Helen Cleaver
(February 14, 1908 – July 5, 1990)
Eureka
College alumnus (Class of
1928)
“My life is a very
simple one. I have few desires for material possessions . . . I’m giving myself
the pleasure of helping others as long as I live . . .” This revealing
testimony tells us much about Helen Cleaver’s desire to serve the needs of
others. Her life was one in which the finest elements of learning, service, and
leadership combined to produce an amazing educator, altruistic benefactor, and
social change agent who made a difference in her world.
Three sisters—Margaret, Elizabeth, and Helen Cleaver—figure
prominently in the history of Eureka College and each has been featured in a
vignette during this month's series. The Cleaver sisters were the daughters of
Rev. Ben Hill Cleaver who pastored congregations of
the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Dixon
and Eureka, Illinois. All three of the Cleaver sisters
graduated from Eureka
College.
Helen Cleaver was born in Canton, Missouri.
A member of the Delta Zeta sorority, she attended Eureka College
from 1924 to 1928 and graduated magna cum
laude with a degree in English. She eventually completed master’s work in
Foreign Languages at the University
of Illinois. She also did
advanced study at the Alliance Francaise in Paris and at the National University of Mexico in Mexico City.
She spent her entire career teaching Foreign Languages at Southeastern Missouri
State University
in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, from 1932 until her retirement in
1973. She was a beloved teacher at SEMO and her students quickly came to
understand and appreciate that there was a guiding rule that inspired her
teaching: “Students should think of
something outside of themselves.”
When a 1966 alumni survey asked Helen Cleaver to answer the
question “What has been your contribution
to society?” her response was rather insightful. Although the language is a
bit dated, the power of the sentiment is quite clear. She wrote, “Continuous effort to provide better
conditions for Negroes in our city: persuading businessmen to employ them;
better housing; substantial financial assistance to worthy Negro college
students here; summer camp for 15-30 children.”
Helen Cleaver’s senior year at Eureka College
had overlapped with the freshman year of her youngest sister Margaret (“Mugs”)
and her sister’s beau, “Dutch” Reagan. Interestingly, Helen maintained a
correspondence with “Dutch” throughout the years. When she wrote to wish him
well as he entered politics and prepared to run for Governor of California in
1965, Reagan responded to her letter. In a very revealing comment, he said of
his turn toward politics that “Sometimes
it’s hard to tell whether the excitement outweighs the fear.” He finished
the letter by writing “give my best to
your Mother and Father.”
Helen Cleaver remained committed to helping improve society.
She supported the social service outreach efforts that her church conducted in
the Cape Girardeau
region. In addition she was an active figure in her community supporting causes
associated with social and economic justice, remaining active in these causes
until her failing health no longer permitted her involvement.
Eureka
College honors Helen
Cleaver by awarding its annual Distinguished Teaching Award, which is named in
her honor.