History and Tradition of HBS

What is Hoosier Boys State?

       Hoosier Boys State is a week-long intensive learning experience into the operation of Indiana's democratic form of government, the organization of political parties, and the practical application of the knowledge gained from both.

It's a "WEEK TO SHAPE A LIFETIME!"

       During the week of Hoosier Boys' State, the citizens learn many facets of the political system; from selecting a precinct committeeman to drawing up a party's platform, to adopting caucus rules, and selecting the slate of nominees for Governor of Hoosier Boys State and five other top-level positions.

       Delegates learn how government operates at the city, county, and state level as well as learning the duties of the office holders associated with each level. Opportunities are available at HBS to heighten delegate awareness and to broaden the skills necessary to function in a democratic society through special schools including law, broadcasting, speech, legislature, military service career, and law enforcement. Each of those enriching activities is conducted by select members of the Hoosier Boys State staff and university personnel whose expertise in their respective areas is well established.

The Fraternity of Hoosier Boys' State

What do you suppose the following gentlemen of history have in common? That's right, they all attended a boys's state program.

Former U. S. President William Clinton

Vice President Richard Cheney

U.S. Senator Richard Lugar

Neil Armstrong ~ first astronaut to walk on the moon

Tom Brokaw ~ TV news personality

Roger Ebert ~ Pulitzer Prize winner for literary and

movie critic

Michael Jordan ~ professional basketball player

and many, many more personalities including, of course, The Honorable Randall Shepard, Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice, and the Honorable Brent Dickson, Associate Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court--both attended Hoosier Boys' State. The list of Hoosier Boys' State alumni continues in a separate section below.

Hoosier Boys State is a hands-on experience in state and local politics and government. Delegates to Hoosier Boys State learn about the organization and function of political activities in a two-party election system. Many of the young men attending the program will hold an elective office within the government of the Fifty-first State (HBS) at the state and local levels. Some will serve in an office of a political party. Each year certain HBS government office-holders visit with elected officials of the Vigo County and Terre Haute area.

Delegates may choose to attend special schools in:

- law enforcement conducted by members

of the Indiana State Police force

- law from legal scholars and guest speakers

- legislature with a member of the

Indiana General Assembly

- military careers from active duty service

personnel, members of the military

academies, and a representative from

Senator Lugar's office

- broadcast journalism and other media

from professors at Indiana State University

- lobbying from professionals in the business

Additionally, various universities, colleges, and the American Legion provide opportunities for scholarships and other financial aid to many HBS participants. Over thirty (30) colleges and universities participate in a college fair arranged through ISU exclusively for HBS participants

Each year, Hoosier Boys' State invites professionals of many walks of life as guest speakers whose presentations are motivational, entertaining, and informative. These speakers have come from the offices of the governor, the secretary of state, senators and representatives from the Indiana General Assembly and the United States Congress. Our program receives over 700 young men who have just completed their junior year in high school. It is open to every high school and secondary home school in Indiana for students who have completed a junior year equivalency. Many schools consistently provide candidates for the HBS program each year. Those applicants are often involved in every type of extra-curricular activity and athletic competition possible in their communities.

What is the cost of this tremendous opportunity? To the delegates or their families, there is no cost--nothing, it is free to them! How so? This program is sponsored and paid for by volunteers among the members of American Legion Posts all across Indiana. Legionaires contribute not only their time but, too, the value of their expenses in the effort to send young men to HBS.

The Short History of The American Legion's

Boys' State Program

The creation of the concept of the Boys State program is credited to Hayes Kennedy, who in 1935 was a teacher at the Loyola University of Law in Chicago and the Americanism Chairman of the Illinois Department of The American Legion. Mr. Kennedy was concerned about a project underway at the time called "Young Pioneer Camps," which was being promoted by the Communist Party to show the uselessness of Democracy, and which advocated the virtues of the communist system. Mr. Kennedy felt that a counter movement should be started among the ranks of the nation's youth to stress the importance and value of our democratic form of government and maintain an effort to preserve it. The Illinois Department of The American Legion approved Mr. Kennedy's project; and in June 1935 the first "Boys' State" in the nation was held on the Illinois State Fairgrounds (History of Boys State, Max E. Blessing, 1977). From that beginning, the program swiftly spread among other American Legion Departments. By 1941, 34 states were conducting a "Boys' State" program. Currently 49 states conduct American Legion Boys' State programs. Hawaii is the only state that does not have a program.

History of Hoosier Boys' State

The Indiana Department of The American Legion's first "Boys State" program was held in 1937 in the field house of Butler University with over 500 delegates in attendance. The delegates elected Lloyd Wampler as the first Hoosier Boys State Governor. Since then, Hoosier Boys' State has been conducted annually with the exception of 1945 when WWII restrictions forced a suspension of activities. Hoosier Boys' State has had many "homes" since that first session at Butler University. Other institutions which have hosted Hoosier Boys State include:

1937 Butler University

1938-1941 Indiana State Fairgrounds

1942-1955 Indiana State School for the Deaf

1956-1968 Indiana University

1969-present Indiana State University

Each year over 700 of the finest young men in the State of Indiana attend Hoosier Boys' State. Since it's inception in 1937, over 60,000 individuals have experienced the Hoosier Boys State program. Some notable Hoosier Boys State alumni are:

          Mitch Daniels, Governor of Indiana
          Frank O'Bannon, Former Governor State of Indiana
          Birch Bayh, Former United States Senator

          Richard Lugar, United States Senator
          Phil Sharp, Former United States Congressman
          Lee Hamilton, Former United States Congressman

Paul S. Mannweiler, Speaker of the House

Brian Bosma, Former Speaker of the House

Edward Simcox, Former Indiana Secretary of State

Joseph Hogsett, Former Indiana Secretary of State
Hon. Brent Dickson, Associate Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court

Hon. Randall Sheperd, Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court

Brian Lamb, President of the "C-Span" TV network.

Terry Lester, Actor "The Young & the Restless"

Dr. Joseph Allen, Former NASA Astronaut

Hoosier Boys State Governors:

1937 ~ Lloyd Wampler ~ Gosport

1938 ~ Dick Urbine ~ Fort Wayne

1939 ~ Dick Freeman ~ Crawfordsville

1940 ~ Ed Langas ~ Fort Wayne

1941 ~ Roy Grimmer Jr. ~ Fort Wayne

1942 ~ Edward Madden ~ Gary

1943 ~ James Garrison ~ Franklin

1944 ~ Henry Hales ~ Gary

1945 ~ No Hoosier Boys State

1946 ~ Don Bitsberger ~ Fort Wayne

1947 ~ James R. Harris ~ Boonville

1948 ~ James B. Little ~ Evansville

1949 ~ Charles Lanham ~ Evansville

1950 ~ Richard Fowler ~ Bloomington

1951 ~ Ned Lampkin ~ Indianapolis

1952 ~ Max Stackhouse ~ Warsaw

1953 ~ Robert Smithson ~ Tipton

1954 ~ Primus Johnson East Chicago

1955 ~ Stuart Holcomb ~ West Lafayette

1956 ~ John Flannigan ~ LaGrange

1957 ~ Reed Stewart ~ Brazil

1958 ~ Benjamin Coleman ~ Gary

1959 ~ Stephen K. Smith ~ Lafayette

1960 ~ Victor Clark ~ Columbia City

1961 ~ Thomas Cooper ~ Merom

1962 ~ Mike Valentine ~ Warsaw

1963 ~ Ron Clark ~ Indianapolis

1964 ~ David Long ~ Indianapolis

1965 ~ James Kiefer ~ Lafayette

1966 ~ Terry Lester ~ Indianapolis

1967 ~ Stephen Judah ~ Vincennes

1968 ~ Bruce Hatton ~ Vincennes

1969 ~ Gregory Gray ~ Gary

                     Elected President of Boys' Nation
          1970 ~ Gerald Trotter ~ Indianapolis
          1971 ~ Harry McNaught ~ Logansport
          1972 ~ John Kendrick ~ Jeffersonville
          1973 ~ Mike McGraw ~ Monticello
          1974 ~ Fred Reese Jr. ~ Anderson
          1975 ~ David Shellito ~ Mishawaka
          1976 ~ Kevin Trewartha ~ Indianapolis
          1977 ~ David Newby ~ Plainfield

                     Elected Vice President of Boys' Nation
          1978 ~ Christopher Davis ~ Indianapolis
          1979 ~ John Brown ~ Lafayette
          1980 ~ Scott D. Himsel ~ Jasper
          1981 ~ Fred Brown ~ Indianapolis
          1982 ~ Mike Shaw II  ~ Rushville
          1983 ~ Delray Brooks ~ Michigan City
          1984 ~ Brian Boykins ~ Indianapolis
          1985 ~ Joseph D. Howard ~ Converse
          1986 ~ Alfred Weems III ~ Hammond
          1987 ~ Gavin H. Inglis ~ Indianapolis
          1988 ~ Richard P. Church ~ Wabash
          1989 ~ James M. Seeney ~ Terre Haute
          1990
          1991
          1992 ~ Jerome P. McCluskey ~ Bloomington
          1993 ~ J. Nick Geimer ~ New Haven
          1994 ~ Wayne M. Lashua ~ Kingsford Hts.
          1995 ~ Rinzer Williams III ~ Gary
          1996 ~ Kem Footman ~ Indianapolis
          1997 ~ Jason Parks ~ Merrillville
          1998 ~ Justin Jordan ~ Fort Wayne
          1999 ~ Napoleon Harrington ~ Indianapolis
          2000 ~ John Meyer ~ Greenwood
          2001 ~ Barry Tyler Jr. ~ Hammond
          2002 ~ Ivan Dremov  ~ Indianapolis
          2003 ~ Robert A. Patton ~ Terre Haute

2004 ~ Robert Bloss ~ Indianapolis

2005 ~ Matthew Schrimper ~ Nashville

2006 ~ Darrell Comer, Jr. ~ Indianapolis

2007 ~ Ivan Chernoskutov ~ Angola

2008 ~ Ian Duncan ~ Bedford