The front of Herbert Hoover’s Boys Clubs of America Professional Association Distinguished Achievement Award. 
The back of Herbert Hoover’s Boys Clubs of America Professional Association Distinguished Achievement Award. The back of the medal was personalized for the former President with: PRESENTED TO / HONORARY / HERBERT HOOVER / FOR TWENTY FIVE YEARS / OF HUMANITARIAN SERVICE / TO BOYS / 1954.
Oh, the sting of defeat.
I will not go into details about Herbert Hoover’s presidency, the Great Depression, or the election of 1932, because these topics have been well documented. Although these are wonderful topics to research, and I will urge that doing so will absolutely lead to a much better understanding of the events, my blogs are not to be read as a formal biography. This series is strictly about Hoover’s life and accomplishments through medals.
Hoover had a lifelong passion for helping children, undoubtedly influenced by being orphaned early in his own childhood. Through his entire adult life, he served in several roles for children’s organizations, including board member, fundraiser, honorary member, and many others. One group in particular that he devoted much of his life’s work to was the Boys Clubs of America.
Most of us are familiar with Boys & Girls Clubs. If you are not, here is a very quick history:
The Boys’ Clubs of America can be traced back to an original Club in New York City in 1890. They nationalized the organization in 1906, and in 1990 the name was updated for inclusivity to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The purpose of the organization is to provide programs to promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by helping instill a sense of accomplishment, usefulness, and belonging.
Herbert Hoover served as the Chairman of the organization for 28 years, and in 1954 was given the Boys Clubs of America Distinguished Service Award for his humanitarian service to boys. To be eligible for this amazing award, any candidates must have worked a minimum of 20 years with the organization. He received this for his 25th Anniversary with the Club.
The medal is brass, and encased in a block of clear plastic. The front depicts the Boys’ Clubs logo at the time, a shield with a torch. There is an inscription around upper edge of medal, and an inscription under shield. The back of the medal was personalized for the former President.
“Children are our most valuable natural resource.” – Herbert Hoover