09/24/2026
Special thank you to Tau Beta Shiplet for sharing this alumna spotlight of 75-year member Charlyne Davis (Tau Beta | Oklahoma State)!
When Marni Shiplet (Tau Beta | Oklahoma State) and Barb Wilkinson (Theta Beta | Indiana) arrived at a retirement community in Scottsdale, Arizona to visit Charlyne Davis, they had no idea what a fascinating Sister they were about to meet. They met a woman who has lived with a spirit and sharpness that left them in awe. Charlyne is a Tau Beta Initiate and a 75-year member of Chi Omega and spending an afternoon with her was a special occasion that they will not soon forget.
Charlyne was born in Cushing, Oklahoma, and grew up following her father, an oil and gas engineer who built refineries all over the world, from one corner of the globe to the next. As a little girl, she spent time in the Australian outback while her father worked a project there. That chapter of her childhood ended abruptly when the threat of war with Japan loomed, and the family was hurriedly sent back to the United States by boat. From Australia, her family continued moving around the United States from West Virginia to New Mexico, Illinois, and beyond.
Charlyne arrived at school in Illinois with an accent that was equal parts Oklahoma twang, Australian lilt, and West Virginia drawl - a combination so unique that her teacher called her mother in for a conference, concerned that Charlyne was struggling with a disability. It was a story Charlyne told with a laugh.
Charlyne can trace her lineage back to the Mayflower, and she told them proudly that one of her ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence. Her grandfather earned a place in both the Oklahoma State University Mechanical Engineering Hall of Fame and, somewhat mysteriously, she admitted with a smile, the Oklahoma State Wrestling Hall of Fame, despite having never wrestled a day in his life.
Her family's Oklahoma roots run deep. Her grandparents homesteaded there, making the journey from Illinois as part of that great wave of settlers. Charlyne carries all of that history with her and delights in sharing it.
Charlyne began her college journey at Stephens College in Missouri, but when her parents grew concerned about how much time she was spending with a certain young man, they insisted she return home to attend Oklahoma A&M. She obliged and then married him anyway. Chi Omega even granted her special permission to marry while still in college. That marriage lasted 72 years. He passed away three years ago, but she remains positive by expressing her gratitude for the wonderful life that they shared.
Together, Charlyne and her husband raised three daughters and built a full, well-traveled life. She now has two grandsons, both living in New York City.
After their lunch in the café of her retirement community, Charlyne invited Barb and Marni to her charming apartment, which is filled with exquisite art, family photographs, and her Chi Omega tankard alongside her beloved’s Sigma Chi tankard. She shared photos from Chi Omega events over the years, including recruitment parties at her family’s home at Grand Lake in Oklahoma.
Despite some challenges with her vision due to macular degeneration and some difficulty with her hearing, Charlyne was mentally sharp, quick with a story, and quick with a laugh. She is, without a doubt, a firecracker.
Visiting Charlyne was a privilege. She is a living testament to the kind of woman Chi Omega has always sought to cultivate - curious, resilient, warm, and deeply connected to the people and places that have shaped her. 75 years of membership is a milestone worth celebrating, but an afternoon with Charlyne makes clear that the real treasure is not the number – it is the woman herself.
