Alpha of Clovia

The "dirty thirties" caused a lot of people to lose their dreams, but 1931 is the year a group of young 4-H women made a Clovia dream a reality that has lasted fifty years. Ellen Blair, of Williamsburg, was interested in a cooperative house for 4-H girls wanting to go to Kansas State College. During summer school, 1931, Ellen asked Mary Jordan to help her find a suitable house for this try at cooperative living. 1317 Laramie St, a few blocks from Campustown (Aggieville) was a modest six room bungalo and was deemed suitable, it was rented September 1, 1931.

Each June, 4-H Roundup on the Manhattan campus brought many outstanding 4-H girls desiring an economical living situation while attending K-State to the campus. When they moved to Manhattan many lived in faculty homes and worked for room and board. The summer of 1931 Ellen Blair had been counseling with Maynard H. Coe, State Leader of 4-H Clubs, Amy Kelly, State Leader of Home Economics Extension, and Mable Smith, Assistant State Leader in 4-H club work. With their support Ellen and Mary asked the following girls to live with them on Laramie St.: Jessie Dean, from Ottawa, Lucile Nagel, Wichita, Wilma Cook, Lamed and Mary Langvardt, Junction City, and Emma Lou Manchester. They asked Isabelle Gillum, a home economics grad student from Texas, to live with them as housemother. With Ellen as the first house president, Clovia was the first cooperative house at K-State.

Mary Pierce VanZile, white-haired Dean of Women at that time had stated "Joy in living centers in the discovery that the ordinary things in life have within them great possibilities, that there is in everyone something permanent, undefeatable, a spirit that lives on in the minds and hearts of associates long after one is gone." As the original Clovia gals recall the mornings they awoke under drifts of snow on their blankets, or the days school was called off because a cloud of dirt rolled in and it was too dark to see, they also are reminded of the deep friendships that developed into the sisterhood that is so vast today.

House dues for room and board those first years were $13.00 per month. This low rent was made possible by girls bringing what canned foods, towels, and other things that could be spared from home. As is the custom today, each took a turn with duties like cooking, cleaning, and managing the house. Those who lived in the first house still think of Mary Langvardt's delicious homemade pies. They had such fun with this arrangement that other girls on campus began hearing about it. VanZile Hall was the only housing facility on campus in 1931, so young women were interested in finding places to live. All those who lived in or were associated with the house the first year were considered the founders. In addition to the six of the first semester were the following: Mary Beth Allman, Leonice Fisher, Beulah Frey, Blanche Tomson, and Marie Antrim. Sponsors that year were M. H. Coe, Mabel Smith and Mary Border.

For spring semester bunk beds were brought to the screened in back porch for a sleeping dorm. A clothes closet was made of the pantry by hanging a clothes rod down the middle. Clovia outgrew its first house the first year and moved into a vacated fraternity at 351 N. 15th St.

When searching for a name for this cooperative house the founders wrote to a Greek professor at Park College, in Missouri. He suggested Clovia as a Greek word referring to Clover, the 4-H symbol. Clovia did start out as an associate member of the Panhellenic Council. At that time a constitution, by-laws and initiation ceremony were developed. Since Mary Jordan was studying art, she designed the crest and sought a jeweler to fabricate the pins. A wall model of a lighted crest was added to the chapter room the next year. The Clovia name was officially voted in April 27, 1932, and the constitution adopted May 4, 1932. The emerald green color was adopted by vote May 8, 1932.

With marcel wave hairdos and circular skirts worn mid-calf the first Clovias were very active in every aspect of campus life, as has always been the Clovia custom. Collegiate 4-H had been established since 1927, and many Clovias were very active in it along with about 200 other members. Literary societies, honor societies, church groups, and class offices were all a part of Clovia life. Clovia has had many participants in the Little American Royal from the first.

Maynard Coe had a great bearing on Clovia, financial matters, in particular. Many of the founders remember being persuaded, in those years, to buy secondhand furnishings from Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) fraternity. It happens that Mr. Coe has also been a long time advisor to AGR. The girls did get fed up with having it known that they had AGR "secondhands", but Mr. Coe knew how to get the house started with a minimum of funds.

At first the guys in FarmHouse and Alpha Gamma Rho fraternities were standbys when carpentry or fix-it work was needed. The girls eventually learned some of these skills, but those men were still at most of the Clovia social events.

Raccoon coats for men and roadsters with rumble seats were on the scene in Manhattan in the early 30's, although cars were scarce. Big hats and berets were also clothing articles of the day. Dances were held in Anderson Hall, with the fox trot and waltz as the main ways of dancing. 10 cents was the charge and the section now known as Admissions and Records was the only resemblance of a student union. Also as a part of social life in Manhattan a crowded Sunset Hill was mentioned. Recent Clovia's would find that this old "lovers lane" is now in the residential area of town near the Sunset Zoo.

With permission, in those days, a fraternity or sorority could invite another house over for an hour of dancing during the week from seven until eight o'clock in the evening. These houses also had many formal parties and elected various queens.

In 1931 Henry Cronkite was the football hero of K-State chosen for the first All-American team. Elden Auker was the star baseball pitcher and also lettered in football and basketball. Bo McMillan was the football coach at the time, and later went on to be head football coach at Notre Dame. His success there was nationally known.