Boys Club rises, thrives out of need
By Joanne Foxjfox@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Sunday, November 16, 2008
Gil Holmes, the first executive director of the Jesse E. Marshall Boys Club, still appreciates the work done at the organization. (Staff photo by Tim Hynds)
Four decades ago, civic and community leaders pushed to establish a place where boys could gather to be safely off the streets, grow in self-esteem and learn leadership skills.
The Jesse E. Marshall Boys Club continues to fulfill that mission, said current director Roger Friessen, with some new challenges.
"What hasn't changed over the 40 years is the core needs of the boys," he said. "There is still a need to belong -- whether it be a team or with friends -- and a sense of influence that impacts them; a place for them to learn new skills and to feel needed and useful."
What has changed is the environment that surrounds the boys.
"Children used to ride bicycles to the club and take part in unsupervised activities," he added. "That's gone. Parents are worried about their children's safety or the influence of drugs and alcohol or the threat of gang activity. They're afraid to allow their children off the block where they reside. That's why the Boys Club plays an important role in our community."
Back in the 1940s, Gil Holmes of Correctionville, Iowa, saw the importance of the Boys Club from a personal view. Later, he saw it from a professional perspective.
"I was a member of the Boys Club as a youth when it was the Red Shield Boys Club, under the Salvation Army," he reminisced. "I remember the building was built by the WPA (Works Project Administration) and located at the corner of West Fifth and Bluff Streets in the late 1930s."
Although the Boy Scouts of America had been in place for a number of years, Holmes said the Boys Club attracted a different type of young lad.
"The Boy Scouts didn't meet every day," he said. "It was important to have a Boys Club with on-going, daily programs, that would allow a chance for the boys to work on character and the other important values of being a good citizen."
When the Boys Club volunteers wanted to be affiliated with the national organization, Holmes -- now an adult and named executive director in 1968 -- began approaching community leaders to get the Sioux City group mobilized.
"I was blessed with two outstanding leaders who came on board, William Klinger and Wilson Persinger of Wilson Trailer," he said. "Both of them led the charge."
Stan Swanson, an engineer at Iowa Public Service at the time, was another businessman approached to come on board by Holmes.
"Gil used the rationale that a lot of large cities had Boys Clubs and we should have one too," he said. "We didn't have any money, so it was really Klinger and Persinger who were the driving forces."
But somebody had to be president of the board of directors and that duty fell to Swanson, who retired from Mid-American Energy as vice-president of major projects in 1983.
"It was a great board to be on, because everyone thought it was a worthwhile project," said Swanson, who served as first president in 1968, then continued for 1969 and 1970. "And we had a great man in Gil Holmes, who was committed and dedicated to its success. That was really the key."
Once the national charter was in place, the next challenge was finding a facility, Holmes said.
"We had no money to build," he recalled. "When lo and behold, the National Guard Armory was going to be abandoned because they were going to build a new facility near the Floyd Monument. It met all of the requirements and was the break we had been looking for."
Following a successful fund-raising campaign to purchase the facility, located at 823 Pearl St., the Boys Club began offering a host of programs on Sept. 17, 1968. Activities included arts and crafts, numerous sports and games, as well as leadership and direction.
Although the rifle range, bowling alley, boxing ring and drum and bugle corps no longer exist, boys can still find a host of activities.
Among them? Kris Roberston, 9, who was a winner in a competition that involved popping the balloon, tied to an ankle, of an opponent.
"I didn't have any real strategy," he explained. "I just tried to jump away before someone else stepped on my balloon."
K-Anthony Fletcher, 13, started coming to the club when he was 8. He now serves as an elected president of the club.
"It's always been a fun place to be," he said. "But it's taught me how to juggle my time to include responsibilities and play. It's helped me to be better organized."
Just prior to putting on his roller blades to skate around to some jazzy instrumental music, Trey Fenceroy, 7, said he joined to avoid being "bored" at home.
"I've made new friends," he said. "And I really like dodgeball here and I'm going to sign up for basketball."
Andrew Pearson transitioned from the Red Shield Boys Club to the new Boys Club as a young man, "because my mother, who was a strong influence on me, really liked the idea that the Boys Club was well-supervised," he said.
Pearson's claim to fame with the Boys Club was being named Boy of the Year in 1970 as well as being a semi-finalist in the national Boys Club Boy of the Year competition when he was 13. He was the youngest boy in the nation to go to the finals in New York City.
"The impact the Boys Club had on me was immense," said the 52-year-old liaison officer with the Sioux City School District. "I attribute much of my leadership skills to the Boys Club."
Friessen came to the Sioux City club from another in Omaha in 1975. His interest in the Boys Club began in his home town of Sioux Falls where he was a member and later a club employee.
"It's my passion and my blessing in life," he said. "We provide the boys with so many opportunities to succeed; it's far more than just a place to shoot some hoops."
Friessen looked to the future and saw the Boys Club mission of inspiring and enabling boys to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens continuing.
"I think our emphasis will be on addressing the deficits that boys may bring to the club," he observed. "We will continue to maintain that safe environment and providing a place where the boys can learn through having fun."
Holmes, 80, looked around at the place at which he served as executive director from 1968 to 1974 and wanted to make one last point.
"You know I remember the doomsayers and naysayers who said, 'Oh, Holmes, you have a good idea, but it won't last a year,'" he mused. "You gotta wish they were here today to see this."
Want to join?
Any boy or young man between the ages of 7 and 18 can be a Boys Club member for $10 per year. Parents will receive a handbook outlining policies and procedures. The Club, located at 823 Pearl St., is open during the school year on Monday from 2 to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday from 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 258-5545 for more details.
The Jesse E. Marshall Boys Club continues to fulfill that mission, said current director Roger Friessen, with some new challenges.
"What hasn't changed over the 40 years is the core needs of the boys," he said. "There is still a need to belong -- whether it be a team or with friends -- and a sense of influence that impacts them; a place for them to learn new skills and to feel needed and useful."
What has changed is the environment that surrounds the boys.
"Children used to ride bicycles to the club and take part in unsupervised activities," he added. "That's gone. Parents are worried about their children's safety or the influence of drugs and alcohol or the threat of gang activity. They're afraid to allow their children off the block where they reside. That's why the Boys Club plays an important role in our community."
Back in the 1940s, Gil Holmes of Correctionville, Iowa, saw the importance of the Boys Club from a personal view. Later, he saw it from a professional perspective.
"I was a member of the Boys Club as a youth when it was the Red Shield Boys Club, under the Salvation Army," he reminisced. "I remember the building was built by the WPA (Works Project Administration) and located at the corner of West Fifth and Bluff Streets in the late 1930s."
Although the Boy Scouts of America had been in place for a number of years, Holmes said the Boys Club attracted a different type of young lad.
"The Boy Scouts didn't meet every day," he said. "It was important to have a Boys Club with on-going, daily programs, that would allow a chance for the boys to work on character and the other important values of being a good citizen."
When the Boys Club volunteers wanted to be affiliated with the national organization, Holmes -- now an adult and named executive director in 1968 -- began approaching community leaders to get the Sioux City group mobilized.
"I was blessed with two outstanding leaders who came on board, William Klinger and Wilson Persinger of Wilson Trailer," he said. "Both of them led the charge."
Stan Swanson, an engineer at Iowa Public Service at the time, was another businessman approached to come on board by Holmes.
"Gil used the rationale that a lot of large cities had Boys Clubs and we should have one too," he said. "We didn't have any money, so it was really Klinger and Persinger who were the driving forces."
But somebody had to be president of the board of directors and that duty fell to Swanson, who retired from Mid-American Energy as vice-president of major projects in 1983.
"It was a great board to be on, because everyone thought it was a worthwhile project," said Swanson, who served as first president in 1968, then continued for 1969 and 1970. "And we had a great man in Gil Holmes, who was committed and dedicated to its success. That was really the key."
Once the national charter was in place, the next challenge was finding a facility, Holmes said.
"We had no money to build," he recalled. "When lo and behold, the National Guard Armory was going to be abandoned because they were going to build a new facility near the Floyd Monument. It met all of the requirements and was the break we had been looking for."
Following a successful fund-raising campaign to purchase the facility, located at 823 Pearl St., the Boys Club began offering a host of programs on Sept. 17, 1968. Activities included arts and crafts, numerous sports and games, as well as leadership and direction.
Although the rifle range, bowling alley, boxing ring and drum and bugle corps no longer exist, boys can still find a host of activities.
Among them? Kris Roberston, 9, who was a winner in a competition that involved popping the balloon, tied to an ankle, of an opponent.
"I didn't have any real strategy," he explained. "I just tried to jump away before someone else stepped on my balloon."
K-Anthony Fletcher, 13, started coming to the club when he was 8. He now serves as an elected president of the club.
"It's always been a fun place to be," he said. "But it's taught me how to juggle my time to include responsibilities and play. It's helped me to be better organized."
Just prior to putting on his roller blades to skate around to some jazzy instrumental music, Trey Fenceroy, 7, said he joined to avoid being "bored" at home.
"I've made new friends," he said. "And I really like dodgeball here and I'm going to sign up for basketball."
Andrew Pearson transitioned from the Red Shield Boys Club to the new Boys Club as a young man, "because my mother, who was a strong influence on me, really liked the idea that the Boys Club was well-supervised," he said.
Pearson's claim to fame with the Boys Club was being named Boy of the Year in 1970 as well as being a semi-finalist in the national Boys Club Boy of the Year competition when he was 13. He was the youngest boy in the nation to go to the finals in New York City.
"The impact the Boys Club had on me was immense," said the 52-year-old liaison officer with the Sioux City School District. "I attribute much of my leadership skills to the Boys Club."
Friessen came to the Sioux City club from another in Omaha in 1975. His interest in the Boys Club began in his home town of Sioux Falls where he was a member and later a club employee.
"It's my passion and my blessing in life," he said. "We provide the boys with so many opportunities to succeed; it's far more than just a place to shoot some hoops."
Friessen looked to the future and saw the Boys Club mission of inspiring and enabling boys to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens continuing.
"I think our emphasis will be on addressing the deficits that boys may bring to the club," he observed. "We will continue to maintain that safe environment and providing a place where the boys can learn through having fun."
Holmes, 80, looked around at the place at which he served as executive director from 1968 to 1974 and wanted to make one last point.
"You know I remember the doomsayers and naysayers who said, 'Oh, Holmes, you have a good idea, but it won't last a year,'" he mused. "You gotta wish they were here today to see this."
Want to join?
Any boy or young man between the ages of 7 and 18 can be a Boys Club member for $10 per year. Parents will receive a handbook outlining policies and procedures. The Club, located at 823 Pearl St., is open during the school year on Monday from 2 to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday from 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 258-5545 for more details.
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