Dates
Biographical Note
Asa Kent Jennings became membership secretary of the Utica (N.Y.) YMCA in 1901 and later became general secretary of the Carthage, N.Y., association. He began his international work in 1918, serving first in France and then in Czechoslovakia as a regional secretary. In 1922, he went to Smyrna, Turkey, as a Boys’ Work secretary. It was in Turkey that Jennings performed the seemingly impossible, heroic act of saving nearly 350,000 refugees. When he arrived, Turkey was fighting a brutal war with Greece for possession of the territory around Smyrna in Asia Minor. As a result of the fighting, large portions of the city were burned to the ground. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced. With no authority beyond his convictions, Jennings was able to negotiate and secure safe passage from the Turkish armies for a fleet of Greek merchant vessels.
Jennings’ courage captivated the imagination of the world; his story was produced twice in movies, in 1945 as “Strange Destiny” and then in 1952 as “A Man of Great Importance.”
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Folder — Box 20: Series 02, Folder: 20
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:
July-August, 2010
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
