Gene's labor of love with the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA began in 1985 when E.G. Hearn, a Navy colleague and then-board chair of the Jackie Robinson Y, asked if he'd join the board of management. What Gene anticipated to be a three-year commitment to accommodate a friend's request turned into more than two decades of exemplary service.
In those early days, the Y wasn't doing very well and was fairly disorganized. Gene, who has a doctorate in business management and master's in human behavior, convinced the board and staff that the Y needed to get its respective act together. Gene took a leadership role in the reorganization of the Y, which was challenging in itself, as at the time he
was the "commander of a U.S. Navy amphibious ship. Over the years, Gene served multiple terms as board chair and has chaired the president's round table section of the annual campaign for 10 years.
Needless-to-say, thanks in large part to Gene's leadership, the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA got its act together and currently operates with a board of management of more than 50 dedicated volunteers and raises more than $500,000 per year to ensure that no child is ever turned away for financial reasons.
Although Gene is most proud of these accomplishments, he relates an incident that happened several years ago that "keeps me going when I get tired." The incident involved several boys who jumped the wall of the Y's pool one Sunday when the Y was closed. The boys were caught and taken back to their home by Executive Director Michael Brunker. Michael found several children living in terrible conditions with their single-parent mom who was addicted to drugs. The next day, Michael brought Gene with him to the home; the boys thought they were going to be taken to jail. Instead, the Y took them in, found medical assistance for the mom, and today, the family is doing well and mom is gainfully employed. For Gene, there is no better example for the Y's "reason for being" in the Southeast San Diego Community.
Along the way, Gene became a member of the YMCA's Heritage Club to sustain his support "after I'm gone." Gene, for all you have done, and continue to do on behalf of the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA, we salute you.
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