Letter from Kevin von der Lippe

"My agreement with the Jaycee is quite clear: I committed to create a collection of Jaycee related items in order to protect our history. When we embarked on this undertaking I was promised by the Board that the collection would be protected and cared for by the club. The Jaycees need to uphold their commitment.

In 1995 we received a letter from a WWII veteran sailor asking if we would loan their battle flag back to them for their 50th anniversary of their ship. Unfortunately, nobody in our organization knew anything about the sailors, their ship or where their flag was. Our president, Stew Mones, asked me to find out, and also look at preserving our chapter’s history. With that the Archives were born. By the way, I located the flag of the LST 559 and the next year we hosted their reunion here in Greensboro.

From the beginning, former Jaycees and Green Coaters were very hesitant about donating anything to our club because the Jaycees have a terrible track record of throwing things out. However, with the Board’s commitment in hand, I went out and personally gave my word that the Jaycees have turned over a new leaf and are dedicated to preserving their history. We ran articles in the newspaper, we appeared on television and we held a well publicized Archives Drive to help piece together our history.

For several years the Jaycees hired an archivist to help with the collection—to make sure the items were properly stored. Since the money ran out a few years ago, the collection has been stored in the closet at the top of the stairs. Up until a couple of years ago, the only keys to the office were in mine and the president’s hands.

In regards to the museum, we offered the Greensboro Historical Museum a chance to accession whatever they wanted from our collection, and they did accept a few items (a 1938 home movie of Sam Snead in the first GGO, a 1938 GGO ticket, some memorabilia regarding the LST 559 and a couple of early Jaycee items). I do not believe they are interested in anything else we have in our collection.

I am more than willing to help the Jaycees with the Archives project and I know I can speak on Randy’s behalf too.

Sincerely,
Kevin von der Lippe"