Clarksville Jaycettes Scrapbook

Formed in 1945, the Clarksville chapter of the Jaycees operated until it was dissolved in 2012. The group was dedicated to leadership training and civic improvement. Before the mid-1980s, membership in the Jaycees was limited to men only. After attending a state meeting of the Jaycees with their husbands in 1948, Dorothy Head and Marcelite Welker returned to Clarksville with a goal of forming an auxiliary group for women to help with Jaycee projects and to participate in their own community improvement projects. Dorothy served as the first president of the club for the 1948-1949 program year. Initially membership in the Jaycettes was open only to the wives of Jaycees, but was later opened to all young women in the Clarksville community.

One of the many programs that the Clarksville Jaycettes participated in was the scrapbook competition at the Tennessee Jaycettes state convention. Consisting of newspaper clippings, photographs, memos, and other items, the scrapbooks were intended to document the activities of the group and serve as a recruiting tool. Prospective members could look through the scrapbook and get an idea of the type of work associated with the Jaycettes. In 1957, the Clarksville chapter took home first place for their scrapbook under the direction of club president Peggy Harvill. Marianne Vaughn stepped in the following year to serve as president, and the scrapbook in this collection documents the activities of the Clarksville Jaycettes under her leadership.

The Jaycettes operated in Clarksville until around 1984 when the Jaycees voted to admit women to their organization. The move was in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that compelled the Jaycees at the national level to allow women to join.