Kansas Shrine Bowl

In the first meeting of the Kansas Shrine Bowl Board of Directors, January 19, 1974, the board decided to conduct the affairs of the Kansas Shrine Bowl in a professional manner with a paid staff. They selected Gene Setzer of Kansas City, Kansas, to be the Executive Secretary for the first year. In October of 1974 Mr. Setzer resigned and was replaced by Merv Laman of Overland Park. Mr. Laman served as Executive Director of the organization until he resigned in February of 1981. To fill the vacant post of Executive Director, the board received 41 applications. Dave Mize, the current Executive Director was selected and hired in July of 1981. Dave was born in Iowa and raised in the Bonner Springs and Edwardsville area of Kansas. He attended Bonner Springs High School, Kansas City Junior College and Kansas State University. Following four years in the Army where he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, he worked for Gambles Skogmo’s Tempo Discount Stores. Taking the job initially as a stock boy in the Manhattan store, Dave worked in several departments and eventually moved to appliance sales and was later promoted to Operations Manager. After about two years he was again promoted to Merchandise Manager and served in that capacity in the Fremont, Nebraska, and the Aberdeen, South Dakota, stores. In 1973 Mr. Mize resigned his management position and he and his wife, Janette, purchased the Gambles Hardware and Appliance Store in Wamego, Kansas. They closed the store in 1977 and Dave sold life insurance for five years until he was hired as the Kansas Shrine Bowl Executive Director.

     In 1981 Shrine Bowl revenues were $158,800 and net profits were $8,151. To that point the Kansas Shrine Bowl had average annual revenues of $144,400 and average annual profits of $29,900. Through the building of a dedicated volunteer force, new emphasis on corporate sponsorship, the addition of state-of-the-art computers, and efficient office procedures, the Kansas Shrine Bowl now has average annual revenues of $175,047 and average annual profits of $73,461, through 2005.

     Dave married Janette Mahar, the current Kansas Shrine Bowl office secretary, on June 17, 1967. They have two grown sons; David Eric Mize works for the U.S. Border Patrol in Tucson, Arizona, and Adam Joseph Mize, a plant manager for Caterpillar Work Tools in Waco, Texas. They have two grandchildren; Aidan and Jordan.

     Mr. Mize has served in various civic, community, and Shrine organizations. He is a past president of the Wamego Lions Club and Kaw Valley Shrine Club. He is past secretary of Wamego Lodge #75, and is past Chairman of the Pottawatomie County Republican Party. He enjoys football as a spectator and fishing as a participant. E-mail to the Executive Director : ksshrine@kansas.net