Bob Young (mayor)

Bob Young

Photographic portrait of Bob Young

Bob Young's official photograph during his HUD appointment
Alma mater Wofford College
Augusta State University
Occupation Journalist; politician, writer
Home town Thomson, Georgia
Relatives Brigham Young

Bob Young (born c.1948)[1] is a Emmy nominated[2] broadcast journalist, author, and former Mayor of Augusta, Georgia. Young also served a presidential appointment by George W. Bush on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. As of 2013, Young was serving as the President and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy.

Early life

Young was born around 1948 and grew up in Thomson, Georgia. He is an alumnus of Wofford College and the Augusta State University. Bob is married to Gwen Fulcher Young of Augusta and together they have two daughters and six grandchildren.[3]

Heritage

Bob Young is an ancestral descendant of Brigham Young through his great-great-great grandmother: Lucy Decker Young[4][5] In 2006, Bob Young, with his brother, turned over a family heirloom, (a chair once used by Brigham Young), and its historical provenance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[6]

It's history to us but its greater history is to the Mormon church and the people of Salt Lake City. Skip Young[4]

Broadcast career

During Bob Young's 26-year-career in broadcast journalism, he produced two acclaimed documentaries: "The Great March"; about General Sherman's Civil War invasion of Georgia, and: "Ike's Augusta"; a chronicle of Dwight Eisenhower's membership at Augusta National Golf Club.[2]

Government service

Bob Young served in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War[1] and became mayor of Augusta, Georgia, in 1999; serving until 2005. On June 20, 2005. Young accepted a presidential appointment by George W. Bush to serve as Regional Director, Atlanta Region of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) located in Atlanta, Georgia. On June 13, 2007, Young was further designated: Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary for Field Policy and Management; a position overseeing HUD Regional Directors for ten regions across the nation. He was also appointed to represent the nation's mayors on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.[3]

Writing career

In 2009, Young began writing what would become his first novel: The Treasure Train; a fiction set in Augusta around the end of the Civil War.[7] The book follows the historical account of the Midnight Raid at Chennault, Georgia, and the stolen shipment of confederate gold; delving into the derivative tales and folklore it spawned. Young credited Dr. Mark Waters, a renowned authority on the area of Chennault, from the Revolutionary War through post Civil War reconstruction; for giving him the historical basis in fact for the storyline his fiction would closely follow.[8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Index to Politicians - Young, A to B". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 (September 16, 2012). "The Treasure Train, a Well-Written Historical Novel, is an Exciting Way to Commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the War Between the States". prweb.com. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Bob Young, Region IV Regional Director Atlanta, GA". hud.gov. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hummel, Debbie (November 3, 2006). "Brigham Young's descendants give rocking chair to Mormon church". deseretnews.com. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  5. ↑ Lund, Anthon Henrik (1922). The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine - Volume 13. Genealogical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 174. ISBN 9781278473147.
  6. ↑ (November 11, 2006). "Brigham's rocker returned to its home: Rocking chair used by President Young donated to Church by kin". Church News, November 11, 2006. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  7. ↑ Pavey, Rob (February 8, 2012). "Former mayor to release Civil War era novel set in Augusta". augusta.com. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  8. ↑ (August 22, 2013). "Dr. Mark Waters to speak on ‘Midnight Raid at Chennault’". lincolnjournalonline.com. Retrieved December 31, 2013.

External links