1850 – 1902
David A. Sinclair was an early supporter of the YMCA movement. He came to Dayton in 1874 to represent the Hamilton, Ontario YMCA at a conference, and was so impressed with the leadership of the Dayton branch that he accepted a position here. He could not understand why Dayton had so many jobless men, and so asked local employers what was causing the problem. When told men lacked the necessary skills and training, he became determined to
do something about it. Under his leadership, the YMCA began to offer vocational training classes which eventually grew into Sinclair Community College. Sadly, David Sinclair did not live long enough to see it: exhausted from efforts to build the first YMCA building at Third and Ludlow Streets (now Dayton City Hall), he died six years before the first college building opened in 1908.