Who We Are

Bob was well known for his love of Ventura and his extensive civic involvement and philanthropy. For over 30 years he was a leader within the Boys & Girls Club of Ventura, serving on the Board of Directors since the inception of the Club and heading up major fund-raising drives.

Education was very important to Bob. For many years he reviewed scholarship requests from Club and community youth, who applied for college funding from the Emma Nylen Trust, which the Club administered. Bob went about serving others without the need for recognition and would often financially assist Boys & Girls Club staff with their educational pursuits. He also served on the Ventura College District Board for 12 years, another example of the work that he did to support education in Ventura.

Bob had a head for business and was a no nonsense kind of guy. If a task was assigned to him, he just got it done! He was a man of great character and always looked out for the well-being of the Club and the youth that it served. He faithfully attended Board and other committee meetings and in the later years, when he could no longer drive, he hired a driver to make sure that he kept his commitments. His contribution to the community he loved is marked by many awards, but none pleased him more than the naming of the Olive Street Boys & Girls Club as the Robert Addison Center.

Successful non-profits must do two things: provide great programs and raise the money to provide those programs. John is an example of what many of the inductees have done.

John joined the Board in 1993 and served for 15 years including a term as president in 1998. In 1995 John led the effort to create a sustaining support campaign known as the Silver Handshake Club.

John’s legacy is the juggling program that he started in 1998. It’s still running and he still volunteers weekly providing instruction in juggling, uni-cycling and acting as a mentor. All of us have no doubt seen John and his students perform over the years. Some of the youth he has mentored have gone on to bigger and better things. One of those kids was Stewart Sinclair, who has since graduated from Loyola University with a degree in Journalism, had articles published, is now working for a company called Vital Strategies and has become quite the world traveler. That is what the Club is all about.

John has raised funds for the Club on long distance bicycle rides, through sales of his photography, through rentals of his house in Pismo Beach and inspiring others to give major gifts to the club.

We are pleased to induct John into the Founders’ Society.

Congratulations and thanks John.

RICHARD "DICK" BUCHANAN

Dick became a Board Member in 1963. This was a time of real change for the Club. He, along with Mel Fowler and Dave Sherrill, started the building fund campaign that led to the construction of the Olive Street Club. They raised over $175,000 to accomplish this task, which was a considerable amount of money at that time!

Dick became the third president of the Club in 1967. During construction, Dick spent most of his spare time pounding nails, digging ditches, and shooting a few hoops in the new gym. Speaking of hoops, Dick started the Kiwanis Boys basketball tournament that continues to this day. He was also chair or co-chair of the Boys & Girls Club golf tournament for 15 years.

Dick was in the insurance business for 40 years. His office was just around the corner from us at 63 South California Street. He now resides in Boise Idaho.

Congratulations, Dick Buchanan!

In 1979, Gary Nasalroad wrestled the Club Presidency away from Bill Hicks. It’s a good thing that Joe Carmody was not President at that time because there are not many people that could ever wrestle anything away from Joe.

Thirty years ago, Joe Carmody joined the Board of the Boys & Girls Club of Ventura. It didn’t take him long to become fully immersed in Club activities.

In 1989 Joe started a wrestling program at the Club. It began with 4 or 5 kids after school a couple days a week. At its height there were 125 to 130 kids participating and there were practices 5 nights a week. Joe ran this program for 15 years and his impact on Ventura youth was immense. If you know Joe, you would say that he certainly does not lack enthusiasm and you can bet that our Club members learned a lot of valuable life lessons from Joe.

How big of an impact has Joe made on the lives of Ventura youth? In March 2016 he headed to New York to once again watch the National Wrestling Championships. In 2015 one of his former students placed third in the 179 pound division. The following year Joe was there to root him on again – and that year he was ranked #1 in the nation as a senior at Penn State. Without Joe, would that have ever happened?

We are pleased to induct Joe Carmody into the Founders’ Society.

Congratulations and thanks Joe.

Mel Fowler joined the Ventura Boys Club board in 1963 and it didn’t take him long to take over as President. Mel served in that capacity for three years from 1964-1966.

Those early years were busy ones for the Club. Mel worked with a small group of incredibly talented and dedicated men. The Club had been serving youth for only 15 months when Mel took over the reins from another of our inductees: Dave Sherrill. He was instrumental in arranging a lease with the Ventura School District to relocate the clubhouse from a 108 year old adobe house on West Main Street to the E.P. Foster playground.

Under his leadership the Board set out on a $175,000 fundraising campaign and the successful campaign led to the start of construction in 1967.

His contributions to the Club were wide ranging: from establishing a strong relationship with the United Fund to serving on the Tri-Counties Area Council and working with neighboring communities to start other Boys Clubs.
Mel was awarded the Boys Club Medallion Award in 1970.

We are pleased to induct Mel into the Founders’ Society.
Congratulations and thanks Mel.

Years ago, E.J. & Myra Harrison were two hardworking parents with children to raise, not unlike many of our club parents today. Their oldest son Ralph attended our club sometime in the late 1930’s or early 1940’s when it was known as the Police Boys Club and was housed in the Ortega Adobe!

E.J. & Myra had great work ethics and, in addition to building their business and good reputation, they had a charitable heart and mindset to give back to their community. This ultimately led them back to the Boys & Girls Club of Ventura in the 1980’s. E.J. was friends with another supporter of the Club and told his family that he thought it would be a good organization in which they should be involved. This spearheaded regular contributions at events and a major gift to name the Games Room at the Bill LeFevre clubhouse. Unfortunately, E.J. passed away before the ceremony, but Myra and her family continued to support the club and it’s efforts to provide services to youth.

The Harrison Family became multiple year Great Auction Sponsors and it is now common for our Auction attendee list to include at least 30 or more Harrison family members!
E.J. & Myra’s son Myron served as a Board member in the past and their great grandson David is continuing the tradition by serving on the Board of an organization that once provided services to his grandfather Ralph. In addition to providing volunteer and monetary support to the Club, Harrison Industries has provided trash service to all of our locations free of charge. This has been a major savings for the Club.

Most recently, in 2011 Ralph, Jim & Myron committed to a major gift to name the clubhouse in Saticoy – The E.J. Harrison Family Youth Center. It was an impactful gift and a great tribute to a legacy that began more than a quarter of a century ago.

It gave us great pleasure to posthumously induct E.J. & Myra Harrison into the Founders’ Society. Myron Harrison accepted the award for his parents.

Jim and his two brothers are the joint owners of Harrison Industries; Jim is in charge of contract negotiations, acquisitions, and field operations including sales, safety and personnel. He serves as government and business liaison officer and regularly attends city council and chamber of commerce meetings and he meets regularly with government and business leaders.

Born and raised in Ventura County, Jim graduated from Ventura High School and attended Ventura College. He has been with Harrison Industries since 1963 and has worked his way through the ranks, filling roles ranging from driver to office worker while learning every aspect of the company’s operations.

Jim is a past officer of the Ventura County Rubbish Haulers Association and has attended many seminars and conferences throughout the United States and Canada on trash hauling and recycling issues. He is currently a board member of the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County (EDCVC).

Myron is responsible for putting together loan packages for projects and he oversees billing, accounts payable and receivable, and the ordering of new equipment and materials. He also oversees company investments, purchases and insurance policies.

Myron was born and raised in Ventura County and has been with Harrison Industries since 1963. He has worked as a swamper, driver, driver trainer, field supervisor, dispatch supervisor and virtually all phases of the trash industry.

A member of the Ventura County Rubbish Haulers Association for almost 30 years, Myron has served as its president for two years. He has attended seminars of the association for the past 20 years and is a member of other professional trash/recycling organizations. He has served on the boards of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Ventura and Camarillo and remains an honorary member of the Greater Ventura board and a life member of the Camarillo board. He also was recently named a “Don” by the Camarillo Historical Society.

Ralph and his two brothers, Jim and Myron, are the joint owners of Harrison Industries; Ralph is in charge fleet operations, the maintenance and service departments and inventory controls and he heads up an extensive research and development department.

Born and raised in Ventura County, Ralph began to work for the family business in 1963. Most of Harrison Industries’ innovations are due to Ralph’s ingenuity and he holds many patents.

Ralph is president of the Ventura County Rubbish Haulers Association and is a board member of the Ventura County Fair Foundation. He also is a member of the California Refuse Removal Council, the Solid Waste Management Association, the Greater Los Angeles Solid Waste Management Association, the Franchise Advisory Board and the California Association of Employers.

Tom Hinkle joined the Board in 1991. He was introduced to the organization through another Board member and then neighbor, Jim Word. Jim asked the poignant question “what are you doing for the community Tom?” That was followed by an introduction to the Boys & Girls Club of Ventura. Tom said that once he knew what the Club did, he was hooked for life!!

Tom’s dad passed away when he was only an infant, his mother was a school teacher and his step father had a brain disorder. Tom understands that dynamics in family life are not always perfect, which is probably why he has such a big heart for the youth that we serve and the challenges that they face. He loves children and knows that our kids need resources and guidance. He appreciates the varied level of support that the Club provides to our youth and considers it a fantastic resource for those who need it most! Tom’s mother told him, “If you take on a task, finish it!” This is something that has been a core value for him and is evident in all that he had done for the Club and the community.

Tom served in the Army for 6 years, including a year in Vietnam and one at the Pentagon. After the Army he attended law school, served for several years as a Deputy District Attorney for Ventura County and then spent 25 years as a trial lawyer doing civil litigation" His legal career was varied, but most of it was centered on trial law. As a Board member, Tom has held the role of President of the Governing Board –twice; and he also served as the Club’s Foundation President. His life experiences and his big heart for the welfare of kids, has made him an invaluable asset to the Club. Tom has offered advice when needed, organized and put policies into place when asked and has contributed of his time, talent and treasure – freely and abundantly. Tom has and continues to pay it forward for the benefit of other youth who need a friendly advocate.

Jymmye was an enthusiastic member of the Ladies Auxiliary, a group that was instrumental to the success of most of the Boys Club events.

She was a key volunteer to the Great Auction. In the beginning, the Great Auction was mostly geared around Art. In 1969 it expanded to a variety of items and resembled the format that most of us know today. Jymmye was always front and center at the Auction, making sure that both the buyer and the donor of auction items were acknowledged and thanked for their support of our kids. She was affectionately given the name of “First Lady of the Great Auction” and always requested paddle #1, in fact, she was given a license plate for her car with that title and she proudly displayed it until she passed away. Paddle #1 was forever retired in her honor.

Jymmye was an active Board member for her entire life and always had tickets to sell to benefit a variety of worthy charities, including her church and the Boys & Girls Club. She was a great asset to the club, is greatly missed and just a beautiful person inside and out.

Her son Gary accepted the the Founders' Society recognition on behalf of his mother.

Susanne joined the Board in 1994 and has been an active member of the Board and supporter ever since. It was under her tenure as President that the Club was presented the Poinsettia Award by the Ventura Chamber of Commerce as the City’s Best Non-Profit.

For three year’s Susanne ran the Community Speaker’s Program inviting members of the community to come and share their experiences and ideas with Club members. This program drew rave review from both the kids and the speakers.

Susanne is an incredible networker always striving to create connections for the Club as she passes out her Board Member business cards. One such connection she made was with AWS who maintains our van fleet. She has also acquired countless donations over the years for the Great Auction.

Susanne has always been a fixture at the Great Auction. She is often the first to raise her paddle when people are called to Stand Up For Kids, encouraging others to follow suit. Like John and Cherie Brant she is also happy to donate a stay at her condo in Mammoth or beach house in Oxnard to the auction to help raise money.

We are pleased to induct Susanne into the Founders Society.
Congratulations and thanks Susanne.

Dan joined the Boys’ Club of Ventura Board in 1968. One of his favorite projects was arranging a collaboration between the Ventura Yacht Club and the Boys’ Club. He was one of the Saturday instructors, taking groups of youngsters for training cruises inside the marina on his 24-foot Columbia Challenger.

Dan purchased three Sabot (sailing dinghy) kits and built them with Club members. Those were the boats that were used in the Club for sailing lessons. Dan came to the club regularly to supervise the construction of the kits, and then taught sailing for many years. When Dan and his wife Johanna moved from Ventura to Ashland, Oregon, to join their own kids in 1991, they donated their sailboat, a Newport 27, to the Boys’ and Girls’ Club.

Dan and Johanna were great supporters of the Club Auction, and their home was embellished with many beautiful pieces of local art that they had purchased over the years at the event. In the latter years, Dan provided all of the ice for Boys & Girls Club events, from his store – Mandell Liquors.

A profile in the March 17, 1991 issue of the Star-Free Press described Dan as “a man who lives and breathes by helping others.” He was described by Bob Addison, a past president of the Club, as “a very caring person, caring for the community and for people as individuals.” Liz Heaton-Brown, another Club past president, described Dan as the “kind of guy you can count on.”

Dan was honored by the Boys & Girls Club at a “Tribute to Excellence” dinner in 1991.

Dan and Johanna, along with Stewart Angus and Bruce Johnston, gave one of the founding gifts for the Ventura Boys’ Club Foundation. That endowment fund has grown over the years and now provides an annual dividend of approximately $90,000 a year to support Club programs and services. Dan left a gift to the Foundation through his estate when he died in August of 2001, and his family also made a substantial contribution at the time of his death to celebrate Dan’s long-time dedication to the kids and to the Club.

In 1979 , Gary wrestled the Presidency of the Boys Club of Ventura away from Bill Hicks and began serving the first of three years as President. In 1981 when the Ventura Boys Club merged with the Ventura Girls Club to become the first joint club in California, Gary served as the first President of the Ventura Boys & Girls Club. Today, Gary serves on the Board of the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley marking 40 consecutive years serving first in Ventura, and now for Santa Clara Valley.

Along the way, he co-chaired the Great Auction for 10 years with another inductee, Jymmye Hitch, and then chaired or co-chaired the Golf Tournament for over 10 years.

Gary is no stranger to awards honoring key volunteers for Boys & Girls Club. The Medallion Award is just one of many he has garnered and in 2009 was presented the prestigious President’s Award. We are pleased to induct Gary into the Founders' Society which makes this, of all of Gary’s awards, the most recent.

Congratulations and thanks Gary.

Larry joined the Board in the late 70’s, just as the Boys Club and Girls Club were about to merge. He held the office of President from 1985-1987.

When asked to donate or assist the Club in any way, Larry has always been there for us. He is a highly respected architect and as such, was instrumental in the planning and construction of the Club on Johnson Drive. His efforts to secure the property from the City and the Ventura Little League made this venture possible. It should be noted that the Club had 1,200 members enrolled after being open for only 3 months. The need was great and remains great to this day.

Larry also secured a $150,000 donation that helped to make building the Club a reality. He has donated many items to the Boys & Girls Club of Ventura Thrift & Vintage Store and has even donated a weekend stay at a wine vineyard he owns.

We are pleased to induct Larry into the Founders’ Society.

Dr. Dave Sherrill was the first president of the Boys Club and held that position in 1962 and 1963. He was president when the Ventura Boys Club received its charter from Boys Clubs of America. Dave was a great motivator who attracted top talent to the board, some of whom have been inducted into the Founders' Society. Dr. Sherrill was known to be fun, wear a bow tie and smile.

When boys who were going to camp or participating in sports programs needed physical examinations, Dr. Sherrill would generously donate his expertise.

At the1969 Annual Dinner, Dr. Sherrill was presented the Boys Clubs of America Medallion Award. The award was presented with a drum roll from the Club’s Drum Corp, and brought Dave to tears.

It is our honor to posthumously induct Dr. David Sherrill into the Founders' Society.

Dr. Sherrill’s wife, Regina accepted his award on his behalf.