On June 15, 1968 the Irving Texas Chapter of AMBUCS was chartered at the Tejas Room of the Irving Bank Tower. Mr. Paul Bush of the Lubbock Caprock Chapter was the Sparkplug for the new chapter. Member of the Caprock Chapter drove round trip to Irving from Lubbock for 16 straight weeks to bring the Irving Chapter into existence. The charter president was Mr. Benny Miller. The cost of the Charter Night Banquet was a whopping $5.00 per person, which included entertainment.
Over the past 50 years the Irving Chapter has been one of the most successful chapters in the nation. The chapter has reached Superior status (highest level of chapters) 42 of the last 43 years. The chapter has been #1 in the nation seven times. The chapter has sent forward one National President, Bob Whitney, and 3 National AMBUCS of the year, Bob Whitney, Ed Beahm and Jack Spurlock. The chapter has had one National Project Manager of the Year, Jack Spurlock. Five National Big Hat Presidents have come from the ranks of Irving’s members, Bob Whitney, Ed Beahm, Charlie Young, Cliff Bauerle, Gene Waldrum and Cynthia Young (Yellow Rose Chapter). The Irving Chapter has spread the AMBUCS message by chartering 21 new AMBUCS Chapters around the area since 1974. The Irving Chapter has won numerous local awards over the years for their continuing community service work.
The Irving Chapter has participated in the missions of National AMBUCS at the highest levels. The Living Endowment Programs, which are permanent funds for Scholarships for Therapists, Ambility, and Cornerstone (membership development), have received over $500,00 from the Irving Chapter, the second highest donor in the history of AMBUCS. The Amtryke adaptive tryke program for amazing children and adults, which was started in 1995, has been the high point of local chapter giving in recent years. No other chapter in the nation has achieved the status of the Irving Chapter. The Irving Chapter has given over 2700 Amtrykes away free of charge to children and adults, not only in Texas but all over the country and several lands, including China. The dollar value from donations, fund raisers and grants is approximately 2.5 million. Between the Irving Chapter and Yellow Rose Chapter over the past 17 years $29,000 has been pledged to the William L. White Living Endowment Fund and $18,000 has been donated to the Amtryke Ambassador.