Wow. I can be such an idiot. I didn't even think to try something as simple as that.
Thanks for the response.
FYI, just to clairify why I was interested, the Clear Chat option is right next to the option that gets rid of the entire chat window (for good). This has caused problems when in the middle of conjested action and has forced me to setup every tab I have all over from scratch more times than I care to admit.
Anyways, look forward to seeing your finished chat mod.