The Minden Optimist Club Celebrates 40 Years Of Service

The Minden Optimist Club celebrates forty years of service on May 22. The club, formed by 36 business, industry and professional men from Minden held its first meeting in 1973 at the Pioneers Restaurant. Since that day, The Minden Optimist Club has served thousands of children from Kearney County and beyond through their youth programs.
One charter member who is still involved with the organization today is Larry Wilcox. Wilcox is also a past Distinguished Club President for Minden Optimist.
“I was teaching in the early 70’s and coaching 7th and 8th grade football and varsity reserve basketball. Some of the biggest classes were coming through the school at that time and the numbers of kids wanting to be part of school sports programs was soaring,” stated Wilcox.
“We needed more opportunities for kids to participate.”
It was about that time when Buckley Christensen of Minden and Wendell Nutt of the Kearney Optimist Club came to Wilcox to discuss starting an Optimist Club in Minden to help address the need for more organized youth sports.

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