New York YMCA memorabilia

The YMCA of Greater New York and its predecessors, the YMCA of the City of New York and the Brooklyn and Queens YMCAs, have long understood the value of branded merchandise. For example, in 1886, members of both the Brooklyn and Manhattan welcoming committees wore ribbons so that newcomers could identify them. In the words of the 1886 New York annual report, each wore a “neat blue ribbon, with a monogram of the association.” Branding, whether using the monogram, the triangle, the name or some other symbol, was part of YMCA operations from its earliest years. In 1868, the Brooklyn annual report noted that $433.38 was spent to purchase badges, the equivalent of $7929.58 in 2016 dollars.

Today, visitors to New York City YMCAs can purchase shirts, caps, lanyards, pens, Frisbees, tote bags, sports bottles and many other items. Such merchandise is also used in Y programs, worn by Y staff and given away as prizes. Awarding prizes is not a new phenomenon; competitions and the resulting prizes, often medals, were part of early YMCA operations. The contests were not limited to athletics; in 1879, an essay contest offered prizes and ribbons to the winners.

The use of medals, badges and ribbons in YMCA programs seemed to grow after WWII. This may be the result of technology. For example, screen printing for branding clothing became much more common, especially after 1960. It may also be the consequence of contact with hundreds of thousands of military personnel during WWII. The military used badges, ribbons, and medals as incentives and to recognize notable actions and behavior. The Y seems to have adopted a similar strategy.

After WWII, the association increasingly used plaques as awards. Before the war, plaques were generally very heavy bronze items mounted on interior or exterior building walls and used to memorialize donors, staff members or other notable figures. The development of plastics and engraving techniques allowed plaques to be mass-produced while allowing the inclusion of the recipient’s name. The use of plaques as awards for the Man of the Year program, which began in 1958, illustrates this point. The Y took advantage of new technology to not only promote its brand but to also develop loyalty and community among its members while recognizing outstanding service to the YMCA.

Information taken from annual reports and from the collection.