People who love West Virginia University history will have the opportunity to enjoy a new book about WVU Campus Clubs century of helping students, particularly women, complete their education.

The official launch of the book,A Century of Support for �€~Our Girls: A Personal History of West Virginia University Campus Club,will be at 2 p.m. Sunday (May 4) in Elizabeth Moore Hall. The event on WVU s Downtown Campus is free and open to the public, with a reception to follow.

Book author and club historian Beverly Shumaker of Morgantown will read excerpts, answer questions and sign copies. She has been a Campus Club member for 36 years and served as president in 1985 and 2004.

The 300-page book contains about 70 photographs and provides historical insight into the clubs support of womens education at WVU , said Shumaker, who spent nearly four years researching and writing the book. She conducted extensive research in the West Virginia and Regional History Collection on the sixth floor of the Downtown Campus Library. Library staff, including collection curator John Cuthbert and associate curator Harold Forbes, helped her track down archival records.

The reason the books title says, �€~Our Girls,is because, starting in 1917, Campus Club saw the need of young women attending the University for financial help,Shumaker said.The club began a loan fund in 1918, providing $200, which would be approximately $4,000 today. Over the years, weve helped hundreds of women earn degrees at the University.

In 1985, the loan fund was transformed into the Campus Club Endowed Scholarship, a financial gift available to both undergraduate women and men. The endowed $1,000 scholarship is awarded annually to a West Virginia student to help pay the costs of college. It is administered through the WVU Foundation.

All proceeds from the book will be given to the Campus Club Endowed Scholarship, Shumaker said. Copies of the book will be available during Sundays launch for $26.50 (includes tax). For those who cant attend, the book can be ordered by writing a check or money order to WVU Campus Club for $32.50 (includes shipping) and mailing it to WVU Campus Club, c/o Beverly Shumaker, 117 Keener Road, Morgantown, WV 26508 .

Anyone who would like to contribute directly to the scholarship may write a check or money order payable to WVU Foundation, with a notation that the donation is for the WVU Campus Club Endowment. The gift should be mailed to WVU Foundation, P.O. Box 1650, Morgantown, WV 26507 .

WVU Campus Club was founded in 1912. The club currently has about 150 members. In addition to providing scholarships, the club offers a fun way for WVU faculty and staff members, as well as their spouses, to get to know other people throughout the University. Campus Club offers several interest groups for members to get involved in, while sponsoring social events and outings during the year. For more information, visithttp://www.wvu.edu/~campuscl/index.htm.