The Joseph Stortz Collection contains photographs documenting the personal and professional life of Joseph (Joe) Stortz (1947-2018). Storz was a graduate of St. Louis University and a licensed clinical social worker. He spent most of his career working in residential facilities for young people, including many years at Boys Hope, founded in 1977.

The bulk of the collection consists of three photograph albums, numbered by Stortz. Album 2 shows Storz serving as a leader for a variety of Boy Scout activities from 1970-1974, including camping trips; Forest Park Camporee and Soar Camporee; hiking and fishing trips; trips to Springfield, Illinois; meetings; and an Order of the Arrow work project. Location, date, and participants are often identified for each activity. Album 3 and Album 4 contain largely unidentified photographs showing a mix of personal and professional activities, dating from approximately the 1970s. Photographs show a variety of family and friends, probably including Storz’s fellow students and/or colleagues. Photographs also include groups of boys and groups of boys and girls. At least some of these likely document Storz’s work with Boys Hope and the Boy Scouts, although photographs are not explicitly identified as such. Events include holiday parties and other gatherings in the homes of family and friends; outdoor activities such as teambuilding exercises, camping, swimming, caving, and sledding at Art Hill; trips to Purina’s Checkerboard Farm, downtown St. Louis, and Philadelphia; a baptism; and a wedding.

Also included is a packet of photographs showing Storz with Gary Johnson, a former Boys Hope participant who was incarcerated in the Moberly Correctional Center. Photographs were taken on family visit days from 2010-2015. Johnson passed away shortly after his release in late 2017 or early 2018.