In this week’s Pathway to the (Y), Robert and Allison spend quality time with Dr. Walter Young, a civil rights activist and long time Y member. Tune in for this conversation of reflection, connection, and gratitude.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [0:45] Robert shares how he met Dr. Young, and was in for a surprise.

• [1:45] Dr. Young is passionate about his health and fitness and still works out to this day.

• [2:30] Dr. Young taught Robert many lessons about southwest Atlanta during a car ride they shared.

• [4:15] Dr. Young reflects on the Y summer camp that he attended as a young boy, many years ago.

• [6:45] Dr. Young believes that he and his brother’s leadership skills are a product of their involvement with the Y throughout their lives.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Because Dr. Young has lived in the Atlanta area for most of his life and is actively involved in the community, he has a deep knowledge of black-owned businesses that have served the community over the years.

• Dr. Young has had a deep influence on the YMCA of Metro Atlanta through years of investing his time, energy, and knowledge into the community.

RESOURCE LINKS:

Facebook: YMCA Metro Atlanta

Linkedin: YMCA Metro Atlanta

Twitter: YMCA Metro Atlanta

Website: YMCA Metro Atlanta

YMCA Atlanta Membership - Website

BIOGRAPHY:

Dentist and civil rights activist Dr. Walter Fuller Young was born on August 18, 1934, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Daisy Valentine Fuller Young and Andrew Jackson Young, a dentist. Young attended Valeda C. Jones School with his brother Andrew Young. He later attended Gilbert Academy and then went on to attend and graduate from Princeton High School in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1951. Young earned his B.A. degree from Baldwin Wallace College in Ohio. Following in his father’s footsteps, Young studied dentistry at Howard University Dental School. After a stint as a dentist in the US Navy, Young returned to New Orleans, where his father had practiced, established his dental practice and taught at Dillard University. At the same time, Young became an active supporter of the All African Students Association’s lunch counter sit-ins at New Orleans’ downtown Woolworths and other New Orleans businesses from 1961 to 1964. During that same period, Young was introduced to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by his brother, SCLC’s Rev. Andrew Young. Moving to Atlanta in 1978, Young joined his brother and worked to address the issues of dental health maintenance and the establishment of dental programs in schools, churches and organizations in the Atlanta area. Young’s dental practice has been active in the same location for twenty-eight years. As a member of the City of Atlanta Blue Ribbon Committee on Equal Business Opportunity, Young is involved in a number of civic and community programs. He is a consultant to the Osaka American Club of Japan, American Computer Technology in Atlanta, Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah, and Grady Healthcare in Atlanta. Possessing a keen interest in African American history, Young is honorary consul general for Liberia and has traveled extensively on the African continent. In 2004, Atlanta’s Southwest YMCA was named for Young and his brother, Andrew. Young is married to event planner Sonjia Young and is a father to five children.