Burnice Cann Ace, Iota
Burnice Cann Ace, Iota, grew up in Caldwell, Kansas. After high school graduation, she pursued a teaching degree at Kansas State Teacher’s College, which is now Emporia State University. It is there, in the Fall of 1937, that Burnice was initiated into the Iota Chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau.
The next semester, she moved into the chapter house. Burnice remembers fondly, “We were fortunate to have a house although it only housed sixteen collegiates and one housemother. A full time cook lived in a nearby rented room. The sixteen girls lived in four rooms and an unheated sleeping porch. However, having only one bathroom, it was a necessity to post a schedule on the bathroom door on weekend nights.”
“A gracious housemother, Mother Nason, taught table etiquette, manners, and courtesy—which many sisters considered frivolous. I valued these and passed them on to my own daughters. Some of our family recipes came from ‘Whitty’, the sorority’s cook. Favorites are oatmeal cookies and the punch served at our family’s weddings,”
From her junior year until Burnice graduated, she held the leadership role of Iota’s chapter president. During her tenure, the national organization was impressed by her ideas of ‘officer notebooks’ and ‘job descriptions’ and soon adopted this idea for every chapter. In 1939, and again in 1940, she was selected as the outstanding collegiate by the Emporia Alumnae. Each honoree’s name was engraved on a plaque which remained in the chapter house.
As a collegian, Burnice attended the 1939 Alpha Sigma Tau National Convention held in St. Louis, Missouri. She recalls, “An alum provided transportation for a few delegates and we all stayed in a St. Louis alumna’s home. We were greatly impressed with the beautiful Hotel Chase where our meetings were held. Mrs. Carrie W. Staehle was president. We also attended the opera, “Victoria and Her Hussar”, performed in an outdoor setting in Forest Park.”
Burnice received her B.S. degree on July 31, 1940 and accepted her first teaching position in Bonner Springs, Kansas. In February of 1941, she married Franklin Ace. Following his return from World War II they decided to make Emporia their home. Shortly thereafter, she became Treasurer for the collegiate chapter. Her duties included collecting board and room payments as well as sorority dues. Burnice comments, “The most difficult duty was to collect for long distance telephone calls as there was only one telephone.”
“Later, I became Chapter Advisor – the first alumna to hold this position – a duty I really loved. I was a stay-at-home mom and escaped one night a week spending it with young people. I have been told by collegiates in their later years that my decisions frequently made them very unhappy but that now they appreciated my firmness,” remembers Burnice. “TV was relatively new and soon became an issue. My concern was that studying would be neglected and the beautiful chapter room ruined.”
In August of 1955, she attended National Convention in Roanoke, Virginia as Iota’s National Alumnae Representative.
“The Yellow Rose Luncheon to honor the forty Convention Belles was held on Wednesday, under the direction of Mrs. Preston Hamilton. Each guest received a yellow ceramic rose pin contributed by the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter. Following the luncheon a memorial service paying tribute to members who had died since the last convention was conducted by Mrs. Franklin Ace and Miss Ann Eaton. It was at this Memorial Service that the death of Grace Erb Ritchie, first National President, was announced. Grace died on March 16, 1954.” ~ pp. 97, “The Anchor,” Spring, 1976.
“Also, as alum, I served as National Chairman of Examinations and later, as National Chairman of Social Service.”
“The sorority grew in membership and it became necessary to remodel and add an addition to the house. The Alumnae Chapter hired an architect and a contractor, Kenneth Ace, my brother-in-law. The number of girls housed grew to fifty. This was accomplished in two phases. I was asked to oversee this construction.”
“Soon this became a family affair. My husband became the “handy man” for all immediate repairs to the house. The girls would call out “man on second” or “man on third” as he climbed the stairs.” This was necessary because he was the only male allowed in the living quarters. “My daughters loved to accompany him as they always received a great deal of attention from the collegiates. They remembered the sorority girls as they used their names for paper dolls,” Burnice recounted.
“In the early 1960s, I resigned as alumna advisor because my eldest daughter would soon be attending Kansas State Teachers College. My hope was that she would join the Alpha Tau sorority. I valued sorority life and wanted those same experiences for each of my daughters. “
A lifelong learner Burnice was awarded her M.S. degree on August 19, 1966. She celebrated her 91st birthday this fall. Her husband died in January, 1975. She continues to live in their family home. She has three daughters: Donalinda Ace, Albuquerque, NM; Becky Wiggin, Kalispell, MT; and Suzie Storrer, Andover, KS. All are teachers at the college, elementary, and high school levels, respectively. Burnice has six grandchildren and one great grandson. All are college graduates (except the four year old, of course) thanks in part to her role model and value of education. Her family, her appetite for voracious reading, and her many projects and activities continue to keep her busy. This interview almost didn’t happen because of one such project. Burnice was campaigning for Emporia to be recognized as one of the “Eight Wonders of Kansas” – a shoe repairman living in Emporia in 1954 suggested changing the name, ‘Armistice Day’ to ‘Veteran’s Day’. Not only did Burnice get out the vote but the Emporia nomination tallied more votes than any other entry. Burnice accomplished this by creating awareness and encouraging others to vote—all without the use of a computer!
~ Submission compiled by Donalinda Ace, Iota & daughter of Burnice
