Don Cheek has passed away suddenly. The former Sea Gull counselor was pronounced dead on July 19, 2024. Don died after leaving an indelible mark on the Sea Gull organization, also positively impacting many lives there. He will always be missed by all those who knew him.
Who was Don Cheek?
After his graduation from college in the year 1951, he was hired by Wyatt Taylor as a full-time employee of the Y, where he worked as a counselor until the year 1948, when Sea Gull officially launched. He was the inaugural captain of the “Joy Boy” and went ahead to become the director of the Sea Program, head counselor, assistant director overseeing the Sea Program, and also served as an assistant director to Wyatt. When Wyatt retired in 1980, Don was named CEO of the Triangle YMCA and Executive Director of Camp together. Lloyd Griffith was appointed Director of Sea Gull by him in 1990, and Don served as CEO until his retirement in 1993.
