Finding aid for the Clytean Club archives

History of the Clytean Club

This organization began in 1897 as The Twelve, a ladies' literary society in Cleveland, Ohio, but it evolved to cover broader topics across history, current events, fiction, and nonfiction. Its name was also changed, to The Clytean Club, after a brief time as the Kletian in 1898. "Clytean" was derived from a Greek myth in which Clytie, a water nymph, spent her days staring into the sun (Apollo) in unrequited love, until she was transformed into a flower so that she might continue to face the sun. The club interpreted Clytie's sunny vigil as representative of the constant quest for--and attentiveness to--knowledge, and their symbol is a sunflower, whose face similarly tracks the sun.

The Clytean meets once per month, usually at a member's house. In any given meeting, regular members, officers (president, secretary, treasurer, and historian), and perhaps some honorary members are present. During the meetings, the group discusses materials it has read, listens to guest speakers, votes on the admittance of new members, and plans its donations to and involvement in various charities.

Notable members include Fanny Kendel, Alice Hartman Chester, and Eda Gerstacker. Kendel was active in many levels of PTA, including her serving as their National Field Secretary. Chester, a music teacher, was an inductee into the Kiwanis Hall of Fame and acknowledged as a Woman of Distinction by the Medina County YWCA. Gerstacker was the founder of the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation and mother of Carl Gerstacker, former chairman of the Dow Chemical Company.

Scope and Content

This collection contains materials from and about the Clytean club and was, before being placed at CSU, kept and maintained by their historians. This collection include programs (1897-2010), minutes and annual officers' reports (1897-2011), by-laws, correspondences (1891-2009), and press clippings and photographs related to the club (1904-2010). Geographically, most of these relate mainly to Cleveland, Ohio.

Statement of Arrangement

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

Box Number, Folio Title, Clytean Club Collection, Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University.

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated anonymously in 2010 to Cleveland State University's library's Special Collections. Before that, it was in the possession of the Clytean Club, specifically its historian of any given year.

Processing Information

This collection was indexed and rehoused (in archival folders and better-structured boxes) by Aquene Kimmel.

Detailed Description of The Collection