Welp, it’s been about a month since I was asked to leave both my jobs. And now, another even greater loss. My first mentor, my advisor, my Dad has died. “Grief is love that has no where to go.”
Jesse N. Alexander, Jr 1928-2025
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the Chestnut Street YMCA Annual Spirit Campaign, the Treyton Oak Towers Employee Christmas Fund, and the Treyton Oak Towers Employee Scholarship Fund. Please send checks for the Treton Oak Towers funds to Treyton Oak Towers, 211 West Oak Street, Louisville, KY 40203 and include the name of the fund.
I don’t have alot to say now.
Here’s what he says about himself:
Education
Alexander grew up and was educated in Louisville, Kentucky, where he graduated from Central High School in 1945. In 1950 he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Louisville Municipal College, the racially segregated college of the University of Louisville for African Americans. He went on to graduate from the Engineer Officer Candidate School of the U.S. Army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia and subsequently served as second in command of the 73rd Engineer Combat Company during the Korean War.
In 1956, with the help of the G.I. Bill, Alexander enrolled at George Williams College in Chicago and in 1958 earned a master of Science degree in group work administration. Post graduate studies included work in the Department of Human Relations at New York University in 1962, and at the Institute for Mediation and Conflict Resolution in New York City in 1972.
YMCA Career
Alexander’s involvement with the YMCA dates from 1946, when he was recruited as a youth leader for the Chestnut Street YMCA in Louisville. His YMCA career took him from Louisville to Chicago; Brooklyn, New York; and Washington, D.C. where he served in various roles including youth leader, young adult and adult leader, personnel officer, conference planner, trainer, consultant, and an executive at local and national YMCA headquarters. He was director of the YMCA National Youth Governors Conferences in Washington D.C., and a delegate to the 6th World Council of YMCAs in Kampala, Uganda in 1973.
United Church of Christ Career
After retiring from the YMCA’s national board in 1981, Alexander joined the national staff of the United Church of Christ in New York City. He served as the UCC’s Equal Employee Opportunity and the Affirmative Action Officer. He traveled to Japan in 1984 to participate in a consultation on Racism and Minority Discrimination in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. He retired from the UCC in 1989; and he and his wife, Maude Anna White Alexander, returned to their home in Louisville, Kentucky.
On February 27, 2010, the Chestnut Street YMCA at its 31st Annual Black Achievers celebration recognized him as the DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR. He was one of the key persons who helped start this very successful program in Louisville. The achievers program has awarded over 19 million dollars in college scholarships during these last 31 years.