Alpha of Clovia

December 7, 1941 was a Sunday. Clovia had just completed its dress dinner as usual, and many were still in the living room when the announcement came! Pearl Harbor had been bombed and World War II was on! As a result, campus building was halted, some goods were not available, and men around campus were fewer. During the war, Clovia was affected in some respects, and everyone was concerned with the war effort. The military used many buildings on campus and soldiers lived in Van Zile Hall. The men left in school were ASTP (Army Specialized Training Program) personnel. Air Force classes were held on campus and the men counted cadence as they marched to and from classes. They stood at attention when instructors entered the rooms.

Several Clovia's were involved in knitting for the soldiers. Army buses transported girls to Ft. Riley, on occasion, for Tea Dances. Sunday evenings the girls often attended U.S.O. dances. With relatives and acquaintances in the war, there was a lot of letter writing. Clovia mail was sorted and put on the landing on the stairway. It was all too common to see MISSING IN ACTION on returned envelopes piled on the ledge in the stairway. The house occasionally had to participate in citywide blackout practice when no lights could be visible from the outside of the house. Clovia's dance in '42 at the Avalon was called the "Patriotic Prom."

Meanwhile at Clovia, there had been discussion of setting a founder's day. It was voted to recognize Oct. 15 as founder's day. That same 1941-42 school year "Sweetheart of Clovia" became Clovia's official sweetheart song. Clovia's 10th anniversary celebration was November 1 and 2, 1941.

In 1942, twenty six lived in the house, and house bills were $23.00 monthly. With three to five girls sharing each room, closet space was at a premium and the basement was always full of slow drying laundry.

Clovia could boast of being the top house in scholarship in 1943, and second in 1944. Milton Eisenhower was installed the 9th president of KSC the fall of '43. Clovia gals were very active in Collegiate 4-H, various honorary organizations, and Mortar Board.

Lavone Barngrover recalled the year she was president and the Beta's came a day early for national meeting. They were welcomed by the embarrassing sight of all the furniture piled on the hall landings so the Alpha's could clean.

Saddle shoes and sloppy cardigan sweaters were class wear. Cars were very scarce during the war years. Matt Betton's band still entertained at the Avalon ballroom, and the dance was the fox trot. Some songs of the times were "Girl of My Dream," "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "You're a Sap Mr. Jap", and "Blues in the Night."

Things were looking up in 1945. With VE Day in May and VJ Day in August, the war ended. In May that year Clovia took over the deed to their house on 16th St.

After the war ended campus life took on a new style. College gals had spent their teen years with shortages of men, rationed gas, tires and sugar (no candy), and nylon hose had been very scarce, Peggy Wood remembered. K-State enrollment had jumped from 1500, to an overcrowded campus of 7,000 predominantly male students. Although a large percentage of the veterans were married, there were still plenty men to date, and a few had a little money to spend and a car to drive. Many Clovia's quit school to get married, then worked to help their husbands through school.

Hour dances on week nights were often enjoyed. The dance was the jitterbug and the "in" place to go was the Avalon in Aggieville, which had an "undulating floor." Coke dates to the Palace Drug in Aggieville were very popular.

Skirts were eight inches from the floor and slacks were never worn to class. Large, loose fitting sweaters called sloppy Joes or very fitted fuzzy angora sweaters were worn. On Sunday, as has always been Clovia tradition, the girls dressed up to go to church, wearing fitted waist dresses, hats, gloves and new sheer nylons. On Sundays it was also a custom to remain dressed up through the day and take Mother Farmer to supper in the evening at the Gillette Hotel.