Alumni Comments about Mary Ellen Nichols:
Mary Ellen – It’s taken me 15 years to take off the pounds I put on in 2 years with you at the helm of the kitchen. Breakfast menu’s, Kappa Sig Burgers and home made lasagna………all cooked up with a great attitude (along with necessary grief) and a smile. Great memories – thanks for all of them!!
Kevin Coppins – Class of 1992
I was Grand Caterer for several years when Mary Ellen was our cook. Her
cooking was awesome (no one lost weight while they lived in the house)
and she was really great to work with. She also served as an informal
house mother and kept tabs on us to make sure that we were not skipping
classes. I more fully appreciated her fine culinary skills after I
graduated and had to start cooking for myself!
Chris Foster – Class of 1994
Mary Ellen coordinated the majority of our alumni events. She was great to work with and her meals were always excellent. I knew all of the details would be taken care of when she was in command. All behalf of all Alpha Delta Alumni, we thank you for your years of dedicated service!
Edward D. Gorkes – Class of 1979
(Alumni Corporation President – 1999-Current)
Thank you Mary Ellen! You made living in the house more comfortable.
Ed Hibbert – Class of 1992
Mary Ellen – I hope all is well with you. I miss you, and I’m sure you remember my little dog S.A., she misses you too! I’m pretty convinced you were sneaking her food, but that’s okay. Whenever I would let her out of my room she made a line for the kitchen to come see you. Thanks for all of your hard work over the years, and doing such a great job cooking for us. You really had a positive impact on my college experience, and helped make my years at Penn State very special. Thanks again and God bless.
Frank Wurst – Class of 1999
Mary Ellen was the best cook ever. My lunch order was always bigger than
most and Mary Ellen always found a way to fit all of the food on one plate.
Nate Wurst – Class of 2002
Mary Ellen you were absolutely terrific. You took care of us making breakfast and lunch on the fly per person and doing an outstanding job on large dinners like Homecoming. Being somewhat of a culinary person myself, I had the pleasure of helping you out on several occasions and saw first hand the effort it takes. Doing all the ordering and cooking for so many on a daily basis is not an easy task and I admired your ability to do so continually and with a smile. Thanks Mary Ellen, I appreciate all you did for our Fraternity!
Dave Albrecht – Class of 1992
Hey Mary Ellen,
Thanks for all of the great meals, and great talks. My experience in the house would not have been the same without you. You’ll always be as big a part of Kappa Sigma Alpha Delta as the Star and Crescent. Thanks for everything.
Bryan Roth – Class of 1997
I always looked forward to coming down to the kitchen to see Mary Ellen and catching a little of “The Price is Right”. Mary Ellen knew exactly what I liked for lunch and the food was always excellent. I do miss lunch at Kappa Sig.
Rob Lesko – Class of 2004
Simply stated, Mary Ellen, you’re the greatest. Nothing will ever beat one of your western omelets at 6:00am after pulling an all nighter (studying, of course).
Colby Neidig – Class of 1996
After a long hard day in class, it was always nice to come home to Kappa Sig knowing that Mary Ellen had a great meal waiting for me. Mary Ellen introduced me to slices of pepperoni in my lasagna. To this day every time I eat lasagna I am looking for the pepperoni surprise. I remember spending many days eating a warm meal and watching the Price is Right with Dan DeCeasar.
Thanks Mary Ellen for these great memories.
Michael Valenti – Class of 1990
Mary Ellen, Thanks for all you did to improve our “quality of life” at Alpha-Delta. You were like having a 2nd “Mom” for so many of us. No matter how bad things may have seemed for any of us at the time… roof leaks, bad grades or horrible hangovers, waking up at the crack of noon and hearing the words “Hi Striker, what can I make ya?” , always made it better.
Jason Striker – Class of 1992
Mary Ellen was always a constant at Kappa Sig. Regardless of any/every situation she was always there, happy, and willing to help. I think back and try to put myself in her shoes and am amazed that she showed up everyday. Even more amazing is that she did it with such vigor and passion that we all came to love. She saw hundreds of us come, grow, and leave and was able to touch us all. If you think that Kappa Sigma made us all better men, then Mary Ellen was integral to this at Alpha Delta and made each of us who we are today. Thank you Mary Ellen.
Shawn Connaghan (Clanny) – Class of 1996
Mary Ellen, you were great! I still have my cat, Jack, which you helped me find. He’s grown up now and part of the family. He’s just a small example that proves how you cared and took care of us. Thank you for everything.
Rob “Dre” Drelich – Class of 2004
Mary Ellen, thanks for not only being the best cook and caterer Kappa Sig had to offer, but in also being the best listener, advisor, therapist and friend to all of us!
Matt “Gooch” Weisberg – Class of 1997
Mary Ellen,
When we hired you, you knew that you had big shoes to fill replacing the legendary Betty. But, you exceeded all of our expectations. Thank you for everything.
Russ Glazer – Class of 1991
Two things were always constant during my years in the Kappa Sig house: 1) I always HATED mornings and 2) Mary Ellen was ALWAYS there to greet me with a smile and make my mornings a little bit better. Definitely miss the “guey” brownies! Thanks, Mary Ellen.
Mike Hooks – Class of 1993
Mary Ellen’s omelets single-handedly got me through my sophomore year of college. Thanks for being the best ME!
Jeff Coffey – Class of 2002