University German Club Records

The German Club, Germanistiche Gesellschaft, was organized in 1908 with Helen Hornsby as the faculty leader. The purpose of the club was to encourage students to appreciate German art and culture through social meetings, songs, and performances. Until its disappearance in 1919 it was one of the most active associations on campus. As its membership lists indicate, it attracted many of the German-Americans attending Southwest Texas State Normal School. According to its 1908 statement of purpose, the club stood "for the cultivation of a deeper feeling of sympathy among the students of German, and a truer appreciation and broader knowledge of German life, history, literature and music." Membership in the organization depended upon a student's meeting one of its three criteria: the ability to sing the initiation song, the ability to sing and speak German or the courage and determination to study the language.

Source: Beacon on the Hill: Southwest Texas State University, 1903-1978 by Ronald C. Brown.