HERITAGE STORY Y’S MEN INTERNATIONAL

… a heritage story from



Y’S MEN INTERNATIONAL

For YMCA 175
















SUBMITTED BY
DEBRA REDMOND, Y’S MEN INTERNATIONAL HISTORIAN

Contents


INTRODUCTORY MESSAGE ...................................................................................................................... 2

LEGACY OF THE Y’S MEN MOVEMENT .................................................................................................... 3
From TOLYMCA to Y’s Men International ........................................................................................... 3

Toledo YMCA after WWI ..................................................................................................................... 4
Paul William Alexander and Tolymca .................................................................................................. 5
The Ohio Association of Y’s Men ........................................................................................................ 6

Y’s Men International outside the USA ............................................................................................... 7
Y’s Men International Today ............................................................................................................... 8

INTRODUCTORY MESSAGE

As the International Association of Y’s Men’s Clubs approaches its 2022 centennial,
we feel it fitting to share with you our first story, that of a young YMCA member from
Toledo, Ohio, who, with an unparalleled commitment to the YMCA, pioneered a
different and expanded way to serve its mission. It is to his vision and corresponding
actions that we owe our existence and our more than 97 years of shared history.
With both YMCA and YMI affiliation, I am proud to be part of this unique partnership
that we continue to develop together.





Mr Jose Varghese
International Secretary General
Y’s Men International

LEGACY OF THE Y’S MEN MOVEMENT



From TOLYMCA to Y’s Men International
Birth of an International Service movement from the YMCA























TOLYMCA Members

Toledo YMCA after WWI

The Great War (World War I) had recently ended. But
while people had resumed their civilian activities,
society had changed. War-ravaged, plagued by a flu
epidemic but also energised and expectant, a simple
return to “life as usual” was impossible.

The post-war era of the “Roaring Twenties”, known as
a time of excess and unprecedented progress, was
also conversely an incubator for a new social
movement calling for increased civic awareness and
accountability. The result: the birth of the modern
service organisation.

Within the Toledo YMCA, a young programme director
noticing an increase in both time and monetary
donations to the YMCA, wondered how to build upon
this positive trend. Could the service club concept be a
possibility?

Identifying 15 young Toledo businessmen working
within the YMCA as volunteers and two staff members,
he approached them with his idea to start a club.

Paul William Alexander and Tolymca
One of the men was a young lawyer by the name of Paul William
Alexander. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the county, “Alex” as
he was called socially, was a committed and long-serving YMCA
member, having joined the Toledo branch as a teenager in 1905.

This group became an official club in October 1920 adopting the
name Tolymca. Within the first year, the 17 founding members
were
joined by
53 recruits
– and the
club of 70
continued
to grow. Alex at Denison University
One day
Will M. Cressy, a YMCA employee
who had worked the YMCA Huts
(USO) in France and written about
the experience in the YMCA
publication, “Association Men”,
was invited to speak at a club
meeting.

YMCA hut in France

The Ohio Association of Y’s Men
In his essays and addressing the club, Cressy
referred to himself as a “Y’s Man from the East”.
Following Cressy’s inspiring speech, the Tolymca
group became “Y’s Men” and extended honorary
membership to Cressy.

In February 1922, Alex gave a Y’s Men
presentation to the Ohio Association of YMCAs
and by May, there were additional clubs in other
towns.

The first meeting of the Ohio Association of Y’s
Men was held in May 1922, where it was agreed
to send out an informative flier on their activities
to YMCAs throughout North America. By
November, there were 17 clubs.










Alex & wife, Lorraine in 1924

Y’s Men International outside the USA

A national conference was held later that same month in Atlantic City, New Jersey during
which the name the “International Association of Y’s Men” was adopted with a motto of “to
acknowledge the duty that accompanies every right.” Alex was chosen as the first President,
and subsequently given the
responsibility of chartering
each club within the
association.

In 1923, the first club
outside US borders was
established in Nova Scotia,
Canada, and in 1924, a Y’s
Men Club was started in
Shanghai.

For many years Y’s Men
International, as it became
known, continued to grow
and infiltrate new countries
thanks to YMCA cooperation
and global networking.

Y's Men Nova Scotia in 1923

Y’s Men International Today

Today we ae present in 70 countries, with 1 400 clubs, and 25 000 members. Our
membership is open to all (regardless of gender, ethnicity, faith). And as we look toward our
th
upcoming 100 Anniversary in 2022, Y’s Men
International continues to reach out to the world. While
the methods by which we do this may have changed
over time, our mission and core structure shaped by our
founder, Judge Paul William Alexander, remain steadfast.














YMI Charity Shop in Kosovo


YMI Doctors in Chiang Mai

RBM Work in Africa

YMI Youth in the USA

Y’s Men / Y Service International.
Legacy to the YMCA.


THANK YOU!