By: UWPIAA, Jenny & Katie Belk
If you were not among the alumni and friends present at Alumni Week in Limerick this summer, you may not yet have heard about the Betty Belk Award which was presented. Please join us in honoring these deserving alumni, and enjoy reading the remarks which were shared from stage.
Remarks by Katie Belk-Arenas and Jenny Belk, July 2026
When the idea of a Betty Belk award was presented to us by Stu Shepherd, we were so pleased and immediately thought of two different recipients. Words cannot encapsulate a whole person or organization alone. This award, like The J. Blanton Belk Award, is so important to us. We struggle to find a way to convey our deep respect and love for these individuals. That said, we are going to take a stab at it.
Our mom, Betty Belk, died last year on August 4th. We miss her every day, and we know many of you do too. She was the heart and soul of our immediate family, extended family, and Up with People family. Putting people together was one of her many gifts, and she loved doing it. She was known for hosting parties from the very large to very small. She and our Dad entertained people from all over the world, from Princess Magritte of the Netherlands to the next door neighbor. Everyone was treated like royalty, whether they were or not. Sometimes it was cheese and crackers in a hotel room; other times it was a gourmet homemade meal with a beautiful tablescape (and sometimes the royals got the cheese and crackers). No matter what, these were always festive occasions full of conversation and fun, and everyone felt like an honored guest.
Instead of having an obligatory guest list, Mom was always mindful about whose life could be enriched by meeting a new person and vice versa. She would talk about friends, family, and even acquaintances, and she would say, “What can we do for them?” This consideration could lead to anything: an intimate dinner, a big party, an Up with People show, or a connection with one of the many local nonprofits that she supported.
Our first honoree is the German Alumni Association. Several years ago, the GAA kindly made Betty Belk their 400th member, and she couldn’t have been more thrilled. Thank you Heiko and team for making this possible.
Our mom, like so many Americans, was the great-grandchild of immigrants. Her maternal great-grandparents came to New York from Germany in the late 1800s. We grew up hearing stories of her fierce but tiny grandmother who lived her entire life in Flatbush, New York City. Her grandparents and great-aunts and -uncles spoke German at home. In high school our Mom studied German, one of the only subjects she really loved. She was proud of her heritage.
When the GAA came together, our Mom was so excited. As the years went on, she loved to hear about all this wonderful group was planning and doing.
With the arrival of the world class publication Extraplat several times a year, our Mom was able to spend time translating the fascinating articles for our Dad and family. Wow, there was a lot to share! After she died, German alumna Doro Heimes-Grobbel put together a beautiful tribute to our Mom in this magazine. We treasure it.
The GAA works to build and keep connections through small and large member meetings, reunions, and community service. They are continually growing and reaching out.
The GAA says “as colorful as the world, we are as diverse.” This statement brings our Mom to mind.
As proud as our Mom was of her German roots, she was equally proud of her Irish ones.She raised us with stories of how our Irish ancestors immigrated from County Mayo during the Great Famine to settle in upstate New York. We came from Pattons, Shannons, Erwins and Wilkeses.
Mary McCullough (’90B) embodies the Betty Belk energy in so many ways. She is a force of nature, always thinking ahead, planning, and pulling things and people together. She makes things happen. She makes them classy. She makes things beautiful and never stops reaching out to include more and more experiences, more people, and more opportunities for connection.
These last years, we have gotten to know Mary and have appreciated the love and care she has shown us and our parents. Mary never forgets to think of all the people involved in any of the projects or endeavors that she is working on. These traits exemplify how our Mom lived.
While written as a blessing for his mother, Irish poet John O’Donnahue’s poem also exemplifies what a blessing it is to have people like Mary, the GAA, and Betty Belk in our lives.
Blessing
For Josie, my mother
On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.
And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets into you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green
and azure blue,
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.
When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.
May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.
--John O'Donohue
