Alpha of Clovia

In the late forties Clovia members were also upholding the house reputation for being involved in campus activities. The spring of 1946 Clovia placed first in Interfraternity Sing. The girls earned many scholastic honors and memberships in Mortar Board, Prix and Omicron Nu. Everyone belonged to Collegiate 4-H and many were officers. There were house teams in intramural basketball, and folk and tap dancing. Clovia earned the Panhellenic trophy for outstanding scholarship in 1949-50.

The Clovia organization itself was showing interest in expansion. The alumnae orginization was corresponding with various houses and groups in Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska and Illinois, trying to spawn interest in Clovia houses. In 1947 the alums formed a developing committee to investigate lots and real estate possibilities, and begin looking forward to a time to build a larger house. Money making projects began putting money into a building fund, and alums were assessed for proceeds for this fund. The house was overflowing, and for a time eight girls lived in an annex nearby.

House traditions were strong in the late forties. Pledgeship was taken very seriously, and involved a lot of hard work. In addition to regular duties, pledge duties also included making actives' beds, polishing shoes, ironing, etc., for which points were earned. At meals pledges could be relied upon for history recitation or to sing the Greek alphabet, or any other request. The pledge class of '48, however, did get noticed and caused pledges to be closely monitored for a few years. They planned their sneak for homecoming weekend, when the actives were preparing for a dinner for the alums. After everyone left for the game, the pledges returned and locked up silverware and stole the dessert for the dinner. They also placed syrup coated saran wrap under toilet seats and wrecked the house in general. After a long lecture from the Dean of Women, and having their clothes locked up for a week, proper respect was restored in the house, and the lesson is still remembered to this day.

House formals were highlights of the Clovia social year, the winter formal in December being the most significant. The theme for the ball in 1947 was the Snowball, and in 1948, the winter formal was called the Crystal Ball, and remains Crystal Ball to the present. Long formals with very full skirts were popular, and usually made of taffeta. Off the shoulder or strapless fashions were popular. The men wore black tuxes.

Chocolates were passed at the house to announce engagements, as is the custom today. Mother Farmer would ring a little silver bell and everyone would gather in the living room for the announcement. The girls sang "Sweetheart of Clovia'' and lined up to kiss the guy. If he lived in an organized house, there would be a serenade by that house that evening. When a wedding date was set the girl would send a dozen red roses to the house to announce the date.

The friendship with the AGR house continued in those days. It seems there became a large crop of lettuce growing in the AGR front lawn, and the Clovia girls were suspected. After all, the AGR's were having a terrible time getting their grass to grow and Clovia was just trying to help them out. It was no surprise that later a hen was found tethered in the Clovia front lawn one morning.

Milton Eisenhower was president of the university during those years and he invited his brother General Dwight David Eisenhower to visit the campus. There was a big parade for the war hero from downtown to the campus that resembled the movies with cheering people lining the streets, flags waving.

1948-49 was Mother Farmer's last year at Clovia. She retired to Napa, Idaho after that year, and is dearly remembered by those who were in the house the ten years prior to her retirement. Mrs. Vesta Halverson was the new housemother.