Showing 3 results

Dr. Alfred Durham, a Kiwanis member, founded the Altrusa Institute in Nashville in 1917 during World War I, recognizing the need for women’s civic organizations. He organized clubs in Nashville, Louisville, and Dayton before meeting Mamie L. Bass in Indianapolis.

Mamie L. Bass, former Superintendent of the Women's Division of the U.S. Employment Services, envisioned a greater purpose for Altrusa. At the first convention in June 1918, Altrusa became a classified service organization for business and professional women, renamed the National Association of Altrusa Clubs. Bass authored the Principles of Altrusa, defining it as “a builder of women,” officially adopted in 1921. By 1922, there were 20 clubs.

Altrusa promoted vocational education for women, later expanding to scholarships and guidance for both young and older women. It became international in 1935 with a club in Mexico and soon expanded to other countries. In 1946, Altrusa sent its first representative to the United Nations.

In 1966, Altrusa founded ASTRA clubs for young women aged 13–21. Literacy became a permanent service focus in 1977, and in 1997, the Altrusa Foundation adopted Camp Safe Haven for children with HIV/AIDS. In 1989, Altrusa added environmental initiatives to its mission.

Today, Altrusa remains a community-based organization dedicated to local service—supporting shelters, youth, literacy, and housing projects. District Seven includes Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) traces its origins to 1868, when Jane Cunningham Croly founded the Sorosis Club in New York City. In 1889, she united women’s clubs nationwide to form a national federation.

In South Dakota, the women’s club movement was spearheaded by Clara D. Coe, founder of the Round Table Club of Deadwood (1887). Coe organized the Black Hills Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1897, which joined the national GFWC in 1898. As the appointed Federation organizer for South Dakota, Coe convened a meeting on December 8, 1899, in Deadwood, and reconvened it on January 15, 1900, where the South Dakota Federation of Women’s Clubs (now GFWC of South Dakota) was formally established. The group affiliated with the national GFWC on March 1, 1900. Its first state convention was held June 14–15, 1900, in Aberdeen, with thirteen clubs represented and Winona Axtell Lyon elected president.

The organization aims to unite non-partisan, non-sectarian women’s clubs throughout South Dakota to foster collaboration and promote intellectual, moral, and social advancement. It is divided into six districts and governed by elected officers and board members, including the editor of The South Dakota Clubwoman and the Director of Junior Clubs. Committees and departments mirror national GFWC priorities in areas such as arts, education, conservation, international affairs, and public policy.

The Brookings Civic League was founded on April 12, 1912, by forty local women responding to civic needs in partnership with Mayor A. A. Harris and the Commercial Club. Early initiatives included organizing waste collection and enhancing public sanitation. The League affiliated with the South Dakota Federation in 1914 during the women’s suffrage campaign and contributed to wartime efforts by establishing the Brookings Chapter of the American Red Cross. In 1919, it helped form the City Federation of Women’s Clubs to coordinate local women’s organizations.

Throughout the 20th century, the Brookings Civic League led local improvement projects, including health campaigns, urban beautification, tree conservation, and educational support like school milk programs. It also operated a rest area for rural women and played a foundational role in creating the South Dakota Art Museum at South Dakota State University.

As municipal services expanded in the later 20th century, the League shifted focus to social and philanthropic activities. It continues this legacy through events such as the annual Craft & Collectibles Fair, which supports the South Dakota Art Museum.

GFWC Brookings was founded on March 24, 1977, as Community Federated Women and formally affiliated with GFWC in 1983. Its members were active in the City Federation and structured the club according to GFWC departments. Projects have included youth leadership programs, wellness initiatives, legislative awareness, and fundraising for South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

The concept for a state art center was first proposed under the presidency of Mrs. Herbert Kenyon (1947–1949). In 1950, the South Dakota Federation endorsed the creation of a Memorial Art Center, building on its decades-long promotion of cultural enrichment through circulating art collections. The South Dakota Board of Regents approved the placement of the center at South Dakota State University in Brookings. Fundraising yielded nearly $350,000, supplemented by a federal grant and a $55,000 contribution from the Federation. Construction began in 1969, and the Memorial Art Center—now the South Dakota Art Museum—was dedicated in May 1970.

From its inception, home economics extension work in South Dakota was organized primarily at the neighborhood and community level, with counties supporting anywhere from one to several individual clubs. In areas where multiple home demonstration clubs were well-established, county demonstration councils were formed to coordinate activities and advise the county home demonstration agent. These councils helped shape programming and priorities, while a state-level council convened annually during State Farm and Home Week to provide broader direction and share recommendations with local groups.

The earliest predecessor to Extension clubs in South Dakota was the Farmers’ Institute, a university-sponsored program that delivered lectures on farm and home topics. Homemaking was a central part of these programs, enabling rural women to benefit from shared knowledge and discussion. Prior to formal Extension work, community women’s clubs created their own educational programs and met in rural churches or homes.

Following the passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 1914, Venia Keller was appointed the first female Extension worker in South Dakota. Her work, and that of early specialists, was closely tied to the Farmers’ Institute and homemakers’ clubs, offering demonstrations and lectures—particularly on food preparation—at county fairs and other public events. During World War I, funding from the Federal Food Production Act enabled the employment of county home demonstration agents, who worked with the Food Administration to promote food conservation, canning, and alternative food sources, including cottage cheese.

The 1920s saw steady growth in home demonstration work, with organized clubs expanding across the state. Districts were added, leader training meetings were introduced, and new educational efforts were launched in food, clothing, and home management. In 1928, the Capper-Ketcham Act provided funding that allowed agents to focus on fewer counties, improving service. That same year, the South Dakota Federation of Home Demonstration Clubs was formally organized at the State Fair, with its first business meeting held in early 1929. The Federation encouraged participation from individual clubs and held two annual statewide meetings—a business session at the State Fair and an educational gathering during Farm and Home Week at South Dakota State University.

The Federation aimed to facilitate the exchange of ideas about home life and relied on the Extension Service for educational materials and planning. Early projects included state contests in poultry, egg recipes, ironing, bread baking, and vegetable preparation, enhancing club programming. During the Great Depression, district meetings were held to reduce travel costs, a practice continued into the 1940s when Farm and Home Week was discontinued.

In 1950, clubs undertook their first statewide fundraising project, sponsoring a German exchange student to study home economics and extension at SDSU. Extension clubs also contributed funds to organizations such as the Crippled Children’s Hospital and the South Dakota Art Museum.

By the 1970s, local leaders began planning meetings independently to emphasize local needs while still promoting Council goals. The main function remained consistent: to strengthen county participation, promote educational projects, and build community ties. Over time, the organization’s name evolved—from the South Dakota Home Demonstration Clubs to the South Dakota Home Extension Homemakers Clubs, and later to the South Dakota Community and Family Extension Leaders—but its core mission of improving home and community life remained unchanged.