End of an EraMore than a century of friendship and giving comes to a close for the OSU Folk Club.

In the Corvallis Community Center’s Chandler Ballroom, a ghost appeared. The room was packed with women when Leonora Kerr burst into the room, wearing an elaborate black feathered hat, to roaring laughter and applause.

She was the wife of William Jasper Kerr, Oregon State president from 1907 to 1932. And her appearance marked the final meeting of the organization she founded in 1908: the OSU Folk Club.

Of course, this wasn’t a real ghost. On this particular October afternoon, the apparition was played by Freda Vars, M.S. ’66, a member of the Folk Club for 58 years and the club’s unofficial historian.

Vars spoke of the club’s history. Founded as a networking and cultural group for women associated with the university, the club soon began supporting campus projects, including construction of the Memorial Union. Then came the Great Depression. “In 1930, with the stock market crash,” said Vars, “they began raising their own money to give away student scholarships.” 

Left: Folk Club members tested playground equipment they funded. Right: All the club’s living past presidents gathered in 1991. Courtesy of OSU Special Collections & Archives

This proved to be the beginning of a nearly century-long tradition. The Folk Club has distributed more than $1.5 million in scholarships, with the majority raised through the OSU Folk Club Thrift Shop. Opened in 1949 and staffed entirely with volunteers, the shop now sits at the corner of Second Street and Jackson Avenue.

Back in the ballroom, the club’s vice president, Mary Ann Matzke, addressed a special guest. Traditionally, the wife of Oregon State’s president served as honorary president of the Folk Club. “Well, times have changed!” Matzke said. “I’d like to name Dr. Jayathi Murthy our honorary president for this year.”

OSU’s 16th president would serve for only a few days, but the symbolic gesture was indicative of the changing times partially responsible for the club’s disbandment. “I think what we saw was a change in our society,” said Ann Kimerling, a member since 1976. “When I arrived here, a lot of women stayed at home, raised families, and if they had careers it was part-time.”

According to Kimerling, membership dropped steadily over the next 50 years, from around 450 women in the 1980s to just around 100 in 2025. “Everybody in Folk Club got older,” said Vars. With a lack of new members, the club found itself cycling through the same tight group for leadership positions. 

Leonora Kerr began the Folk Club in 1908 for women affiliated with the university.

At the club’s final meeting, close friendships were evident. “Whenever people sent in their dues, they sent me cards, or little notes, and just little hellos,” said club treasurer Elizabeth Spatafora. “It made me feel so connected to everyone — some of you are my very best friends now.”

Though the club may be gone, the thrift shop’s familiar orange-and-black storefront is not. It’s now called the Corvallis Community Thrift Shop, and its volunteer staff — including many former Folk Club members — will continue providing financial support to students and community members.

And the history of the Folk Club will live on, thanks to OSU’s Special Collections and Archives and the diligent recordkeeping of members. As Vars said: “I hope someday someone’s going to come and do a project on women’s organizations at the university, and find this wonderful wealth of information.”