Last updated: May 3, 2009

E-mail from James Lafavers to Glenn Hedrick:


My name is James W. LaFavers. Many of the 
Alumni's may know me as Jimmy, little fruity, 
or any other name that was tagged on the 
LaFavers boy’s when they were young Mavericks. 

I differentiate between young and old Maverick 
because I am still a Maverick, and I intend to 
be a Maverick until the day I die. I want to 
personally thank you for every effort you have 
made to help the club. 

For those of you who know, or know of, the 
LaFavers clan. There were five boys and three 
girls living at 1500 East 5th. St. in a five 
room house that was actually the remnants of 
a box car. That made ten (10) people to set 
at our table and give thanks for what God had 
given us. 

We had our own gang if you look at it that way. 
A friend once asked my mother,” Anne, how did 
you raise five boys and three girls, 
alone (dad was gone a lot trying to find work as 
an electrician and sending money home from far 
away places) in the heart of the barrio without 
one of them going to prison?” Mother never hesitated, 
she didn’t have to reflect, she didn’t have to think 
about it, the answer came quick and certain; 
“THE MAVERICK CLUB” that is how we did it. 

I guess we were poor, but we didn’t know it 
because everyone else was poor also. Now that I 
am a man of 60 I look back on those years at 
the Maverick Club and I now see that it was a 
place that shaped my future. It was a place 
that allowed me time to construct my life rather 
than the destruction that would have occurred 
had we not had such a place to keep us out of 
the streets and alleys of the 1950’s and 1960’s. 

I, like you, saw Mr. Dykemen as a second father. 
But it wasn’t just about him. It was about all 
of us together as a society of children headed 
for a single goal. Adulthood, with a purpose. 
We all learned to live with one another and 
defend the differences in each of us. Like 
any family, we could ridicule many among 
ourselves but would not tolerate anyone from 
outside ridiculing any one of us separately. 
We were Maverick’s. 

Not long ago David Rodriguez 
went into the technology room (the old wood shop) 
where he saw about forty kids gathered doing power 
hour (homework) and working out problems on the 
computers. He asked the kids to write down what 
the Maverick Club meant to them. He also asked 
where would they be if there was not a Maverick 
Club? I want to share just one of those very 
revealing letters from the hearts of our children 
today: 

I don’t know where I would be if there was 
not a Maverick Club to come to after school. I 
guess I would be at the park or somewhere. You 
see I live with my Grandmother now but she has 
to work to pay bills. My daddy is in prison 
because he killed his girlfriend that was 
living with us after my mom left. I have friends 
at the Maverick Club. We play together and do 
our homework together. I always know I have 
Mrs. Terry to help me if I have a problem. I 
don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have 
the Maverick Club. 

I chose to adopt this kid with my donations 
to the club each month. For thirty dollars 
a month, you too can support 
the annual cost for one child to attend the 
club. The secret is the club must have a 
sustainable income it can rely on each month 
if it is to continue to exist. $30.00 a month. 
One dollar a day. Nothing in the scheme of 
things but oh what that $30.00 will do if 
enough of us unite and pledge to do it. As 
my dad used to say “ don’t ever get so important 
that you forget where you came from.” 

I want to thank each of you and wish God’s 
blessing on you each and every one. I have 
learned that the difference between the Maverick 
then and the Maverick now is about four times 
the kids now with ten times the challenges. 
I have not been able to walk away.

Your Maverick brother,

Jim LaFavers    




James W. LaFavers was the 
Board President at the Club. James 
said he was raised a Maverick. 

James was recently asked to write in 
one sentence what the Maverick Club 
means to him.  “Second home, second 
father, second family, second chance”,  
this is what the Club  means to me. 

James recently wrote, "The Maverick Club 
was founded in 1934 with the vision of 
Cal Farley, Dutch Mantel and Ralph Dykemen. 
They believed then and the reality is more 
true today; there must be a place where kids 
can go after school. “A Positive Place for Kids 
to be”, instead of the alleys, instead of 
the streets. A place where they can be 
safe to learn simple rules of life and be 
a part of something bigger than they are 
that will help prepare them for what’s to 
come. The Maverick Club did this for me 
and for most of us." 

 

Continuuing, James wrote, "There is a brotherhood 
formed by our common past that will never be 
broken. Once a Maverick, always a Maverick. I 
would like to take this opportunity to personally 
thank you and everyone you contact for their 
support of the Club. The Club gave to us, now is 
the right time to give back to the Club."

A story from James LaFavers:

My name is James W. LaFavers. Many of your Club 
contacts may know me as Jimmy, little fruity, 
or any other name that was tagged on the LaFavers 
boy’s when they were young Mavericks. I differentiate 
between young and old Maverick because I am still a 
Maverick, and I intend to be a Maverick until the 
day I die. I want to personally thank you for 
every effort you have made to help the club. For 
those of you who know, or know of, the LaFavers 
clan. 

There were five boys and three girls living at 1500 
East 5th. St. in a five room house that was 
actually the remnants of a box car. That made 
ten (10) people to set at our table and give 
thanks for what God had given us. We had our 
own gang if you look at it that way. A friend 
once asked my mother,” Anne, how did you raise 
five boys and three girls, alone (dad was 
gone a lot trying to find work as an electrician 
and sending money home from far away places) in 
the heart of the barrio without one of them 
going to prison?” Mother never hesitated, she 
didn’t have to reflect, she didn’t have to 
think about it, the answer came quick and 
certain; “THE MAVERICK CLUB” that is how we 
did it. I guess we were poor, but we didn’t 
know it because everyone else was poor also. 

Now that I am a man of 60 I look back on 
those years at the Maverick Club and I now 
see that it was a place that shaped my future. 
It was a place that allowed me time to construct 
my life rather than the destruction that 
would have occurred had we not had such a 
place to keep us out of the streets and 
alleys of the 1950’s and 1960’s. I, like 
you, saw Mr. Dykemen as a second father. 
But it wasn’t just about him. It was about 
all of us together as a society of children 
headed for a single goal. Adulthood, with 
a purpose. We all learned to live with one 
another and defend the differences in each 
of us. Like any family, we could ridicule 
many among ourselves but would not tolerate 
anyone from outside ridiculing any one of 
us separately. We were Maverick’s. 

Notlong ago David Rodriguez went into the 
technology room (the old wood shop) where 
he saw about forty kids gathered doing power 
hour (homework) and working out problems on 
the computers. He asked the kids to write 
down what the Maverick Club meant to them. 
He also asked where would they be if there 
was not a Maverick Club? I want to share 
just one of those very revealing letters 
from the hearts of our children today. 

I don’t know where I would be if there was 
not a Maverick Club to come to after school. 
I guess I would be at the park or somewhere. 
You see I live with my Grandmother now but 
she has to work to pay bills. My daddy is 
in prison because he killed his girlfriend 
that was living with us after my mom left. 
I have friends at the Maverick Club. We play 
together and do our homework together. I always 
know I have Mrs. Terry to help me if I have a 
problem. I don’t know where I would be if I 
didn’t have the Maverick Club. 

I chose to adopt this kid with my donations to 
the club each month. For thirty dollars a month, 
you too can support the annual cost for one child 
to attend the club. The secret is the club 
must have a sustainable income it can rely 
on each month if it is to continue to exist. 
$30.00 a month. One dollar a day. Nothing in 
the scheme of things but oh what that $30.00 
will do if enough of us unite and pledge to 
do it. As my dad used to say “ don’t ever get 
so important that you forget where you came 
from.” 

I want to thank each of you and wish 
God’s blessing on you each and every one. I 
have learned that the difference between the 
Maverick then and the Maverick now is about 
four times the kids now with ten times the 
challenges. I have not been able to walk away.

Your Maverick brother,
Jim LaFavers