My earliest memory for the Tau Iota Omega chartering process is talking on the phone with Ms. Denise Herman after I pledged at Dillard University in 1982.  I was Kathy Watson then.  Denise’s grandmother and my grandmother were best friends back in the day.  I don’t know how Denise found out that I was a member, but she did.  Denise had attended Texas Southern and to my knowledge pledged there.  We would talk off and on from 1982 onward.  Anyway, one day she was talking on the phone and said she thought it would be a good idea for Slidell to have a grad chapter.  She knew all the sister’s in Slidell.  Some I didn’t even know.  I think it was 1989 when she introduced me to them (Jan Bacon , Gail Southers, and Lois Morris) the Starlight MBC crew.  Simeon Thomas also attended Starlight. I grew up with Sheila Washington (my big sister for Dillard University-Beta Upsilon Chapter of AKA) and, of course I knew her mother Rebecca Washington.  We all went to church together at Hartzell Mt. Zion UMC in Slidell.  And, if you know the Washington’s you know their niece, Janie McKenzie.  I slightly knew D’Andrea McMooian, and I pledged Jalicia Parker at Dillard. We became the Slidell Interest Group.  I hadn’t been active for about three years.  I worked for the US Navy as an Oceanographer so I was traveling a lot.  Most of the Soror’s hadn’t been active for a while.  I was active until about 1986 because I attended Alcorn State University Grad School and ended up pledging a line there in 1985.  Somehow, Denise was able to find out what our Membership ID number was.  She had connections.  We created officers.  We started volunteering in the community, and attending various events sponsored by any area AKA chapter.  I was the treasurer of the Slidell Interest Group.  We also found out via Denise Herman that we did not have the numbers to begin the chartering process.  Denise told us about Soror’s in Hammond and Bogalusa that may be interested in joining us, and we met at a Fashion Fair fashion show in New Orleans.  Our group grew to include Burnadean Warren, Phyllis McCraney, Linda Warner, Mary Barnes, and Barbara Butler.  We then formed the Northshore Interest group.  We held meetings primarily at Jan Bacon’s house when she lived in Crossgates in Slidell.  A bit later Antoinette Jolly, Rosemary Wilson, Carmen Clay, Callie Addison, and Dildred Womack joined the group.  We moved to meeting at one another’s homes and had REALLY good meals.  We were so happy when the Chartering Day came.  We had been working together since 1989.  I was frankly relieved.  As a member of the group, I didn’t want to hold an office.  My job required me to travel extensively.  In 1992 alone, I was out of the country for months.  I don’t remember how I managed to work my schedule to attend most functions.  Chartering a chapter was not an easy process for us.  We jumped through a lot of hoops to make this happen, and I am grateful to have been one of the 22 members to create this chapter.  We are sisters forever.  We had a vision and we brought it to fruition.  This is MY chartering memory.  Thank you and may God Bless this sisterhood.  

-Kathy Townsend