 Sue King
January- 8, 1886-May 4, 1930
"The name Sue King has been held in loving memory by many Delta Kappa Gammas since May 4, 1930. On that day she left family and friends for the life beyond, but behind her remains a record of scholarship, of leadership and service in the Society she helped to establish."
Sue King was born in Pilot Point, Texas, the sister of Ray and Ombra King. While a student at North Texas State Normal School in Denton, Sue was distinguished for her proficiency in languages and history. On campus, Sue and Ray enjoyed clubs, lectures, concerts and other attractions. Sue and Annie Webb Blanton came to know, admire and respect one another, and their friendship deepened and continued through the years.
"Sue King's ambition to teach was allied with initiative and independence. Not content to depend entirely on her family to finance her education, she interrupted her study with intervals of teaching. Sue valued the experiences in the classroom and the practical guidance from principals and co-workers as much as the remuneration she obtained. In the public schools of Duncanville and Commerce, Texas, she was confirming the wisdom of her choice of a career. Teaching brought her the joys and satisfactions which she sought in life."
After graduation, Miss King taught Latin in the high schools in Denton and Mineral Wells. Later she taught history in Fort Worth. Her pupils found her inspiring. During vacation periods she read widely for her own pleasure as well as to select supplementary materials for the school library. "Shortly after she became head of the history department at Jennings Avenue Junior High School in Fort Worth, Miss King began summer work at the University of California in Berkeley. Sue's enjoyment was more than doubled when her sister Ray shared in experiences there." Sue and Ray both took a year's leave to complete their degrees, and both were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Kappa Alpha when they graduated with highest honors in history. Sue also attended Teacher's College of Columbia University, but her illness prevented her from completing her Master's degree.
In 1928, Sue King took a year's leave of absence from teaching to regain her health. "Her friends rejoiced in her return to her position in September 1929, for she seemed enthusiastic and energetic. Then, suddenly, on May 4, 1930, she died."
"Dr. Blanton recognized in Sue King the kind of teacher that she hoped to interest in Delta Kappa Gamma. Sue sensed that some of the joys of being a Founder by assisting her sister Ray with forming Delta Chapter. She loved associations with members of Alpha State."
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