Chi Omega - University of California, Berkeley

3 CHI OMEGA Χ Ω Fairytale Year Gave Melody Tennant '67 Countless Chi O Memories M elody Tennant '67 attended UC Berkeley for one year before joining a sorority. There wasn't a Greek presence in her family, so the concept was unfamiliar, but she approached it as a new and exciting experience. The women of Chi Omega exposed Melody to activities and opportunities she would have been unaware of otherwise, and for that, she is grateful. Melody describes her year in Chi Omega as a "fairytale year." Not only was she chapter president, but she represented Mu Chapter at the national convention in Greenbriar, West Virginia, an experience that expanded her view about people and places in the U.S. She was crowned Homecoming queen and remembers attending crowning practice in mud-covered Chi O powderpuff football shorts. Amid her busy schedule she fit in 21 units to complete her political science degree. "Many all-nighters resulted in all of my final papers being completed, and then submitted by walking to campus in the morning with a coat and boots hiding my pajamas—a tactic I wouldn't recommend to current undergraduates as a sane educational strategy," she said. After graduating in March of her senior year, Melody immediately returned home to Byron, California, to help her parents. Her mother died of cancer three months later. That summer, she worked at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California, waiting for September when she was to begin work for the Red Cross in Vietnam. "Through a series of events, I ended up staying in Stockton and applied to be a teacher at a high school, earning my teaching degree as I taught. I was in education and administration for 38 years. It was a career that became my passion with not one boring day in 38 years." Melody retired in 2008 and moved to Virginia to be with Butch Snow, a fellow Berkeley graduate and former Chi O houseboy, who became her husband. "Butch and I dated for three months before we both graduated and I left to help my mother. He did a year of graduate work at Georgetown University then earned a master's in public administration at USC. His friend from Berkeley (and a Chi O houseboy before him), Dennis Tominaga, informed Butch that he saw my name on a list at an educational conference in San Francisco. Butch then Googled my name and sent a note to my work in California in 2006. We e-mailed and spoke on the phone on occasion for a year before meeting in an airport in Las Vegas after visiting my son. I retired in June of 2008 and moved east the next day." While her time in Mu was shorter than most, Melody still managed to gain a tremendous amount of knowledge and lifelong friends. "To undergraduates, embrace every good experience during your college years. Their enriching effects will last a lifetime. My one year in Chi O added a breadth of experience and confidence that has lasted my whole life. Along with that, my "Big Sis," Ann Wilson Morris '67, was a grounding force in my sorority experience. She and Teddy Quatman Burich '67 were both amazing sisters and dear friends. About a year ago, we reunited in California for the first time since the '60s. It was so much fun catching up! " Melody and Butch live in Raphine, Virginia. She has one son and one granddaughter, and Butch has two children and three grandchildren. "During my second year as an educator I was pregnant with my son. District policy stated I was to leave work at six months of pregnancy. At the time, many women would lie about their due date because they needed or wanted to work. The teachers union asked if I would be part of a lawsuit to change the policy, and after many trials and much stress, we succeeded in that change. My time at Chi O might have given me the strength to fight for women's rights." Since retirement, Melody has gotten involved with Let's Move! and has written and received grants to provide county-wide activities promoting good nutrition and healthy living. She also helps with Butch's cattle on their ranch when needed— something that keeps Butch busy after a career in IBM. Melody's granddaughter also visits during the summer, which has kept her very active and provided many new experiences. You can contact Melody at melodytennant100@gmail.com. Melody Tennant '67 with her husband, Butch, son, Aztlan, and granddaughter, Aria. J oan Blacher '50 joined Chi Omega during her junior year and lived in the chapter house her senior year. There she met Eleanor De Maris Silberg '49, who has remained one of her best friends over the years. Joan has had a successful career as a psychotherapist, mystery writer, and public speaker. Joan received a bachelor's in history with a minor in English. She later earned a master's in counseling and doctoral degree in educational psychology from the University of Southern California. An awarding-winning mystery writer, Joan finished her third novel, Death on the Run, in November 2013 and is now working on her fourth, "Fatal Fall." Her prior mystery novels are Murder Canyon and Lethal Lake. She belongs to two professional organizations for mystery writers, Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. She enjoys getting together with fellow authors. "We help each other," she said. "One thing I've found as an author is that other authors are very helpful." Joan has been a licensed psychotherapist in private practice for more than 23 years. She sees clients who have concerns with personal or career issues. "I still have my office in Ventura and enjoy doing it. The part I like the best is helping people with their careers," she said. She is a California Lutheran University professor emerita and has served over 11 years as Director of the School of Education Graduate Counseling and Guidance Program. Public speaking engagements take Joan to women's groups and Rotary clubs around southern California with her talk, "Solving the Mystery." She has been a presenter at more than 70 state and national professional Joan Blacher '50 Enjoys Many-Faceted Career Award-Winning Author Shares Her Story (Continued on page 4)

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