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Our
History
Three
visionary leaders met in 1962 to discuss the
possibility of starting a YMCA in Manitowoc.
Through the efforts of Willott Pitz, Ray
Halverson, and Dr. William Randolph, the
Manitowoc-Two Rivers YMCA Board was formed.
This group met in December of 1963 with the
North Central Area Council of the National
YMCA. On December 18, 1963, with the Board of
Directors now complete, and final bylaws
intact, our YMCA was formed.
George
Leopold was selected as the first Executive
Director and he began his duties March 9,
1964. On the same day, Willott Pitz was
elected board president, a position he would
hold until 1972. On April 1, 1964, the old
Elks club on North 8th street was
leased to be used as the first YMCA facility,
and on September 16, remodeling was complete
and the new YMCA was open for business. The
primary activities at that time were a youth
center and a coffee house.
The
YMCA quickly outgrew it’s first home, and in
December of 1965 received a $50,000 gift from
Lakeside Packing to kick off a fund drive for
a new Y. 1966 was a year of planning, and by
mid 1967, over $1.3 million had been raised.
At that time, the present site was selected as
the new location.
Ground
breaking for the “new” YMCA occurred on
June 5, 1968, and construction began. On
September 20, 1969, the grand opening of the
Manitowoc-Two Rivers YMCA took place.
An
addition consisting of three indoor tennis
courts, two racquetball courts, and the Women’s
Fitness Center was completed in October 1976.
In August of 1995, a second addition was
completed, adding an additional gymnasium and
pool, an aerobic exercise studio and a large
Lifestyle Center. The addition
of a new entry, handicapped
accessibility, and Family Prime Time Center
was completed in March of 2000. Our most recent
addition, the 6500 square foot Nash Family Gymnastics
Center was opened in May 2003.
These
expansions have occurred because of the vision
of those three early leaders. Without them,
the Manitowoc-Two Rivers YMCA , as we know it,
would not exist.
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