Chums, Incorporated

A social and civic club started in Norfolk, Virginia as a friendship between three women. The organization know as Chums, Incorporated was founded by Mary Ward Barnes, Joyce Tate Brown, and Theodora Jackson Cora. The idea for Chums came about on a cold, rainy night in February of 1946. The three founders were sitting in Barnes' red Ford convertible. The war was officially over, each of the young women had a boyfriend serving in the military who wasn't home yet, and segregation was still the norm. That particular night, the three friends couldn't think of anything to do so they decided to form a social club and name it after their friendship "Chums." The trio first became friends during their college days at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia. Although the organization began as a social club, Chums soon gained a new emphasis. The group functioned locally as a club until 1952 when it was incorporated as Chums, Inc.