A Journal-World article in 1991 announced the first Big Brothers Big Sisters match in Lawrence — between Jake Butler, then 6, and Brett Fuller, then 24.

As his face appeared on the computer screen, Brett Fuller recognized him immediately.

“He’s as handsome as ever,” Fuller said of his former little brother.

On the other end of the line was Jake Butler — now 36 and living in Portland, Oregon.

“It’s good to see Brett again,” Butler said of his big brother. “We haven’t seen each other in a few years, I don’t think.”

Despite that, they have shared a long and fruitful friendship over the decades.

photo by: Journal-World archives

Brett Fuller, background, and Jake Butler are seen here in 2003 when Butler was 18 and “graduating” from the Big Brother and Big Sisters program.

Thanks to the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, Butler and Fuller met in 1991 as the first-ever pair to be matched through the program in Lawrence. Butler was a shy 6-year-old, while Fuller was a 24-year-old employee of the University of Kansas Alumni Association.

Now, 30 years later, they still stay in touch, albeit less often than they would like. And they also appear to exemplify the purpose of the program.

Many of the kids who enter the program might be matched with a big brother or sister who will be in their lives for a year or two, providing a role model during formative times. But Butler and Fuller exceeded that norm and stayed as a match for 12 years, until Butler officially graduated from the program when he turned 18, the Journal-World reported in 2003.

Their relationship didn’t end with that feat either, they both said recently. During a reunion to recognize the 30-year anniversary of their match, they explained how they had been in each other’s lives much longer than the program could have anticipated. As an adult, Butler even joined Fuller’s long-running fantasy football league with other friends, whom Butler had met several times while growing up.

photo by: Dylan Lysen/Lawrence Journal-World

Former Big Brother Big Sister participant Brett Fuller, left, and Area Director Jeffry Jack, right, speak to Jake Butler, Fuller’s former little brother, during a 30-year reunion event. Fuller and Butler were the first match through the program in 1991.

And even when Fuller, who is now 54, married and had a family of his own, Butler was still part of his life and part of the family, as he was always welcome at Fuller’s house.

“He lived his whole life, but he never wanted to end the relationship,” Butler said of Fuller. “Life never got in the way for him.”

During the reunion they also reminisced about the fun memories they had as a brother duo.

Fuller said that he could remember taking Butler to get ice cream for the first time after they were matched all the way back in 1991. He also said one of their fondest memories was taking a trip to Chicago to see a Cubs baseball game at Wrigley Field. That trip was also monumental because it was the first time Butler had ever flown on an airplane.

Butler then joked about the times when he and Fuller would meet up and weren’t yet sure what they were going to do. So they often just went out to the golf course and looked for loose golf balls to claim as their own.

Fuller said he was happy to see Butler during the reunion. They had planned to speak about a week prior to the planned event, but Fuller said he was glad it didn’t happen because it made the reunion even more special.

“I can’t believe how much just came rushing back,” Fuller said of his memories.

photo by: Dylan Lysen/Lawrence Journal-World

Jake Butler, top-left on the computer screen, is seen in a virtual meeting with his former big brother Brett Fuller, foreground. Big Brothers Big Sisters hosted a reunion for them to reconnect and recognize their 30-year relationship created through the program.

While much of the conversation focused on what Butler got out of having a committed mentor, Fuller noted that he gained a lot from the program as well. He joked that Butler served as his “guinea pig” for raising a child, which he would lean on when he later had three children of his own, and helped teach him more about taking responsibility.

“I benefited the same amount, if not more, by being part of the program,” Fuller said.

Meanwhile, Maria Butler, Jake’s mother, recently told the Journal-World that the program could not have been a better situation for her son. She initially got him in the program because she was a single mother and he had just finished playing biddy basketball. She said it was clear he was unhappy because he no longer saw his coach.

Just around that time, Maria said she saw a story in the Journal-World announcing the Big Brother Big Sister program coming to Lawrence, and she was lucky enough to get her son into the program “on the ground floor.”

But little did she know she had just inadvertently set her child up for a lifelong friendship. Not only did Fuller fulfill his obligations to meet with Jake on a regular basis for a year, he went much further and basically adopted Jake into his family, she said.

Maria knows that’s not common, as her daughter Ashley had also been placed in the program and had a match for a few years before her big sister started her own family and no longer had time to continue.

Maria said she appreciated Fuller’s commitment, noting he was an outgoing individual who helped her shy son break out of his shell. Fuller also took Butler to events and provided him with experiences she never could have, Maria said.

Fuller continued meeting with Butler, even after he moved to Kansas City for a job.

“Over time we were just really lucky that we made that particular match and that Brett was invested for the long term,” she said. “It’s a testament to Brett’s willingness to hang in there.”

photo by: Contributed

Jake Butler, the first little to match with a big brother through the Big Brother Big Sister program in Lawrence, poses with his sister Ashley Hamilton in a recent photo taken in Cannon Beach, Ore.

As an adult now, Butler also appreciates just how important the program is and how much Fuller’s mentorship meant to him. He believes Fuller served as the male role model he needed while growing up. He said he’s come a long way since being a shy 6-year old, as Fuller helped him grow his confidence and become a successful young man.

He’s also grateful to his mother for putting him in the program and for Fuller’s dedication to it.

“This is something she felt she needed to do to give me a positive older male role model,” Butler told the Journal-World. “I’m really glad it worked out the way it did. I feel very lucky with Brett with how he’s been going above and beyond for 30 years.”

Fuller also told the Journal-World he’s very proud to see how well Butler is doing in Oregon, where he moved to take a job with Nike. He said he could tell he had grown into a confident man, despite not having a dad in his house while growing up.

“It’s tough growing up without a father figure, so I was really proud to hear where he is,” Fuller said. “He’s a guy going in the right direction.”