Mountaineer Boys State

Mountaineer Boys State
American Legion Mountaineer Boys State
Photo from first year of the program, 1936
AbbreviationMBS, ALMBS
Formation1936
Founded atJackson's Mill, WV, USA
PurposeTo teach good government through participation
Region
West Virginia
Official Song:
"Men of Tomorrow" (MBS Original, 1938)
Number of Graduates:
31,427
Director:
Robbie Robinson[1]
Administrator:
Randall Kocsis[2]
Parent organization
The American Legion
AffiliationsBoys Nation[3]
Volunteers100+
Websitemountaineerboysstate.org

The American Legion Mountaineer Boys State (ALMBS), Mountaineer Boys State (MBS), is West Virginia’s charter of The American Legion's Boys State program founded in 1936 holding the second oldest Boys State charter in the nation.[4] Boys State has been a program of The American Legion since 1935, founded in an effort to counter the socialism-inspired Young Pioneer Camps.[5] ALMBS is the only program in the nation to remain in the same location, Jackson's Mill, where it was originally chartered. Jackson’s Mill is the boyhood homestead of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and is now part of WVU Jackson’s Mill, a state-owned museum property listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[6] The program has halted operations only 4 times since its founding, taking a hiatus in 1943 & 1945 due to WWII Rationing[7] and 2019, 2020 & 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.[7]

Notable Alumni of the program include NBA legend & logo Jerry West[8][9] and former West Virginia Governor Bob Wise.[6]

References

  1. ^ "American Legion opens applications for 84th Mountaineer Boys State". WBOY.com. 16 March 2023.
  2. ^ Neff, Kaitlyn (1 March 2018). "County commission gives support to Boys State, coal mining statue". Times West Virginian.
  3. ^ Herald, The Putnam (13 July 2018). "Hurricane student to represent West Virginia at Boys Nation". The Associated Press.
  4. ^ "Local students take part in American Legion Mountaineer Boys State". The Herald-Dispatch. 2022-06-12. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  5. ^ "About Boys State & Boys Nation | The American Legion". www.legion.org. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  6. ^ a b "Department Spotlight: West Virginia's Boys State program is 80 years strong". The American Legion. 2023-06-16. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  7. ^ a b McCarthy, Jacob (2015-11-23). "Program". The American Legion Mountaineer Boys State. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  8. ^ Huffman, Cam (2012-08-05). "'It was time to tell the true story of Jerry West'". Beckley Register-Herald. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  9. ^ Administration, ALMBS (2024-06-12). "Jerry West: The Mountaineer Boys State Alum Who Became Mr. Clutch". The American Legion Mountaineer Boys State. Retrieved 2024-06-27.