Despite the serious and high-minded goals of Baptist Female University/ Baptist University for Women/Meredith College – for the first twenty-five years or so, its yearbook, the Oak Leaves, also reflected the fun-loving young women in attendance. While there were serious organizations on campus, there are many photographs of quirky or spontaneous clubs that lasted only for that academic year. One might ask if these clubs really existed, or were they invented to commemorate a set of friends, a private joke, a shared hometown (or state) or simply for the chance of a photograph?
A clipping from the Twig in 1926 seeming to confirm that some clubs had brief lifespans....
The Jolly Feasters (1905)
A recurring theme of clubs for many years, although with different names, were those related to food. The 1905 Oak Leaves, only the college's second yearbook, is full of photos of clubs, most of which are never seen again. Students were enjoying their choices and friendships and inside jokes.
The FFV's (1905):
The F.F.V.s did not explain the reason for their organization, but based on their song, motto, flower and "chief virtue," one can guess that all members (and "sisters" in the faculty) were from the neighboring state of Virginia. Sharing a home town, school or state was a common theme for the early clubs.
The Guess Who Club (1905):
Perhaps we should not be surprised that there is no other information about this club or its members.
The Victorious Talking Machines (1906):
The 'lights out" mandate apparently frustrated the "Victorious Talking Machines."
The Ghost Club (1906):
Members of the Ghost Club posed in ominous white robes and with a superimposed skeleton.
Cute Codak Club (1906):
The Cute Codak Club included some of their snapshots in the yearbook. According to the accompanying description, their motto was "We take anything, everything and anybody."
The Atlantic Viewers (1908):
The Atlantic Viewers (1908) consisted of students from Wilmington, and was a successor to the "Old-Ki-Ha-Brads" club from earlier years. Their club flower? Seaweed.
Six Tall Maids (1909)
While presumably proud of their academic accomplishments, this club seems to be acknowledging a little anxiety about what educated women might expect about their future matrimonial prospects - much like the Spinsters Club in 1905.
The Bohemian Girls (1910)
Billiken Club (1910)
The Billiken Club is another group that appeared for only one year in the Oak Leaves.
The Billiken was a figure designed and patented (1908) by Missouri art teacher and illustrator Florence Pretz. Originally sold as a small statue and referred to in the press as an “Oriental idol,” or a “heathen” good-luck charm, the design was adopted into many forms – in fashion accessories, knick-knacks and eventually dolls. It furthermore made an appearance in popular movies and in songs, and still lives on today in statuary and as sport mascots.
Wikipedia describes the Billiken as “monkey-like with pointed ears, a mischievous smile and a tuft of hair on his pointed head. His arms were short and he was generally sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him.”
The scholar Erica Kanesaka has researched the origins and intent of the Billiken, and has written about its appearance in the popular press of the time, its marketing by the toy industry and the implicit, if not explicit racism in its features, along with a “sheen of innocence.”
In the year in which the “Billiken Club” appeared in the Oak Leaves, the figure was still a potent fad, popularized by the moniker, “God of things as they ought to be,” an attribution that may have alarmed the staunch Baptists of the school.
The Kurly Kinks Klub (1911)
A rare "formal" photo of students with their long hair down. If photographed in their rooms while relaxing among friends, the young women often wore mob caps. Otherwise, hair was worn in pinned-up hairstyles.
Big Four (1916)
These four proudly posed with a scale.
Poodles (1917)
The Poodles from 1917 listed no names, aspirations or interests in their yearbook entry, but only their "Poodlelutions," including "Never to bark at strangers."
The Ukulele Club (1919)
Members posed with their instruments in a dorm room. Originally popularized in Hawaii, the ukulele came to attention stateside during the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915.
Mover's Club (1919)
Fleeing from the "wrath of Son" when "the flu was flying" refers to school nurse Octavia Norwood. Norwood helped keep the school mostly flu free during the 1918 epidemic. She called all students "Son" and had the nicknamed affectionately turned back on her.
Leap Year Club (1920)
The Walking Club (1922)
The Walking Club probably derived from the college physician, Dr. Dixon-Carroll, who strongly encouraged students to take vigorous daily walks - as well as from the mildly militaristic "S.A.T.C." culture that arose from the influence of World War I and the 1918 influenza quarantine.
Sisters' Club (1924)
Perusing alumnae lists, one often runs across family relationships, especially sisters and cousins who would follow each other to Meredith College.
Wake Forest Summer School Club and Wake Forest Brothers Club (1925)
As schools both affiliated with the North Carolina Baptist Convention - and at the time located only 20 miles apart - Meredith College and Wake Forest College naturally had a close relationship. This is reflected in 1925 by the "Wake Forest Summer School Club" and the "Wake Forest Brothers Club." The formation of the yet unnamed club of sisters and brothers was mentioned in the October 27, 1924 Twig, as "planning great things." The writer finished encouragingly, "Three cheers for Baptist families."
The Mars Hill Club (1927)
The Mars Hill Club was made up of students who had started their college educations at Mars Hill College, which at the time was a 2-year junior college and was, like Meredith College, affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
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