Cliff Smith at celebration for YMCA Postcard collection donation, ca. 1994
Description:
A photograph of Springfield College Alumnus, Cliff Smith (center), at a table during a meal to celebrate the initial donation of the Cliff Smith YMCA postcard collection to Springfield College, ca. 1994. The man on the right is John Coons, but the man on the left has not yet been identified. Other diners can be seen behind. The Cliff Smith postcard collection consists of around 10,000 unique postcards created by and about the YMCA. It can be viewed here: https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/collections/commonwealth:vm412x26q
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Publisher:
Springfield College
Notes:
Cliff Smith was born and raised on Long Island, New York. He graduated from Springfield College in 1949, earned a master’s degree from the University of Nebraska, and participated in advanced management programs at Southern Methodist University, before going on to devote his career to the YMCA. Smith was a member of the professional advisory councils for George Williams College in London and Springfield College and led them in record-setting local association campaigns to support YMCA professional leadership. He was recognized by both colleges for his efforts. He later served as president and chief executive officer of the Cleveland (Ohio) YMCA. Supporting the International Division of the YMCA of the USA, he led several national million-dollar efforts to increase funding for international programs. Under Smith’s leadership in Russia and Siberia, his dream that YMCAs would be successfully launched in the former Soviet Union came true. He was also an avid collector of postcards, having a number of extensive collections, including the Cliff Smith YMCA postcard collection at Springfield College and the "Cotton" collection at the South Carolina Cotton Museum. Cliff Smith passed away in March 2014.
