STAFF INDUCTEES

CLEMENT DURAN (1902-1983)

Clement “Pete” Duran, originator of the Youth and Government Program, started his career as a desk clerk at the Amsterdam, NY, YMCA. The Y was so impressed with his abilities that they asked him to become the assistant athletic director. Duran accepted and, in 1919, at the age of 17, he officially entered association work. Amsterdam was followed by Poughkeepsie, where Duran worked to form the Ki-Y, a youth mentoring partnership with the local Kiwanis Club. From there he went to Yonkers, and finally to Albany, where Duran began to articulate his thoughts for a program designed to train youth in good citizenship. He later became Associate Director of Association Press. However, his role as creator of Youth and Government, which is now active in more than 40 states and the District of Columbia, is his most enduring legacy. His vision that “Democracy Must be Learned by Each Generation” is still the motto of the Youth and Government Program. Duran was the author of The Program Encyclopedia and The New Encyclopedia of Successful Program Ideas, both of which were widely used in YMCAs.

CHARLES EASTMAN (1858-1939)

One of the first Native American YMCA secretaries, Dr. Eastman, a Sioux Indian and a physician, began his work for the Movement in 1894. Over the next three years, he established 32 Indian YMCA groups on reservations. As a highly educated man, Dr. Eastman was able to navigate white culture and advocate for native populations. Under the auspices of the International Committee (the forerunner of the YMCA of the USA), Dr. Eastman oversaw 25 Indian YMCA associations. He also worked as a physician for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and cared for Indians after the Wounded Knee massacre. He had a lifelong commitment to boys and young men and is regarded as one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America.

YMCA MEMBERS
Photo of three generations of Sitting Bull’s family.