Letter from Harold S. Keltner to Laurence L. Doggett (December 23, 1917)
Description:
A letter from Harold S. Keltner to Laurence L. Doggett dated December 23, 1917. In the letter Keltner tells Doggett his new address and expresses sadness over the Alumni that have died in the war.
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Mr. Keltner was described as “one of Indiana’s best products, a friend of all, full of sympathy and happiness, and noted for [his] love of natural science and Indian life (The Massasoit, 1915). After graduating from Springfield College, Mr. Keltner founded the YMCA Indian Guide program, and devoted his entire career to YMCA service. The Y Indian guide program was born in St. Louis, Mo. in 1926, as a result of Mr. Keltner’s interest in the character development of boys through their father-son relationships. The idea came to be as a consequence of many long conversations between Mr. Keltner and Mr. Joe Friday, an Ojibwa Indian, regarding the differences between modern day American and Indian father-son relationships. Mrs. Keltner played a major role in developing the first concrete steps to implement her husband’s idea and the organization of the first Y Indian Guide tribe. The program was finally adopted nationally by the YMCA in 1935. The Y-Indian Guides program was modified in 2003, out of sensitivity to Native Americans. The Y decided to drop Indian themes from their programs after an Indian civil rights group raised awareness on how the program could perpetuate offensive stereotypes about Indian cultures. The Y adventure guides program survives with Mr. Keltner’s main idea as its main purpose, “to foster father/child relationships”.
