Charles K. (Charles Kellogg) Ober

Born in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1856, Charles Kellogg Ober first worked as a bootcutter and then as a cod fisherman. According to archival biographies, a dramatic turning point came when he survived eight days afloat off the Newfoundland coast; he later credited that experience with leading him into Christian work.

Ober attended Williams College from 1879 to 1883 and soon became deeply involved with the Young Men's Christian Association. He served in several YMCA roles, including work in Massachusetts, the college movement, and the International Committee. Archival records also credit him with helping organize the Northfield Student Conference and the Student Volunteer Movement, and with developing the YMCA's "Fellowship Plan" for training promising young leaders.

As an author, Ober wrote both practical religious and YMCA-related books and at least one sea story, Out of the Fog: A Story of the Sea, which reflects the maritime world he knew firsthand. He died in 1948 in White Plains, New York.