John Gunckel

(1846-1915)

Ticket Agent and Organizer

While a ticket agent for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad in Toledo, Gunckel founded the Toledo Newsboys Association in 1892 and rescued many boys from the streets. His new organization was the first of its kind in the U.S. He established a national Newsboys organization in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair.

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The Newsboys evolved into the Boys Club in 1942 and later, The Boys and Girls Club in 1982. The Old Newsboys Good fellows Association also evolved from Gunckel's work. In tribute, his unique  26-foot tall pyramid was built with some 30,000 cobblestones and rocks contributed by newsboys, school children, and citizens of Toledo and from all over the world. 

For more on Gunckel, click here for a Toledo's Attic sketch.  For more on the Old Newsboys, click here.