DECADES OF MEMORIES ALUMNI CELEBRATE CLUB'S INFLUENCE.Byline: Carol Rock Staff writer NEWHALL - It started out in a historic house on Walnut Street A number of streets are named Walnut Street:
It wasn't quite the "He-Man Woman-Hater's Club" but the sign on the door in 1968 read "Boys Club" and wasn't open to girls for its first 10 years of existence. "The national club didn't want us to change," said Jim Ventress, the current chief professional officer and head wrangler wran·gler n. 1. One who wrangles or quarrels. 2. A cowboy or cowgirl, especially one who tends saddle horses. Noun 1. of the youth group for the last 20 years. "We were the first club west of the Mississippi to change our name, which we did in 1978 and it stayed that way for a long time. National didn't change the name until 1992, but our board of directors wanted us to reflect the community, so we became the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. Boys & Girls Club Girls Club is a 2002 American television series created by David E. Kelley, who was also it's producer and executive producer. Only two out of a total of thirteen episodes created were broadcast on Fox Television in the United States and Global Television in Canada. ." Back then, the local club had a few hundred members at best. Today, 3,529 kids participate in programs run from the Newhall, Canyon Country and Val Verde Val Verde may mean:
This year, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America is celebrating 100 years of service, providing activities and opportunities to more than 4.4 million children in the 50 states and U.S. military bases around the world. As part of that celebration, the Santa Clarita Valley club is hosting an alumni dinner Friday at its Newhall Central Facility and hopes to attract as many former club members as it can. "Contacting those members who have grown up and moved away is a difficult task," said Colleen col·leen n. An Irish girl. [Irish Gaelic cailín, diminutive of caile, girl, from Old Irish. Meloni, administrative services manager for the club. "We know they are out there, we're just having a hard time finding them." One alumnus ALUMNUS, civil law. A child which one has nursed; a foster child. Dig. 40, 2, 14. who will be there is Frank Giardina, the club's Boy of the Year from 1968. "Back then, there were three groups in town: the surfers, the hippies and the hoods," he said. "I was running with a bad group and had hair down to the middle of my back. I was president of the only gang in town. We used to start fights at the Plaza (movie theater) in Newhall and stole bikes, which is minor compared to what gangs do now. "I noticed that the girls in our crowd looked a lot like guys, they were all tomboys. My dream was that someday I'd like to date a cheerleader, but I knew I was going to have to change my lifestyle and appearance." He admits that hanging out at the club wasn't the cool thing to do in town, but could see the writing on the wall. "I look back now and all the people I hung out with before are either dead or in prison or didn't amount to much," he said. He got involved in club activities, helping out whenever former director Bob Ross This article is about the painter and television presenter. For the publisher/activist, see Bob Ross (publisher). Bob Norman Ross (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995) was an American painter and television presenter. needed something. When he was asked to hand out pamphlets at a banquet, he thought the club was just being nice, inviting his parents to attend and giving him a seat at a table for his work. "I thought it was a nice deal, I hand out brochures and we got three free dinners," he laughed, sitting in Ventress' office amid a sea of scrapbooks from days gone by. "Then they started talking about this kid and I thought he - whoever he was - and I had a lot in common. Turns out they were talking about me." In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , Ventress has been hard at work culling culling removal of inferior animals from a group of breeding stock. The removal is premature, i.e. before completion of its life span, disposal of an animal from a herd or other group. thousands of photographs taken to feature as many alumni as he can. All former club members, directors, staff and board members are encouraged to attend. For information or to R.S.V.P., call Meloni at (661) 254-2582. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Jim Ventress, right, executive director or the local Boys & Girls Club, meets with Frank Giardina, who as a youth was the club's first Boy of the Year. (2) Alumnus Frank Giardina, foreground, and Jim Ventress, executive director, look at old photos at the local Girls & Boys Club. Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News |
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