By Jeff Murphy,
June 10, 2021
Photo by Andrew Mather Photography
WARRENSBURG, MO 鈥 An outstanding citizenship program that will bring hundreds of high
school students from across the state to Warrensburg, the 欧美视频
will host the 2021 American Legion Boys State of Missouri June 12-19.
After being canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, is returning to campus to continue an annual tradition that has taken place at UCM
since 1953. Boys State utilizes many resources at the university to include various
classrooms for the programs schools of instruction, the sport complexes for athletic
events, Hendricks Hall and the Student Recreation and Wellness Center for general
assemblies and major events, and residence hall rooms to house Boys State citizens.
The participants must have completed their junior year in high school and must have
distinguished themselves as leaders in their high school and community.
Throughout the week, students will engage in hands-on experiences in the operation
of the democratic form of government, and will establish their own government with
their own elected officials. One of the highlights of the annual event is the opportunity
to hear from an array of guest speakers who range from government and military leaders
to a wealth of other special guests that will provide insight into the governance
and citizenship process. Most of these speakers will address the group as a whole
during evening sessions in Hendricks Hall. While these events have been open to the
public in previous years, due to COVID-19, they will be limited this summer to Boys
State attendees.
The Boys State speakers and special events lineup is as follows:
- Saturday, June 12: Jack Danforth, former U.S. Senator and U.N. Ambassador
- Sunday, June 13: Tishaura Jones, newly elected Mayor of St. Louis
- Monday, June 14: Howard Richards, former National Football League (NFL) player, and
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent
- Tuesday, June 15: Julian Castro (Lehr Chair), former Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) and presidential candidate
- Wednesday, June 16: Joint Party Rally
- Thursday, June 17: Jay Ashcroft, Missouri Secretary of State and Mike Parson, Missouri
Governor
- Friday, June 18: Herb Kohn, prominent Kansas City attorney, and MBS stalwart
Boys State annually provides special recognition to one guest as the George W. Lehr
Memorial Speakers Chair, which this year will be Julian Castro. The program was established
in 1988 as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Boys State. It honors the late
Missouri State Auditor George W. Lehr, who was a Boys State participant as a youth
and a strong supporter of the program during his public life. The Lehr Chair is designed
to bring some of the finest names in public service to Boys State to interact with
participants. Among the most recent honorees was Margaret Brennan, (2019), journalist
and current host of the CBS program 鈥淔ace the Nation鈥; Juan Williams (2018), political
analyst; John Brennan, (2017), former CIA director; and Jay Nixon, (2016) former Missouri
state governor.
Learn more about Missouri Boys State at .