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| YMCA Is Not New To Osawatomie Community |
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| Opinion | |||
| Written by Grady Atwater | |||
| Wednesday, 22 July 2009 08:00 | |||
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The Young Men’s Christian Association is not new to Osawatomie, for the organization was active in Osawatomie in the 1920s. Osawatomie High School cooperated with the YMCA to sponsor the John Brown Hi-Y Club. The Hi-Y Club was the YMCA’s organization for high school boys, and the 1926 Osawatomie High School Annual The Excursion reported that “The purpose of the club is to create, maintain, and extend throughout the school and community, high standards of Christian character. It has as its slogan, “Contagious Christian Character.”  Officers and the faculty advisor for the organization for the 1925-1926 school year were Frank Baker, president; Kenneth Beattie, vice president, William Eddy, secretary-treasurer; and Mr. Wray Enders, sponsor. The Excursion further states that “the club meets weekly for discussion of problems of the high school boy, and for Bible Study. The club was active in promoting helpful activities in the school and community, cooperating with the church and school authorities. Among these activities was the observance of Father and Son week in November, promoting a better understanding between fathers and sons.” The club was also active statewide, and representatives of the organization “contributed to the support of a state YMCA secretary for boy’s work.” The club also supported a boy’s work secretary in China. One of the highlights of the year was the annual installation of officers for the 1926-1927 school year. The Excursion states that “One of the outstanding events of the year was the annual installation of officers. A banquet was served to the members of the club by the Domestic Science Department under the direction of Mrs. Selanders. Mr. B.V. Edworthy, the State Secretary officiated at the installation of the officers and committee for chairman 1926-27; Glen Murphy, president; Burton Clark, vice president; Edward Klockman, secretary-treasurer; William Cheatham, Bible study; William Eddy, program; Glenn Wright, world outlook; Floyd Weeks, publicity; Silas Sears, service; Raymond Whitla, membership.” The YMCAs founders purpose was to provide young men with a Christian alternative to morally questionable entertainment and activities. The YMCA offered gymnasiums for young men to exercise, and provided organized sports activities in the belief that a fit body was important. The point was not lost on the organizers of the YMCA that if young men were working out in a gymnasium they were not on a street corner getting in trouble. The gymnasiums of YMCA served as a practical Christian ministry to keep young men engaged in morally clean activity. However, the organization also offered Bible study and spiritual exercises as well. The Osawatomie High School John Brown Hi-Y Club worked to exercise Osawatomie’s young men’s spiritual muscles so that they would grow up into spiritually and morally strong adults. The Osawatomie High School students who were members of the John Brown Hi-Y Club worked to improve the community spiritually and culturally by promoting positive activities as teenagers and as adults. Today’s citizens benefit from their efforts in the town’s churches and daily lives.
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