Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

Sunnyvale resident W.L. 'Bud' Hoffman, director of staff development at the YMCA of Santa Clara Valley, has been an employee with the organization since 1948.




Long Haul

Volunteer Warren Hoffman has given 50 years of service to the YMCA

By Melissa Matchak

During a YMCA staff retreat in December, Warren Hoffman was awarded a 20-year employee pin, two 10-year pins and two five-year pins. A 50-year pin has yet to be created, as the national Y has never had to issue one before. The pins commemorated Hoffman's 50-plus years as an integral part of the YMCA staff.

Hoffman--fondly known as Bud--has worked for the Y since 1948, more than 50 of the 150 years that the Y has been in existence. The Sunnyvale resident began his involvement in Hollywood, where he was born and raised.

During his senior year of high school, Hoffman was helping build a playground with the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation department when he met the program director for the West Hollywood YMCA. After the job was completed, Hoffman was hired as an assistant program director for the West Hollywood YMCA and worked there until 1955. Between 1955 and 1959 Hoffman also worked as a program director for the Mid-Valley YMCA in Van Nuys and as the San Marino YMCA executive director for the South Pasadena YMCA.

From 1963 to 73, Hoffman served as the president and CEO for the Palo Alto YMCA, after which he decided he wanted more of a challenge and wanted to work in a more diverse area. Hoffman's next positions with the YMCA were vice president for operations and vice president for business and finance for the Metropolitan YMCA of Alameda County in Oakland.

Although Hoffman had considered becoming a minister, coach or teacher at different times in his life, he has remained with the YMCA.

"The YMCA looked like exactly what I wanted to do," Hoffman said. "The Y was made for me, and I was made for the Y."

With time off from the YMCA for one year in Korea with the Army and another year off between 1981 and 1982, Hoffman said the Y has been a part of his life and will continue to be.


Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

Sunnyvale resident W.L. 'Bud' Hoffman, director of staff development at the YMCA of Santa Clara Valley, has been an employee with the company since 1948. 'The Y gets into your blood,' Hoffman says.




Hoffman retired from the YMCA for the first time in 1981 but returned a year later to the local Northwest YMCA after a new position was created for him, and he worked as the senior vice president and chief operating officer from 1982-90. During his time in that position, Hoffman opened two new YMCA branches in Milpitas and Morgan Hill, and he enhanced the YMCA camp in Boulder Creek to a full-fledged branch. In 1990, Hoffman retired again, but returned shortly after his wife passed away in April 1991.

Since his return to the YMCA 10 years ago, Hoffman has worked as the child care center evaluator for the 50 YMCA child care operations in Santa Clara County and as the interim executive director for the South Valley Y. Currently, Hoffman works as the director of staff development for the YMCA of Santa Clara Valley.

"I most enjoy helping and watching the staff develop from volunteers to staff to full-time professionals with the Y," Hoffman said. "I really enjoy working with people from a staffing standpoint."

Although Hoffman, 72, works less than full time, he continues to be active with the Y. He said the Northwest YMCA is one of his favorite branches because it's his hometown branch. Despite considering alternate careers early in his involvement with the YMCA, Hoffman said working for the YMCA is natural for him because of his interests in sports, religion and people.

"I knew early in life I was going to be working with people, not things," Hoffman said.

Hoffman is proud of his work with the YMCA but humble about all he has done. He praises the YMCA for contributing to the development of healthy self-image and character of so many young people.

"Helping people grow into people who have a healthy self-image is an important part of the Y," Hoffman said. "The Y is an asset to the lives of young people."

And Hoffman himself is an asset to the YMCA, as those who have worked with him in the course of his career with the YMCA will say. Hoffman said he plans to continue his work with the Y for at least one more year.

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