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Bowne, J. T. (Jacob Titus), 1847-1925

 Person

Biographical Note

In the mid-1800s, Jacob Bowne helped develop a YMCA in his hometown of Glen Cove, N.Y. He became a pioneer educator in the field of professional training for the secretaryship.

In 1879, while serving as the secretary of the Newburg (N.Y.) YMCA, he launched the “Ten-day Fellowship Meetings,” the first steps in training prospective YMCA secretaries. In 1880, he founded the Secretarial Insurance Alliance and was instrumental in promoting the YMCA Retirement Fund. Three years later, he joined the International Committee, specializing in training leaders for the expanding YMCA Movement. In 1885, he was called to lead the Department of Young Men’s Christian Association Work at the School for Christian Workers (now Springfield College).

He spent the rest of his life at Springfield College, devoted to educating YMCA staff and maintaining an extensive collection of YMCA materials. He is considered the YMCA’s first archivist and the “father of professional YMCA training.”

Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:

Alumni Hall Records

 Record Group — RG 115 All boxes
Identifier: RG-115
Collection Scope and Content This collection documents Springfield College’s second dormitory, Alumni Hall. The material in the collection consists of general information on the dormitory and materials contained in the Time Capsule buried in the cornerstone of the building in 1926. These materials consist of floor plans; bids for the addition of the greenhouse to the building; a book produced that commemorates the building with a listing of donors and descriptions of the rooms in the building; many photographs of the...
Dates: ca. 1926-1986

Springfield College Secretarial Department Records

 Record Group — Boxes All Boxes
Identifier: RG-101
Abstract The School for Christian Workers (now Springfield College) was established in 1885 to train young men for various fields of Christian work open to laymen. The demand for qualified men in the rapidly expanding Young Men’s Christian Association movement was particularly pressing. Jacob T. Bowne (JTB) was hired in 1885 to create and oversee the School’s Secretarial department, which trained young men for work as secretaries (executives) of YMCAs in the United States and around the world. ...
Dates: 1885-1910

YMCA Hall of Fame Records

 Record Group — Box All Boxes
Identifier: RG-103
Abstract This collection documents the history and governance of the YMCA Hall of Fame at Springfield College and also provides information about individual inductees and induction ceremonies from the Hall of Fame’s founding in 1985 to the present. The purpose of the YMCA Hall of Fame is to provide “a forum to recognize professionals who personify what is best about the YMCA. It honors individuals who have devoted their lives to the building of community, encouraging each person to develop to their...
Dates: 1894 - present; Majority of material found within 1985 - present

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Original School building 2
Correspondence 1
Dormitories 1
Fund raising 1
Hospitals 1