BIO: Father Edward Joseph FLANAGAN was born in Ballymoe, near Roscommon, in 1886. He first traveled to the United States in 1904, and studied for the priesthood. He completed in studies at the Gregorian University in Rome and at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. He then became a parish priest in O'Neill, Nebraska. His first social service was with a Workingmen's Hostel in Omaha. Moved by the plight of homeless and orphaned boys, and those who had broken the law, he opened Father Flanagan's Boys Home near Omaha for boys of every race and religion in 1917. Filling a need, it expanded rapidly, and was renamed Boys Town in 1922. Within 15 years Boys Town had been incorporated and added additional facilities across the state. Many institutions similar to Boys Town were later founded in the US and Canada, but they did not always have the same success. Father Flanagan's motto was, "There is no such thing as a bad boy." He deeply believed that if boys were given the best possible home, education, and training, they would grow up to be useful adults. He first borrowed $90 to rent an old house in Omaha to care for five boys. As more boys moved into the house, it became necessary to move to larger quarters in Omaha. Flanagan 's example demonstrates the tremendous good one person can achieve by "lighting a candle." He died in 1948 while on an overseas fund-raising trip for Boys Town. His story was made famous in the 1938 movie "Boys Town," with a sensitive performance as Fr. Flanagan by Spencer Tracy ("best actor") and a spirited portrayal of a young "ruffian" by Mickey Rooney.