21/Jul/2010
Lets Talk About Ms. Chaney
By Melani Johnson
Majorie B. Chaney was known to the Zachary community as Ms.
Chaney. She was a retired
“Ms. Chaney was an icon in Zachary,” said Charlene Smith, a former student of Ms. Chaney’s and the former mayor of Zachary. “She always dressed to a “T” from head to toe.”
Her daily attire consisted of stockings, a pair of high heels and a classic jacket and skirt suit, never pants or a dress. Above her heart she pinned a fancy broach and wore “earbobs” or earrings to help spice up her outfit. Ms. Chaney also made it a priority to go to the beauty shop every week to get her hair fixed and her nails done. She dressed to impress and “was a very sophisticated and classy lady,” according to Smith who cared for Ms. Chaney until the end.
Ms. Chaney in April 2010
Nobody in Zachary wanted to run into Ms. Chaney if they weren’t dressed their best. “I always got nervous when we would wear things like sweats and a t-shirt while running around town doing errands. I didn’t want to embarrass myself if I happened to run into Ms. Chaney because she always looked so totally perfect,” Smith said.
Students of Zachary High School who had Ms. Chaney as their home economics teacher enjoyed and respected her, even though she ran a very strict classroom.
Some times Smith wished she would have listened to Ms. Chaney more when she was a student.
“We were making cookies in class one day and I decided to be a little sloppy with the assignment,” Smith laughed. “I put all the ingredients in one bowl, pulled down the beaters into the mixing bowl, turned the beaters on high and little did I know, seconds later I was covered in flour. Ms. Chaney’s jaw dropped as she hustled over to me saying ‘Charlene, are you that stupid!’ Even though, some times we caused Ms. Chaney trouble, we were and always will be her ‘home ec’ girls.”
Up until her passing, Ms. Chaney would receive mail daily from former students. “It was unbelievable to see the impact that she had on her students,” Smith said.
“Once I asked her if she ever regretted not getting married,” recalled Smith. “Ms. Chaney said she never regretted not getting married, but she did regret not having children. Little did she know, her students were her children.”
Ms. Chaney never missed a day of class except for one time when she had shingles. Not only was she dedicated to her students and her job, but she was also dedicated to her community.
Ms. Chaney and Charlene Smith at Zachary Chamber of Commerce Meeting at Hemminbough in the late 1990s.
Ms. Chaney was named the Zachary Citizen of the Year in 1996
and the Louisiana Home Economics Teacher of the Year. She was part of the
Beautification Committee of Zachary, was one of the 1913 “Cradle Babies” in the
“I think the reason why Ms. Chaney lived as long as she did was because she stayed vocal and active in the community,” Smith said.
Ms. Chaney, Barbara McHugh, Doris Colomb and Hester Lloyd were known as the “golden girls” to many in the Zachary community. They ran around town just being themselves and having fun. “Hester was the last to have her license after the other golden girls slowly had to give them up,” explained Smith. “Everyone knew who the golden girls were when they would ride around town. They were like the queens of Zachary.”
Ms. Chaney lived a wonderful life filled with people who loved and adored her, according to Smith. “I just thought the world of her. Ms. Chaney was just a really neat old lady and she will be missed by many, many of us, her former students.”
