In November 1977 Charles Curtiss, Secretary of the Westport Chamber of Commerce and Matt Johnson, Executive Director of the YMCA, met with Dick Shirey, Cy Harriman, Ben Robbins, Fred Denham and Bruce Miller to organize a club for Westport's retired men. They were united in their belief that retirement was to be enjoyed and not feared. They formed a temporary Board and held the first official meeting of the Y's Men of Westport in the Bedford Room of the YMCA in January 1978, with nine men in attendance.
Today, 400 members of the Y's Men of Westport & Weston are putting into practice the club's motto: "Enlightenment, Fellowship, Community Service."
ENLIGHTENMENT is nurtured at the regular Thursday morning meetings, featuring stimulating guest speakers on a wide range of subjects. In addition, many Y's Men take courses at Norwalk Community College, Fairfield University, Staples Continuing Education and elsewhere.
FELLOWSHIP starts with the coffee and donuts which precedes the start of the weekly meeting. It is strengthened through participation in the many organized activities and the travel with fellow members and their womenfolk.
COMMUNITY SERVICE covers a multitude of activities, which are described elsewhere.
One cannot help but be impressed by the quality and diversity of our members. Before they retired, they were executives of major corporations, business owners, doctors, lawyers, engineers, government officials, airline pilots, publishers, musicians, artists, experts in computers, media, marketing, advertising, research and public relations.
