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Title: Oregon State University Collegiate 4-H Club Records, 1929-1985

ID: MSS 4HClub

Primary Creator: Collegiate 4-H Club (Oregon State University)

Extent: 0.7 cubic feet

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

The Collegiate 4-H Club Records document the activities of this student organization at Oregon State University. The Campus 4-H Club was founded at Oregon Agricultural College in the 1920s and remained activie until 1985.

The collection consists of four series. The first series, Business Records, includes minutes, committee lists, constitutions, brief history of Collegiate 4-H Club, various reports, cash book and bills paid. Series two, Correspondence, includes meeting notices, letters and news clippings. Series three, Activities, consists of ten subseries: newsletters of the club, 4-H Fortune and 4-H Gazette; National 4-H Congress; National Collegiate 4-H Association newsletters and reports; recreational ideas; county visitations, which includes workshops the club presented to various 4-H clubs; LABO-4-H exchange, an exchange program with Japanese students; International Farm Youth Exchange (IFYE), including newsletters and correspondence; Ceremonies, including initiation, officer installation, and flag ceremonies; Community Pride program, which includes photographs and negatives; and a Scrapbook from the 1920-30s depicting the activities and members of the Campus [later Collegiate] 4-H Club. The final series, Ephemeral Materials includes an OSU Faculty Advisor Handbook, a blank certificate of award and an article on 4-H clubs published in the National 4-H News.

The Oregon State University Collegiate 4-H Club, originally called the OAC (Oregon Agricultural College) Campus 4-H Club, was organized in the early 1920s. The Campus 4-H Club was established by ex-4-H Club members who were interested in maintaining contact with their 4-H friends and with the Extension Service. Through the Campus Club these college students were able to maintain friendships from 4-H Summer School, the State Fair, the Pacific International Livestock exhibition and other inter-county events. An undated history of the Collegiate 4-H Club proclaimed the club offered new and rewarding experiences to students on their entrance to college.

The Oregon chapter of Mu Beta Beta, the 4-H Club honorary society,was established in 1928 with 22 members, and the Campus 4-H Club was instrumental in getting the honorary society started. Within the School of Agriculture, the Campus 4-H club has operated much as a departmental club participating in Agricultural School activities such as dances, banquets, and the little Pacific International. Activities have varied over the years. For example, during the 1930s, square dancing was very popular. In 1950 and 1951 the Campus Club and Mu Beta Beta helped to establish the International FarmYouth Exchange Program (IFYE) in Oregon. The activities in the 1960s included providing leadership for 4-H clubs at the Children's Farm Home and providing teams for county visitations to provide instructions in record keeping, showmanship, officer training, recreation and other aspects of 4-H club work.

The club changed its name from Campus 4-H Club to Collegiate 4-H Club in the 1962, shortly after Oregon State College became Oregon State University. In the early sixties, Collegiate 4-H Clubs were also established, at Linfield College and at the University of Oregon. Their club activities have been similar to those at OSU with special work at Eola Village in McMinnville and the Pearl Buck home in Eugene.

The 1970s and early 1980s activities included participating in LABO - 4-H Exchanges, whereby Japanese students visited the campus and stayed with various 4-H families. However, in 1985 the club became inactive and remained so until 1999.

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Related Materials: The Extension Service Records (RG 111) contain related 4-H materials. Several photograph collections also contain related materials: Harriet's Photograph Collection (P HC) HC1646, Extension Service Photographs (P 062); and 4-H Photograph Collection (P 146). Related manuscript collections include the Esther Taskerud Papers (MSS Taskerud), Helen Cowgill Papers (MSS Cowgill), Oregon State University Extension Association/4-H Records (MSS OSUEA4H), and Malheur County 4-H Leader's Council Records. 4-H Club Leaders Letters (PUB 424) contain related records of the Collegiate 4-H Club and Mu Beta Beta.

Preferred Citation: Oregon State University Collegiate 4-H Club Records (MSS 4HClub), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Other URL: A preliminary container list was created for this collection on or before Decemeber 11, 2015.

Collegiate 4-H Club (Oregon State University)
Campus 4-H Club (Oregon Agricultural College)
Campus 4-H Club (Oregon State College)

4-H clubs--Oregon.
Campus 4-H Club (Oregon Agricultural College)
Campus 4-H Club (Oregon State College)
Clubs--Oregon--Corvallis.
Collegiate 4-H Club (Oregon State University)
International Farm Youth Exchange
Natural Resources
Oregon Multicultural Archives
Student activities--Oregon--Corvallis.
University History

Photographic prints.
Scrapbooks.