MCH HISTORY
Methodist Children's Home was founded as an orphanage in 1890 by the Northwest Texas Annual Conference. The Home is affiliated with the seven United Methodist Annual Conferences of Texas and New Mexico. No longer an orphanage, the Home provides services to children and families through residential care, a Boys Ranch and foster care.
Below is an overview of significant achievements during the tenures of seven of the Home's administrators. Sources of information include Methodist Children's Home archives, and Centennial: An Illustrated History of the Methodist Home and The Home: A History of the Methodist Home for Children in Waco, Texas, both written by Dr. Patricia Ward Wallace, a former resident of the Home and a university professor.
YEARS: 1891 - 1908
ADMINISTRATOR: W. H. VAUGHAN
The Vaughans were the founding managers of the Northwest Texas Conference Orphans Home.
They raised $17,000 throughout Texas and purchased the Martin Estate in northwest Waco. The estate included the two-story Miller Residence, a 16-room house on 27 acres.
David Harrison from Prairie Hill in Hill County became the first resident of the orphanage in April 1894. Standing on the porch, he said, "Brother Vaughan, my name is David and I have come to live with you." Mr. Vaughan referred to David as his "seed corn" and increased the number of children to 26 by the end of the first year.
Mr. Vaughan enlisted the support of Abe and Louisa Mulkey to generate early financial support. Described as a "pulpit-pounding evangelist," Rev. Mulkey preached at revivals across Texas. He donated one night's offering from every revival to the orphanage. Mrs. Mulkey took her harmonium (organ) to play at the revival services. Today, the harmonium is on display in the current Administration Building.
The great dream of Abe and Louisa Mulkey was to "Pray, Plan, Push and Persist" until they raised funds to build a second building for the home. In 1899, the three-story Administration Building was built. It included school classrooms, an office, manager's apartment and two dorms upstairs. The building served the Home for 53 years.
Mr. Vaughan hired two school teachers in 1900 to offer instruction up to the 8th grade in the Administration Building.
The Annual Christmas Offering was developed in the late 1890s as a way for Methodist churches to financially support the orphanage.
YEARS: 1912 - 1918
ADMINISTRATOR: DR. R. A. BURROUGHS
Described as a man of vision, a sound administrator and an effective fundraiser, Dr. Burroughs developed the Home's first public relations program and attracted new benefactors.
He raised funds for a girls' dormitory and a hospital, which was the first Methodist hospital in Texas.
YEARS: 1919 - 1933
ADMINISTRATOR: MR. W. F. BARNETT
Referred to as "Dad" by the residents, Mr. Barnett was the first experienced child care administrator and placed great importance on establishing personal relationships with the children.
He led the Board to change the name of the orphanage to Methodist Orphans Home.
He transformed the Home from a farm to a vocational training program with hopes that it would enable the orphanage to become self-sufficient, providing food and other services for residents and the public.
In November 1920, the Home began Sunshine Monthly, the most enduring of Mr. Barnett's enterprises. The children wrote, printed and mailed the magazine. Today, the magazine is mailed to more than 40,000 readers.
A three-story school building opened in 1923 and offered instruction from kindergarten to 8th grade. The school offered strong choir and band programs, competitive sports and other extracurricular activities.
Mr. Barnett had to give up his dream of a self-sufficient Home as the number of residents grew to more than 400, many of whom were too young to work.
During this period, the Home began accepting children from one-parent families in addition to orphans.
Mr. Barnett traveled across Texas to promote the Home and on May 24, 1933, while speaking at First Methodist Church in Hillsboro, he had a heart attack and soon died. For the second time, most of the Home's children lost a father.
YEARS: 1933 - 1966
ADMINISTRATOR: DR. HUBERT JOHNSON
Dr. Johnson became administrator at age 32 and at a time when the Home was feeling the effects of the Depression. He set out to raise money and began taking children to churches to sing and talk about the Home.
As it became more difficult to raise money, he initiated a "give what you have" program, which resulted in donations of goats, cotton, feed and produce. Because of his efforts, the children always had food to eat.
Dr. Johnson had a gift of public relations and was able to attract middle class and wealthy philanthropists to support the Home. Until then, the Home had been supported by small donations.
During his first year, he met Mr. Joe Perkins, a wealthy businessman from Wichita Falls. He enjoyed giving candy and coins to children during visits to the Home and he established the Perkins Christmas Party, an annual tradition that exists today.
With significant financial support from Mr. Perkins and other donors, Dr. Johnson initiated a campus master plan and a building program began in 1938. A majority of the campus development came during Dr. Johnson's administration.
In 1940, Methodist Orphans Home became Methodist Home. All children began attending Waco public schools.
The Home began making the transition to more family-like cottages for residents instead of the traditional barrack-style dorms.
The chapel opened in April 1941 which enabled residents to attend church on campus. Previously, residents attended the Herring Avenue Methodist Church across the street from the Home.
To ensure the financial future of the Home, Dr. Johnson created an endowment fund to generate interest for operating expenses. In 1942, the Home received $2,000 from Dr. and Mrs. W. D. DeJennett of Commerce to begin the fund.
The Home began to address the individual needs of children and offered adoption, foster care and family rehabilitation services.
The Home began to gain national recognition when it was accredited by the Child Welfare League of America in 1967. Since that time, the Home has been recognized by accrediting agencies for maintaining the highest standards in the field of child care.
YEARS: 1966 - 1978
ADMINISTRATOR: DR. KENNARD COPELAND
In an effort to meet the changing needs of children, Dr. Copeland organized the campus into five divisions, each led by a director, social worker and home management staff. This system decentralized the child care program.
The Home made the transition to treatment-oriented child care in an effort to identify and treat specific needs of every child. The Home developed a children's psychiatric hospital to deal with more serious emotional needs of children.
The Home began working with parents to strengthen the family unit.
Adoption services and foster care became significant aspects of the program.
The Boys Ranch was founded in 1971. The program was made possible through a gift from J. T. Stevens of Arlington who bought 2,000 acres of land for the Ranch. The first home units opened in 1973 and the school building opened in 1979.
By the time Dr. Copeland retired in 1978, the Home had completed the transition from an orphanage to a multiple service agency.
YEARS: 1978 - 2003
ADMINISTRATOR: DR. JACK KYLE DANIELS
Dr. Jack K. Daniels was named the Home's eighth administrator on May 15, 1978. In doing so, he became the only former resident of the Home to serve as its president.
The Home further developed the family-centered approach in an effort to enable residents to return to healthier families better equipped to provide proper care and support. The Home offered many of its services through the Settoon Family Counseling and Education Center.
The Home continued to achieve significant growth in the endowment fund.
In 1990, on the eve of the 100th birthday of the Home, all 2,334 churches in Texas and New Mexico conferences contributed for the first time to the Annual Christmas Offering. This effort raised more than $1 million for the Home.
Methodist Home became Methodist Children's Home in 1996.
The structured care program was implemented in 1997 to address the specific needs of at-risk children and youth.
The Home closed its adoption services in the 1990s due to small numbers of children being placed and expanded foster care offices throughout Texas.
The Home strengthened the college and vocational program for high school graduates.
Administrators and staff members took more active leadership roles in professional child care activities at the state and national levels.
The Home reached agreement to join the University of Texas - University Charter School system during the summer of 2003. The on-campus school provides educational services for all structured care residents and some basic care residents who need the services and attention offered in a small-school setting.
YEARS: 2003 - present
ADMINISTRATOR: MR. BOBBY GILLIAM
Mr. Bobby Gilliam was named the Home's ninth administrator on March 4, 2003. He was a vice president for child care at MCH prior to leading a child care agency in Illinois from 2000-2003.
As vice president at MCH, he was instrumental in establishing the structured care program for at-risk children and teens.
Under his leadership, Methodist Children's Home is going through a strategic planning process that will enable the Home to strengthen its programs as it provides services to meet the challenging needs of children and their families.
Methodist Children's Home Administrators
Mr. Bobby Gilliam, 2003-present
Dr. Jack K. Daniels, 1978-2003
Dr. Kennard Copeland, 1966-1978
Dr. Hubert Johnson, 1933-1966
Mr. W. F. Barnett, 1919-1933
Rev. J. N. McCain, 1918-1919
Dr. R. A. Burroughs, 1912-1918
Dr. J. H. McLean, 1908-1912
Mr. W. H. Vaughan, 1891-1908
