McDaniel reflects on early days of YMCA

EASLEY — I’ve always said that you can meet some of the best people – in any town – at your local YMCA.

After the official ribbon cutting of the new Easley YMCA, I bumped into YMCA longtime member Bob McDaniel. We just had just got done with our workouts and he started to reflect on Easley’s YMCA over 60 years ago.

So, sit back and grab some popcorn or some healthy snack. Here is McDaniel reflecting on the early days of the Easley YMCA.

Concerning my experiences at the Pickens County YMCA, our family were members when it first opened in 1961. The first director was Cotton Richarson. He was a big guy with a great personality and used to amaze us when he would get on the trampoline and cut flips, etc. In the early days, they would have gym classes for elementary school kids. My momma would drop me off after school and we would have different activities for a couple of hours. Many of my best friends today are a result of the activities we experienced at the Y. We played basketball in the gym for hours and hours. My momma would drop me off at 9 a.m. on Saturday and come back about 5 p.m. She would give me a couple of dollars to eat lunch, usually at the service station across the road. I think it was named Ott McQueen’s. They had great hot dogs. Many of my friends did the same thing. Those were the good old days when you didn’t have to worry about kids getting into trouble. All we wanted to do was play ball: basketball, football and baseball. During the summer, we all went to the swimming pool. They had a high dive and regular diving board. It’s amazing we didn’t get hurt.

The Y has always been a great influence on myself and many others in the community. When my wife, Tracy, and I moved back to Easley in 1993, one of the first things I did was join again and I’ve been a member since then. I wouldn’t trade the friendships and memories I’ve had over the last 60-plus years for anything. The new building is outstanding and has so much to offer people of any age. We are very fortunate to have a great facility and a great staff and I certainly encourage everyone to support the Y.