Our History

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield had its beginning on November 4, 1938. Mrs. Jennie Lincoln, wife of Juvenile Judge A.W. Lincoln, got the idea of a “Club for Boys” from hearing her husband tell of the need of such an organization to help youngsters with special problems. She discussed her thoughts with members of the Commercial Street Business Men’s Club and that group agreed to allow her to use the basement room of the Community Building, located at 219 E. Commercial, for a place to conduct the program without charge and with free utilities. This room was only 35×55 feet but was adequate to accommodate a beginning program for about 25 to 50 boys who lived within a few blocks of the Club. This facility was used for the next 11 years (1938-1949). The Articles of Agreement was written pursuant to chapter Article 10 of the revised statute of MO., 1938, officially naming the organization “North Side Boys Club.” J.R. Medley, President, Henry Bugg and Mrs. A.W. Lincoln signed the document.

This being in the time of the Great Depression, money was hard to come by, but Mrs. Lincoln was able to keep a little in the till by making frequent visits to the businesses up and down Commercial Street or wherever else she could find a friend with cash or needed supplies. Soon it became evident she must have help with the physical chores, so on February 20,1939, she called upon some of her social friends and the Boys Club Women’s Auxiliary was formed with the purpose to raise money to arrange programs for the Boys Club. The Auxiliary continues to be an integral contributor to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield’s scholarship program. The Auxiliary’s annual “Walk This Way” Walkathon contributes $12,000 towards college scholarships each year.

Early in 1940, Mrs. Lincoln visited the National Headquarters of Boys Clubs of America in New York City. It was her desire to eventually get the Springfield Club affiliated with the national organization. Fulfilling her wish, a charter was granted on April 15, 1946.

When the Sertoma Club (formally the Cooperative Club) was chartered in Springfield in 1941, Mrs. Lincoln heard it was looking for an active sponsorship. Realizing her age and failing health made it difficult for her to continue to manage the affairs of the Boys Club; she was pleased when the Sertomans agreed to take over the responsibility of it. She continued her support and interest until her death in 1945. In spite of World War II and the effect it had on community life everywhere, ambitious Sertoma members joined hands with other Boys Club friends to elect an official Board of Directors, form a financial base and make plans for the future. The name was changed from “North Side Boys Club” to “Springfield Boys Club, Inc.” It was soon recognized that the club had outgrown its small basement quarters and it was time to grow with physical facilities and the ability to serve more youth. The first capital funds drive was held in 1945 and it resulted in enough money to purchase property at 1300 Boonville, and to put plans on the drawing board for a new Boys Club building. This was certainly an exciting time since this was to be the first building to be built in Missouri to be used entirely as a Boys Club. This gained national and regional recognition throughout the Boys Club movement and it was certainly a challenge for our conservative minded community to undertake such a task. It did, in fact, take two more capital funds drives (1947-1949) before the new facility became a reality.

HENDERSON UNIT

Construction began in the late summer of 1947. Due to post war and the rising cost of materials and labor, there were several delays in progress and it was not until December 1949 that a portion of the building could be occupied. It was a real challenge to the members of the Board of Directors, the Woman’s Auxiliary, Sertomans and other Boys Club friends to see that the building was completed. We are indeed thankful for all who stayed faithful to the cause, as did 40 Sertomans who signed $200 personal notes to raise $5,000 to finish the swimming pool addition in 1952. And again to those who financed construction of the Jennie Lincoln Special Events Room in 1956, the Watkins Gym in 1964, and the Cultural Activities and Chapel addition in 1969.

The Boys Club became affiliated with the Springfield United Way in 1946, with the first allotment being $31,000. Since that time the United Way has enjoyed steady growth and has been a big factor in the growth of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield and other benefiting agencies.

MUSGRAVE UNIT

In 1969, a survey indicated there was a need for our Boys Club program on the west side area of Springfield. An eight-acre tract of land was purchased with funds from the Floyd Jones estate and a sizable gift from the Sertoma Clubs. A capital funds campaign was conducted in 1973 to finance the construction of the Westside Unit building at 720 S. Park Avenue. A master plan was developed with a four-phase program in mind. Phase one started in the spring of 1975 and was completed the following October.

Long range corporate planning indicated it would be at least 10 years before the building and the athletic field would be completed. This plan was modified when Mrs. Edward Musgrave, a long-time friend of the Boys Club, came forward with financial support sufficient enough to finish the building in just three years. This unit is now called the Musgrave Westside Boys Club, in memory of Dr. Edward Musgrave and in honor of Mrs. Musgrave.

In 1973, under the authority of the Board of Directors, the Boys Club Unit building at 1300 Boonville was named the Bill Henderson Unit, in honor of Bill Henderson who served as the Executive Director of Springfield Boys Club, Inc. from February 1947 to his retirement in September 1983. Mr. Henderson is an outstanding leader who worked tirelessly to meet the needs of area youth. 

Mr. William Stalnaker followed Mr. Henderson as Executive Director. Bill worked his way through the ranks of the Boys & Girls Club Movement, beginning in 1962 after graduating from Fairmont State College in West Virginia where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Physical Education. Bill has served in numerous positions, including the Athletic Director in both the Locust Valley, New York Boy’s Club, and the Omaha Boy’s Club, the Executive Director in Jacksonville Beach Boy’s Club in Florida, Unit Director in Chattanooga and the Boy’s Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The original Girls Club was established in 1963 by the Community Service League (now known as Junior League). Its prime purpose was to foster the character development of girls, kindergarten through high school. Initial programs were administered totally by volunteers who planned their own programs, had their own door keys and cleaned up after classes were over.

BOYS AND GIRLS MERGE IN JUNE 1991

Until 1965 the Girls Club conducted its program in a rented frame house in the area of Mercy Villa on West Nichols. In two years both attendance and variety of programs offered increased steadily and the need for larger quarters was evident. During this time of major development, the Personnel Committee was directed to hire a full-

time Executive Director. They found Mrs. Genevieve Kynion available; she was hired and continued as Executive Director for the next 21 years. In gratitude for her outstanding work, the Board of Directors renamed the Division St. building “The Genevieve Kynion Girls Club,” in May 1978.

Pursuing a major goal of the Board of Directors, an application was made in 1966 to become an affiliated member of the United Way and the request was granted. The success of the original Girls Club was so great that the idea of expanding to another club was formulated in the later part of the 1960′s. In 1976, a small shopping center at 2672 W. Harrison was chosen as the site of the second Girls Club. Because of a very generous gift from Mr. James Mellers, the Club was named “The Marietta Mellers West Side Girls Club.”

 In 1991, after careful planning, the Boys Club and Girls Club merged to create the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield. Thanks to an outstanding Board of Directors and a great staff under the direction of Executive Director Bill Stalnaker, in 15 years the organization went from a $246,000 annual budget with seven full-time staff to a $1.8 million dollar annual budget with 15 full-time staff members and 30 part-time staff members.

MY GENERATION CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

In 2002, the organization hired Patrick Gartland as the 4th Executive Director in the Clubs 64 year history. Pat has 28 years of experience as an Executive Director serving with the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County in Ohio and the Boys & Girls Club of West Cook County in the Chicago area. During Pat’s tenure, the organization completed an eight million dollar capital campaign and built the new Stalnaker Unit in Smith Park in 2003, completed a major renovation of the Musgrave Unit in June 2007 and opened the new Henderson Unit in October 2007. These facilities are all built in or next to city parks and are some of the best in the nation.

We are indebted to the many individuals, business and civic organizations that have worked together on behalf of the Boys & Girls Club cause. We are especially thankful to the Springfield area Sertoma Clubs and the United Way of the Ozarks for their tremendous support. We are thankful for the opportunity to work with the thousands of youth who allowed the Boys & Girls Club to be a part of their lives. We are proud to have been a part of the Springfield Community, growing and planning to make it a better place to live.