Fred Ashford's first contact with the YMCA came in the summer of 1952, when he was invited to play baseball for the Johnston textile mill and run youth programs for the then-fledgling Johnston YMCA. He subsequently decided to make the Y a career, and over the next half-century worked in many different positions. He has a marvelous memory for detail, and the interview offers an in-depth account of the actions and priorities of a committed YMCA professional from his era. He provides rich descriptions of many aspects of the YMCA's development, including his own decision to undertake YMCA work, the distinctive qualities of textile mill YMCAs, the development of Camp Thunderbird, the integration of the Central YMCA in the 1960s, the admittance of women in the 1970s and the decisions that underlay the Y's expansion throughout Mecklenburg County. He speaks at length about key YMCA employees, most notably Secretary George Simmons and legendary swim coach Franke Bell.