Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Babson Library, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Halbe Brown began his career at the Youngstown (Ohio) YMCA, first as aquatic director and later as the camp director and youth director. In 1966, he became the executive director of the Frost Valley (N.Y.) YMCA, a position he held until his retirement 35 years later. Under Brown’s leadership, Frost Valley grew from a 2,000-acre camp with an annual budget of $115,000, to a 6,000-acre, $6 million, year-round facility. The year-round staff of six served 1,400 children in 1966. In 2001, the 100-member staff served over 31,000 guests. Brown was dedicated to providing high quality camping experiences for people of all abilities, and created the first pediatric dialysis center in a resident camp setting. Project MAC was created to enable developmentally disabled children to attend camp. He was committed to fostering cross-cultural cooperation and developed a multi-faceted partnership with the YMCA in Tokyo.