Turning Dreams into Reality
- Tri Sigma Foundation
- Jan 19
- 3 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Winnie Wilson Warner
Alpha Beta—Kent State University
Winnie has always been a steadfast sister for Alpha Beta Chapter. Since 1992, Winnie has served as a chapter advisor, encouraging collegiate women and fostering engaged alumnae. Through her service and considerable efforts, Winnie has made significant impacts on her chapter—first with the construction of a new chapter house, and now with an endowed scholarship.
Winnie carried the dream of an Alpha Beta scholarship in her heart for decades. It began many years ago as an advisor when she watched the Alpha Beta Chapter President juggling two jobs to afford sorority dues, rent, and living expenses. Despite her struggle, the Chapter President poured everything she had into Tri Sigma, leading her chapter with grace and dedication while maintaining excellent grades. Then, tragedy struck when the member's mother passed away.
“That is when I thought how wonderful it would be to set up a scholarship,” Winnie recalls.
The Chapter President had been an exceptional leader who remained active with the alumnae chapter long after graduation. But Winnie envisioned something beyond academic achievement alone—a scholarship for sisters “who put their heart and soul into Alpha Beta.”
Soon, chapter members began to approach Winnie with another vision: “Couldn’t we have a chapter house of our own?” For years, her answer remained the same: not until they could raise the money for it.
Winnie spearheaded the effort to build a safe, new chapter house for Alpha Beta and shore up the finances to ensure the house would be maintained for the next generation of Tri Sigmas at Kent State.
With this dream achieved, Winnie and her husband Jim set their sights on a scholarship. It was actually Jim who set things in motion.
“In early December 2021, I found myself searching for the perfect Christmas gift for my wife, Winnie. After considerable thought, I realized one thing she always wanted was to establish a scholarship for her beloved Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority at Kent State University. I contacted national headquarters and looked into the process. Endowing a named scholarship requires $25,000, so I provided the seed money to start the fund, making Winnie's scholarship official, and gave it to her as a Christmas gift. The gift was certainly well received,” Jim said.
“Endowing the scholarship has taken 4 years and contributions from many fine people. The fund is now fully in place, and the first scholarships were awarded last November at the Alpha Beta Chapter's 100th Anniversary Celebration,” shared Jim.
In accordance with Foundation policy, scholarships from the endowed fund are awarded beginning in the year after the fund is fully endowed. Wanting to make an immediate impact as well, Winnie and Jim made additional current-use contributions beyond the $25,000 endowment to fund scholarships right away. These separate gifts supported two members of the Alpha Beta Chapter during the anniversary celebration, with one award made possible through the generosity of one of Jim’s fraternity brothers.
Jim and Winnie both hope this scholarship will not only make a lasting impact on Alpha Beta members but also encourage other Sigma spouses to give back to the sorority.
The Winnie Warner Alpha Beta Scholarship Endowment joins the Tri Sigma Foundation’s 40+ endowed funds that provide enduring support to scholarships and leadership programs. The Foundation is grateful to Winnie, Jim, and the many donors who made this fund possible.
The Winnie Warner Alpha Beta Scholarship will provide scholarships to Tri Sigma undergraduate or graduate students with a special focus on Alpha Beta collegians and alumnae. Click here to learn more about this and other endowments.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Learn more about Winnie and Jim and the "relentless supporters of the fraternal communities at University of Akron and Kent State University" that led to them being honored with the the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values' prestigious Wilford A. Butler Award last year. Read More.
