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HARLOWJOHNNYLOOKING AT PLAQUE — J. F. Harlow, who had supervised the Joplin Civic League boys’ volunteer work program, for 12 years is shown holding a plaque recently presented him by the Joplin Boys Club in honor of service to the youth of the city. Watching are Jackie Butler and Johny Anderson, two boys who are presently participating in the volunteer woork program. — (Joplin Globe-News Herald staff photograph.)J. F. Harlow, at 90, Retiring From Job of Aiding BoysBy CLAIR GOODWIN Joplin Globe ReporterIt's important to leave something here for others when your time has come to go.”Such is the philosophy of J. F. Harlow, 90-year-old patriarch of Underprivileged Joplin youth.Harlow, no longer spry in body but still quick with a quip, has supervised a part-time work program for the children of Joplin for the past 12 years. Now, he has given it over to the Joplin Boys Club.Harlow has turned over $700 in Joplin Civic League funds to keep the youth work project going. He will be available to serve in an advisory capacity. The Boys’ club, through its executive director, Bill Whipkey, has announced plans for YES, Youth Employment Service, a nonprofit work program to be operated by—and for—13 to 18 year olds.Tlie project, undertaken by the Joplin Civic League, which Harlow helped organize in 1952, has provided spending money to hundreds of boys during the summer months and after school hours. Paid from 50 to 75 cents an hour for doing odd jobs, the boys are taken off the streets and given something constructive to do.“I'm strict with the boys,” Harlow said. When they do a job, I want them to do it well. If they do a good job, then people may want them to work again.”One reason Harlow has been forced to give up his pet project is ill health. During the last six years he has been m and out of hospitals, under doctors' care and confined to a bed part of the time.SI ill, seeing him sitting in chair, a thick thatch of white hair on his head and a flint in his eyes, his youthful attitude toward life belies his age. Harlow doesn’t consider himself just 90 years young.”Bom on a train between Lexington and Hardyville, Ky.,1874, Harlow moved to Neosho in December of 1881. His father came ahead to prepare a home and 7-vear-old J. P. Harlow made the trip on a covered-wagon with his mother.He moved to Joplin in 1898, but laler returned to the family farm at Neosho. He resided for brief periods in Carthgae and Sulpher Springs, Ark., before returning to Joplin to settle down.Harlow got his first job in Joplin working on John Cox’s farm at Twelfth street.Shortly afterwards, he and sev-eral other boys” organized the Honeysuckle Mine, which was located between Third and Fourth streets on the east side of what is now Murphy boulevard. The mine was named for the honeysuckle vines which grew in profusion around the area.Harlow likes to recall an incident which occurred at the mine while he was working alone one day. He climbed down into the shaft on a rope, cut three shallow holes and set off dynamite sticks.Before he could crawl out of the shaft, the dynamite went off. Harlow said he was blown completely out of the hole by the force of the blast. He was uninjured. except for his pride and a few rips in the seat of his pants.After working with contractors around the city for several years, including one which constructed the Connor hotel, Harlow organized a common laborers union in Joplin. In 1910. he organized a Joplin local of the International Hodcarriers and Common Laborers Union.Harlow also helped organizethe Joplin chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1943.One of the proud moments of his life was finishing third in the 1916 election for Missouri secretary of state.During his tenure as director of the Joplin Civic League work program for boys. Harlow estimates the project has helped many white youths and between 15 and 20 colored boys yearly.For the last six years, Harlow has worked without pay on the program.“I supervised the program, kept books and served as secretary,” Harimv said. I even bought an old car and helped take the boys around to their jobs. That old car wore completely out.”Another project in which Harlow is interested is an antipoverty program under which the work program could operate.He points out, however, that the law has set the age limit for such a program at between 16 and 21 years of age. The present Joplin Civic League projects extends from 8 to 16 years of age.Giving up the youth work program hasn’t completed what Harlow feels is his job. He plans to renew attempts to raise pensions for old people and child aid.]WhiglmerthelowW.supimerthereceAA/yeaiMrFLiYoritheHarrBECAUSE WE AREN.WE ARE FAR AHEWe have a real goal i are not so big, we c: to your banking nelt; more helpful and n may now be getting, an extra effort to d grow with you, and We will be glad to tt banking services. T1 bank!
Newspaper Details
Joplin Globe
Joplin, Missouri, US
Sun, May 09, 1965
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Joplin P.
MO, USA 12 Dec 2023
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