Monroe William Smith, a former
Boy Scout
A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...
executive, and his wife Isabel Bacheler Smith, art teacher, founded
American Youth Hostels as a young couple, in 1934, in
Northfield Northfield may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Northfield, Aberdeen, Scotland
* Northfield, Edinburgh, Scotland
* Northfield, Birmingham, England
* Northfield (Kettering BC Ward), Northamptonshire, England
United States
* Northfield, Connec ...
, Massachusetts. Monroe also founded
Youth Argosy, an organization intended to "provide travel opportunities for worthy young people of slender means"
and resigned his directorship of American Youth Hostels in 1949 to devote time to Youth Argosy. After a promising start, Youth Argosy went bankrupt in 1951, largely due to a new
Civil Aeronautics Board
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1938 and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services including scheduled passenger airline serviceStringer, David H."Non-Skeds: Th ...
regulation aimed at small charter groups.
Monroe attended the
Mount Hermon School for boys in 1919. After graduation, he became a Massachusetts school teacher and boy scout leader. During a scout trip to Europe, Monroe and Isabel met
Richard Schirrmann
Richard Schirrmann (15 May 1874 – 14 December 1961) was a German teacher and founder of the first hostel.
Early life and education
Schirrmann was born in Grunenfeld, Province of Prussia (now Gronówko, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship). His fathe ...
and learned about his German Hostelling Organization. They later attended the second International Hosteling Meeting in 1933 and brought the idea of hosteling back to the United States, where the
American Hostelling International movement was born.
Monroe was born on January 22, 1901, in
Sunderland, Massachusetts
Sunderland is a town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The wo ...
, and died on December 8, 1972, in
Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles ...
. Isabel was born on December 12, 1898, in
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, and died on May 3, 1985, in Boulder, Colorado. They had three children, Elizabeth, Steve, and Jonathan.
File:Monroe & Isabel Smith with globe.jpg, Monroe & Isabel Smith with globe
File:Isabel_&_Monroe_Smith.jpg, Isabel & Monroe standing in front of hostel in Northfield, Massachusetts
File:Northfield Chateau (Northfield, MA) - exterior.jpg, Northfield Chateau, first American Youth Hostel
File:AYH_Hostel_pre_1938_hurricane.jpg, First official hostel at Northfield
References
External links
American Hostelling International
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Monroe And Isabel
Youth hostelling
Northfield Mount Hermon School alumni