Civic, Philanthropic, and Religious Endeavors
Bartle seemed determined to participate in as many charitable organizations as possible. He accepted thirty appointments to philanthropic boards and commissions and in time became an executive in virtually all of them. During World War II, he served as director of American War Dads, a soldier-welfare group. After the war, from 1945 to 1952, Bartle became interim president of Missouri Valley College, a small coeducational school associated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
In 1948, while a college president, Bartle founded and contributed $100,000 toward establishing the American Humanics Foundation, now the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, a philanthropic organization intended to prepare young people for careers in professional youth leadership in such organizations as the Boy Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, and the YWCA.
Bartle was National President of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity from 1931 until 1946. Alpha Phi Omega grew from 18 chapters when he took office to 109 chapters when he stepped down. It was said that Bartle personally financed the fledgling organization.
Bartle was a devout member of Central Presbyterian Church, Kansas City, from 1929 until his death, although he was often not in attendance because he was filling a pulpit somewhere else. (If Bartle were called to substitute for a pastor who was ill, he needed only the time to dress and get to the church. He could work out the sermon on the way.) Bartle served as a member of the general council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 1961-68, and was a member of the General Assembly, 1962-66. He was also a charter member of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
Bartle's wife said she believed he "could do anything on this earth that he sets out to do....and he has more energy than any other five men alive." Bartle received numerous honors and awards for his public service, including honorary degrees from at least a dozen colleges and distinguished service medals from a dozen foreign governments.
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