GLO Famous Members Urban Legends

[NutBrnHair]

On the Chi Omega website is a comprehensive list of well-known Chi Omegas. For as long as I can remember, there have been urban legends and/or rumors that everyone from Barbara Eden to Faith Hill is a Chi Omega! Not true. I thought I would include some of my research on famous women who some think are our Sisters!

•Cybill Shepherd: Cybill Shepherd -- that is her real name. She first attended Hunter College (we did not have a chapter at Hunter when she was there) and after a couple of stints at schools where there has never been a Chi Omega chapter, she attended the University of Southern California. Alumnae who were involved during the early 1970s have no memory of her being a Chi Omega.

•Lauren Hutton Real name: Mary Laurence Hutton – one of the first students to attend the University of South Florida in 1960 (before Theta Theta Chapter was founded) and then she transferred to Tulane University and graduated in 1964 (never a member of Rho Chapter).

•Heather Locklear: Locklear attended UCLA, but was not a Chi Omega. Heather Thomas who starred with Lee Majors in the TV series “The Fall Guy” (1981-86)– was an initiate of Gamma Beta at UCLA.

•Lee Meriweather: Her real name is Lee Ann Meriwether and she attended City College of San Francisco. Chi Omega has never had a chapter there.

•Shelley Long: Born Shelley Lee Long, she studied drama at Northwestern University, but left before graduating. No record of her being an initiate of Xi Chapter.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

•Lauren Hutton Real name: Mary Laurence Hutton – one of the first students to attend the University of South Florida in 1960 (before Theta Theta Chapter was founded) and then she transferred to Tulane University and graduated in 1964 (never a member of Rho Chapter).

I know that this is saying that she wasn't a member - but just as a sidenote - in the book Model she says she got a modeling job because the person hiring her was impressed that she went to Sophie Newcomb. How did that work? Were the chapters actually at Sophie Newcomb or Tulane?

[libelle]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I know that this is saying that she wasn't a member - but just as a sidenote - in the book Model she says she got a modeling job because the person hiring her was impressed that she went to Sophie Newcomb. How did that work? Were the chapters actually at Sophie Newcomb or Tulane?

The chapters were/are at the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College of Tulane University. Non-Newcomb (Architecture and Engineering) female undergrads were able to join. [Although traditionally there are not many female students in those colleges.] B-school undergrads spend their 1st 2 years at Newcomb before transfering to b school so it was not an issue. Post Katrina renewal plan (reorganization), all undergraduates are members of Newcomb-Tulane Undergraduate College of Tulane U regardless of major.

[klf3kids]

I posted the same information once before in a similar thread, so please bear with me if you have already seen it:

Re: Heather Locklear...she was often confused with Heather Thomas (probably best known for her role as "Jody" on the '80s T.V. series, "The Fall Guy," and for a very successful "pin-up girl" type poster that came out about the same time as the show I believe). Both "Heathers" were at UCLA when I attended the university in the mid-late 70's and the reason Heather Locklear is frequently and incorrectly referred to as a Chi Omega alumna.

Heather Thomas was in my fall 1975 Chi Omega pledge class and she was definitely initiated (as we all were) during UCLA's winter quarter 1976. Heather Locklear began her studies at UCLA when Heather Thomas and I were upper classmen if I remember correctly. Heather Locklear was on the cover of the UCLA Bruin "Bearwear" catalogue her freshman year, I think, and became a campus sensation (but Chi O Heather Thomas was quite the campus beauty as well!).

FYI: Heather Thomas was highlighted in the Eleusis a few months ago for publishing her first novel, "Trophies." She was also interviewed on "The Today Show," etc., about the book.

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by klf3kids

Re: Heather Locklear...she was often confused with Heather Thomas.. Both "Heathers" were at UCLA when I attended the university in the mid-late 70's and the reason Heather Locklear is frequently and incorrectly referred to as a Chi Omega alumna.

I personally wouldn't want to claim anyone who dated David Spade anyway! LOL

[ChioLu]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

On the Chi Omega website is a comprehensive list of well-known Chi Omegas. For as long as I can remember, there have been urban legends and/or rumors that everyone from Barbara Eden to Faith Hill is a Chi Omega! Not true. I thought I would include some of my research on famous women who some think are our Sisters!

•Lauren Hutton Real name: Mary Laurence Hutton – one of the first students to attend the University of South Florida in 1960 (before Theta Theta Chapter was founded) and then she transferred to Tulane University and graduated in 1964 (never a member of Rho Chapter).

•Heather Locklear: Locklear attended UCLA, but was not a Chi Omega. Heather Thomas who starred with Lee Majors in the TV series “The Fall Guy” (1981-86)– was an initiate of Gamma Beta at UCLA.

Here's the Lauren Hutton story I heard: She was in Nashville shooting a movie in the 1980s. Lauren was staying at a downtown hotel that was the venue for a Vanderbilt Chi Omega date party. She was invited as a guest to the party and ended up leaving with a members' date. How this got morphed into Lauren being a member of Chi O, I have NO idea.

Heather Locklear: She pledged Chi Omega and is pictured in the Bruin yearbook in the Chi O group photo that year. Heather deactivated. A year later, she pledged Tri Delta. Never initiated and left school when her acting/modeling career started to take off.

Zeta rumor: I had always heard that the wife of the founder of Hallmark cards was a Zeta Tau Alpha, as the logo for the company is a 5-point crown (like ZTA's symbol). But haven't seen any evidence to this. Can any ZTA's verify?

Now, I do know that a beer was created for a Chi Omega. The former CMO of Iron City Beer (located in Pittsburgh) created Iron City Light for his wife, a Chi Omega alumna. (I'm friends with the daughter and verified the story at her wedding.) Now that's love!

[33girl]

Whoah, that would kind of make Lauren a cougar. LOL

I had no idea about IC Light! It's not the best beer in the world, but beer is beer.

I've also heard the Hallmark rumor but I think it was debunked.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I've also heard the Hallmark rumor but I think it was debunked.

It has been, along with the Campbell Soup rumor (fluer-de-lis on the label because of a Kappa wife ) and the Parker Pen rumor (arrow because of a Pi Phi wife).

I've always been fascinated by these rumors of symbols being used because they were important to a wife.

[klf3kids]

Originally Posted by ChioLu

Here's the Lauren Hutton story I heard: She was in Nashville shooting a movie in the 1980s. Lauren was staying at a downtown hotel that was the venue for a Vanderbilt Chi Omega date party. She was invited as a guest to the party and ended up leaving with a members' date. How this got morphed into Lauren being a member of Chi O, I have NO idea.

Heather Locklear: She pledged Chi Omega and is pictured in the Bruin yearbook in the Chi O group photo that year. Heather deactivated. A year later, she pledged Tri Delta. Never initiated and left school when her acting/modeling career started to take off.

Zeta rumor: I had always heard that the wife of the founder of Hallmark cards was a Zeta Tau Alpha, as the logo for the company is a 5-point crown (like ZTA's symbol). But haven't seen any evidence to this. Can any ZTA's verify?

Now, I do know that a beer was created for a Chi Omega. The former CMO of Iron City Beer (located in Pittsburgh) created Iron City Light for his wife, a Chi Omega alumna. (I'm friends with the daughter and verified the story at her wedding.) Now that's love!

Testing

[33girl]

So IowaHawkeye and Jenny McCarthy went to the same high school?

This explains a lot.