Better late than never is probably the most popular sentiment in Whitehaven about the newly proposed YMCA that will replace the one that’s served the community since 1959.

Maybe, the $11.5 million capital campaign for the new Georgette and Cato Johnson YMCA could have gone quicker (and smoother). Maybe, the Thomas B. Davis YMCA didn’t have to celebrate 60 years near Shelby Drive and Elvis Presley Boulevard before being replaced. Maybe, the wait for an indoor pool accessible for neighborhood residents didn’t have to last this long.

New YMCA planned for Whitehaven

On April 7, as the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South, Methodist South Hospital and other community leaders gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony at the site — the dream finally didn’t feel so distant anymore.

“There are a lot of Ys in the country that need facility improvements,” said Jerry Martin, YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South CEO. “Frankly, for a long time, we’ve had the folks that supported Whitehaven in a building that we were not really proud of.”

The new facility, located at 4727 Elvis Presley Blvd., will offer a community resource center, early childhood learning center, wellness center, gymnasium — and, yes, a new public pool. The Davis YMCA is currently closed.

From the names honored at the new YMCA to what’s proposed for the new facility — the nonprofit hopes it leaves a stronger legacy in Whitehaven for future generations.

Councilwoman’s desire for new YMCA

Memphis City Councilwoman Patrice Robinson knew her senior constituents needed a new place to exercise and a public pool to utilize.

While representing Whitehaven on the City Council and being a Davis YMCA member herself, Robinson understood the importance of this project to her community.

“We’ve got to move this on pretty quickly,” Robinson said on the project’s urgency. “The citizens in the district deserve to have a place where they can go and have a pool. Of all the districts and the communities in Memphis, the area of Whitehaven does not have a public pool. When they closed (the Davis YMCA), there was an outdoor pool, but there was no indoor pool during the off months in the community at all.”

Discussions about a new Whitehaven YMCA date to about 2015, Martin said. Robinson became one of three honorary co-chairs, along with Beverly and Howard Robertson, on the capital campaign committee to raise the $11.5 million required for a new Whitehaven YMCA.

Raising the funds was the toughest part of the project, Robinson said. Eventually, the project became a public-private partnership with donors ranging from the city of Memphis, Shelby County government to corporate supporters such as FedEx and AutoZone.

“This was a learning experience for all of us,” she said. “It was an opportunity for us to work together for the betterment of our community.”

The Johnsons

Cato Johnson doesn’t know how he and his wife were selected as the names on the new YMCA. He just remembers being called into a meeting by YMCA officials.

They told him this possibility was discussed internally because of the Johnsons’ longtime support of the nonprofit. 

Johnson is senior vice president of public policy/regulatory affairs & chief of staff for Methodist Le Bonheur. His connection to the YMCA dates back at least a decade in various capacities including as an executive board member of the Cordova branch.

“I can tell you this, I’m honored and extremely humbled, because I do understand quite honestly none of us is good as we think we are and none of us deserve these honors like we think we do,” Cato said. “It’s only by God’s grace, believe me.”

If his connection to the YMCA is strong, his connection to South Memphis — and Whitehaven — is even stronger. He grew up in South Memphis, has family in Whitehaven and Methodist South is near the YMCA.

He agreed to YMCA’s request — on one condition: his wife of 45 years, Georgette, had her name listed ahead of his. She worked for the state of Tennessee for 40 years in various capacities including field management director one for the Department of Human Services.

“I know what she’s meant to me and my family,” Cato said. “My wife has been a strong rock for the family.” 

For Georgette, it didn’t matter whose name was listed first. As she stood near the new YMCA, Georgette said she’s proud to share this latest honor with her husband.

“It’s just not for us,” she said. “We have a little granddaughter. We want to leave a legacy for her. This is for generations to come. This isn’t just about Cato and Georgette. This is about Memphis and giving back to the community and putting a footprint in Memphis and where we are in the world today.”

Impact on Whitehaven

Those associated with the new YMCA believe the project’s impact in Whitehaven can go far beyond the brick-and-mortar building set for construction over the next year.

It’s also the first YMCA built in the Greater Memphis area since the Olive Branch location in 2005, Martin said.

Whitehaven native Mary Olds is the Davis YMCA director and will hold the same title when the Georgette and Cato Johnson YMCA opens.

When the opportunity first arose three years ago, Olds was just searching for a volunteer opportunity at the YMCA. That quickly changed, she said.

Olds wasn’t a “Y kid” growing up, but she understood the importance of it, even more so after serving as the center’s director the past three years.

“Being an adult working there and listening to those experiences people had, you do have a little bit of like, ‘Man, I wish I didn’t miss out on that experience,’ ” Olds said. “It’s something I can definitely experience as an adult now. I’m happy for that.”

The YMCA’s mission-driven impact on the community lured Olds to that job and aligned with her personal mission of seeing Whitehaven thrive economically. That inspired her to open Muggin’ Coffeehouse in Whitehaven with her husband, Ken, in 2019.

Opening brewing for Muggin’ Coffee House in Whitehaven

Growing up in Whitehaven during the 1980s and 1990s, she remembers not having to leave the area because everything Olds needed was on Elvis Presley Boulevard. She hopes that can happen again with the new Y and other businesses coming to the community.

“Economic injections like that spark growth,” Olds said. “My hope is that as businesses start to come back to Whitehaven, then residents will start to come back to Whitehaven. Then you’ll have a community that’s vibrant, rich and able to have resources that you need there.”