From Tyler to Oak
Oct 23, 2009
By Cliff Wong
“Good morning? How may I help you?” Welcome to the Wang YMCA, a flagship branch of the Greater Boston YMCA Organization. The facilities are impressive - with a complete fitness center, pool, aerobics/dance studio, drop-in center, day-care facility, and much more. A huge gymnasium fills the needs of the membership and can serve as a function area for over 1000 people. The Annual Wang Y Christmas Party is a testament to this. The gym once served as home court for an area college. It’s also the physical education facility for a nearby high school. This is the YMCA, of the present as well as the future, of Boston’s Chinatown. However, the branch also evokes the memories of a rich and genuine past in Boston’s Chinatown history.
As someone who has been blessed with a shared history with the Wang YMCA, each time entering the Oak Street Branch feels surreal. This cannot be real! The Wang YMCA doesn’t resemble the branch that I loved and cherished. Like all things, times change and so too do landscapes. Although the facilities at the Wang Y are greatly improved, the staff significantly increased, and services far more sophisticated than that of its predecessor, I can’t help but reminisce about the “old place” called the Tyler Street YMCA. With great sentiment, I reminisce about the people even more so than the place.
Certainly, there’s been other literature written about the branch regardless of its name: the Wang Y, Tyler Street Y, Chinese Y, or South Cove Y. I thought it fitting to provide its history through the eyes of one who came of age there and witnessed its many changes over the years. Like other great institutions, the Wang Y has undergone a series of “triumphs” and “defeats” before reaching its current status.
I actually wrote this article twice. The original was a formal and structured documentary with scores of names, dates, and titles. The project became so detailed, bogged-down, and cumbersome that I did what any red-blooded Asian American writer would do – I threw it out! I acknowledge that there are many community leaders, concerned individuals, and board members who played a major part in the Y’s historic development. The Wang Y owes them a debt of gratitude. Without their contributions and sacrifice, the Wang YMCA would not exist today. Despite procuring a lengthy list of names for the original story, it just couldn’t include everyone involved and I was hesitant to exclude anyone. Therefore, I’m telling this story the best way I can, without mentioning everyone. That information can be found elsewhere.
With little recorded history about the Tyler Street Y before the mid-fifties, one had to rely on piecemeal tales of old timers in Chinatown. About 1914, there were few places for Chinese immigrants to go. It is said that leaders of the community requested that the YMCA organization establish a center for the Chinese in Boston. Members – who were exclusively Chinese and almost exclusively male (must have been boring!) – met and socialized at the original Y branch at 56 Tyler Street.
During the mid-fifties, David Toon accepted the role of manager of the Tyler Street YMCA. A gentle individual, Mr. Toon did his best to make the branch a viable recreation center with limited support and scarce financial assistance. Services were limited. The facilities were a small storefront facility, upstairs rental apartments, a drop-in center, and a game room. Behind the building was a back lot that functioned as a parking area and a basketball court. The people of the community didn’t consciously ignore the needs of the Y, they were merely preoccupied with mundane things like making a living and raising children. What they failed to understand was that the Y actually helped them to raise their children.
Not a lot was written about activities during this era. To those who frequented the Y, there were creative year-round activities. Summers were predominantly devoted to basketball games, scrimmages that were fiercely competitive and somewhat organized. Yet, there was little or no supervision by adults. Older kids would pick teams and the competition ensued. Despite the surprising absence of coaches, parents, uniforms, scoreboards, and any other facsimile of an organized program, the makeshift basketball program succeeded. To the kids, this was the “Henry Chin” era. Henry Chin was a young caretaker who took quasi-role of program director. He inadvertently brought much more to the table. During this time, kids engaged in diverse indoor activities such as table tennis, bridge, and chess and made the center a year-round place to go. In winter months, youths even shoveled snow to clear the basketball court. It wasn’t the greatest idea, but it worked for us. A woman who volunteered to provide children’s programs added a dimension to the place. She worked twice a week. There was singing, story book readings, and day trips. As a child, I was a product of this program. I recall the woman screaming at me to hold hands on a field trip. For some reason, I was always next to a girl and didn’t like girls in those days. Man did I change!
Ironically, the Tyler Street YMCA was so impoverished that Henry Chin was forced to resign and find another job that paid his bills. After his unfortunate departure, Henry returned once-a-week to run the Y’s Ping Pong Club. The ping pong tradition continues to this day at the Wang YMCA. Many thanks to Henry and other loyal participants for the ping pong program’s continuing success. It’s widely known that the city’s best ping pong players were from the Tyler Street YMCA. The needs and concerns of the branch – however – were still unknown to those beyond the neighborhood.
The next era, the “MacAfeee Era,” began in the early sixties. Bill MacAfeee had just graduated from Northeastern University with no experience in running a YMCA branch and less experience understanding Chinatown. In a short time however, he learned to appreciate the community, and more importantly, the community embraced him. The Tyler Street Y was not a favorite of Greater Boston YMCA at the time. Plans were in place to terminate the branch. Ironically, Bill MacAfeee had the unenviable task of executing this plan. Neither Bill MacAfeee nor his operations manager at the Greater Boston Y could come to grips with the termination. Together with community leaders from Chinatown, they campaigned to keep the Tyler Street YMCA open. Using a register to document membership usage and inviting officials from the United Way to Chinatown, they convinced the United Way to resume funding. (It must have been the Chinese food!) This helped to avert the closing. For Bill MacAfeee and his operations manager, ignoring directives from above was a risk they took for what they believed in. Not surprisingly, this was only the first of other threats to the branch’s existence. The YMCA of Chinatown is indebted to several courageous groups for their timely intervention in saving the Y.
While Bill MacAfeee was in charge, new and creative programs were introduced to the branch. There was the origin of a summer camp program, a year-end carnival, snack shop, and a twenty-five foot swimming pool. True to the spirit of the YMCA, these programs involved neighborhood people and were run by volunteers. As always, there was basketball. This time – however – there were coaches and referees. Some programs even brought in revenue. These subsidies did little to balance the budget. The true success of the aforementioned programs was use of volunteers.
One year, Bill invited the neighboring garments workers to use the gym. The workers, all African-American, participated during lunch hours. Initially, a few individuals opposed the program. In time, it was accepted as a part of the Tyler Street Y. The garment workers had a unique style of play, one pass, a few dribbles, and hoist the ball. One could hear voices screeching, “Gimme the ball, man!” But ten players raced back and forth while still no one passed. It was entertaining to watch, but not for potential coaches. As insulated as Chinatown was at the time, the branch was ahead of its time to show willingness for change.
Behind the scene, the Tyler Street Y experienced flaws and misfortune. There never seemed to be enough revenue. (What else is new?) Despite income from creative programs, rental income, membership, and donations, it was never sufficient. The Y was growing and the income was not keeping up with its growth. In addition, there were other problems. The portable swimming pool, great fun for two and a half months, required 14 tons of sand for the foundation. It also required enormous man power. (Wonder where sand went each year?) As for the Annual Carnival – a big money maker each year - so much could go wrong. There was the weather factor, insufficient help, small crowds, and on one occasion, pilferage of funds. In spite of this, the Y Carnival continued to provide fun for many young people in the area.
Despite innovative programs and good intentions, YMCA branches were businesses that prioritized the bottom line. MacAfeee realized the limitations of the facility and had a vision about its expansion. He researched different options and gave consideration to the idea of a temporary inflatable structure. Unfortunately, there weren’t sufficient resource or political clout to fulfill this dream. He shared his plan with his young associate, Bill Bray, who ensured that the dream came to fruition.
In 1968, Bill MacAfeee moved on to accept a position as executive director of the YMCA Branch at Saratoga Springs, NY. This was the first of many other assignments for Mr. MacAfeee, whose entire career was dedicated to the YMCA. He departed with mixed feelings, feelings of joy and some of frustration. He also left with great memories of his eight years in Boston’s Chinatown. He passed the baton to his protégée and that began the “Bill Bray” era at the Tyler Street YMCA.
Like Bill MacAfeee before him, Bill Bray started his leadership role straight out of college. Bray had previously worked at the branch as a work-study student. The same operations manager who earlier helped MacAfeee also brought us Bill Bray. Before his work study stint, a prerequisite question for Bray was, “What do you think about Chinese people?” The question went right over Bray’s head! Bray’s first impression of the Y was somewhat forgettable. The entrance at the Tyler Street Y was so impressive that Bray actually passed it 3 to 4 times before realizing it was a YMCA. Welcome to the Tyler Street Branch.
When Bill Bray took the helm, his board chairman enlisted his entire family. His sisters volunteered at the Annual Christmas Party. They continue their dedication to this day. The chairman’s brother-in-law began as a coach, program person, and eventually a future board chairman himself. The brother-in-law is the current Chairman. One might say that they kept it in the family. Bill Bray was a business major and was savvy about corporate structures and use of local politics. He immediately established a strong board and a strong program committee. He sought the services of Cliff Wong, (that’s right, the author of this article) as the branch’s program director. At the time it was uncommon to hire a product of the community for a full-time position. The new team helped to take the branch to next level.
TO BE CONTINUED
Cliff Wong is a former board member of the Wang YMCA in Chinatown.
“Good morning? How may I help you?” Welcome to the Wang YMCA, a flagship branch of the Greater Boston YMCA Organization. The facilities are impressive - with a complete fitness center, pool, aerobics/dance studio, drop-in center, day-care facility, and much more. A huge gymnasium fills the needs of the membership and can serve as a function area for over 1000 people. The Annual Wang Y Christmas Party is a testament to this. The gym once served as home court for an area college. It’s also the physical education facility for a nearby high school. This is the YMCA, of the present as well as the future, of Boston’s Chinatown. However, the branch also evokes the memories of a rich and genuine past in Boston’s Chinatown history.
As someone who has been blessed with a shared history with the Wang YMCA, each time entering the Oak Street Branch feels surreal. This cannot be real! The Wang YMCA doesn’t resemble the branch that I loved and cherished. Like all things, times change and so too do landscapes. Although the facilities at the Wang Y are greatly improved, the staff significantly increased, and services far more sophisticated than that of its predecessor, I can’t help but reminisce about the “old place” called the Tyler Street YMCA. With great sentiment, I reminisce about the people even more so than the place.
Certainly, there’s been other literature written about the branch regardless of its name: the Wang Y, Tyler Street Y, Chinese Y, or South Cove Y. I thought it fitting to provide its history through the eyes of one who came of age there and witnessed its many changes over the years. Like other great institutions, the Wang Y has undergone a series of “triumphs” and “defeats” before reaching its current status.
I actually wrote this article twice. The original was a formal and structured documentary with scores of names, dates, and titles. The project became so detailed, bogged-down, and cumbersome that I did what any red-blooded Asian American writer would do – I threw it out! I acknowledge that there are many community leaders, concerned individuals, and board members who played a major part in the Y’s historic development. The Wang Y owes them a debt of gratitude. Without their contributions and sacrifice, the Wang YMCA would not exist today. Despite procuring a lengthy list of names for the original story, it just couldn’t include everyone involved and I was hesitant to exclude anyone. Therefore, I’m telling this story the best way I can, without mentioning everyone. That information can be found elsewhere.
With little recorded history about the Tyler Street Y before the mid-fifties, one had to rely on piecemeal tales of old timers in Chinatown. About 1914, there were few places for Chinese immigrants to go. It is said that leaders of the community requested that the YMCA organization establish a center for the Chinese in Boston. Members – who were exclusively Chinese and almost exclusively male (must have been boring!) – met and socialized at the original Y branch at 56 Tyler Street.
During the mid-fifties, David Toon accepted the role of manager of the Tyler Street YMCA. A gentle individual, Mr. Toon did his best to make the branch a viable recreation center with limited support and scarce financial assistance. Services were limited. The facilities were a small storefront facility, upstairs rental apartments, a drop-in center, and a game room. Behind the building was a back lot that functioned as a parking area and a basketball court. The people of the community didn’t consciously ignore the needs of the Y, they were merely preoccupied with mundane things like making a living and raising children. What they failed to understand was that the Y actually helped them to raise their children.
Not a lot was written about activities during this era. To those who frequented the Y, there were creative year-round activities. Summers were predominantly devoted to basketball games, scrimmages that were fiercely competitive and somewhat organized. Yet, there was little or no supervision by adults. Older kids would pick teams and the competition ensued. Despite the surprising absence of coaches, parents, uniforms, scoreboards, and any other facsimile of an organized program, the makeshift basketball program succeeded. To the kids, this was the “Henry Chin” era. Henry Chin was a young caretaker who took quasi-role of program director. He inadvertently brought much more to the table. During this time, kids engaged in diverse indoor activities such as table tennis, bridge, and chess and made the center a year-round place to go. In winter months, youths even shoveled snow to clear the basketball court. It wasn’t the greatest idea, but it worked for us. A woman who volunteered to provide children’s programs added a dimension to the place. She worked twice a week. There was singing, story book readings, and day trips. As a child, I was a product of this program. I recall the woman screaming at me to hold hands on a field trip. For some reason, I was always next to a girl and didn’t like girls in those days. Man did I change!
Ironically, the Tyler Street YMCA was so impoverished that Henry Chin was forced to resign and find another job that paid his bills. After his unfortunate departure, Henry returned once-a-week to run the Y’s Ping Pong Club. The ping pong tradition continues to this day at the Wang YMCA. Many thanks to Henry and other loyal participants for the ping pong program’s continuing success. It’s widely known that the city’s best ping pong players were from the Tyler Street YMCA. The needs and concerns of the branch – however – were still unknown to those beyond the neighborhood.
The next era, the “MacAfeee Era,” began in the early sixties. Bill MacAfeee had just graduated from Northeastern University with no experience in running a YMCA branch and less experience understanding Chinatown. In a short time however, he learned to appreciate the community, and more importantly, the community embraced him. The Tyler Street Y was not a favorite of Greater Boston YMCA at the time. Plans were in place to terminate the branch. Ironically, Bill MacAfeee had the unenviable task of executing this plan. Neither Bill MacAfeee nor his operations manager at the Greater Boston Y could come to grips with the termination. Together with community leaders from Chinatown, they campaigned to keep the Tyler Street YMCA open. Using a register to document membership usage and inviting officials from the United Way to Chinatown, they convinced the United Way to resume funding. (It must have been the Chinese food!) This helped to avert the closing. For Bill MacAfeee and his operations manager, ignoring directives from above was a risk they took for what they believed in. Not surprisingly, this was only the first of other threats to the branch’s existence. The YMCA of Chinatown is indebted to several courageous groups for their timely intervention in saving the Y.
While Bill MacAfeee was in charge, new and creative programs were introduced to the branch. There was the origin of a summer camp program, a year-end carnival, snack shop, and a twenty-five foot swimming pool. True to the spirit of the YMCA, these programs involved neighborhood people and were run by volunteers. As always, there was basketball. This time – however – there were coaches and referees. Some programs even brought in revenue. These subsidies did little to balance the budget. The true success of the aforementioned programs was use of volunteers.
One year, Bill invited the neighboring garments workers to use the gym. The workers, all African-American, participated during lunch hours. Initially, a few individuals opposed the program. In time, it was accepted as a part of the Tyler Street Y. The garment workers had a unique style of play, one pass, a few dribbles, and hoist the ball. One could hear voices screeching, “Gimme the ball, man!” But ten players raced back and forth while still no one passed. It was entertaining to watch, but not for potential coaches. As insulated as Chinatown was at the time, the branch was ahead of its time to show willingness for change.
Behind the scene, the Tyler Street Y experienced flaws and misfortune. There never seemed to be enough revenue. (What else is new?) Despite income from creative programs, rental income, membership, and donations, it was never sufficient. The Y was growing and the income was not keeping up with its growth. In addition, there were other problems. The portable swimming pool, great fun for two and a half months, required 14 tons of sand for the foundation. It also required enormous man power. (Wonder where sand went each year?) As for the Annual Carnival – a big money maker each year - so much could go wrong. There was the weather factor, insufficient help, small crowds, and on one occasion, pilferage of funds. In spite of this, the Y Carnival continued to provide fun for many young people in the area.
Despite innovative programs and good intentions, YMCA branches were businesses that prioritized the bottom line. MacAfeee realized the limitations of the facility and had a vision about its expansion. He researched different options and gave consideration to the idea of a temporary inflatable structure. Unfortunately, there weren’t sufficient resource or political clout to fulfill this dream. He shared his plan with his young associate, Bill Bray, who ensured that the dream came to fruition.
In 1968, Bill MacAfeee moved on to accept a position as executive director of the YMCA Branch at Saratoga Springs, NY. This was the first of many other assignments for Mr. MacAfeee, whose entire career was dedicated to the YMCA. He departed with mixed feelings, feelings of joy and some of frustration. He also left with great memories of his eight years in Boston’s Chinatown. He passed the baton to his protégée and that began the “Bill Bray” era at the Tyler Street YMCA.
Like Bill MacAfeee before him, Bill Bray started his leadership role straight out of college. Bray had previously worked at the branch as a work-study student. The same operations manager who earlier helped MacAfeee also brought us Bill Bray. Before his work study stint, a prerequisite question for Bray was, “What do you think about Chinese people?” The question went right over Bray’s head! Bray’s first impression of the Y was somewhat forgettable. The entrance at the Tyler Street Y was so impressive that Bray actually passed it 3 to 4 times before realizing it was a YMCA. Welcome to the Tyler Street Branch.
When Bill Bray took the helm, his board chairman enlisted his entire family. His sisters volunteered at the Annual Christmas Party. They continue their dedication to this day. The chairman’s brother-in-law began as a coach, program person, and eventually a future board chairman himself. The brother-in-law is the current Chairman. One might say that they kept it in the family. Bill Bray was a business major and was savvy about corporate structures and use of local politics. He immediately established a strong board and a strong program committee. He sought the services of Cliff Wong, (that’s right, the author of this article) as the branch’s program director. At the time it was uncommon to hire a product of the community for a full-time position. The new team helped to take the branch to next level.
TO BE CONTINUED
Cliff Wong is a former board member of the Wang YMCA in Chinatown.
Article Reference: http://www.sampan.org/show_article.php?display=2144
copyright © 2010 Asian American Civic Association. All rights reserved.
