1994
Henry J. D. Labatte

After completing his studies at George Williams College, Henry Labatte began his YMCA career in 1949 in the Chicago Association. Labatte, a native to Toronto, spent most of his career in Canada. He worked for Canada’s National Council of YMCAs as Personnel and Program Services Secretary and served as the Director of Programs for the Toronto Association. For twenty years, beginning in 1971, he was President of the YMCA of Metropolitan Toronto. Labatte was the driving force behind the unprecedented growth of the Toronto Y. Under his leadership five state-of-the-art facilities were built to serve over 60,000 members. Labatte and the Toronto YMCA became a highly regarded resource for YMCAs and other recreational organizations across Ontario for facility and program development.

1994
Daniel P. Tyler

Daniel Tyler first started working with the Little Rock YMCA in 1945. After service in Kansas and California, he was selected to do Y work in Africa. In Liberia, he organized programs, conferences and the first international work camp. For thirteen years, he served as the General Secretary of the Uganda YMCA, moving the organization from 12 members to 3,000 members and assets of $101 to $1,500,000. He also founded and organized a vocational training center and refugee project that served over 60,000 refugees in ten settlement areas. Tyler assisted YMCAs in Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Ethiopia, and Rhodesia. From 1979-1984, he held various positions in the International Division. He was responsible for the supervision of overseas operation in Jerusalem, Italy, Spain and other countries. Tyler’s skills in problem solving, organizational development, financial planning, and corpo- rate planning made an invaluable contribution to the YMCA worldwide.

1995
Earl P. Armstrong

Earl Armstrong began his fifty-two year affiliation with the YMCA in 1940 as the Boys’ Work Secretary in Louisville. He established and ran Camp Piomingo for seven years and later became the association-wide Program and then Associate General Secretary. In 1953, he moved to the Central Atlantic Staff as Associate Secretary and camp director, eventually assuming regional portfolios for Personnel and Camping. In 1960, Armstrong was awarded the first John R. Mott Fellowship, allowing him to pursue a year of full-time graduate studies at Columbia University. He served as the Associate Secretary for the Person- nel Services Division of the National Council of YMCAs, and then moved to Charlotte as the Executive Director of the Interstate YMCA of the Carolinas. He remained in a consulting role in the southeast until his retirement in 1982. Upon his retirement the Armstrong Scholarship was established to enable YMCA Senior Directors to pursue graduate study. In retirement, Armstrong served as a volunteer personnel specialist for the YMCAs. He was the architect of the YMCA Salary Administration Plan, and was responsible for the implementation of the salary program through most of the YMCA in the United States.

1995
Solon B. Cousins

Solon Cousins began working with the YMCA in 1954 as the Director of Personnel and Planning of the Chicago YMCA. Twelve years later he moved to the YMCA of Greater Boston as the Executive Director. His $2.5 million capital campaign helped build a new facility, expand four older branches and purchase a camp. He also created an innovative program that addressed personnel, program and facility development. In 1970, Cousins became the National Board’s Associate Executive Director and the first executive of the Urban Group. Under his leadership, a national health insurance program was developed and the Standards of Excellence for Urban Metro YMCAs were established. He joined the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago as its executive director in 1974. Cousins was named National Executive Director of the YMCA of the USA in 1980, and for ten years led a period of dramatic change. Under his leadership, the national system was completely reorganized under a new constitution. Dues were lowered for member Associations, the budget was balanced, the national office was moved to Chicago, the Y-Mutual Insurance Company was created, the fight against tax challenges was implemented and the dramatic expansion of YMCA childcare programs was supported. Cousins was a trustee of Springfield College, George Williams College and the YMCA Retirement Fund. He was awarded honorary doctorates from Springfield College and the University of Richmond.

1995
G. Gary Kuenzli

Gary Kuenzilli joined the YMCA as a nine year old, and spent all thirty-three years of his professional career in the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles. He was hired in 1960 as a program director in the San Fernando Valley and eight years later was the founding Executive Director of the Torrence-South Bay Branch. He joined the Los Angeles YMCA’s corporate staff as Vice President for Branch Financial Development, and served as the first Director of the Southern California Management Resource Center from 1976 until his retirement in 1994. Throughout this career, he was able to combine his skills as a trainer, writer, and organizer. An advocate of applying modern management theory, Kuenzli wrote articles, monographs, manuals, catalogues, and training designs that were used in YMCAs all over the world. He served one term as national chair of APD and chaired two APD National Conferences. In retirement, he continued to write on YMCA issues and continued traveling as a volunteer trainer for YMCAs across the country.

1995
Meredith Mathews

Meredith Mathews began his YMCA career in Ohio, first in Columbus and later in Youngstown. He moved to Oklahoma as Program Director of the YMCA in Lawton and then as the Executive Director of the USO-YMCA in McAlester. In 1947, he became the director of the Northeast Fourth Street YMCA in Oklahoma City, a struggling inner city Association that he helped to transform with a new facility. Ten years later, he was appointed Executive of the East Madison YMCA in Seattle. Mathew’s successes led to his appointment as Associate Executive Director of the Pacific Northwest Area Council of the YMCA in 1965. He was named Executive Director of the Pacific Region YMCAs in 1971, with responsibility for assisting 126 facilities in eleven states. He re- tired in 1976 after thirty-nine years of service, but remained active in the International Association of Retired Directors of the YMCA. In 1993, the YMCA of Greater Seattle recognized Mathews by naming a facility in his honor, the Meredith Matthews East Madison YMCA. He also received municipal and community recognitions as well as awards from APD, the National Board of YMCAs and United Way.