Long Ago Before We Were Here!!

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Long Ago Before We Were Here!!

• The History of the Bay
• and Genealogical Research of
• Curtis Minnis, Sr.
• Kips Bay Boys Girls Club
• Lucile Palmaro Clubhouse

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The First Kips Bay Clubhouse
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• Kips Bay began in 1915 the way most
• Boys Girls Clubs began boys and girls needed
  a place to go so the founders started a Boys
  Girls Club on the eastside of Manhattan on 52nd
  Street and 2nd Ave.
• This section of Manhattan was called Kips Bay.

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In 1969, the club moved from mid-Manhattan to the
present Clubhouse site 1930 Randall Avenue in
the Bronx.
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• Boys Girls Clubs of America goals are to
  develop youth to have
• A sense of competence
• A sense of uselessness
• A sense of belonging
• A sense of influence

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Board of Directors and Trustees are the
governing authority of Boys Girls Clubs These
are individuals who provide their professional
expertise and model the values and goals of this
organization
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As a history project, we wanted to research the
life and history of one of the Board of Trustees
members at Kips Bay Boys Girls Club who
possesses admirable qualities.
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V.I.P./Torch Club interviewed one of the First
African-American Board of Trustees of our Club
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His Life

• Curtis Orlando Minnis, Sr. was born October 9,
• 1955 to mother Mary Louise Wilson and father
• Wilfred Campbell Minnis. His grandfather Joseph
• Minnis was from the Bahamas.
• His two sisters and two brothers were raised in
• Harlem, New York on 114th Street.

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As a child

• His parents instilled the value of education
• He said that his family was pretty poor but he
  did not know it because he never lacked anything
• He was able to be involved in many activities

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Video Interview

• Curtis Minnis, Sr. discusses his childhood and
  family history

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• At the age of 9, he played Travis in the
  Broadway play, A Raisin in the Sun

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The Kips Bay connection

• He is married and has two children, Ajai and
  Curtis, Jr. who were very active in Kips Bay
  Boys Girls Club programs in the early 90s.
• His daughter was a member of Kips Bay dance
  group, K-Company and his son was involved in the
  basketball program.

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• He was a basketball coach for 8 years at Kips
• Bay and through his and family's involvement
• and interest, Mr. Minnis was selected to be a
• Board of Trustee and a member of the Bronx
• Board of Managers.
• Curtis Minnis is one of the first African
• American Board of Trustees of Kips Bay.

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Professionally, Curtis Minnis, Sr. works as the
Managing Director of Sales for FedEx.
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As a board member, Mr. Minnis serves on the
Building Committee and his chairman of the
Scholarship Committee. The scholarship fund
awards Kips Bay members who meet certain
qualifications and are interested in attending
specialized high schools and attending college.
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• Using the Ancestral Chart and the website,
  Ancestry.com, we found his grandfathers
  information on his fathers side and the name of
  his great-grandfather on his mothers side.

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Although, we were unable to conclusively identify
Curtis Minnis complete genealogy, the website
allowed us to find actual U.S. Census documents
of the Minnis family in 1920.
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This experience encouraged us to research our own
family genealogy
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Thank You

• Curtis Orlando Minnis, Sr.,
• Bronx Board of Managers and Trustees
• Daniel Quintero,
• Executive Director of
• Kips Bay Boys Girls Club