Genie Chance

Genie Chance (born Emma Gene "Genie" Broadfoot;[1] January 24, 1927 – May 17, 1998)[2][3] was an American journalist, radio broadcaster, and Alaska state politician. She is most well-known for her coverage of the 1964 Alaska earthquake,[4] which netted her numerous journalism awards,[5] and her contributions to Alaska legislation.[2]

Genie Chance
Member of the Alaska Senate
from the E district
In office
1975–1979
Preceded byRedistricted
Succeeded byBill Sumner
Member of the Alaska House of Representatives
from the 7th district
In office
1973–1975
Member of the Alaska House of Representatives
from the 8th district
In office
1969–1973
Personal details
Born
Emma Gene Broadfoot

January 24, 1927
Dallas, Texas, United States
DiedMay 17, 1998(1998-05-17) (aged 71)
Juneau, Alaska, United States
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Winston Chance,
William K. Boardman (1971-1993)
ChildrenWinston Chance Jr.,
Albert Chance,
Jan Chance Blankenship
Alma materNorth Texas State Teachers College
OccupationJournalist, radio broadcaster, politician

Early life

Chance was born Emma Gene "Genie" Broadfoot on January 24, 1927, in Dallas, County, Texas.[1] Her parents were former Texas state representative and Sixth District Judge Albert Sidney Broadfoot and Jessie Butler Broadfoot of Bonham, Texas.[6] She had one brother, Lt. Albert S. Broadfoot, Jr.,[7] and two sisters, Jessie Butler Broadfoot Garrett and Alice Virginia Broadfoot Freeman.[8] Chance received her B.S. in Speech[9] from North Texas State Teachers College (now the University of North Texas) in 1946, and conducted graduate studies at Baylor University.[5] From 1946-1949, she taught speech, radio, English and government[2] at North Texas State Teachers College.[5] In 1959, at 32 years old, she moved from Texas to Anchorage, Alaska.

Broadcast career
1964 Earthquake, Anchorage, Alaska

Following her move to Anchorage in 1959, Chance worked as an editorialist and journalist, first at KENI radio and television and then at KFQD radio,[5] becoming one of the first women in Alaskan broadcast news.[2] She rose to prominence for her national coverage of the 1964 Alaska earthquake, during which she remained on the KENI air waves immediately following the earthquake, for almost 24 continuous hours [4] from her temporary post within the Anchorage Public Safety Building.[10] She was effectively designated as the public safety officer by the city's police chief.[10] Chance provided not only breaking news of the catastrophic events that had just taken place and continued to develop following the magnitude 9.2 earthquake, but she served as the voice of the public safety office, coordinating response efforts, connecting available resources to needs around the community, disseminating information about shelters and prepared food rations, passing messages of well-being between loved ones, and helping to reunite families.[11] For her coverage of the earthquake, Chance received numerous awards, including national recognition with the McCall's Golden Mike Award and a number of top Alaska Press Club awards.[2][5][12] Chance also served as president and member of the Alaska Press Women,[12][5][13] renamed Alaska Professional Communicators in 2006.[14] She later asked KENI radio for a raise, which was denied since she was already being paid the maximum salary for a woman in her position.[11] She quit soon after and started her own public relations firm.[5][11]

Political career
Alaska State Capitol, 1970s

Chance was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 1968, and served as a State Representative from 1969 to 1975. She was then elected to the Alaska Senate in 1974 and served as a State Senator from 1975 to 1979.[5][15] As a legislator, her primary interests were education and women's issues.[12] Chance pushed for progressive legislation as the primary supporter of the 1970 bill legalizing abortion in Alaska[2] prior to national legalization via Roe v. Wade in 1973. Other major legislative achievements include spearheading the establishment of a statewide university system and a statewide telecommunications system.[2] Chance served as vice chairman and chairman of the House Health Education and Social Services Committee. She also served on the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in Military Service from 1967 to 1970.[5] Chance's legislative papers and files for the years between 1969 and 1976 are housed with the Archives and Special Collections at the UAA/APU Consortium Library. Included are subject files on important policies during Chance's years in the legislator such as abortion, atomic energy commission, education, health and welfare, petroleum development, Alaska Children's Services and FCC Regulation. [5]

Family life

Chance met her first husband, Winston Cash Chance, in the small Texas town where she grew up. They married Aug. 15, 1947 in Denton, TX.[16] Together, they had two sons, Albert and Winston, Jr., and a daughter, Jan.[11] Winston was a struggling used car salesman, and their financial troubles weighed heavy on their marriage, especially on Genie. Winston moved his family to Alaska in 1959, convinced it was the land of opportunity. While most women at the time were housewives, Genie became increasingly burdened by her urge to contribute financially when it became clear Winston would be unable to pay their rent.[11] With Winston's agreement and permission, she went downtown and quickly got hired on as a reporter at KENI radio. Winston was, at first, supportive of her work and proud of her achievements. Triggered by alcohol, he had been an abusive husband for years, but it became worse as his resentment of his wife's success grew in the aftermath of the earthquake, and it finally led to their divorce.[11] On Sep. 23, 1971,[17] she married William K. Boardman, former Speaker of the House (1968-69),[18] with whom she had served in the Alaska House of Representatives. Together, they moved to Juneau, Alaska in 1986, where Chance stayed active in her political endeavors and remained married until Boardman's death in 1993.[18] Chance had been gathering materials to write her autobiography but succumbed to dementia and died May 17, 1998, at age 71, in Juneau, Alaska.[2] Her personal and professional papers now reside in the Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage, including her legislative bills, notes and correspondence, diaries, letters, broadcast recordings, reporting notes, photographs and campaign materials.[11][5]

References
  1. "USGenWeb Archives". USGenWeb Archives. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  2. "Obituaries - Genie Chance". Juneau Empire. May 21, 1998. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  3. "Alaska Obituary and Death Notice Archive". genlookups.com. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  4. "This Is Chance: Anchorwoman of the Great Alaska Earthquake". 99% Invisible. May 16, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  5. "Guide to the Genie Chance papers – Archives and Special Collections". archives.consortiumlibrary.org.
  6. "Fannin: Memorial Info". www.txfannin.org. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  7. "Fannin: Memorial Info". www.txfannin.org. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  8. "Clipped From The Paris News". The Paris News. 1980-08-13. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  9. North Texas State Teachers College. [Commencement Program for North Texas State Teachers College, June 3, 1946], pamphlet, June 1946; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc174855/ : accessed November 8, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.
  10. Mooallem, Jon (March 19, 2020). "When a Quake Shook Alaska, a Radio Reporter Led the Public Through the Devastating Crisis". Smithsonian Magazine.
  11. Barbaro, Michael (May 22, 2020). "Genie Chance and the Great Alaska Earthquake". The New York Times.
  12. "Genie Chance". w3.legis.state.ak.us. Juneau, Alaska: Alaska Legislature. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  13. "APW Leaders and the 1964 Earthquake (History) | Alaska Professional Communicators". Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  14. "Alaska Professional Communicators records". Archives and Special Collections. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  15. "Alaska Constitutional Convention - Alaska State Legislature" (PDF). Juneau, Alaska: Alaska Legislature. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  16. Denton County Clerk's Office; Denton, Texas; Denton County Marriage Records; Volumes: 00022; Pages: 00135
  17. Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington; Washington Marriage Records, 1854-2013; Reference Number: kingcoarchmc359673
  18. "William K. Boardman papers". Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
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