Another thing, regarding my friends. She said the first time it bloomed it had deep blue flowers. Another round was white, and the current blooms are white with pink spots. The flowers are lovely, and bigger than my AV has produced with ruffled edges. Could this color change be indicative of something?

There are a lot of tutorials out there, but IMO the best YouTube video for your situation is one by Joyce Stork. I think it will really help you rejuvenate your long necked plant:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE0_d_E6NMk

Is it ok to do this now, or should we wait for the spring and the return of good growing weather? Thanks for all the input and links.

Now. The main crown has most of the roots. The secondary crown shares the root system with the main one. When you gently pry them apart, most of the roots will remain on the main crown. The secondary crown will develop roots in three weeks. Joyce moves very quickly. I do this very slowly, following her guidelines. Every part of the plant will rejuvenate if given a chance. Joanne

She doesn't have any grow lights at her place, will this be an issue? I am getting some in a few days, maybe we can bring hers over here for a little while. The videos were very helpful, I am feeling pretty confident now, lighting issues aside. I also get the sucker distinction, pulled three off of my African violet and have two of them in their own pots to see if I can root them. Mine is still in the peat heavy mix from the store (got it earlier this month, still learning). Once this bloom cycle finishes I will repot and stick it under lights. I might even be getting the hang of it, and as always thank you all for being tolerant of my newbie questions.

Also, by the time we are done neither crown will have roots, they are both on very long necks that will need to be trimmed back considerably, at least 6" long.

Don't worry about roots.

Leave an inch or so of stem to anchor each crown in a pot and keep it well watered.

Roots will develop to sustain each crown.

Will the lack of lights an issue? Her apartment is tiny, with an enormous East facing window. My place may be more ideal, we can get it under a grow light.

I would try the window, if the plants can be placed only 1-2 feet away from it.

An East window will get sunlight in the morning and shouldn't ever be TOO bright.

If it turned out that the plants didn't bloom there, I would likely add a floor or desk lamp with CFL fixtures.

It blooms fine there, just wanted to make sure it will be fine post separation. Thanks!

Just make sure you put the decapitated crowns in a bag or other closed clear container for awhile to keep them hydrated until they make new roots. If your friend has had blooming in that east window, the violets will be fine there to grow. Good luck!

This has been a fun thread. Joanne

Early in the week I will be heading over to help my friend with the dissection, I will find a way to either post or link before and after pictures. Thanks again for everyone's help, its very helpful.

My friend wants to hold off, since all her plants typically struggle through the winter months at her place. I worry it may already have rot (judging by the dense and small leaves), but its her call. She's going to keep an eye on it, hopefully it makes it through until spring. If it were my plant I'd do it now, but understand her concerns.

Sure, plants slow down their growth in the winter, anyway. Do you get much rain or cold in your winters? Rot is not evidenced by dense or small leaves, the sign of rot is soft leaves and gray, moldy crowns. joanne

Oooh, ok. Thanks for clearing that misconception. We get gloomy winters here, tends to be dreary until later in the spring, though the last couple years have been uncharcteristically bright. We get some snow, not much by my Yooper standards, but a bit. Temps usually don't dip far below 20. Were my friend lives is all residential, and her windows are blocked by the apartments across the street.