It may be the most accurate club name of all time: The Y’s Men of Westport/ Weston.
Every week, they welcome an interesting speaker. They also support a few dozen special interest groups, ranging from books, boating, bridge, classical music and skiing to global issues, investments, community service and travel.
The Y’s Men organize regular trips to New York for Hudson River cruises, historic district walks, and tours of museums and other venues.
They host a holiday party, summer lobster bakes and other bashes, a Chinese New Year celebration and more.
Every Memorial Day, they build a float that wins the parade’s “Best in Show” award. If the theme is D-Day, for example, the only thing missing is the actual General Eisenhower.
The Y’s Men’s 2021 float continued their award-winning tradition. (Photo/Dan Woog)
As their name implies, the Y’s Men are quite wise. They are also energetic, curious, helpful and fun.
They are not, however, associated in any way with the Westport Weston Family YMCA.
The name harks back to their original meeting site: the Y’s downtown location. (Today it’s Anthropologie.) There is no longer any connection between the Y’s Men and the Y.
The current meeting site — Saugatuck Congregational Church — scarcely holds all the members who gather each Thursday.
After coffee, donuts and announcements, they settle back to hear — and then question — the likes of Governors Ned Lamont and Jodi Rell, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Congressmen Jim Himes and Chris Shays, JetBlue founder David Neeleman, former Madison Square Garden and New York Knicks chief Dave Checketts, former New York Giants star and Monday Night Football commentator Frank Gifford, and University of Connecticut basketball coach Geno Auriemma.
Federal Reserve Board governor Sarah Bloom Raskin, one of many noted Y’s Men speakers.
They hear from noted Westporters too, like CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota, lifestyle guru Martha Stewart, attorney Josh Koskoff, Playtex CEO and philanthropist Joel Smilow, and Jim Nantz. (The sportscaster said he wished his father in Houston could have a club like the Y’s Men — then asked that his dad be made an honorary member.)
E. Bruce Borner is president of the Y’s Men. A Westporter since 2003, he is a typical (if that is possible) member. He earned an MBA, then had a busy professional career in software development and web design.
E. Bruce Borner
The late Bill Meyer got Borner involved with the Y’s Men. Bob Mitchell encouraged him to become a leader, first as speaker’s chair, then vice president.
“it’s not just the speakers, not just the many activities” that kept him coming back, Borner says. “It’s the relationships.”
Though retired or semi-retired, members are “definitely not done,” he notes.
“There are so many people with very interesting backgrounds. They’ve got stories about their lives, and their current hikes and travels or whatever else they’re dong. The camaraderie is great.”
The Y’s Men are starting to skew younger, Borner says, with more members in their 60s.
The many new Y’s Men quickly feel welcomed and comfortable. They get involved, and engaged.
And, in a tradition dating back nearly 50 years, they receive — and offer — wise words of advice, support and friendship.
(For more information on the Y’s Men of Westport/Weston, click here for their website. It’s as vibrant and interesting as they are.)
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Take a hike! The Y’s Men often do. (Photo/Molly Alger)