Monroe and Isabel Smith
Monroe W. Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 22, 1901 Sunderland, Massachusetts, US |
| Died | January 8, 1972 (aged 70) Delray Beach, Florida, US |
| Other names | Money |
| Occupation(s) | Youth leader, outdoorsman, pilot, businessman, teacher |
| Known for | Co-founder of American Youth Hostels, Youth Argosy |
Isabel B. Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 12, 1898 Hartford, Connecticut, US |
| Died | May 3, 1985 (aged 86) Boulder, Colorado, US |
| Occupation(s) | Artist, teacher |
| Known for | Co-founder of American Youth Hostels |
Monroe William Smith and his wife Isabel Bacheler Smith founded American Youth Hostels in 1934. Monroe was a former Boy Scout executive and Isabel an art teacher when the young couple founded the hostels in Northfield, 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. After a promising start, Youth Argosy went bankrupt in 1951, largely due to a new Civil Aeronautics Board regulation aimed at small charter groups.