EARL P. ARMSTRONG

Earl Armstrong has dedicated over 52 years of his life to the YMCA movement. In 1940 he began his affiliation at the Louisville, Kentucky YMCA. There he served as the Boys Work secretary and was instrumental in the establishment of Camp Piomingo, serving as its director for seven years. He later became the metropolitan program and the associate general secretary. In 1953 Armstrong moved to the Central Atlantic Area Staff, where for five years he was the associate secretary and director of Camp Wawayanda. In 1958 he was given the area-wide portfolios for Personnel and Camping.

In 1960 Armstrong was awarded the first John R. Mott Special Fellowship Grant, enabling him to pursue a year of full-time graduate studies at Teachers College, Columbia University, in the field of social psychology and group development. Upon completion he returned to his post on the Central Atlantic Area Staff.

Armstrong served as the associate secretary for the Personnel Services Division, National Council of YMCAs, from 1964 to 1966. He then moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, and became the executive director of the Interstate YMCA of the Carolinas. He held this position until the group merged with the Southern Area to become the Southeast Region in 1970. At that time, Armstrong became the senior associate executive for the Southeast Region of the National Council of YMCAs. Here he served as a consultant to the South Region Metro Y group until his retirement in 1982. When Mr. Armstrong retired, YMCAs and friends established a scholarship fund in his name for YMCA senior directors to pursue graduate study.

Upon retiring, Armstrong became the volunteer personnel specialist for the Southeast Region of the YMCA of the USA. For the next 10 years he worked in his new role with YMCAs throughout the United States in his specialty field of personnel and salary administration. This volunteer work is a true symbol of Armstrong’s dedication to the YMCA.

Armstrong is the architect of the YMCA Salary Administration Plan. He is personally responsible for the implementation of the salary administration program through most of the YMCAs in the United States and is directly responsible for encouraging volunteers to raise salaries to competitive levels for YMCA employees. He produced and wrote the YMCA Personnel and Salary Administration Plan manual.

Armstrong’s peers have dubbed him “The Dean of YMCA Salary Administration.” His Christian character, 52 years of service, and dedication to the YMCA make him a noteworthy member of the YMCA Hall of Fame.