Chi Omega Yours Forever
Like most new students, Erin Hix 鈥00 first came to 蓝莓视频 as a shy, young adult.
鈥淚鈥檓 an introverted person naturally, so my mom told me that I needed to join a sorority or else I wouldn鈥檛 have any friends 鈥 she didn鈥檛 mean that in a mean way, but she knew I wouldn鈥檛 go out of my way to make friends and she didn鈥檛 want me to be lonely at college,鈥 Hix says.
At that time, Rho Chis 鈥 representatives of each Greek house 鈥 lived in freshman housing during rush, so when the first Rho Chi came into her dorm, Hix followed her mother鈥檚 advice.
鈥淚 walked right up to her and said, 鈥楬i, I鈥檓 Erin. I want to be a part of this.鈥欌
As fate would have it, that Rho Chi happened to be a Chi Omega, the oldest women鈥檚 fraternity at 蓝莓视频. During rush, Hix felt like her bold introduction put an asterisk beside her name because everyone in the fraternity made her feel welcome and wanted. Her decision was made.
Since 1923, the Chi Gamma chapter of Chi Omega has welcomed countless young women to join the sisterhood, and each has taken to heart the fraternity鈥檚 core values of scholarship, service, friendship, campus involvement and personal development. During Homecoming, Hix and more than 100 of her sisters returned to celebrate the centennial reunion of the Chi Gamma chapter of Chi Omega.
Anna Bock Mullins 鈥04 was part of a committee that organized a weekend of sisterhood and fun for the returning members that included a reunion at the house, as well as a formal brunch at the historic Lafayette Hotel.
鈥淭here is really no way that we can truly do justice to the history of our organization because so much has happened in 100 years,鈥 Mullins says. 鈥淭his organization 鈥 the friendships it has created and the lessons it has taught us 鈥 has given so much to all of us.鈥
Written by Gi Smith
Photos by Phil Mason, Tom Perry and Nathan Reich
Mother and daughter Chi Os, Lee Berg Reed 鈥64 and Katie Gardner Kelly 鈥88, flipped through the pages of a scrapbook made during Reed鈥檚 time as a student.
鈥淭his was my freshman year,鈥 Berg says to her daughter. 鈥淟ook how young! It seems like yesterday. I remember how much fun we had in this house. I never got more than four hours of sleep a night 鈥 there was always something going on.鈥
Kelly appreciates the fact that she and her mother both are a part of the Chi Omega sisterhood and what the fraternity brought to each of their lives.
鈥淚 love hearing stories from mom鈥檚 time here,鈥 Kelly says. 鈥淚鈥檓 on House Corps, so I stay in touch with the physical aspects of the house. I also served as an advisor for a few years after I graduated. I wanted to make sure current sisters had a good experience. It was important for me to stay connected.鈥
Lynne Downey Goldsmith 鈥73 waited until her second semester to go through rush. It was January 1970, and the national turmoil was making its way to 蓝莓视频鈥檚 campus. Her pledge class included a young African American woman, Cathy Bradley 鈥72, who was the first Black woman to join Marietta's Chi Omega chapter. The first Black woman to pledge a Greek chapter at Marietta was Maewanda Michael 鈥66, who was a member of the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority. (This is a corrected version for the online version. Incorrect information appeared in the print edition of Marietta Magazine).
鈥淲e were put on probation and national pulled our charter,鈥 Goldsmith says. 鈥淐athy was so brave. There was a lot of pressure on her, and for us 鈥 and we all believed she had every right to be right there with us 鈥 that moment jelled us together. We were unified in our beliefs and that moment is a big part of why I love Chi Gamma.鈥
Though Bradley deactivated as a pledge, the Chi Gamma leadership pushed forward after national restored the charter and worked to implement changes at the highest level.
Jodi Leipold 鈥98 says the chapter鈥檚 welcoming personality is what led her to join. She spent Homecoming catching up with her sisters 鈥 those she knew as a student and those she met for the first time that weekend.
鈥淭o be honest, I didn鈥檛 think of myself as a sorority person, so I didn鈥檛 pledge until my sophomore year,鈥 Leipold says. 鈥淚鈥檓 a very inclusive person, and what I found out is that Chi Omega is also very inclusive. Everybody is welcome and everybody is welcoming.鈥
Elizabeth 鈥淓J鈥 Lehman Grounds 鈥08 looked over the banquet hall in the Lafayette Hotel with one of the newest alumnae, Eleanor Smith 鈥23, as they discussed the many poignant items in the room that represented their fraternity 鈥 from the white carnations and crimson tablecloths to the candle holders that bore designs that looked like pomegranates and the hidden skulls and crossbones.
鈥淚 wanted the room to feel special because, hey, they鈥檙e my sisters,鈥 Grounds says. 鈥淥ur time as students was very special, but it has also been incredible to share our lives beyond that 鈥 our jobs, our families, our philanthropies.鈥
Chi Omega鈥檚 national philanthropy is the Make a Wish Foundation.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 so important for us to support,鈥 Grounds says. 鈥淚 know two sisters, including myself, who have Wish kids.鈥
During the weekend, Grounds met up with her 鈥淟ittle,鈥 Diana Hackenburg 鈥09, and Diana鈥檚 actual sister, Elizabeth Hackenburg Pocock 鈥12, who is also a Chi O.
鈥淚 had such an amazing experience being in Chi Omega at 蓝莓视频 and I am glad to be able to reconnect with all of my sisters that I love and miss so dearly,鈥 Diana Hackenburg says.
Pocock says she didn鈥檛 want to be in a sorority at first, but her sister鈥檚 fraternity encouraged her to participate.
鈥淎t first, they were inviting me to events and my sister kept calling me and saying, 鈥極h, you should go to this party or talk to this person,鈥 and I ended up really liking everyone. I鈥檝e even found sisters who I didn鈥檛 graduate with or who weren鈥檛 Chi Gamma and connected with them because they live close to me,鈥 Pocock says.
Grounds says there鈥檚 an instant friendship and admiration when she meets another Chi Omega, regardless of what chapter they鈥檙e from.
鈥淭hey say sisterhood is for a lifetime, and it鈥檚 been true for me,鈥 Grounds says.
Jaime McDaniel Quigley 鈥01 hadn鈥檛 seen Erin Hix 鈥00 for several years, but all it took was a text message to commit to coming back for the 100th celebration.
鈥淲e have that kind of connection that it doesn鈥檛 matter how long it鈥檚 been since we鈥檝e seen each other or talked, we鈥檒l always be sisters,鈥 Quigley says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 comforting knowing that you have this common thread with so many people; and being able to come back to campus to celebrate that commonality of sisterhood is really special.鈥
In addition to the friendships made, Hix says the life skills that being a part of the fraternity taught her have directly impacted her professional life.
鈥淥ne of the things that I saw after graduating was how rush prepared me for the future,鈥 Hix says. 鈥淎s a 鈥榬ushee鈥 I had to sell people on myself, very similar to an interview. And as an active member during rush, I had to sell these girls (on) coming to our house on why we were the right fit, so it really gave me a lot of interview skills that I didn鈥檛 realize at the time, but in retrospect, it鈥檚 all because of my Chi O experiences.鈥
For Cindy Buck Wilson 鈥70, staying in touch with her sisters has always remained a priority. After the campus celebration, she and a dozen sisters from her pledge class planned to spend a week together in Texas.
鈥淲e鈥檝e planned these trips for years,鈥 Wilson says. 鈥淣ew York City, Pennsylvania, Savannah, Charleston, Jacksonville Beach, Rhode Island 鈥 a lot of different places over the years. We鈥檝e stayed really close. We had a wonderful pledge class here from 鈥66 to 鈥70.鈥
She pledged her sophomore year.
鈥淥f course, all the sororities and fraternities had nice, friendly people, but something about Chi Omega made me feel comfortable 鈥 like I wanted to be a part of it,鈥 Wilson says. 鈥淵ou never know, when you鈥檙e that young, just how much certain people will be a part of your life. We just love each other.鈥
Chelsey Scott Walls 鈥13 attributes much of her success in College to being a part of the Chi Omega fraternity.
鈥淎s a first-generation college student, I was struggling my first year to adjust; but the women of Chi Omega were super genuine and welcoming and made me feel like I had a home at 蓝莓视频,鈥 Walls says. 鈥淚 honestly don鈥檛 know if I would have made it all four years without Chi Omega. It feels great to be able to reunite with all my best friends and share with them how thankful I am to have them in my life. I learned so many life and leadership skills that I took into my career. I feel so much gratitude.鈥
Raising her glass of wine, Carole Wylie Hancock 鈥75 gathered generations of sisters around her to share a heartfelt message.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all here from many different places around the country and the world, but we all share one thing in common: (蓝莓视频) and the Chi Gamma Chapter of Chi Omega. Here鈥檚 to 100 years of sisterhood and may the next 100 years be filled with good friends, good times, good health, and cheers.鈥
From a mixer in the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center to an evening at the Chi O House to look through scrapbooks and composites, the Chi Gamma alumnae and actives created new memories while reconnecting with each other.