Logo

Alumni Association Collection, 1906-2011, bulk 1921-1983

 

Summary

Creator:
Florida State University. Alumni Association
Florida State College for Women. Alumnae Association
F Club
Florida State University
Extent:
15.25 Linear Feet 6 record storage boxes, 5 oversize boxes, one small custom box
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Alumni Association Collection, HP 2007-0AG, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/HP-2007-0AG.

Background

Scope and content:

The Florida State University Alumni Association Collection consists of materials created or collected by the FSU Alumni Association from 1906 to 2011. Its contents are divided into six series.

Series 1: Alumni Association Records documents the administrative activities of the Alumni Association since its founding as the Florida State College for Women (FSCW) Alumni Association. The series includes correspondence, budgets, presidential and treasurer's reports, manuals, Award of Honor records, class lists, reunion records, histories FSCW, FSU, and of the Alumni Association, and records documenting the furnishings and history of the Longmire Alumni Building.

Series 2: Photographs and Scrapbooks contains photographs collected by the Alumni Association. Particularly well represented are photographs of the FSCW era and photographs of the kickoff celebration for the 150th anniversary of FSU in 2001. The series also includes a scrapbook made by Clara C. Johnson documenting FSCW and the Alumni Association and a scrapbook of newspaper clippings regarding sports and other events at FSCW.

Series 3: F Club Materials contains records documenting the F Club from 1929 to the reunion in 2011 collected by the FSU Alumni Association. It includes handmade F Club song books, notebooks, correspondence, constitutions, histories of the organization, member lists, personnel documents, president's minutes and reports, event programs, photographs, and wooden "F" carvings and other handmade wooden objects.

Series 4: Publications includes football programs, other event programs, news clippings, Alumni Magazine, Seminole Club Out of State Newsletters from 1992-1996, and an Eppes Family History.

Series 5: Memorabilia and Realia contains commemorative coins, buttons, and pins commemorating events such as FSU's 150th anniversary. It also includes a license plate, a pennant flag, a hat, a sugar bowl, paperweights, a vest with FSU colors and a tribal pattern, and a collage documenting the STS-71/MIS-19 mission signed by the crew.

Series 6: Audiovisual Materials contains a Femina Perfecta VHS tape, CDs titled "Seminoles of FSU," "Championship Highlights," and "A Little Garnet, a Lot of Gold," and a Tommy Wright FSU Songbook DVD.

Select materials from this collection have been digitized and are available through the FSU Digital Library as part of a larger photograph collection.

Biographical / historical:

In May 1909, twenty graduates from the newly established Florida State College for Women founded the FSCW Alumni Association. In 1920, the first Alumni Club was created in New York City. Later, alumnae across Florida formed local "Flastacowo" clubs, laying the groundwork for the current Seminole Club network, whose mission is to unite alumni and friends of FSU in certain geographic areas. With the establishment of Florida State University in 1947 as a co-educational institution, new athletic teams were introduced. In response, the Alumni Association created Seminole Boosters, Inc. in 1950 to support the Athletic Department, which remained part of the Alumni Association until 1974. Initially located in the Longmire Alumni Building, named after the first executive director, Miss Rowena Longmire, the Alumni Association expanded as FSU grew, launching initiatives like the Seminole Club network, Emeriti Society, and 50-year class reunions. In February 1997, the Association moved to the University Center, and in 2004, it relocated to a new Alumni Center in a renovated Colonial-style home near campus on West Tennessee Street.

The F Club was a student organization founded on March 16, 1913 at the Florida State College for Women. The motto of the club was "femina perfecta," meaning "the perfect woman." The purpose of the F Club was to cooperate with the divisions of women's intramurals and varsity athletics in promoting women's athletic activities, to contribute to the development of high ideals and university spirit among the students on campus, and to award the "F" as a sign of outstanding athletic ability. In coordination with the Odd and Even teams, F Club membership required participation and a varsity letter "F."

In 1928, Miss Mitchell created the Emblem which was an F with six stars. The requirements for the Emblem changed over time. Early in the club's history, it was awarded to a member who received seven all-stars (i.e., made varsity) in seven different sports on campus. Later, the requirement was to make an all-star in every sports season beginning freshman year.

New members in F Club were called "goat edge," and the initiation process was called "goating." This idea was borrowed from the sororities who called their pledges "goats." Goats were required to sing original songs, perform skits, and generally entertain F Club members. During Field Day, members dressed up as babies and had a parade as well as a chariot race. They also participated in athletic events and scavenger hunts.

Acquisition information:
Transported from the FSU Alumni Association to FSU Libraries in 2007, 2015, and 2022. Clara Johnson Scrapbook, Alumni Association records, and other materials transferred from Commonwealth in 2016.
Processing information:

This collection was previously organized into the following separate collections:

Florida State University Alumni Association Seminole Club Out of State Newsletters (MSS 2007-044), Alumni Association Football Collection (HP 2007-0AP), Alumni Association Records (HP 2007-0AR), Alumni Association Miscellaneous Photograph Collection (HP 2007-0AG), Alumni Association F Club Collection (HP 2007-067), Alumni Association Materials (HUA 2016-0344), Historic Alumni Association Records (HUA 2016-097), Alumni Association Scrapbook (HUA 2016-123), Alumni Association 100th Anniversary Coins (HUA 2022-023), NASA Frame and FSU Memorabilia (HUA 2022-024), FSU Housing and Athletics Materials (HPUA 2015-072), FSU Memorabilia & Commemorative Items (HUA 2015-062)

Arrangement:

Materials arranged into six series and alphabetically thereunder.

Physical / technical requirements:

The Femina Perfecta VHS tape, CDs, and DVDs require playback equipment to view.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open to all researchers.

This collection is in an offsite storage location. Please contact lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu with requests for access or for more information.

Terms of access:

Copyright restrictions may apply to works in this collection. Re-use or copying beyond Fair Use may require permission from the rights-holder. Please contact lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu for more information.

Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Alumni Association Collection, HP 2007-0AG, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/HP-2007-0AG.