Mary Burch Ratliff
“A lot of my friends were in Tri Kappa years ago,” says Mary Burch Ratliff. “Back then I didn’t feel like I had the time to devote to it. I don’t like to do something halfway.
“But (sponsor) Nancy Gettinger kept talking about all the great women in Tri Kappa, and I realized there were so many people in Bloomington that I didn’t know. I have the time now, and I’m really enjoying Tri Kappa.”
One thing Mary Burch finds appealing about the Alpha chapter is the fact that women of all ages are involved.
“I don’t want to be stuck in that rut that I only know people my age,” Mary Burch says. “I want to know people older and younger.”
Mary Burch grew up in Georgetown, Ky., which is close to Lexington. She is the eighth generation on her father’s side to have lived in Scott County.
It is not uncommon in the South to have two first names. However, when she crossed the Mason-Dixon line to attend Hanover College, she worried people would struggle using both her names. Luckily, there was another Mary on her dorm floor, so her college friends had no problem differentiating her as Mary Burch.
At Hanover, Mary Burch majored in elementary education. She was a cheerleader, played on the tennis team, was house chairman of her Alpha Delta Pi sorority and was a member of the modern dance team.
Mary Burch also found love on Hanover’s campus.
“I saw (now husband) Wes on the second day of college,” Mary Burch laughs. “He came down a staircase with another guy, and I told my friend to find out who that cute guy was.”
After teaching elementary school for four years (two in Speedway and two in Florida), Mary Burch and Wes started their family. They now have two grown daughters and a son, as well as four grandchildren. Mary Burch kept up her teaching skills by volunteering as a Sunday School teacher at the Bloomington First Presbyterian Church.
“I’ve taught at church for over 35 years,” Mary Burch says. “I love teaching the stories of the Bible. I have taught every grade over the years.”
Mary Burch always has been an active community volunteer. She spent 12 years at Volunteers in Medicine and was a member of the Boys and Girls Club Auxiliary. She still coordinates the after-school meal for the Crestmont club once a month, as well as delivers food for the Area 10 Agency on Aging and the Wheeler Mission. In her spare time, she is a trustee at Hanover College.
Her volunteer spirit is what makes Mary Burch love Tri Kappa.
“I like to be involved,” says Mary Burch. “I like knowing that our fundraising money is going to a good cause. Tri Kappa does so much for our community.”
Mary Burch’s favorite fundraiser is hands-down the flower sale.
“I love it,” says Mary Burch. “I love flowers; I love the fact that we go to the greenhouse and have a parade of people loading and unloading flowers. It’s such a great opportunity to get to know my Tri Kappa sisters better.”
More About Mary Burch:
Her favorite book is “Pillars of the Earth”
She was a cheerleader for 12 years
She has done volunteer work through her church in Posoletga, Nicaragua, and West Virginia (where she put shingles on a house)
She is still an avid tennis player
She has bicycled through France