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International Cottey Day — March 27th
Celebrating an extraordinary woman whose dreams
have changed the lives of thousands of women.
 Virginia Alice Cottey was born in a log cabin on a farm in Knox County, Missouri, on March 27, 1848, to Ira and Sara Cottey. Her parents, Ira and Sara Eads Cottey, valued education and actively pursued opportunities for their children. Cottey's founder was an avid reader, and largely self-taught as there simply weren't a lot of educational possibilities for girls in Missouri in the Civil War era. The love of teaching and learning that she developed in her youth led to a passion for giving young women the opportunity to learn.
In 1883, after studying a book on the life of Mary Lyon and the process she went through to establish Mount Holyoke, Alice was ready to pursue her dream. Armed with $3,000, she took the plunge.
After receiving an encouraging response from Reverend W.T. McClure in Nevada, MO, Alice visited the city. Pleased with her visit in 1883, Alice proposed that if the city donated the grounds, she would proceed at once to erect a three-story building sufficient to accommodate eighty students. Leaders of the community realized the opportunity a college would provide for the townspeople and offered six acres of a cornfield on the western edge of town for her school.
In 1884 she began with a little brick schoolhouse, that still stands today. It was originally named Vernon Seminary, but the townspeople refused to call it that, referring to it as the "Cottey sisters' school" or Cottey College.
 In 1926, Mrs. Stockard, as she was known after her marriage, was introduced to the P.E.O. Sisterhood and its dedication to women's programs. She was so impressed that a thought came to her, and in 1927, Virginia Alice Cottey Stockard presented her life's work to the Sisterhood, with no debt against it.
For nearly 80 years, the College, its alumnae, and the P.E.O. Sisterhood have worked together to realize Virginia Alice Cottey Stockard's premise that women should have excellent educational opportunities — the 14 building and 11-block campus that stands today is a testament to that.
In March 2005, Cottey College, P.E.O.s, and alumnae everywhere celebrated the first ever International Cottey Day, celebrating the life and memory of Virginia Alice Cottey Stockard, the founder of Cottey College.
This year, plan to celebrate International Cottey Day on March 27 Imagine the recognition from not only wearing a Cottey promotional item, but explaining what Cottey College is. This is a fantastic way to help get the word out to prospective students that Cottey College is not only a great institution, but there is a legion of women who support the goals and ideals of women's education.
On International Cottey Day all alumnae, P.E.O.s, friends of the College, and students are encouraged to dedicate time for their college. Here are some ideas for commemorating the occasion:
- Wear Cottey shirts, buttons, or pins and tell everyone who asks (and those who don’t) about your college!
- Talk with female basketball and volleyball players and coaches in your community about athletic opportunities at Cottey.
- Give a special program for your P.E.O. chapter and brainstorm how you can make a difference for Cottey!
- Visit (or revisit) local high schools with promotional materials and tell them about Cottey’s unique features.
- Phone a young woman from your church, gym, neighborhood, or family and tell her how two years at Cottey College could change her life!
- Host a gathering for prospective students and their families.
- Send a financial gift to support the College’s mission and goals.
- Visit the Cottey Web site (www.cottey.edu) and learn a new fact to share with your chapter.
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