It
all began when a 22-year-old St. Louis bank clerk and Herculaneum
Dance Club president set out to attack such wild new dances
as the grizzly beat, tango, and fox trot. From this modest
beginning, Henry Giessenbier's dance clubs moved forward
and on October 13, 1915, 32 young men formed the Young Men's
Progressive Civic Association, turning its attention to
civic affairs.
In
1916, the Y.M.P.C.A. changed its name to Junior Citizens,
from which came the nickname JC, or when spelled out, Jaycees.
The JCs were quickly noted by various civic-minded businessmen
and in 1918 became affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce
and changed its name from Junior Citizens to the St. Louis
Junior Chamber of Commerce, after which the fame of its
civic work began to spread.
The
idea was contagious and, in January 1920, chapters in 12
cities met to form the National JC organization with Henry
Giessenbier as its first president. After battling for its
existence during World War II, the U.S.J.C.C. boomed and
today there are more than 6,000 clubs and with nearly 300,000
members between the ages of 21 and 40 across the country.
A
world alliance of JCs was formed in 1944 in Mexico City, resulting
in the formation of the Junior Chamber International with
the avowed purpose and one obligation of a "way toward
world peace." J.C.I now consists of a network of 107
free world nations with more than 350,000 members on its rolls.
