History of Clovia

Clovia was first conceptualized in 1930, at the beginning of the Great Depression, when some former 4-H women had meetings in their rooms. These meetings built their friendship, and an idea for a social organization for former 4-H women was born.

In 1931, these women decided to live together in a cooperative manner - sharing housework and possessions to reduce costs. Mary Jordan, Ellen Blair, and Mr. M.H. Coe, State 4-H Leader at the time, helped organize the group.

Officially, Clovia was founded at Kansas State University on September 7, 1931.

When Clovia was first formed, it was classified as a sorority and was a member of the Panhellenic Council. On October 18, 1961, Clovia decided to withdraw from the Panhellenic Council, so it is now considered to be an independent cooperative living house.

 

Clovia was housed in two locations before moving to the current site. The ground was broken for our present house in the spring of 1967, when the hard work of Clovia's alumni and the Kansas 4-H Foundation started to pay off. The Kansas 4-H Foundation constructed our present house as one of its projects to promote and support Kansas 4-H programs.

In spring of 2016, the full members of Clovia discussed the inaccuracies of our previously undefined name. For clarity sake, the Alumnae Board suggested the name "Alpha of Clovia 4-H Cooperative Leadership House." This name was voted on and officially adopted the same year.

At the beginning of 2024, the Clovia Alumnae Board purchased our current house from the Kansas 4-H Foundation. With this change in ownership, we continue to strive to preserve the principles and purpose for our organization and perpetuate the sisterhood for our current members, alumni and members of the future.