OMAHA, Neb. — It's a boys' club again — at least in name.
Seven years after changing its name to Girls and Boys Town, the iconic home for wayward children has dropped "Girls" from its name. The switch stems not from any change in mission, but from the fact that the longer name never caught on with many people, Boys Town spokesman John Melingagio said Wednesday.
He added that the longer name did help get out the message that the organization cares for girls as well as boys. It's no longer necessary to spell that out in the name, he said, though he added that the group's new logo, unveiled Wednesday, features a boy carrying a girl on his back.
Boys Town started admitting girls in the 1970s, and the name was changed to Girls and Boys Town in 2000. The director at the time said the new name was intended to reflect the growing influence of girls, who make up about half of Boys Town's residents.
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Boys Town is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. It was founded in 1917 by the Rev. Edward Flanagan and was immortalized by the 1938 movie "Boys Town," which starred Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney.
That movie contributed to the public image of Boys Town as primarily an orphanage, although most of the troubled boys and girls living on its campus have been referred by families or social service agencies.
"We still have the same cutting-edge vision that Father Flanagan did back in the '30s and '40s," Melingagio said.
Boys Town assets include a research hospital in Omaha, a national resource and training center and a publishing arm, Boys Town Press.
Boys Town says its programs directly helped more than 47,000 children and families last year and indirectly helped nearly a million through its hot line and outreach and training program.
