lucky you - your browser doesnt play annoying midis

	Boys Club 400 Block of 28th Street, Newport News, VA 23607 Jefferson Avenue and Hilton Boulevard Newport News, VA 429 Thornhill Drive, Newport News, VA http://www.bgca.org/
EARLIER:	THEN:	NOW:
400-Block of 28th Street	1963 Daily Press	400-Block of 28th Street	Jefferson Avenue and Hilton Boulevard
			Here is the current image of the old Peninsula Boys Club.	Behind the Boys Club was a small structure which once was a community center in the 60s.  I have a vague recollection of being in there for some reason ... probably a Boys Club thing.
Courtesy of Mickey Marcella ('54) of VA via Joe Madagan ('57) of FL - 04/01/05 Thank you, Gentlemen!	Courtesy of Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 06/27/03 Thanks, Dave!		Images by Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 04/16/05 Thanks, Dave!
NOW:
The janitor, "Max", was gracious and allowed me to take a few photos inside the building and the trophy case. He began working for the Boys Club when it was located on 28th Street next to the bridge, then to Jefferson Avenue and to the present location, which is 429 Thornhill Drive, Newport News. It is in the Stoneybrook area of Denbigh.
	429 Thornhill Drive
	The exterior of the Boys Club of the Virginia Peninsula.	Close up of the sign on the exterior of the building.	Here is the wing, Gym dedicated to Herbie Morewitz.
	Images by Joe Madagan ('57) of FL - 04/23/05 Thanks, Joe!

Recognition of the contribution of Herbie Morewitz to the Boys Club.  Bill Hoyle is the presenter; Herbie is in the center; on the right is W. F. "Bill" Files.	Here is a photo to stimulate interest among some of the older subscribers.  Name the Players.	Here is Herbie Morewitz's Virginia License Tag, from the trophy case.	Mr. Tom and Mr. Shoff are in the center photo.	Special section of The Daily Press: Herbie Morewitz
Images by Joe Madagan ('57) of FL - 04/23/05 Thanks, Joe!

Hi, Carol and Dave:
An old photo of the Boys Club that was situated in the 400-Block of 28th Street is being mailed to me by Mickey Marcella ('54) of VA. I will scan it and email it to you when it arrives. When this structure was torn down to make room for the Sears parking lot and renovations on the 28th Street bridge, it moved to Jefferson Avenue and that location is now a church. The combined Boys and Girls Club as it is now known is on U.S. Route 60 north of Stoneybrook Shopping Center. Looks like we might have a vintage Old Stomping Grounds in the making. So many of the outstanding basketball players for the TYPHOON got an early start at the game by participating in the programs at the Boys Club. I suppose that is why I am such a pest about this old stomping ground.
TYPHOON Regards,

- Joe Madagan ('57) of FL - 03/30/05
Thanks, Joe! You're not a pest at all! You're simply dealing with a webmistress who's in a fog right now!

When I moved to Newmarket (72nd Street) in 1961 at the tender age of 15, I became friends with Al Hines ('65),
who lived nearby and was our paper carrier. That friendship led to my association with Donnie Reed ('65),
Rex and Malcolm Davis ('66 and '65), Ronnie Wood ('65), Tom Oxner ('65), The Dempsey Sisters (Katie - Warwick HS - '64 and Patty - '66), et. al. It also led me to begin visiting the Boys Club at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Hilton Boulevard.  Even when I reached 16, the age at which I was ineligible to attend, the Director, A. T. (Tom) Olaisen, bent the rules and allowed me in.  My vivid memories are of shooting pool, watching old B&W cowboy movies ... (yes, they killed Indians and "bad guys", but we didn't return to the Club with an assault weapon and kill everybody there) ...   and eating countless numbers of 10-cent boiled hot dogs.
 
With the Club's sponsorship, several of us older boys established a service organization, which we called the Peninsula
Keystone Club.  Pretty much everybody mentioned above (except the Dempseys) were charter members.  We did
volunteer work for charitable organizations.  I still have a newspaper clipping showing a photo of several of us licking and stuffing envelopes somewhere.  We quickly realized that our organization was abbreviated PKC, which sounded like a fraternity.  We also realized that this was about as close as many of us would ever get to a real fraternity, so we all bought cheap black crew neck sweaters and emblazoned "PKC" on them in white Greek letters. Pretty lame, huh?  Revenge of the Nerds in 1963.

Beyond all of that, The Boys Club was always a fun and safe place to go and just hang out with no bullies, no cliques ....
and no girls.   My, how times DO change.

- Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 03/30/05
Vice-President
Peninsula Keystone Club

That's very impressive!  Thanks, Dave!

Great memories of the Boys Club, Cap'n Dave! Your flashback helped me, for I could not recall the name
of Tom Olaisen who became Director when Mr. Shouf retired. Mickey Marcella ('54 - of VA) is on the Board of Directors
of the present day Boys and Girls Club on Warwick Boulevard. Mickey is one TYPHOON that has continued
to do so much for sports on the Peninsula and he has not slowed down a bit. Photo to follow!
TYPHOON Regards,

- Joe Madagan ('57) of FL - 03/30/05
Thanks, Joe!

   - Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA
DOUBLE WOWZERONI!!!  Thanks so much, David!  What a wonderful opportunity!

THEN:
Well, I finally located the Boys Club picture at the New York World's Fair in all of its wrinkled glory. I don't have a scanner so I took a picture of it with my digital. Not the best, but it works. I recognize a lot of the faces, but after forty some odd years the names of most escape me. A few I remember. First row kneeling left to right: 6th - Wayne Faircloth ('70); 8th - Me ('68); 12th - Mike Mitchum; 14th - Ernie Jones ('68). Back row standing: 9th - Mr. Shoff; 12th - Chuck Ragland ('67); 13th - Gene Dismuke ('65) and "Mr. Tom" (Olaisen) is far right. I hope this brings back a few memories for some. - Mike Leonard ('68) of VA - 04/12/05
	FRONT ROW: 1, 2, Mitch Avent, 4, 5, Wayne Faircloth ('70); 7, Mike Leonard ('68); Harold "Butch" Capps, Bobby Dabbs, 11, Mike Mitchum; 13, Ernie Jones ('68); Dennie Perkinson,16; BACK ROW: 1, 2,3, 4, 5, Ollie Carrithers, 7, 8, Mr. Harry Shoff; 10; David Hatchett ('65); Chuck Ragland ('67); Gene Dismuke ('65); Keith Sword,15,16,17; Max Bartholomew ('65); and "Mr. Tom" (Olaisen)	1957 Anchor,  p. 113
	- Mike Leonard ('68) of VA - 04/12/05 Thanks, Mike!	04/13/05

Carol,
I certainly do remember this picture as I (David Hatchett - '65) am #11 on the back row
and #18 on the back row is Max Bartholomew - '65.
The Boys Club was my home away from home. Wish I could identify more.

- David Hatchett ('65) of VA - 04/14/05
AHA!  I was right with my wild guesses!  Thanks, David!

Mickey (Marcella - '54) says that the man on the right beside Herbie Morewitz is W. F. "Bill" Files. 
He was an executive of the Shipyard and on the board of directors of the Boys Club back in the 60s and
70s.  He was a very nice man who did a lot for the Boys Club.  We now have 11 Boys and Girls Clubs: 
1 in Mathews, 1 in Gloucester, 1 in Hampton, and 8 in Newport News.  This coming month will be
one year since we took over the Boys & Girls Club on Hampton Avenue in NN, which was the black
Boys Club in NN when we were coming along.  This is the one where Mike Vick and Allen Iverson
and Aaron Brooks came from.  One of our Boys and Girls Club members was recently inducted
(into the) Football Hall of Fame.  He went to TN All American and then went to Miami and wrestled
and played football at Warwick, who was Frank Immanuel.  Add Henry Jordan and Norman Snead
to that list also. 

- Carol Moell Marcella ('56) of VA - 08/25/05
Thanks, Carol!  I adjusted that caption to the image Joe Madagan sent us above.

Hi, Carol:

Today I received a "Snail Mail" reply to my letter to Mr. Tom Olaisen requesting that he try to identify those in the photograph.
In his note, he apologized for the delay in responding to our request, and explained that he had passed it around to several
folks to get their input also. Here is the best identification from those sources:

Left = Sonny Williams
Front Row= (3 Mitch Avent, (6 Wayne Faircloth, (8 Mike Leonard, (9 Harold "Butch" Capps, (10 Bobby Dabbs,
(12 Mike Mitchum, (14 Ernie Jones, (15 Dennie Perkinson.
Back Row= (6 Ollie Carrithers, (9 Mr. Harry Shoff, (11 David Hatchett, (12 Chuck Ragland, (13 Gene Dismuke,
(14 Keith Sword, (18 Max Bartholomew, (19 Mr. Tom Olaisen

- Joe Madagan ('57) of FL - 03/06/06
OH! Thanks for your persistence!, Joe!

I can remember going there almost every Saturday, playing basketball and making crafts. It was a fun place to hang out.

- Glenn Dye ('60) of TX - 11/10/07
Thanks, Glenn!

After seeing  Glenn Dye's  ('60) of TX, note about the Boys Club, I clicked on the link and enjoyed the photos and memories. I was there one Saturday when the late action film star Aldo Ray dropped in.  He talked with everyone and gave out autographed pictures. I don’t remember the year (1955?), just the excitement of meeting a film star. He may have been promoting a film at the Palace and came by because Harry Shoff convinced Herbie Morewitz to bring him by.

- Norm Covert ('61) of MD - 11/15/07
Thanks, Norm!

From the Daily Press - 04/24/09 - "Ripken visit in Newport News makes impact on Boys & Girls Clubs":

Ripken visit in Newport News makes impact on Boys & Girls Clubs

By Dave Fairbank | 247-4637

5:17 AM EDT, April 24, 2009

Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and former Baltimore Orioles infielder Cal Ripken Jr. tours the facilities Thursday, April 23, 2009, at the Boys and Girls Club on Hampton Avenue in Newport News.	Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and former Baltimore Orioles infielder Cal Ripken Jr. tours the facilities Thursday, April 23, 2009, at the Boys and Girls Club on Hampton Avenue in Newport News.	Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and former Baltimore Orioles infielder Cal Ripken Jr. talks with kids Thursday, April 23, 2009, at the Boys and Girls Club on Hampton Avenue in Newport News.	Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and former Baltimore Orioles infielder Cal Ripken Jr. talks with some kids as they wait for a game of Ripken Quickball to get set up Thursday, April 23, 2009, at the Boys and Girls Club on Hampton Avenue in Newport News. Ripken Quickball is a game Ripken created as a product, training aid and game.
Images by Diane Cebula, Daily Press / April 23, 2009
Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and former Baltimore Orioles infielder Cal Ripken Jr. watches a game of Ripken Quickball on Thursday, April 23, 2009, at the Boys and Girls Club on Hampton Avenue in Newport News.	Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and former Baltimore Orioles infielder Cal Ripken Jr. pitches balls for players during a game of Ripken Quickball on Thursday, April 23, 2009, at the Boys and Girls Club on Hampton Avenue in Newport News.	Shynice Richardson, 12, gives Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and former Baltimore Orioles infielder Cal Ripken Jr. a tour of the facilities Thursday, April 23, 2009, at the Boys and Girls Club on Hampton Avenue in Newport News.	Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and former Baltimore Orioles infielder Cal Ripken Jr. talks with a group of kids Thursday, April 23, 2009, at the Boys and Girls Club on Hampton Avenue in Newport News.
Images by Diane Cebula, Daily Press / April 23, 2009

But before attending the event at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, Ripken insisted on an unannounced stop at one of the local clubs. Such stops are routine in his regular schedule, if for no reason other than to spend time with kids.

"We're not trying to grow the game of baseball, per se," Ripken said. "I think we're using baseball as a tool, essentially, to interact with the kids. Give them new experiences, kind of open up the world to them. Sports does that naturally. We just use baseball because that's what we did."

Richardson squired Ripken around the facility at the corner of Jefferson and Hampton avenues. He saw the gamerooms, the gym, a tutorial classroom and a computer lab.

He pitched a brief session of "Quickball" to the kids in the gym — a sort of accelerated version of wiffleball, using plastic bats and spongy balls — and for his efforts he took a screamer off his neck and one in the gut. He was having a blast.

"I was showing him that our club is unique and different from other places," said Richardson, who has come to that facility since she was 6. "I think it was very cool that he would come here and see it. They call this a bad neighborhood, but this is a safe place.

"I think it's very important to have places like this," she said. "You can get away from your problems and a lot of stuff on the outside for a little while. There are a lot of activities, and you can be around good people."

Ripken's foundation is a tribute to his late father, Cal Sr., who used baseball as a means of teaching life lessons. The younger Ripken said that Cal Sr. had a soft spot for kids without father figures in their lives, probably because his own father passed away when he was 10. That's why he and younger brother Bill wanted to do something geared toward helping kids.

"It's something we care about, it's something we're passionate about," Ripken said. "We're tickled to death that we can actually impact kids in a positive way. It's something we plan to do for a long time. We're not in it for the short term."

Nothing in Ripken's life or baseball career is about the short term. He is best known for playing in a Major League record 2,632 consecutive games, from May 30, 1982, to Sept. 20, 1998. He amassed 3,184 hits and was a 19-time all-star, playing his entire career for the Baltimore Orioles.

A first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2007, Ripken now devotes the same diligence to his current pursuit, which he said has succeeded and expanded beyond even his initial aims.

"It's kind of fun to think of the possibilities," he said. "Maybe in some ways we can be the glue that brings people together and makes communities better. It's not a big, huge mission, but it's something we're passionate about."
 

Who is Cal Ripken?

Former Major League Baseball player spent entire career with Baltimore Orioles

• Best known for playing record 2,632 consecutive games, from May 30, 1982, to Sept. 20, 1998.

• Amassed 3,184 hits.

• Was a 19-time all-star.

THEN:
		Carol, I found this old photo of a downtown parade which you may be interested in putting in the "Old Stomping Grounds" section.  I can't identify who the adults are in the picture, maybe someone else can.  It was taken in the late 50's. Ronnie (Haney - 65 - of VA) and I are carrying the Boys Club banner. - Terry Haney ('66) of VA - 11/13/09 Thanks so much, Terry! I could only recognize Mr. Mac, so I enlisted the help of Joe Madagan ('57) of FL and Mickey Marcella ('54) of VA. Thank you, Gentlemen!
BACK ROW: Bill Hornsby, Herbie Morewitz ('33), George McIntosh, Walter Rilee, Harry Shoff, _____ _____, and Don Hyatt; FRONT ROW: Ronnie Haney ('65) of VA and Terry Haney ('66) of VA

Where the Boys Are

Words and Music by Howie Greenfield and Neil Sedaka

Recorded by Connie Frances


Where the boys are, someone waits for me
A smilin' face, a warm embrace, two arms to hold me tenderly
Where the boys are, my true love will be
He's walkin' down some street in town and I know he's lookin' there for me

In the crowd of a million people I'll find my valentine
And then I'll climb to the highest steeple and tell the world he's mine

Till he holds me I wait impatiently
Where the boys are, where the boys are
Where the boys are, someone waits for me

Till he holds me I wait impatiently
Where the boys are, where the boys are
Where the boys are, someone waits for me

(This page was created on 03/30/05.)

"Where the Boys Are" midi courtesy of http://www.thomas-distributing.com/midi.htm
at the suggestion of Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 03/31/05
Thanks, Dave!

"Where the Boys Are" lyrics courtesy of http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/connie_francis/where_the_boys_are.html
also at the suggestion of Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 03/31/05
Thanks again, Dave!

Back to Our Old Stomping Grounds

Return to NNHS Class of 1965