Posted by Jim Fitzgerald
Rotary Club committee assignments were not taken lightly, especially the Boys' Work Committee headed by Georger Handler, as this headline and report, posted Feb 23, 1922, in the  “Marshall Morning News”, reveals:
 
“Boys’ Work of Rotary Club
One of Its Important Functions”

 
"The Boys’ Work Committee of the Rotary Club of Marshall, chaired by George Handler, and composed of Nathan Levy, Horace Blalock, P. J. Hayes, and Riley Boone,  has had the support of the Rotary Club both personally and financially, which has made the work easy and pleasant and beneficial. Financially the club gave the committee $650.
 
Personally, when the club members were called upon to keep the boys in any way, they always responded. One of the first things the club tackled was sending 10 boys to the Harrison County Y. M. C. A. camp and this way giving the lads a chance for an outing that would not have been received otherwise. 
 
While This camp was in duration The Rotary Club went out for a barbecue dinner. It was said the meat was a little tough for some to chew but they were all glad to be a boy once more. A young lad from one of the rural communities was sent to A&M college for a short course in agriculture.
 
As a committee we put on a “Back to School” campaign in which we have several editorial articles and the papers on various papers on various value of high school education, and we also sent a letter to each of the boys that finished in the ward school the previous May advising them of the needs of a high school education.
 
The Monday before school opened, we had a meeting of all these lads at which time Mr. Glasgow, superintendent of the schools, spoke on “What studies to carry in high school.”
Mr. Elbert Wells of the Building and Loan Association spoke on the needs of education. The boys’ work committee served ice cream and cake.
 
On December 1st We had an annual father and son banquet at which time We had 100 fathers and son. Toasts on the different positions the boy occupies and his relationship to other organizations.
 
In January the club through the Boys' Work Committee sent six or eight boys to the state Y. M. C. A., Older-Boys’ Conference, which was held at A&M college, paying a part or all of their expenses. It might not be amiss here to say hear that Marshall had next to the largest delegation there.
 
 During December the committee also had charge of the program at one of the club meetings in which we presented to the club the needs of certain activities among the boys and girl of Marshall. Horace Blalock spoke on the needs of a larger circulation library for the smaller schools.  Nathan Levy spoke on the need of a gymnasium for not only the boys but for the young men that are not in school.  Pep spoke on summer camp for boys.  The chairman spoke on bathing facilities.
 
The first meeting in February the boys that attended the Older Boys’ Conference gave a report which was very interesting, instructive, and amusing, bringing to the attention of the club members that the boys do have serious thoughts and at the same time the need not to be a crepe hanger.
 
As has been the custom in the past years the boys work committee will entertain the Harrison County Y. M. C. A. Conference at a feed at one of the lakes in the coming spring.”  The money that was not used in the above project was turned over to the Y. M. C. A. county committee which was used to carry on the work in Harrison County.
 
The committee takes this means to thank the club as a whole for assisting in putting on this---our work.”
 
Next August we will be celebrating a century of changing the lives of boys (and girls) in Marshall and beyond.  please join us August 24, 2019 at the Marshall Convention Center and help us celebrate this and the many other highlights of our storied past.