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The Donor Family
There are many generous donors who over the years
have supported the Ranch faithfully and none as important as the
faithful donors who support the Ranch on regular basis. This “Donor
Family” contributes significantly to the Ranch operation and the well
being of the boys. The very blood life of the Ranch, financially
speaking, comes from our loyal family of modest working class donors
who contribute what they can. Without the contributions of our donor
family, the ranch simply would not exist.
Fraternal Order of Eagles
The 43 Eagles Clubs across the State of
Nebraska have identified NBR as one of the charities in Nebraska that
the Aeries and Auxiliaries support through donations. The Alliance
Eagles support the Boys Ranch faithfully as they have since the very
beginning. Each year the Nebraska Eagles hold various fund raisers
(dinners, auctions, raffles and other activities) and the proceeds go
to benefit the Nebraska Boys Ranch.
Eagle Ranch House,
the first Ranch dwelling which was built especially to house boys was
built in 1968 entirely from funds raised by the Eagles Aries across
the State of Nebraska. The Ranch is forever indebted to the Eagles for
their contributions to build Eagle Ranch House and the building stands
as a legacy of their generosity.
Bequests
Over the years, many of the buildings at the
ranch were constructed through the contributions on special donors and
those buildings bear the names of the donors who provided the funds
for such buildings. Links and information on the following buildings
are listed below.
Goodall Recreational Center
The Goodall Recreational Center was
constructed through the generosity of Boys Ranch friend Mrs. C.M.
Goodall of Ogallala, Nebraska. As a result of Mrs. Goodall’s
generosity the Recreation center carries the title of Goodall
Recreation Center. The building includes a gymnasium for basketball,
volleyball, badminton and other games. The second floor overlooks the
gymnasium on two sides and has a game room with pool tables, foosball
and an area for watching TV. The building was constructed in 1978-79
and opened in the fall of 1979.
Ressegieu Memorial Offices
Mrs. E.J. Ressegieu’s generous gift in the
name of her husband, Jack, allowed for the construction of the
Ressegieu Memorial Offices. The suite of offices is located inside the
Goodall Center and includes offices for the campus administrators and
serves as a center for all business conducted at the Ranch.
Eagle Ranch House
The Eagle Ranch House was the first Ranch
house ever constructed at the Ranch. Because it was the first house
built in was designed for multi-purpose use. In addition to
accommodations for sixteen boys, there are two staff apartments,
kitchen, dining room and living room on the main floor. A full
basement has the usual furnace, laundry and storage rooms plus a large
recreation room, library and hobby room. The building is nearly 11,000
square feet. Gifts and pledges from the Fraternal Order of Eagles
covered three quarters of the total cost.
Lucy Camp Ranch House
Lucy Camp House was built in 1973-74. Lucy
Camp pledged her farm as an anonymous gift to the Ranch. With the
presentation of her farm, Ms. Camp offered a challenge to the donor
family to match the value of the farm to go toward the construction of
the new ranch house. Challenge grants successfully matched the offer
presented by Ms. Camp. The Lucy Camp House has a duplex floor plan
with accommodations for up to 24 boys plus house staff.
Alfred Lang Dining Hall
In 1977, with the number of boys being
referred to the Boys Ranch increasing and the completion of a second
dormitory on the campus, the Board of Director’s recognized the need
for a dining hall to prepare larger meals and provide a comfortable
dining atmosphere for the boys and staff. In the spring of 1977 the
Board of Director’s made a plea to the donor family to fill this need.
Almost immediately, Mr. Alfred Lang from Indianola, Nebraska stepped
forward to offer money for a trust fund that would cover the expenses
of the added overhead created by the construction of the new dining
hall. Match funds from the generous donor family were requested and
with the overwhelming response, funds to build the dining hall were
raised from the donor family. Construction began in the summer of 1977
and was completed and the building in use by the summer of 1978.
Because Mr. Lang stepped forward and offered the funds for the trust
to cover the overhead, the NBR Board of Director’s named the hall in
his honor.
Terry Fitzpatrick Memorial Fire Station
The Terry Fitzpatrick firehouse was named in
memory of Terry Fitzpatrick who was the founder of the Eagles national
softball tournament. Mr. Fitzpatrick was a Grand Aerie club management
counselor and a particular favorite of the Nebraska Eagles. The
majority of the funds for the building came from the Nebraska Eagles
Clubs; however Eagles Clubs from across the United States provided
generous donations to assist in its completion.
Chambers Education Center
The Chambers Education Center located in the
upstairs of the Goodall Recreation Center was created through the
donation of Mrs. Dorothy Chambers. The classroom contains space for
instruction with the boys, a small computer lab and numerous shelves
of books. The Education Center provides the boys an opportunity to
hone their classroom skills and receive extra instruction to help them
be more successful in the public schools. The Center was dedicated in
1987.
Robert Haslow Memorial Office Building
The Robert Haslow Memorial Office Building was
named in honor of the memory of Robert Jay Haslow, the youngest child
of long-time Administrator of the Boys Ranch Richard “Dick” Haslow and
his wife Alta. In 1981, Rob passed away after a long bout with Cystic
Fibrosis. Memorials poured into the ranch after his death and monies
from the memorial were partially used to purchase and renovate the
building located at 2410 Box Butte Avenue in Alliance. The Board of
Directors presented a plaque to Mr. Haslow upon his retirement
acknowledging his 33 years of service to the ranch and commemorating
the office building in the name of Robert J. Haslow. |
