CELEBRATE – Making History & 2019 HOF

On October 30, 2021 the Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club will celebrate its 90th Anniversary
and induct seven new members into the Hall of Fame. The event will be at the White Eagle
Event and Convention Center in Niles, Illinois. Be sure to save the date. Look for event
details on NBGC’s website, social media posts, emails and other sources.

This blog entry highlights the 2019 class of Hall of Fame inductees (below is a link to the
program for that occasion). We also take time to reminisce about some of the history
the NBGC has created over the decades. Enjoy the memories…more importantly, make plans
​with your family and friends to join teammates for a wonderful night to celebrate the NBGC!
Tickets to the 90th Anniversary and Hall of Fame
Celebration are on sale now and can be purchased online
at: NBGCTURNS90.givesmart.com

Making History

The NBC/NBGC was founded in 1931 by Robert Buehler and Dick Valentin as a club run by kids for kids. This unique philosophy, and the founding principle that “Everybody Plays”, insured that the Club would flourish for ninety years and counting.
Something unique to this organization is the incredible amount of documentation that has recorded the progress of our Club, our community and, indeed, our nation. In this blog we will feature the many ways the NBGC has preserved its history, and how we are working to make that history available to everyone.

On September 9, 1932, the NBC published its first weekly newsletter, and it has been published weekly for nine decades (except for a few weeks off every summer!). The first newsletter didn’t have a name yet so they just titled it with a question mark. The newsletter kept members and their families informed about games, schedules, special events, fundraising and the weekly activity in the Clubhouse.

First edition (click)

In 1933 the newsletter finally got its name- the “Monkeyshines”. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “Monkeyshine” means “mischief or playful activity” and directs one to “pranks”. Founder Robert Buehler’s mother would listen to the antics in the Clubhouse, and came up with the name.

Since the “Monkeyshines” mostly reported on sports and clubhouse activities, another publication was developed to keep families and the community up to date on Club news- The NBC Reporter.

The NBC Reporter (click)

During World War II, Robert Buehler’s brother was serving in the Navy and was participating in a letter exchange with former classmates. Mr. Buehler discussed with Dick Valentin starting a newsletter for NBC Servicemen, and the bi-weekly Service Paper was born. Driven by Dick Valentin and Jim Desherow, but with the help of many others, the Service Paper reported on Club activities, and included letters from NBC members serving overseas. It also included the mailing addresses of servicemen and alumni, helping everyone stay in touch. And, it was mailed to our soldiers all over the world!

Service Paper (click)

After the war, NBC alumni wanted to continue to keep up, so the Alumni Chatter evolved out of the Service Paper.
Still published today, the Chatter prints several times a year, keeping our community informed about Club activities, special events, fundraisers and alumni updates.

Alumni Chatter (click)

In addition, there are countless programs from special events, plays and entertainment, the Mom’s Club and Dad’s Club, fundraisers and anniversary celebrations.
And, of course, terabytes of team pictures, personal photos and videos.

​

Team in front of first Club House. 2015 Pebble Panthers.

In 2006, the NBGC was preparing to celebrate its 75th Anniversary and wanted to create a yearbook and a slide show for the event. The Club enlisted the help of Alumni (and future Hall of Famer) Ray Sugrue. Ray had been collecting memorabilia and digitizing it, especially the WWII letters and photos. Ray carried on independently, preserving the history of the Club, until joined in 2020 by two other Hall of famers, Tom Krier and Peter Maxfield. With a goal of digitizing all of the NBGC past and present, they have been working to build a searchable database. Currently, all of the Monkeyshines from 1950 to the present are scanned, and the 30’s and 40’s are next. We will add Alumni Chatters, Reporters, programs, etc, in the next few years. In 2022 we hope to put the database onto our website so that anyone can search for a member or event, and discover a world of memories.

In the meantime, you can contact the Club by emailing info@nbgc.org or commenting on the post here and our Archivers will create a USB drive for you. If you would like to help, especially with identifying people in photos, the Archive team would love to hear from you!

2019 Anniversary and Hall of Fame Program (click)

​
Sue Fahey
Summer, Sun and Shower Fun (click)
Credit and courage (click)
Choreography and direction (click)
Visiting the Club (click)

Mary Gallery
Undefeated Panthers (click)
​Senior Leader (click)
Joins Staff (click)
National Merit and Princeton (click)
​Keynote speaker (click)

Tom Krier
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (click)
​40th Anniversary Invocation (click)
​Band plays Christmas Party (click)
​Executive Director (click)
Spread the news (click)
​Retires (click)

Dick Schroeder
Dick and his wife Arlene were avid golfers, and could always be counted on to help out at the Alumni Golf outing or Family Fest.
1940s Bears back (click)

Glenn Stahl
Glenn was part of an NBGC dynasty- his father, Ralph was an original Hall of Fame inductee, and Glenn’s children followed him into the Club. He played football on the indominable Wasps, and went on to coach. As a member of the Program Committee, Glenn helped create the Clubwalk.
Blocks of granite (click)

Ray Sugrue
Lineman of the week (click)
​Defense razzle dazzle (click)
​Good sportsmanship (click)
​Archiving (click)