DAVID HALBE BROWN (1936- )

David Halbe Brown began his nearly half-century of service to the YMCA in 1954. From his beginnings at the Youngstown, Ohio YMCA, Halbe became the driving force behind the transformation of the Frost Valley YMCA in Claryville, N.Y.

Halbe first served the Youngstown Y as the Camp Fitch Waterfront Director and the YMCA Aquatic Director from 1954 to 1957. Armed with degrees in physical education and social studies from Youngstown State University, he assumed the position of Boys Camp Director and Youth Director, a position he held from 1958 to 1961. That same year, Halbe was promoted to Executive Director of Camping and the YMCA Youth Director. In the fall of 1966, he was named Executive Director of the Frost Valley YMCA, the position he held until his retirement in 2001.

Under Halbe’s leadership, Frost Valley’s strong, dedicated staff and board developed model programs and shared them with YMCAs and camps throughout the United States and abroad. Environmental programs, conference retreats, mainstream programs, and cross-cultural programs are among the many innovations developed during his tenure at Frost Valley.

The Woodruff J. English Environmental Center was established in 1969 and is recognized as a leader in its field. With a faculty of 20 teachers-in-residence, the center operates each day of the school year, serving 13,000 students and teachers annually. Major program components include a large-scale composting and recycling center, a teaching farm, and a watershed study conducted in partnership with the United States Geological Survey and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

Throughout his career, Halbe dedicated himself to providing high-quality camping experiences for people of all abilities. In 1974, in collaboration with the Ruth Carole Gottscho Foundation and the Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, N.Y., the first pediatric dialysis center in a resident camp setting was established, enabling children with renal failure to enjoy the values of camping. In 1984, work with the Young Adult Institute of New York City, Project MAC (Mainstreaming At Camp) was developed, enabling developmentally disabled children to attend camp in the Catskills.

Halbe also believed in the benefits of cross-cultural cooperation. In 1991, the Tokyo-Frost Valley Partnership was established to promote understanding between the United States and Japan. The program continues to be one of Frost Valley’s important cultural programs.

Frost Valley’s success under Brown’s leadership is also reflected in the growth of its programs, staff, and budget. In 1966, Frost Valley was a 2,000-acre summer camp with a year-round staff of six serving 1,400 children annually. Its annual budget was $115,000. Today, the Frost Valley YMCA is a 6,000-acre camp, conference, and education center with a year-round staff of approximately one hundred serving over 31,000 guests annually. Its annual operating budget has risen to $6.2 million. Frost Valley also maintains an endowment fund of over $8 million.

The hallmark of Halbe’s leadership at Frost Valley was his commitment to the ideals of the YMCA and the value of public service. His faithful service to the Y and high levels of both personal and professional character exemplify what it means to be a YMCA director.