DUNBAR REED (1915-1983)

Dunbar Reed dedicated much of his Y career to working in the southern United States. During the 1950s and 1960s, Reed spent countless hours working toward the development of young talent for future YMCA leadership. Reed was cultivating the future of the Y.

Reed earned his undergraduate degree from Wiley College in Texas, and his graduate degree in education from Springfield College. He began his Y career in 1938 as a program director in Kansas City, Mo. Though he devoted the majority of his time to YMCAs that served predominantly black communities, he didn’t confine himself to that role. Reed often found himself in YMCAs that served the community as a whole, specializing in problem-solving and volunteer development.

In 1941, Reed became a branch executive in Wichita, Kan., where he served until 1953. He then assumed the position of associate in the National Council for the Southern Area. In 1969 he became an associate in the National Council Region I. Four years later, Reed served as director of field services in the National Council.

Reed was a voice for city Ys. He served as the first executive of Region I which included Chicago, at the time the largest YMCA in the United States. For a time, Reed was the highest-ranking African American in the United States YMCA movement and simultaneously held the positions of executive of Field Operations, executive of the North American Urban Group, and executive of the Northeast Region.

Upon leaving the south, Reed became increasingly involved in the operations of Region I, the Northeast Region, as well as the rest of the Y movement. He lent assistance, and in several instances leadership, to the selection and placement of many outstanding Y leaders, thus fulfilling his vision for the YMCA’s future.