OPTIMIST CLUB OF MONACO SOUTH MARKS 50 YEARS AS ‘FRIEND OF YOUTH’
BY DENNY DRESSMAN
We were commemorating America’s bicentennial . . . Jimmy Carter would soon be elected the nation’s 39th President . . . and the original Rocky was one of the year’s biggest movie hits . . .
In Colorado, the worst natural disaster in the state’s recorded history—the Big Thompson Flood—was
about to claim 149 lives . . .
. . . and, in Denver, the Optimist Club of Monaco South (MSOC) was born.
October 1, the start of MSOC’s new fiscal year, marks the beginning of the 50th year of the Club’s
operation.
As well, it’s the start of a year-long celebration, as outlined by Tom Mauro, chairman of the
golden anniversary observance, club president in 1985-86, and a member since 1983.
Upcoming events include the installation of a commemorative bench in Bible Park; a spring dance,
featuring music by a group led by member Frank Ross; a family picnic next summer at Skyline Swim
Park; and, in late August, a “50th Anniversary Solid Gold Weekend” in Estes Park with several
activities planned, including a banquet. Periodically throughout the 50th year, speakers at MSOC’s weekly meetings will recall club milestones.
The Optimist Club of Monaco South was organized between February and July in 1976. The club formed with three more than the required 35 members and reached 43 that first year. Five decades later, MSOC’s membership is about triple that, making it one of the largest Optimist Clubs in the world.
It’s been recognized repeatedly for its extensive youth and community service.
Current membership includes two original members: Greg Hurd and Kent Gloor, who both remain active.
Hurd recalls the formation of the Optimist Club of Monaco South this way:
“The Happy Canyon Optimist Club took on the task of forming another Optimist Club, and Dr. Ed
Fankhauser was chairman of the project.
“It was March 1976 when Marlin Kent and Al Brunner twisted both of my arms to come to a Friday
morning meeting to learn about Optimist Clubs. They gave me no choice but to join in the effort to
obtain the 35 members required for chartering. I was number 14.
October 2025
“We had weekly breakfast meetings at the Bonanza Steak House next to the K Mart at South Monaco and
Evans Ave. They were 7:00 a.m. meetings—with no option for an 8:00 a.m. start, so prospective
members could get to work on time.
“Happy Canyon brought in speakers weekly; every third or fourth meeting they gave a pep talk about
Optimist Clubs and the good they do for youth and community service.
“Bonanza opened early just for us, and a few times the door was locked and no lights were on. We
were of course embarrassed, as we always had a new recruit or two attend. It turned out the manager
was late, and the cook never turned on anything but his kitchen lights.
“It was early July before we had the minimum required 35 members. We chartered July 20th, with 38
members, but we didn’t have our official charter document until the end of August.
“We didn’t have a formal name yet, so that was a priority at our first board meeting. We were given one week to come up with a name for the club. “Coming up with the name was a contest for a free breakfast. Optimist Club of South Monaco was in first place, but John Young and a couple others said it was too common. John suggested we name it
Monaco South instead, and that name was officially adopted.
“Our first initiation dinner was September 11, sponsored by Happy Canyon. Dr. Ed set me aside and
said, ‘You are key to making this club great and making it continue for at least 10 years.’ I’m
sure he said that to every charter member.”
Fifty years later, the Happy Canyon club no longer exists, but MSOC is living the Optimist motto
“Friend of Youth” in dozens of ways, among them:
The Super Citizen program, initiated in 1982, has awarded more than 20,000 certificates to students
at nine Southeast Denver schools in just over 40 years. For most of that time, those certificates
have been produced by Dr. Bob Finkelmeier, a member since 1983. The program annually recognizes
elementary and middle school students who excel in four areas: citizenship and service,
scholarship, extra-curricular participation, and leadership.
The Brain Bowl, a team academic quiz competition for middle school students from Colorado and
Wyoming, is supported by an army of volunteers from Monaco South, led by Karl Geil (’96), and
numerous other Optimist clubs. Teams compete by grade level, with awards for the top four in each,
and the top nine teams are invited to participate in the Brain Bowl Championship Tournament.
Thanksgiving dinner is served to more than 900 family members each year at two locations, and
Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner baskets are delivered to more than a hundred homes in the south
metro area just before those holidays.
Nurtured for decades by Joe Marci (’78), MSOC’s principal fund-raiser since 1979 is its annual
Christmas Tree Lot, which nets between $40,000 and $50,000 each year to support the club’s many
activities. From the day after Thanksgiving to just before Christmas, Optimist volunteers led by
tree lot manager Tom Kramis (’14) sell more than 1,200 trees (plus wreaths and other accessories), many of them to the
families of former Super Citizen honorees. There are also free visits with Santa on weekends, in
the stand-alone Santa Haus.
Looking back, Hurd sums up the club in one sentence: “I find it hard to find words that really
describe how wonderful this club is—and has been the past 50 awesome years.”
OUR FOUNDER AND PRESIDENTS UP TO 2011
