Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star Agency History
For more than 88 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been helping change the lives of kids in Texas by giving them the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. And we have eight and a half decades of volunteers, donors, and advocates just like you to thank!
Our Humble Beginnings
It all started on February 24, 1927, when the growing number of boys passing through the Juvenile Court System in Dallas County inspired the humble beginnings of what is now the nations largest Big Brothers Big Sisters agency. Through the vision of few, hundreds of thousands of Texans lives were changed for the better, forever through the power of one-to-one youth mentoring.
In 1926, Ms. Jessie A. White, a young probation officer of the Dallas Juvenile Court, was distraught at the futures that awaited the boys filing through the court system. "When a child is brought to us there are only two things to do with him," she said. "We can send him to the reform school or we can send him back to the same conditions from which he came."
What these boys need is a friend that the boy can count on, who can give him the feeling that some one is especially interested in him. Upon this realization, Ms. White took a step which would forever change the futures of North Texas children.
The Big Brother Club
Ms. White visited civic organizations, churches and clubs to recruit mentors and generate support for the Big Brother movement which began in New York City 23 years earlier. Through the support Judge F.H. Alexander and the Dallas Rotary Club Boys Committee which began the process of recruiting businessmen to serve as mentors, the Dallas Big Brothers Club was ultimately born on February 24, 1927.
Mr. J.J. Burnett was named the first president of the Dallas Big Brothers Club and by 1929, 75 Dallas businessmen had stepped forward as Big Brothers to boys throughout the city. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, additional services to boys were offered through the Dallas Big Brothers Club. In 1932, the County Boys Parental Home and School was opened to provide a home to boys convicted through the Juvenile Courts but not meeting the requirements for reform school. In 1939, Camp Tammi Babi (Comanche words for Little Brother) opened in Cedar Hill to provide Little Brothers a structured summer environment away from the busy city. The Melba Theatre on Elm Street hosted Saturday morning Big Brother programs which featured visits by Popeye the Sailor and Baby Rose Marie, and motion pictures including Joe Palooka featuring Jimmy Durante and The Lone Cowboy featuring Jackie Cooper.
Historic Places
It wasnít until 1935 that the Dallas Big Brothers Club opened it first official headquarters at 1607 Main St. in what was then called the Praetorian Building (now called Stone Place Tower.) This neoclassical style building was dubbed the Wests first skyscraper at 15 stories tall.
The Melrose Hotel in Dallas also claims relevance in the early history of the organization. The hotel hosted more than a decade of Big Brother/Little Brother annual holiday banquets and Dallas Big Brother Club annual meetings. At this banquet in 1945, Jimmy Smith was honored as being the first Little Brother to become a Big Brother in the program.
World War II
The program began to grow steadily until the numbers became difficult to track during WWII. Of the 302 boys reported served by the organization in early 1942, approximately 100 Big Brothers and 64 Little Brothers were reported as on active military duty by the end of that year.
Many employers at the time allowed qualified Little Brothers to fill in for their Big Brothers active in the armed forces. Sadly, during these war years the absence of fathers, brothers and Big Brothers ultimately led to an increase in youth delinquency and an even greater demand for male mentors.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star Agency History
For more than 88 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been helping change the lives of kids in Texas by giving them the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. And we have eight and a half decades of volunteers, donors, and advocates just like you to thank!
Our Humble Beginnings
It all started on February 24, 1927, when the growing number of boys passing through the Juvenile Court System in Dallas County inspired the humble beginnings of what is now the nation's largest Big Brothers Big Sisters agency. Through the vision of few, hundreds of thousands of Texans lives were changed for the better, forever through the power of one-to-one youth mentoring.
In 1926, Ms. Jessie A. White, a young probation officer of the Dallas Juvenile Court, was distraught at the futures that awaited the boys filing through the court system. "When a child is brought to us there are only two things to do with him," she said. "We can send him to the reform school or we can send him back to the same conditions from which he came."
What these boys need is a friend that the boy can count on, who can give him the feeling that some one is especially interested in him. Upon this realization, Ms. White took a step which would forever change the futures of North Texas children.
The Big Brother Club
Ms. White visited civic organizations, churches and clubs to recruit mentors and generate support for the Big Brother movement which began in New York City 23 years earlier. Through the support Judge F.H. Alexander and the Dallas Rotary Club Boys Committee which began the process of recruiting businessmen to serve as mentors, the Dallas Big Brothers Club was ultimately born on February 24, 1927.
Mr. J.J. Burnett was named the first president of the Dallas Big Brothers Club and by 1929, 75 Dallas businessmen had stepped forward as Big Brothers to boys throughout the city. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, additional services to boys were offered through the Dallas Big Brothers Club. In 1932, the County Boys Parental Home and School was opened to provide a home to boys convicted through the Juvenile Courts but not meeting the requirements for reform school. In 1939, Camp Tammi Babi (Comanche words for Little Brother) opened in Cedar Hill to provide Little Brothers a structured summer environment away from the busy city. The Melba Theatre on Elm Street hosted Saturday morning Big Brother programs which featured visits by Popeye the Sailor and Baby Rose Marie, and motion pictures including Joe Palooka featuring Jimmy Durante and The Lone Cowboy featuring Jackie Cooper.
Historic Places
It wasnít until 1935 that the Dallas Big Brothers Club opened it first official headquarters at 1607 Main St. in what was then called the Praetorian Building (now called Stone Place Tower.) This neoclassical style building was dubbed the West's first skyscraper at 15 stories tall.
The Melrose Hotel in Dallas also claims relevance in the early history of the organization. The hotel hosted more than a decade of Big Brother/Little Brother annual holiday banquets and Dallas Big Brother Club annual meetings. At this banquet in 1945, Jimmy Smith was honored as being the first Little Brother to become a Big Brother in the program.
World War II
The program began to grow steadily until the numbers became difficult to track during WWII. Of the 302 boys reported served by the organization in early 1942, approximately 100 Big Brothers and 64 Little Brothers were reported as on active military duty by the end of that year.
Many employers at the time allowed qualified Little Brothers to fill in for their Big Brothers active in the armed forces. Sadly, during these war years the absence of fathers, brothers and Big Brothers ultimately led to an increase in youth delinquency and an even greater demand for male mentors.
