dr. Granville Sawyer to chair a planning committee to propose a School of Communication, Dr. Lowe put together a committee which developed a budget, curriculum, facilities, and catalog for the school. The proposal for the school was accepted on its first reading by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on October 18, 1974, and officially authorized on April 18, 1975, and became popularized during the height of technological change. Dr. Lowe retired as Professor Emerita University in 1993 as the senior most tenured professor to have ever worked on the faculty at that point in the history of the University. She was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Houston, and she is buried in the Houston National Cemetery (V.A.). Founder and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Golden Soror Lowe became an Ivy Beyond the Wall in 2018.