Jack W. Boge Fund

Jack W. Boge was born in 1923–the same year as the Quincy Art Center’s founding.

When they both reached the milestone of 80 years, Jack expressed his admiration for the Quincy Art Center by presenting it with a generous endowment through the Community Foundation.

"I contribute to organizations I hold dear, but this enables me to ensure the longevity of support even after I'm gone," Jack remarked.

In many respects, Jack viewed his contribution as a way of repaying a lifelong debt. His association with the Quincy Art Center started during his fourth-grade years when he began taking classes there. He even obtained special permission to leave school early on Fridays so he could participate at the Art Center.

”I always thought that was good… that the school recognized the importance of art and made the special provision,” Jack said.

A Quincy native, he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Kansas City Art Institute, respectively. For 37 years, he served as an art educator in Wichita, Kansas, drawing advantages from the array of museums, art galleries, and resources in metropolitan areas. Yet, his hometown was never far from his heart.

When he retired in 1987, he returned to Quincy, immersing himself as a volunteer with several arts and community organizations.

In 2003, he established the Jack W. Boge Fund at the Community Foundation to support the Quincy Art Center and the Quincy Society of Fine Arts.

“Quincy is like an art colony. What Quincy has here… would not be found in most cities of this size,” Jack said.

Jack's forward-thinking approach now allows others to partake in the community's rich artistic and cultural heritage.