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Former Central YMCA Chief Executive and fitness pioneer Rodney Cullum sadly passed away on 26th February, aged 67, following a short illness. He was a great friend who I always respected. Different than me in many ways but I respected him as a colleague. Rodney, who headed up the world's founding YMCA from 1992 until 2004 is remembered fondly by friends and colleagues across the YMCA movement and wider fitness industry as a determined and passionate man. He was a fierce ambassador for the crucial role education plays in society and of Central YMCA in particular. Cullum" border="0"> Rodney Cullum An exceptional sportsman, as a young man Rodney rejected a career in professional football despite representing England as an under 18 international, choosing instead to follow his lifelong ambition of becoming a teacher. After his early career as a PE and history teacher, Rodney joined Central YMCA in 1973 as Physical Education Director at a pivotal time in the history of the organisation. In 1970 the original YMCA building on the Tottenham Court Road site in Central London had been pulled down, to be reopened in the Autumn of 1976; Rodney quickly set to work with his dedicated team to develop a radical and innovative fitness programme. Alongside his second wife, Lesley Mowbray, who sadly died from breast cancer in 1997, Rodney developed a new training system and accompanying book based on the physiology of exercise and the principle of exercise to music. Current Chief Executive, Rosi Prescott paid tribute to her predecessor, saying: 'Rodney made a unique contribution not only to Central YMCA but to the worldwide movement itself. He was an exceptional character - with vision and immense integrity. He will be remembered as a pivotal figure in the annals of our history and his impact will continue to shape our future direction. I will miss his wisdom and compassion immensely.' Trustees recall that Rodney's early ideas seemed quite alien to them, but soon he was proven right as what became most special was not the amazing new Central YMCA building, but the revolutionary new programmes that were going on within. Central YMCA Board Member David Bennison said: 'Making people more fulfilled was Central YMCA's mission and this is absolutely what Rodney did. Right up to the moment of retirement Rodney was a key member of the core team at Central YMCA; indeed a great deal of what makes up the organisation we are today stems from a collective core of achievement, of which Rodney was truly at the centre and in many ways was the engine of.' During the early nineties Central YMCA faced a deep financial crisis and the threat of closure. Current Central YMCA trustee Tony Griffiths recalled how Rodney's integrity and commitment impressed him greatly. He said: 'I was a Club member at the time and we set up a series of committees to help save the club from the very real prospect of closure; it was through this that I met Rodney who by that time was Chief Executive. He was a brilliant negotiator and a tough cookie, but very fair and always retained a twinkle in his eye and a sense of humour which was vital to the situation. 'He was an inspirational and very special man who was always willing to listen to our ideas and impressed me greatly with the way he was able to get the best out of people and the best results out of a situation.' Rodney also ensured that Central YMCA nurtured its emerging Training and Development ambitions, to become rapidly one of the UK's leading exercise instructor training and qualification organisations. Robin Gargrave, Executive Director YMCA Fitness Industry Training, said: 'In the early 80s when the practitioners and leaders of the embryonic fitness industry were hostile to the very notion of qualified fitness instructors, Rodney had the courage and foresight to invest in the development of the UK's first exercise to music qualification. It is his lasting legacy that makes it unthinkable today for an employer to use an unqualified fitness instructor. ' Colleagues from the wider YMCA family and the fitness industry have also joined in sharing their memories and deep sorrow at the passing of such a larger than life character.