Meet the Board

Kerry Tate, ’86, is the Managing Director for the AccessAbility Resource Center at The University of Texas at Dallas, and a distinguished figure in the field of disability services, with an impressive career spanning over 31 years. A significant portion of her professional journey, amounting to 23 years, has been dedicated to UT Dallas, where she has left an indelible mark.

While Kerry is a powerhouse in the world of disability services and advocacy, there’s a lighthearted side to her too, especially when it comes to her cherished days as a Cottey College alumna and serving as Vice President for Cottey College Alumnae Association. With her quick wit and infectious sense of humor, she could turn any campus gathering into a comedy show (with a touch of educational wisdom, of course).

Kerry’s time at Cottey College wasn’t just about hitting the books; it was also about perfecting the art of balancing trays of cafeteria food like a pro. She’s been known to share some “strategic” cafeteria hacks that would make MacGyver proud.

Her fellow Cottey alumnae can attest that Kerry’s ability to find humor in even the most challenging situations is nothing short of legendary. But don’t let the humor fool you; Kerry’s passion for advocating for disability rights is as serious as it gets. She’s managed to combine her love for laughter with her dedication to creating a more inclusive world, proving that you can change the world one smile at a time.

Carol White Bradley, ’68, was a member of the Magnoperians and lived in Robertson Hall in the Colorado-Thompson Suite.  Meeting friends from all over the world was the greatest experience about being at Cottey.  Many of these friends are still close friends after all these years meeting again at Class Reunions, Conventions and girls’ trips.  After Cottey, she attended Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL majoring in Elementary Education receiving a B.S. in Education Degree.  She taught Remedial Reading for five years and then First Grade for four years.  During the summers she took classes and received an M.S. in Education Degree from Eastern Illinois University.  The summer of 1974 two of my college roommates and I took a six-week American Express Tour of Europe visiting 13 countries, which was amazing.

In 1980 Carol moved to Dallas, Texas where she found a job working at Electronic Data Systems (EDS owned by Ross Perot) and learned about the business world.  She worked in the Credit Union Division which had a completely different atmosphere than teaching school.  She met her husband while working there and they were married in 1986.  Their first daughter was born eight years to the day Carol began at EDS, in 1988.  Their second daughter was born in 1990.  She became a stay-at-home mom and enjoyed being with her girls.  When they entered school, Carol became involved in PTA, Girl Scouts, and other after school activities. When their daughters were in Middle School, they joined an organization called National League, Inc. which is a six-year mother/daughter Volunteer organization which Charity emphasizes leadership, cultural and philanthropic activities. Carol was President of my local Chapter for two terms during these years and served on the District Level in the North Texas area for four years. We did many philanthropic volunteer hours at different charities in the Dallas area. This helped them prepare for college in many ways.  They are both graduates of Texas A & M University in College Station, TX.  They are both married and have just recently given birth to two wonderful grandchildren, Carson, who is now eight months old and, Hannah, who is now four months old.  Being their Gigi is a tremendous gift for Carol.

Carol and her husband love to travel and have been to all 50 states.  In 2016 they took a trip around the world going to Beijing, London and Paris.  They have also been to Australia and Iceland.  They have several trips planned for the future because there is just so much out there to see.

Carol joined the P.E.O. Sisterhood in 1976 in Robinson, IL, Chapter LX which was a new Chapter.  Carol’s mother was also a 50-year member of P.E.O. in Robinson. After moving to Texas, she became Inactive until her daughters graduated from college.  She transferred to Chapter FV in Plano, Texas in 2018 where she is a member now.  Currently, Carol is beginning her second year as President and is enjoying it very much.  While she has been in Chapter FV, she also served on the Texas State Chapter Cottey College Committee for three years becoming Chairman the last year of those three years.  She has now transitioned over to the Texas State Chapter Membership Committee this year and is enjoying speaking with other Chapter Presidents from Texas. Both of Carol’s daughters became P.E.O.s in December of 2022 making them a three generation P.E.O. family.  Carol has also attended Cottey Vacation College for five years, which is a fabulous experience.  Several of her Cottey ’68 classmates have come back to Cottey for Vacation College, and they stay in the same suite with each other.  It’s great being on campus again and staying in the dorm, but the most important thing is eating in Raney Dining Room.  You can’t get a better menu anywhere else.  If you haven’t tried it, you definitely should!!

Lori Lee Royal graduated from Cottey in 1976. While at Cottey, Lori lived in Illinois-Parks Suite. She was a Golden Key, giving several P.E.O. members and future students tours of the campus. She made several strong friendships that she still has today. In fact, this group has traveled together several times.

After leaving Cottey, Lori attended Wichita State University. She earned a degree in marketing and management.  During this time, she was also initiated into P.E.O.  She has been a member in Kansas and Illinois and now belongs to Chapter CA, Missouri.

She met and married Alan Royal while working for NCR (National Cash Register) in Wichita, Kansas. Little did she know how much her life would change as a result. They moved to Kansas City where Lori found a job at American Management Association giving seminars on inventory management and bar coding. Lori has worked in every state except North Dakota.  She also gave seminars in England and Ireland.

Alan accepted a position in Indonesia and thus they began ten years of living internationally. While in Indonesia, Lori was active in the Australia/New Zealand Association where she held the position of Major Events Coordinator. After Indonesia, they spent two years in Hong Kong before moving to Vietnam where they spent five years. In Hanoi, Lori did charity work for Children of Peace International. She also started a group who worked at a local orphanage.

Lori and Alan have one son, Michael. He is now married and has three children.

Lori is now retired and is enjoying the time spent with her grandchildren and traveling. She also loves leading the Cottey College Alumnae book club.

Sarah Raffurty, ‘11, a native of Odessa, Missouri, graduated from Cottey College with her Associate of Arts in history. She went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in history with a focus on Women and Gender Studies from Purdue University as well as a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from Syracuse University.

While at Cottey, Sarah was in Santa Barbara Suite her first year, then Oklahoma Suite. She was a member of the Theatre Department, Choir, and the Cottey Dance Company. She also served as a Golden Key and was awarded the Outstanding Golden Key award.

With internship experience at notable institutions across the U.S., such as the National WASP WWII Museum, Erie Canal Museum, National WWI Museum and Memorial, Bellamy Mansion Museum, and Smithsonian National Postal Museum, Raffurty has a strong background in the arts and cultural institutions. In addition to geographic location, Sarah has experience in various roles, from exhibit designer at the Museum of Osteopathic Medicine to Development Coordinator for Powell Gardens.

Sarah, then moved, to Charleston, South Carolina, to work as the Membership Manager for the International African American Museum. She is proud to have worked on that project from the groundbreaking to its doors opening.

Currently, Sarah works as the Director of Development for Class Campaigns with the Citadel Foundation in Charleston.

Sarah is a proud member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood.

Mary Beaty Edelen, ’65 graduated from Vermillion High School in Vermillion, SD, in 1963 and followed her sister, Debra Beaty Blanton, ’63, to Cottey.  Their Mother was a P.E.O., and she was very pleased when they both decided to attend.

Following her time at Cottey, she transferred to the University of South Dakota.  She joined the Chi Omega sorority and became very active on campus and in the sorority community.  While at USD, she majored in history with minors in government and Spanish.  Following graduation in 1967, she attended Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, receiving a Master’s Degree in History.  Mary then returned to Vermillion and taught history at USD and nearby Yankton College.

In 1972, Mary ran for a two-year term in the State House of Representatives and won that seat by nine votes. She then served for 18 years as Chair of the Audit and Budget Committee and as a member of the Legislature Research Council’s Board of Directors.

While serving in the Legislature, President Reagan appointed her to a 3-year term as a member of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS). In this position, Mary traveled worldwide and spoke with many military females about their service to this country.

Following her tenure in the Legislature, Mary became a free-lance writer, and then was appointed by Govenor William Janklow to become the Director of the SD State Historical Society/State Office of History where she served for 8 years.

She volunteered to become a member of Cottey’s very successful Defining Moments campaign and then was asked to become a member of the CCAA board.  In 2005, Mary received Cottey’s Distinguished Alumna Citation at Founder’s Day.

In addition to serving on the CCAA board, Mary is also a member of Rotary, the S.D. Nurses’s Foundation and as a member of the Finance Committee for the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa.  In 2024, she began serving as the President of Chapter E, South Dakota, P.E.O. in Vermillion for the third time.

Mary has been married to Joe for the past 56 years and has been blessed with three children and six grandchildren.