DIVISION SEVEN — SOCIETARY. 499 



immense throng of people at the Santa Fe depot and Hotel Green. Post- 

 master General Wanamaker suddenly left the presidential group, and push- 

 ing his way through the crowd, went to a couple of women whom he had 

 noticed in Salvation Army bonnets, shook hands with them heartily, giving 

 some words of commendation, and then returned to his place. 



YOUNG men's christian ASSOCIATION. 



On September 20, 1886, F. J. Culver, a Y. M. C. A. worker from the 

 East, was passing along the street and was met by David Galbraith, then 

 cashier of the ist National Bank, who clasped his hand and said earnestly, 

 " cannot something be done for our young men ? " " Yes, " was the reply, 

 " if the time has come and the people are ready to act." " Satan is acting 

 — and we must ad,'" said Mr. G. "Very well; and when?" Culver 

 answered. "To-morrow ! " replied Galbraith with emphasis. Thereupon a 

 meeting was called for the next day in an oflSce on west Colorado street, 

 and fifteen men were present. The question before the meeting was, "Shall 

 we organize a Y. M. C. A. in Pasadena ? " The answer was decisively, "If 

 it be God's will, jj/^j-." And arrangements were made for a mass meeting 

 in Williams hall the next day. This larger meeting was addressed by Rev. 

 T. N. Lord, then pastor of the Baptist church, and by Mr. Culver, explain- 

 ing the plan, working methods, etc., of the Association. Names were taken 

 for membership, and a meeting to organize was appointed at the Methodist 

 church on September 27. At this meeting 96 charter members were enrolled. 

 The first officers and directors were : C. M. Parker, president ; O. S. Picher, 

 ist vice president ; T. Nichols, 2nd vice president ; T. J. Fleming, record- 

 ing secretary ; M. D. Painter, treasurer ; F. J. Culver, general secretary ; 

 J. W. Hugus, G. E. Meharry, C. W. Abbott, D. Galbraith. 



Prof. C. M. Parker, the first president, served until December, 1888, 

 and was succeeded by A. F. M. Strong, who served until December, 1891, 

 being then succeeded by Prof. Will S. Monroe, who resigned on March i, 

 1892, on account of sickness. Then Dr. F. Grinnell was elected president, 

 and holds the office yet — 1895. 



Mr. M. M. Myers of San Francisco was elected general secretary in 

 September, 1887; ^^^ resigned May i, 1889. He was succeeded by Geo. 

 Taylor, who has continued in that office since. He was the delegate from 

 California to the World's Y. M. C. A. convention and half-century jubilee 

 in London, in May and June, 1894 ! ^^d while abroad on this duty he 

 visited the local Associations in all the great capitals of Europe, as their 

 distinguished guest. 



In 1886-87, ^^ Association caught the "boom fever," bought a lot, 

 and secured pledges for a fund to erect a $40,000 Y. M. C. A. building at 

 the corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Valley street.'-^ The cellar was exca- 



*C. M. Skillen and Samuel Stratton offered to donate to the Association a 50-foot lot next west of 

 the Presbyterian church, on east Colorado street if they would build there. This lot was then saleable 

 at $150 per front foot [boom], or $7,500. But a majority of the directors thought that location was too far 

 from the " loafing center " of the city to serve the special missionary objects of the Association's read- 

 ing roam, gymnasium, baths, games, etc. 



