Biographical Note
James Bunting began his YMCA career as member of the Hi-Y Club while attending Syracuse University. Following graduation, he took a position as associate educational director at the Rochester (N.Y.) YMCA. After 12 years, he moved to the New Haven (Conn.) YMCA as associate general secretary.
After completing his master’s degree in divinity at Yale, he served as general secretary in Schenectady, N.Y., Newark, N.J., and Washington, D.C. In Newark, he led the first complete merger of the YMCA and the YWCA into one organization, and in Washington, he eliminated segregation at all of the branches. Bunting was appointed national executive director of the YMCA in 1964. During this turbulent period, the YMCA took public stands on a number of important issues of the day, including the Vietnam War, environmental preservation, and civil rights.
Under his leadership, the national structure was reduced to eight regional offices and local Ys were, for the first time, required to certify that their policies and practices were non-discriminatory. Bunting retired in 1971.
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Folder — Box 16: Series 02, Folder: 16
Identifier: 02
Series 02 Scope and Contents
From the Series:
This series is arranged chronologically by year, and within each year, the materials are arranged by type, including: videos and photographs of the induction ceremonies, programs and/or invitations to the ceremonies, memos, planning committee minutes, budget notes, and other organizational materials, newspaper clippings, biographical information and nominations for the inductees, photographs of the inductees, and information about other nominees from that year. Undated and/or unidentified...
Dates:
ca. 1959-2004
Folder — Box 16: Series 02, Folder: 17
Identifier: 02
Series 02 Scope and Contents
From the Series:
This series is arranged chronologically by year, and within each year, the materials are arranged by type, including: videos and photographs of the induction ceremonies, programs and/or invitations to the ceremonies, memos, planning committee minutes, budget notes, and other organizational materials, newspaper clippings, biographical information and nominations for the inductees, photographs of the inductees, and information about other nominees from that year. Undated and/or unidentified...
Dates:
ca. 1959-2004
