KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Kalamazoo community will remember and pay tribute to a longtime educator this weekend.
Former Hillside Middle School principal Dorothy P. Young passed away in Kalamazoo November 28. Young was 82.
A drive-thru visitation for the public will be held Sunday, December 20 from 2:00-5:00 p.m. at Langeland Family Funeral Home, 3926 S. 9th Street, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Radio personality Angela Anderson of “Speak on It” will host a special community tribute to Mrs. Young this Saturday, December 19 between 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. on The Touch 95.5 FM and 1660 AM. Community members will be able to call in and share their special memories of Mrs. Young.
The youngest of 12 children, Young was born October 9, 1938 in Pinson, Tennessee in the segregated south into a family that owned and operated its own farm. Black students were not allowed to attend the segregated white school in her hometown, so she and her siblings walked the 10 miles daily to Merry High School in Jackson, Tennessee where she graduated near the top of her class in 1956, earning many academic honors.
It was at Lane College in Jackson, TN that Dorothy met popular football standout Curtis Young. The two were married in 1962 and later relocated to Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1966 where both continued their teaching careers. She and her husband later earned Master Degrees from Western Michigan University.
Dorothy Young was employed by Kalamazoo Public Schools for 37 years, serving for many years as the Principal of Hillside Middle School. Dr. Michael Rice and Kalamazoo Public Schools recognized her in 2017 by naming the Dorothy P. Young Cafeteria and a street near Hillside in her honor.
Mrs. Young was also the recipient of numerous other awards, including: Kalamazoo Public Schools UAW Outstanding Administrator Award; Ujima Enterprises, Inc. Outstanding Leadership Award (2001); NAACP-Kalamazoo Humanitarian of the Year Award (2004); Governor Jennifer Granholm Senior Volunteer of the Year Award (2010); YWCA Woman of Achievement (2014) and Sigma Gamma Rho Educator of the Year (2019).
In her “retirement” years, Young, a lifelong and passionate advocate for education, remained actively involved in several organizations, including volunteering for Community Advocates for Parents and Students (CAPS) which tutored children at Interfaith Homes in Kalamazoo, helping prepare them for success with the Kalamazoo Promise.
Memorial contributions in her honor may be made to either: CAPS, Mothers of Hope and/or the Northside Association for Educational Advancement (NAEA) and mailed to P.O. Box 19875, Kalamazoo, MI 49019.
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