Oregon State University Folk Club Records, 1908-2014

Predominant Dates: 1910-2000

The Oregon State University Folk Club Records contain records pertaining to the group's charitable and social activities, and general records including annual reports, constitutions and bylaws, correspondence, meeting minutes, newsletters, news clippings, statements of policies and guidelines, and yearbooks. Also included in the collection are series documenting the establishment, activities, and membership of the Newcomers Club - a "department" of the Folk Club for those new to Corvallis and the OSU community - and the Thrift Shop of OSU Folk Club, which was established in 1949. Originally formed as the College Folk Club by Leonora Kerr in 1908, the name was changed to the OSU Folk Club in 1972.

Creators

ID: MSS FolkClub

Extent: 9.25 cubic feet

More Extent Information

Scope and Content Notes

Biographical / Historical Notes

The Oregon State University Folk Club (known as the College Folk Club until 1972) was founded on October 29, 1908 by Leonora Kerr, wife of President William Jasper Kerr. Membership in the Club was open to “all women of the faculty and other women employees of the institution, and to the women members of the immediate families of the faculty and other employees;” at its establishment, the Club’s primary aims were to provide “social diversion, general culture, and the promotion of the best interests of the college.” In 1913, smaller, special interest groups – known as “Study Sections” at the time, and later referred to as Interest Groups – were convened to further meet the needs and interests of members. The three Study Sections active in 1913 were an Art and Music Section, a Sociology Section, and a “Mothers’ Section.” That same year, the organization became a member of the Oregon State Federation of Women’s Clubs in order to “extend the work of the club as to effect the greatest possible good to the College and to the city.”

Early Folk Club meetings were held in a number of on-campus locations, including the parlor of Waldo Hall, the Women’s Building and, after its construction in 1928, the Memorial Union. Aside from the semi-monthly meetings of the various sections, the general club convened on the first Saturday of each month. At a typical meeting, conducting the business of the group was followed by academic lectures, and/or a musical or literary program put on by members of the club.

The Club was active both on campus and in the greater Corvallis community from its inception. In 1911, the club “voted to object to the Corvallis City Council’s move to ‘[open] the moving pictures shows on Sunday.’” In the late 1920s, the group staged the play The Famous Mrs. Fair, with all proceeds going towards “furnishing the faculty women’s club rooms provided in the Memorial Union” at the building’s completion. After the Memorial Union was constructed, the Club purchased and dedicated an “artistic statuary” to be displayed in the lounge in memory of the service of Louise Magruder, former Secretary and President of the Club.

In 1942, Folk Club member Corrine McKenzie, recognizing the unique needs of women new to the OSU community, whether as faculty or staff themselves or as wives or partners of faculty or staff, informally established the Newcomers Club. McKenzie – who had previously founded a similar club at the University of Missouri – and the original twelve members of the Newcomers met every second and fourth Thursday in members’ homes. According to an early constitution, the Newcomers Club was open to “women newly eligible to the College Folk Club.” More specifically, women were eligible for membership if they were “wives of staff members” or were “listed in the faculty directory of Oregon State College;” employees of the “permanent Federal and State Agencies cooperating with Oregon State College;” or “women of student service organizations.” Membership in the Newcomers Club was limited in duration; after two years in the Newcomers Club, women were members of the greater College Folk Club alone. Officers included a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Secretary-Treasurer. Dues, which were used primarily to cover postage of various mailings, were originally set at 50 cents per year.

In January 1945, after meeting regularly for over two years, College Folk Club President Gladys Goode met with Elizabeth Rainey of the Newcomers to assist in formally organizing the group and electing its officers. In February of that year, at a regular meeting of the College Folk Club, the Newcomers Club was officially recognized as a “department” within the Folk Club; as such, the Folk Club committed to providing the Newcomers “every assistance possible.” McKenzie and Rainey were elected Co-Chairs, and May Barnes was selected to serve as Secretary-Treasurer. Bylaws for the group were drafted in April 1945, and formally adopted in May of that year.

By 1947, the original Newcomers membership of 12 women had grown to over 200. Due to its size and subsequent increase in expenses, the Folk Club voted to set aside “a designated amount of money…in the budget…to aid in their running expenses.” Initially, 20% of dues paid to the Folk Club – $1.25 each year – were encumbered for use by the Newcomers; by 1948 this had been increased to 40%. In addition to participating in programs and events of the Folk Club, Newcomers planned and attended luncheons and teas, Christmas parties, “style” or fashion shows, and philanthropic projects.

In early 1949, the Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis began a drive for funds with which to remodel and expand. A letter was sent to organizations in the area, the letter to the Folk Club being received by then-Folk Club President Mildred Bennion. When her term ended later that Spring, Bennion turned the letter over to her successor, Betty Slegel. In order to raise money to support the hospital’s fund drive, Slegel suggested a Thrift Shop, a fund-raising effort with which she’d had some experience (in her home town of Lafayette, Indiana the church mortgage had been paid in full with proceeds from their thrift shop). In May 1949, at a joint meeting of the incoming and outgoing Folk Club Executive Boards, the Thrift Shop proposal was approved as a limited-duration, community-service project. The Thrift Shop opened Friday, August 5, 1949, in the rear of the Tot Shop at 125 South Second Street in Corvallis. Dorothy Butts was selected to serve as Chair, and Ada Scheel was named Treasurer.

The Thrift Shop quickly outgrew its shared space on Second Street, and began looking for a new location, eventually settling on rooms above the United Products Company in downtown Corvallis. Just four months after opening on Second Street, the Thrift Shop reopened at its new location at 401 S. Third Street. At the end of what had originally been envisioned as a yearlong “project,” the shop had realized a net profit of $501.49, $500 of which was invested in a government bond. The proceeds of that bond – $1486 in 1951 – were donated to Good Samaritan to furnish the hospital’s newly remodeled waiting room. In 1950, the shop’s net profits doubled, and in 1952 the shop expanded again, this time into additional rooms at its then-current location on Third Street.

In 1969, the Thrift Shop was presented with the opportunity to purchase the Spencer Feed and Seed building at 144 NW Second Street in downtown Corvallis; the purchase was approved at a special business meeting December 1, 1969, and a Contract of Sale was signed. At the end of the first full year in their new building, bank deposits totally over $59,000, more than double the deposits in 1969. Lorraine Crowell – who had been instrumental in securing the purchase of the building, and who served as Building Manager after the sale – was memorialized with the C. Lorraine Crowell Thrift Shop Memorial Scholarship, awarded to freshman women from Benton County. As celebration of their 20^th anniversary in 1975, a second scholarship – the Betty Slegel Scholarship – was established.

Throughout its history, the OSU Folk Club has routinely hosted a wide variety of events, including teas and luncheons, public lectures, dances, fashion shows, and tours and trips. The philanthropic mission of the club is to raise funds to provide scholarships for Oregon State students, and grants to Corvallis and Benton County non-profits and charitable organizations; much of this fund-raising is done through the Thrift Shop, though the Club also hosts fund-raising events. The first scholarship provided by the club – named for its founder, Leonora Kerr, and totaling $50 – was awarded in 1930.

In its first 30 years – 1949 to 1979 – the Thrift Shop donated over $200,000 for scholarships and community projects. By 2000, the Club and Thrift Shop had donated more than $1 million to charitable organizations and projects in Benton County, including over $340,000 in scholarships. For the 2020/2021 academic year, nineteen $3,000 and one $1,500 scholarships were awarded, and twenty-nine Benton County non-profit agencies received grants totaling $35,000, including the Corvallis Bicycle Collective, the Corvallis OSU Symphony Society, the Jackson Street Youth Center, the Alsea Valley Gleaners, the Benton County Historical Society, and the Oregon Cascades West Senior Meals on Wheels.

Entering its 110^th year in 2020, the Folk Club’s nearly 300 members come together through special programs, including lunches and educational lectures, and interest groups such as Hiking/Walking, Menuettes, OSU Folk Club/OSU Crossroads Scholar Friendship Coffees, and several book clubs. According to the club webpage, the purpose of the club continues to be “friendship among faculty women and wives/partners of faculty, as well as service to OSU and the community.”

Author: Rachel Lilley and Sabrina Gorney

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Arrangement

Preferred Citation: Oregon State University Folk Club Records (MSS FolkClub), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Acquisition Note: The initial donation of Folk Club materials was made to the former University Archives in 1991. Additional materials were received on a semi-regular basis, either from Folk Club members or the current Folk Club Historian or President.

Acquired: 1991.

Languages of Materials

English

Other

Container List

Series 1: Folk Club, 1908-2011 Add to Shelf

The Folk Club series is arranged into 13 sub-series. Sub-series 1, Constitutions and Bylaws, includes the first constitution and bylaws of the group, which formed in 1908 (Box-folder 1.17). The organizational histories in Sub-series 2 document the history of the Folk Club yearbook, and includes an interesting “Statement on the Relationship Between the College Folk Club and the Corvallis Community Players” (Box-folder 1.2). Written by then-Club President Lillian Jensen (1928-1929), the statement appears to center on sponsorship of plays put on by the Corvallis Community Players by the College Folk Club, and the responsibility for expenses incurred in the production of those performances.

Sub-series 3, Membership Records, includes lists of past members and past Folk Club presidents; two boxes of 3x5 membership cards are also included. The membership cards, which are filed alphabetically and are dated to the 1950s through the 1990s, include the member’s name, mailing address, department and status of their partner (e.g. Chemistry, Associate Professor), year they became a member, and what years they paid dues. Cards are also included for charter, deceased, and “current” members.

The Financial Records in Sub-series 4 include an application for the purchase of two savings bonds in 1945. This sub-series also contains a note regarding the reason the bonds were purchased; namely, it was hoped they could be used in the “construction of a women’s club building” once the bonds had matured. According to a register included in this sub-series, ten bonds were purchased between 1945 and 1949.

In addition to general correspondence regarding events and programs, grant allocations and other philanthropic work, membership, dues, and meetings, Sub-series 5 also includes mailings regarding the Student Loan Fund, and correspondence between the Folk Club and the Council of Campus Women’s Clubs. Of particular note in this sub-series is a “round robin” letter sent by the Daughters of Demeter – an organization similar in composition to the Folk Club at the University of Wisconsin-Madison – to other clubs affiliated with the National League of Agricultural College Women. The report gathers data regarding how and when the clubs were organized, their membership and officers, and programs offered. Reporting clubs include the University Farm Circle at the University of California, Davis; the Viola Thorne Club of Ohio State University; the Lahoma Club at the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Oklahoma State University); and the Triangle Club at the University of Rhode Island.

The Meeting Minutes in Sub-series 6 primarily document the meetings and work of the Executive Board. Early minutes in this sub-series are hand-written; later minutes are often typed transcripts. The minutes primarily document reporting out done by committee chairs, discussions of new and on-going business, selection and establishment of new or ad hoc committees, payment of dues and other financial matters, and revisions to the Constitutions and/or bylaws. A brief summary of the lecture, presentation, and/or entertainment provided at the meeting is often included as well. News clippings promoting or advertising Folk Club meetings are occasionally pasted in. Executive Board meeting minutes dating from 1942 to 1946 may be of particular interest, as they often include discussion of wartime projects undertaken by the group, and document presentations or lectures given on war-related topics. On February 5, 1945, for example, Dr. Clifford Moser, Head of the Division of Business and Industry at OAC, gave a lecture on “War and European Social Structure;” later in the same meeting members recommended asking college administrators for a “class in psychological training” so they might better support returning veterans. The Board also purchased war bonds, organized a “War Relief and Hospitality Committee,” and invited a former prisoner of war to speak at a meeting (March 4, 1946).

Included in the Committee sub-series, Sub-series 7, are folders documenting the “Interest Groups,” or Study Sections, of the Folk Club. Study Sections for the 1924/1925 school year included Recreation, Current Events, Mothers and Homemakers, Drama, Literature, Music, and Art Sections; Interest Groups for 1954-1955 included Book Review, Bridge, Current Events, Home Interest, Music, Play Reading, Sewing, Swimming, and Square Dancing. Other committee work documented in this sub-series includes planning for events and programs; work selecting and awarding scholarships; and and work to improve the welfare of students. Committee folders often include meeting minutes, correspondence, copies of reports, and news clippings. Information regarding the Lenore Kerr Scholarship (Box-Folder 4.1) includes a list of winners from 1936 to 1956, a brief history of the scholarship, and a black and white photograph of the winners from 1955 to 1958 (Anne I. Hickey, Ernestine H. Sherman, Delores Krauss, and Ruth F. Carleson, pictured).

The reports included in Sub-series 8 document the work of ad hoc committees created to serve as organizers of a special event or work on a limited-duration project (e.g. 90^th Anniversary). Also included are the reports of officers of the Folk Club. Of special note, the Women’s Organizations Survey Report (Box-folder 5.9) documents the results of a survey sent by the Folk Club to women's organizations at schools belonging to the Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges in 1967. Sixty-seven survey responses were returned. Questions address annual dues, total membership, membership requirements, philanthropy done by the group, and whether the "trend for wives to work outside their homes" had affected membership.

Two Folk Club publications – the Fanfare newsletter, and Folk Club yearbooks – are included in Sub-series 9, Publications. Early newsletters primarily focus on upcoming events, and are more akin to flyers than newsletters. Later newsletters include news of the Thrift Shop and Newcomers Club; scholarships awarded and grant allocations made; and upcoming events and programs. Early yearbooks include a calendar of events and programs; and lists of Executive Board members, Folk Club officers, and members. In later yearbooks a brief history of the organization; a list of interest groups; a history of the Thrift Shop and list of its officers; and a list of past Folk Club Presidents were added.

Events and Programs documented in Sub-series 10 include Christmas parties; annual Folk Club luncheons; the installation of new members; and both the Folk Club’s and OSU’s centennial celebrations. Also included in this sub-series is a script for a radio program entitled “Especially for Women,” in which Folk Club member Emelyn Christensen and Folk Club President Betty Slegel explain to a fictional letter writer how to establish an organization similar to the Folk Club in their area. Boxes 21 and 22 in this sub-series contain exhibit panels created by the Folk Club to celebrate its centennial, and the Thrift Shop's semicentennial, in 2008; the panels include images (primarily photocopies) and text documenting significant events in the Club's history.

Sub-series 11, News clippings, is primarily comprised of clippings which document Folk Club events (e.g. lectures, presentations, teas, luncheons, parties), philanthropic work, and membership. Also included are clippings relating to the Folk Club cookbook, Gateway to our Kitchens. The photographs in Sub-series 12, Photographs and Photograph Albums, document events such as the Folk Club Annual Luncheon, the President’s Holiday Party, and the Club’s 90^th Anniversary Party. Of the 121 prints in this sub-series, most are color snapshots.

The scrapbooks in Sub-series 13 – referred to as “publicity” scrapbooks by the creators of the collection – are comprised primarily of pasted-in news clippings, event programs, and yearbooks. The six scrapbooks in this series contain a total of 10 photographs. The publicity scrapbook for 1953/54 through 1959/1960 includes copies of “Thrift Shop Talk,” a weekly Corvallis Gazette-Times column which highlighted special sales events, and included timely notes about new items in stock (e.g. bathing suits in the summer), and requests for items that were low in stock (e.g. baby clothes, paper bags needed for bagging purchases).

Sub-Series 1: Constitutions and Bylaws, 1912-1998 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 1.1: Constitutions and Bylaws, 1912-1998 Add to Shelf

Sub-Series 2: Organizational Histories, 1929-1930 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 1.2: "A Statement on the Relationship between the College Folk Club and the Corvallis Community Players up to May 1929", 1929 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.3: Folk Club Yearbook History, 1930 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.4: Folk Club emblem and songs, undated Add to Shelf: Includes a description of symbols used in the emblem, which was designed by J. Leo Fairbanks. Songs include two pieces written by Lora Lemon for the Folk Club, Song of Friendship and The Garden of the West.

Sub-Series 3: Membership Records, 1931-1989 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 1.5: Membership lists, 1931-1989 Add to Shelf: Includes a list of charter members, and one of past Folk Club Presidents, 1908-1975.
Box 13: Membership cards Add to Shelf
Box 14: Membership cards Add to Shelf

Sub-Series 4: Financial Records, 1945-1949 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 1.6: Savings Bonds, 1945-1949 Add to Shelf

Sub-Series 5: Correspondence, 1927-1997 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 1.7: General Correspondence, 1928-1997 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.8: General Correspondence, undated Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.9: Council of Campus Women's Clubs, 1945-1953 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.10: Daughters of Demeter, 1927-1930 Add to Shelf: Includes an undated, but likely contemporary, report from the National League of Agricultural College Women.
Box-Folder 1.11: Dues, 1948-1950 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.12: Gateway to our Kitchens, 1988-1992 Add to Shelf: Originally published in 1981, Gateway to our Kitchens was a compilation of faculty, faculty wives', and friends' favorite recipes.
Box-Folder 1.13: Membership Mailings, 1989-1992 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.14: President's letters, 1961-1991 Add to Shelf: Letters written by each out-going President to each President-elect, reporting on work done during their tenure and providing tips on effective leadership.
Box-Folder 1.15: Student Loan Fund, 1927-1958 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.16: Women of Achievement Nominations, 1954-1993 Add to Shelf

Sub-Series 6: Meeting Minutes, 1908-1999 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 1.17: Executive Board, 1908-1912 Add to Shelf: Includes the first Constitution and Bylaws drafted by the Club.
Box-Folder 2.1: Executive Board, 1928-1935 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.2: Executive Board, 1935-1944 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.3: Executive Board, 1944-1948 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.4: Executive Board, 1948-1955 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.5: Executive Board, 1955-1962 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.6: Executive Board, 1962-1970 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.1: Executive Board, 1970-1977 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.2: Executive Board, 1978-1985 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.3: Executive Board, 1985-1995 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.4: Executive Board, 1996-1999 Add to Shelf

Sub-Series 7: Committees, 1924-2001 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 3.5: Study Sections / Interest Groups, 1924-1969 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.6: Interest Groups, 1973-1995 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.7: Interest Groups, 1995-1999 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.8: Planning and Events Committee, 1934-1968 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.1: Scholarship Committee, 1931-1959 Add to Shelf: Includes one black and white print of the Leonora Kerr Scholarship winners from 1955 to 1958.
Box-Folder 4.2: Scholarship Committee, 1960-1989 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.3: Scholarship Committee: Winners and funds, 1930-2001 Add to Shelf: Includes a history of the Folk Club scholarship, and lists of winners through 2001.
Box-Folder 4.4: Student Welfare Committee, 1940-1960 Add to Shelf

Sub-Series 8: Reports, 1925-2001 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 4.5: 80th Anniversary Party Report, 1988 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.6: 90th Anniversary Report, 1999 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.7: Club Secretary Year-End Report, 1996-1998 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.8: Committee for the Folk Club Luncheon Report, 1952 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.9: Community Coordinator Report, 1953-1957 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.10: Courtesy Committee Reports, 1954-1962 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.11: "Favorites" Survey Report, 1997 Add to Shelf: Documents club members "favorites" in the Corvallis area (e.g. favorite restaurants, OSU events, etc.).
Box-Folder 4.12: Historian's Annual Report, 1996 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.13: Hospitality Committee Reports, 1951-1997 Add to Shelf: Primarily documents events and programs put on to welcome Newcomers.
Box-Folder 4.14: Mailing Committee Reports, 1990-1992 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.15: Program Chair Reports, 1954-1960 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.16: Publicity Committee Reports, 1954-1959 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.17: Secretary's Annual Report, 1954-1955 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.18: Social Committee Chair, 1953-1966 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.1: Thrift Shop Community Service Committee Reports, 1956-1962 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.2: Treasurer's Report, 1925-1930 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.3: Treasurer's Report, 1930-1940 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.4: Treasurer's Report, 1940-1950 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.5: Treasurer's Report, 1950-1959 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.6: Treasurer's Report, 1987-1999 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.7: Vice President's Reports, 1957-2001 Add to Shelf: Includes documents outlining the duties and responsibilities of the Vice President.
Box-Folder 5.8: Ways and Means Committee Reports, 1955-1965 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.9: Women's Organizations Survey Report, 1966-1967 Add to Shelf

Sub-Series 9: Publications, 1909-2011 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 5.10: Pre-Fanfare Newsletters, 1955-1966 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.11: Fanfare Newsletters, 1966-1980 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 6.1: Fanfare Newsletters, 1980-1990 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 6.2: Fanfare Newsletters, 1990-2011 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 6.3: Yearbooks, 1909/1910-1913/1914 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 6.4: Yearbooks, 1924/1925-1929/1930 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 6.5: Yearbooks, 1930/1931-1939/1940 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 6.6: Yearbooks, 1940/1941-1949/1950 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 7.1: Yearbooks, 1950/1951-1954/1955 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 7.2: Yearbooks, 1955/1956-1959/1960 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 7.3: Yearbooks, 1960/1961-1964/1965 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 7.4: Yearbooks, 1965/1966-1969/1970 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 7.5: Yearbooks, 1970/1971-1974/1975 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 7.6: Yearbooks, 1975/1976-1979/1980 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 7.7: Yearbooks, 1980/1981-1984/1985 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 7.8: Yearbooks, 1985/1986-1989/1990 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 8.1: Yearbooks, 1990/1991-1996/1997 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 8.2: Yearbooks, 2001/2002 Add to Shelf

Sub-Series 10: Events and Programs, 1920-1999 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 8.3: OSU Folk Club Annual Luncheon, 1973-1975 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 8.4: OSU Folk Club Centennial Luncheon, May 4, 2009 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 8.5: OSU Folk Club Chorus Benefit Concert, circa 1920-1930 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 8.6: Community Art Exhibit, circa 1920-1930 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 8.7: Community Christmas Party, 1935-1954 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 8.8: Dance Drama Committee Recital, 1933 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 8.9: Event Programs, 1922-1968 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 8.10: Folk Club Party, January 1944 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 8.11: Guestbook, 1972-1989 Add to Shelf: Events identified in the guestbook include the Eugene Board Lunch, and a Retirees' Coffee.
Box-Folder 8.12: Installation Meetings, 1955-1987 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 8.13: Inventory, 1944-1963 Add to Shelf: Inventories the fine dinnerware and serving pieces owned by the Folk Club and used at events.
Box-Folder 8.14: Old Board/New Board Luncheon, 1987-1988 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 8.15: Oregon State University Centennial Celebration, 1968 Add to Shelf: Includes text of exhibit panels created by archivists William Schmidt and Sally Wilson.
Box-Folder 8.16: President's Reception, 1961-1963 Add to Shelf: A celebration of the first term of OSU President James Jensen.
Box-Folder 8.17: Program lists, circa 1992-1999 Add to Shelf: Yearly lists of programs put on by the Folk Club.
Box-Folder 8.18: Scripts for Presentations at Folk Club Meetings, 1949-1956 Add to Shelf: Includes script and research for presentations on the "Styles of 1908," and "Especially for Women."
Box 21: Folk Club Centennial Add to Shelf
Box 22: Folk Club Centennial Add to Shelf

Sub-Series 11: News clippings, 1952-1987 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 9.1: General News clippings, 1952-1979 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 9.2: Gateway to our Kitchens, 1987 Add to Shelf

Sub-Series 12: Photographs and Photograph Albums, 1968-1999 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 9.3: OSU Folk Club Past Presidents, April 1968 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 9.4: OSU Folk Club Past Presidents, 1984 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 9.5: Cookbook Committee, circa 1987 Add to Shelf: Image shows committee members holding Folk Club cookbook, Gateway to Our Kitchens.
Box-Folder 9.6: Folk Club founder, Leonora Kerr, 1990 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 9.7: OSU Folk Club Past Presidents, 1991 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 9.8: President's Holiday Party album, 1991 Add to Shelf: Photographer: Ted Rosenbaum, CMC Photo Service.
Box-Folder 9.9: "A Day on the Bay", April 13, 1992 Add to Shelf: Photographs taken during an outing to Yaquina Bay in Newport, Oregon. Photographer: Nancy Klingeman.
Box-Folder 9.10: OSU Folk Club Past Presidents, May 17, 1999 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 9.11: 90th Anniversary Party, May 1999 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 15.1: Annual Banquet, circa 1910 Add to Shelf: Image is a photocopy.

Sub-Series 13: Scrapbooks, 1928-1997 Add to Shelf

Box-Folder 9.12: Partial scrapbook, 1928-1934 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 15.2: Publicity scrapbook, 1936-1963 Add to Shelf: File 1 of 2; 1936-1948.
Box-Folder 15.3: Publicity scrapbook, 1936-1953 Add to Shelf: File 2 of 2; 1949-1953.
Box-Folder 16.1: Publicity scrapbook, 1953/1954-1959/1960 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 16.2: Publicity scrapbook, 1960/1961-1965/1966 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 17.1: Publicity scrapbook, 1966/1967-1972/1973 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 17.2: Publicity scrapbook, 1981/1982 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 18.1: Publicity scrapbook, 1991/1992-1996/1997 Add to Shelf

Series 2: Newcomers Club, 1944-1978 Add to Shelf

Comprised of records similar to those in Series 1, the records in Series 2: Newcomers Club include constitutions and bylaws, organizational histories, membership records, correspondence, meeting minutes, committee files, reports, yearbooks and newsletters, events and programs, and scrapbooks.

Of special note is an organizational history in Box-folder 9.14. Written in 1962, the document details the establishment of the club – referred to as a “department” of the Folk Club – and uses Folk Club minutes to trace the group’s roots within the Folk Club. This history also provides year-by-year highlights of Newcomer events and activities. This folder also includes excerpts from Folk Club minutes in which the Newcomer’s Club is mentioned (1944-1962), and lists of officers, board members, and program/committee chairs (1945-1961).

Scrapbooks in this series contain a total of 52 photographs, and include similar materials as the Folk Club publicity scrapbooks (e.g. clippings about events and programs, interest group lists, and membership).

The contents of box-folders 9.13 and 9.14 have been digitized and areavailable upon request.

Box-Folder 9.13: Constitutions and Bylaws, 1945-1976 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 9.14: Club History, 1944-1963 Add to Shelf: Includes blank stationery.
Box-Folder 9.15: Membership Records, 1950-1964 Add to Shelf: Includes lists of Board and non-Board members.
Box-Folder 9.16: Correspondence, 1951-1962 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 9.17: Meeting Minutes: Board Meetings, 1945-1960 Add to Shelf: Also includes Treasurer's Report for 1951-1952, clippings, and lists of Board members.
Box-Item 10.1: Meeting Minutes: Board Meetings, 1960-1978 Add to Shelf: Comprised primarily of minutes, this folder also includes reports, letters to in-coming chairs, lists of Board members, and Treasurer's Reports.
Box-Folder 10.2: Committees: Interest Groups, 1967-1978 Add to Shelf: Includes Interest Group reports and Interest Group lists.
Box-Folder 10.3: Reports: Chairperson's notes, 1960-1964 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 10.4: Reports: Publicity Report, 1974-1977 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 10.5: Events and Programs: Installation of Officers, undated Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 10.6: Publications: Yearbooks, 1949/1950-1968/1969 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 10.7: Publications: Yearbooks, 1969/1970-1975/1976 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 18.2: Scrapbooks: Publicity, 1954/1955-1962/1963 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 19.1: Scrapbooks: 1965/1966-1974/1975 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 19.2: Scrapbooks: 1975/1976-1977/1978 Add to Shelf

Series 3: Thrift Shop of OSU Folk Club, 1948-2014 Add to Shelf

Series 3, Thrift Shop of OSU Folk Club, is comprised of constitutions and bylaws, organizational histories, financial records, correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, news clippings, photographs, and scrapbooks.

Of note are the histories of the Thrift Shop included in this series, namely the Thrift Shop History Workbook in Box-folder 11.2, which includes sections for Folk Club minutes (i.e. excerpted sections which relate directly to the Thrift Shop); Thrift Shop officers (1949-1980); and Thrift Shop histories.

Scrapbooks in this series include four photographs. The partial scrapbook in this series primarily documents the work of Open Door, Inc. - a non-profit job training and placement organization dedicated to assisting people with developmental disabilities - and the Folk Club’s connection to that group. The full scrapbook is similar in content to the scrapbooks in Series 1 and Series 2, and is primarily comprised of pasted-in news clippings regarding grant allocations made by the Thrift Shop to local non-profits and/or student groups; articles about the affordability of the Thrift Shop; and clippings about the Gateway to our Kitchen book, published by the Folk Club.

The contents of box-folders 11.1, 11.2, and 11.4 have been digitized and areavailable upon request.

Box-Folder 11.1: Constitutions and Bylaws, 1961-1972 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 11.2: Organizational Histories: History Workbook, 1948-1980 Add to Shelf: Also includes types excerpts of Board Meeting Minutes (1948-1988), Officer lists (1949-1980), and scrapbook excerpts (1949-1979).
Box-Folder 11.3: Organizational Histories: Policies and Procedures, 1951-1971 Add to Shelf: Also includes information documenting the purchase of store displays and equipment.
Box-Folder 11.4: Organizational Histories: OSU Thrift Shop History, 1976 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 11.5: Organizational Histories: OSU Folk Club Thrift Shop Story, 2014 Add to Shelf: PowerPoint presentation print-outs.
Box-Folder 11.6: Financial Records: Allocations, 1951-1989 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 11.7: Financial Records: Allocation grants, 1991-1997 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 11.8: Financial Records: Budgets, 1972-1984 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 11.9: Financial Records: Receipts, 1959-1973 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 11.10: Financial Records: Summary Sheets, 1955-1976 Add to Shelf: Includes monthly balance sheets, yearly summaries, and bank balances.
Box-Folder 12.1: Financial Records: Summary Sheets, 1976-1984 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 12.2: Correspondence: General, 1953-2005 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 12.3: Meeting Minutes: Executive Board, 1953-1961 Add to Shelf: Includes a list of Thrift Shop officers, 1960-1961.
Box-Folder 12.4: Committees: Community Service and Allocations, 1964-1965 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 12.5: Committees: Rack Committee, 1961 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 12.6: Reports: Bookkeeping Report, 1960-1981 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 12.7: Reports: Community Service Committee Report, 1956 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 12.8: Events and Programs: 25th Anniversary, 1955-1975 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 12.9: News clippings: 1955-1997 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 12.10: Photographs: circa 1960-1970 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 20.1: Scrapbooks: Partial scrapbook, 1966-1974 Add to Shelf: The clippings in this scrapbook primarily document the work of Open Door, Inc.
Box-Folder 20.2: Scrapbooks: OSU Thrift Shop, 1964-1992 Add to Shelf

People, Places, and Topics

Forms of Material

Related Materials

College folk club gathering, October 1957.

Information and Credits